The Voices You Choose
Trusting yourself over the opinions of others
Who’s telling your story—your own voice or the voices of everyone else?
I started skateboarding when I was 40.
I’d had a skateboard as a kid, but I was too afraid to try, too worried about falling, getting hurt, or being labeled as “that kid who hung out with the wrong crowd.”
And every voice I heard back then warned me about all the things that could go wrong:
You’ll fall.
You’ll break bones.
You’ll get hurt.
You’ll get into trouble.
So I let those voices win.
I put the board away and forgot about it.
But the truth is, the board didn’t disappear.
It just waited, quietly, until I was ready to listen to a different voice:
my own.
When I turned 40, I decided I didn’t want to live by someone else’s fears anymore.
I wanted to try.
And sure enough, the voices came again:
“You’re too old.”
“Do you know how many people end up in the ER from skateboarding injuries?”
“Do you really want to risk it?”
But this time, I chose to listen to the voices that had actually done it.
The ones who’d felt the wind on their faces and the ground under their wheels.
They didn’t sugarcoat it:
“Yeah, you might fall.”
“Yeah, you might get hurt.”
“But you’ll also find freedom.”
“Balance.”
“Peace.”
“Joy.”
So I started.
I fell.
I looked weird.
But slowly, I got better, going from a few feet to ten miles.
I found a rhythm, a flow, a peace that I hadn’t known before.
Skateboarding became my meditation, my space to breathe, to think, to be.
Yeah, I got hurt, badly enough to break a toe, bruise my leg, and skin my knee.
And for a moment, I thought, “Maybe I should quit. Maybe everyone was right.”
But after a couple of days, I got back on.
The worry faded.
The freedom returned.
It’s been two and a half years now.
I skate as often as I can.
It’s improved my health, my balance, my mind.
And most of all, it’s taught me this:
If you let the wrong voices tell your story, you might never even try.
But if you find the right voices, the ones who’ve lived it,
you’ll discover that even the risk is worth it.
Reflection Questions:
Whose voice are you listening to right now, and are they really qualified to guide you?
What dream have you put away because of someone else’s fear?
How would your life change if you listened to the voice inside you instead?
Song: “Weight of Sound” by Stick Figure
This song captures the feeling of letting go of outside noise and finding your own rhythm. It’s a reminder that sometimes the voices that matter most are the ones inside you.
Closing Thought:
No one else gets to tell your story.
Your voice matters,
and every time you choose it,
you’re one push closer to finding your own balance.