Why Your Voice Matters | Allicia Viona | TEDxYouth@SWA

Key Concepts

• Autonomy/Control: Taking charge of one's own life and decisions.
• Internal Voice: Listening to one's own feelings, beliefs, and desires.
• External Voices: The influence of others' opinions, expectations, and demands.
• Paralysis (Emotional): Feeling stuck or unable to act due to overwhelming emotions or external pressures.
• Purpose: Working and living with intention and meaning.
• Self-Belief: Having confidence in one's own ability to achieve goals.

The Story of a Family Member

The speaker shares the story of a close family member, a successful business owner, who was diagnosed with a serious illness. This illness significantly impacted her life, taking away her independence and placing her under the care of her parents. Her parents began making decisions for her, dictating her diet, medical treatments, and even putting her wedding plans on hold.

The Feeling of Paralysis

The speaker draws a parallel between the family member's physical paralysis and the emotional paralysis that many people experience. This paralysis stems from being overwhelmed by external voices and expectations, leading to a neglect of one's own internal voice. The speaker emphasizes that this is a common experience, not just an isolated incident.

Regaining Control

The family member eventually decided to take back control of her life. She went out, enjoyed activities she loved, and started making her own decisions, even small ones like wanting skin treatments. Despite facing resistance from her parents, she consulted doctors for medical advice and stood up for her desires. This marked a turning point in her journey towards regaining autonomy.

The Importance of Listening to Your Own Voice

The speaker argues that people lose themselves not because the world is too loud, but because they stop listening to their own voice. She provides examples of how this can be detrimental in various fields:

• Engineering: Blindly following blueprints without questioning or updating them.
• Medicine: Making fatal mistakes by adhering to protocols without considering individual patient cases.
• Leadership: Making poor decisions by failing to challenge existing systems.

The speaker asserts that entire industries could crumble if people don't work with purpose and critical thinking.

Finding a Way Back

The speaker offers hope, stating that there's always a way to recover and regain control. She acknowledges that people have different goals, from getting married to simply surviving another week. However, she emphasizes that achieving any goal requires self-belief and clarity about what one truly wants.

Update on the Family Member

The speaker shares a positive update: the family member is getting better and, with her fighting spirit, may still get married. While she may not be completely free from external expectations, she is regaining her life by listening to herself and asking herself what she believes, feels, and wants.

Call to Action

The speaker concludes with a call to action, urging the audience to:

1. Close their eyes and reflect on their current life.
2. Ask themselves if they are living the life they truly want, not the life others expect of them.
3. Promise to listen to their own voice first before listening to others.

The speaker emphasizes that "you matter, your voice matters, and no one deserves to die in silence."