Ok, so you clicked on this video because you want to know how to speak with confidence.
I don’t have 7 tips, surprising secrets or easy tricks for you
like the other videos from YouTube search are promising. I only have one story that
changed my life and my hope is that it will change yours too. So keep on watching.
Hi! I am Katarina, speech language pathologist and here on this channel, I share practical tips
about using your voice in a healthy way. So, if this is a topic that interests you,
consider subscribing to this channel and hitting that bell notification icon
so that you don’t miss any of my future videos.
Every day, I receive emails, messages, and I get comments from people from all around the world.
Some of them share their vocal journey with me, some people send words of gratitude,
many people ask questions, but all of them are searching for solutions to their vocal problems.
Is there hope for me? Am I the only one? Can you help? are just a few examples of common questions.
Sometimes, I get emails that really break my heart. These emails have an undertone of
giving up and self-limiting beliefs. Am I good enough? Do I belong here? Do I deserve
something better? And they break my heart because I know how that feels.
I am going to share my story hoping that it will inspire you to pursue the voice that you really
deserve. The voice that truly represents who you are on the inside. I usually don’t share
personal stories but I thought: why not? If my story can help just one person, why not?
I moved countries a few times in my life. But I remember the time when I came to live in Canada
for the first time. This was after I had my share of success as a speech-language
pathologist in Europe. I was born and raised in central Europe, and I
lived a significant part of my life there too. I studied medicine, speech-language pathology,
I worked at a hospital, gave lectures at a university, and participated in research.
However, when I came to Canada, Canadian officials did not recognize my credentials
and I had to go back to school and re-take some of my undergrad and all of
my master's courses to become a licensed speech-language pathologist in Canada.
As you can imagine, that experience was not a boost in self-confidence. Yes,
I was speaking with an accent, I still do. But who doesn’t here in Canada? But I remember that I
truly believed that everyone around me could tell right away that I was a foreigner, even before I
said anything. I believed that I did not belong here. Not just because of my accent. Even when I
was quiet. I literally thought that there was a sign on my forehead that read: "immigrant".
I even started to believe that I was not smart enough and
that all my previous success was a fluke. And as a result,
I usually sat at the back of the classroom, did not engage in conversations, never put
my hand up to ask questions. I was invisible. Maybe that's why I became such a good observer.
In any case, two months later around the midterm tests in my master’s degree, people started to
notice me. My marks were the best in my class. I recall getting 99% on a really hard anatomy test.
Well, no surprise! I studied medicine and speech-language pathology in Europe and
this was a basic anatomy course! But that was the moment when my schoolmates
and my teachers finally saw who I was.
But more importantly, that's when I "saw myself". I realized that my
accent does not define me. The sign from my forehead was slowly disappearing.
In the end, I won an award and scholarship for the best academic achievements in the program.
But I am not sharing this story to brag. I am sharing this story to
illustrate an important concept: If you accept a limiting belief,
then it will become the truth for you. If you believe something in your mind,
your body will act like that. A limiting thought can become your reality.
So, I am here today to encourage you to dream. I am still learning how to dream big and apparently
it’s a skill. Let go of your limiting beliefs. I often advise my clients to focus on what they
CAN do with their voice, instead of what they CANNOT do. But today, I am encouraging you to
go beyond that. Do something new. Be courageous. Whatever that means for you. Do something
different and see what happens. It probably will be uncomfortable but do it anyway.
You have a voice and you have the power to change it
and mold it and get the voice that you really deserve.
If you are still here, listening, thank you. If you are still here waiting for some tips,
check out the links under this video for more information
and resources about how to build a strong and confident voice.
If you found this video helpful, click the like button and share it with your friends. And
check out my other videos right here. They will have more tips for you. I promise. Bye.