I was talking recently to a group of middle-aged women who were considering re-entering education. Some had left school early to get married and have children. Some had dropped out, needing to get to work for financial reasons.

They were shy and I had to coax their stories out of them, but in a small intimate setting with encouragement they started to reveal the obstacles they had faced and how they had overcome them. Their tales were awesome in the true sense of the word, filling me with admiration at what they had gone through and how they had survived, flourished even.

I declared to the group that I was overwhelmed with their incredible stories. They blushed, shuffled their feet on their floor, or looked away. Eventually one mumbled, “we don’t have anything interesting to say, we’re just boring middle aged women.”

But they were wrong, and they made one of the biggest mistakes that we all find ourselves making; belittling the importance of our stories, and the voices we use to tell them.

Every word we use has an impact and that is because each of us is unique, and each of us has our own story and our own voice. No matter how strong or weak, how rich or poor, how privileged in status or not, we all have one thing that connects us to the world – our voice.

It is words and voices that have changed the course of history. The Qur’an’s first word was ‘Iqra’, “Read” signalling the importance of reflection, education, thinking, and conveying ideas.

It was Martin Luther King who said “I have a dream...” which resonates with us today as changing the course of equality in the USA.

We too can use words to inspire others, whether that is our friends or family, or large audiences. A simple word of praise or appreciation can inspire others to do more. Being brave enough to tell our stories can help to inspire others going through similar challenges. .

Everyone’s story is important, yours and mine. And we each have a voice to make the world a better more inspiring place. Let’s give credit to the power of our voices and put them to good use.