Inside and Outside voices

Today's post is short and sweet. If you'd told me Barney the dinosaur has life-changing wisdom, I'd have said, "Colour me purple and call me surprised!" 🦖💜

The other day, my daughter watched an old episode of Barney the Dinosaur, as kids do. I wasn’t much of a Barney fan growing up, but my daughter adores the purple, ever-cheerful dinosaur who seems to have a song for just about everything. Well, maybe nearly everything is a more accurate way to put it.

I was only half-listening at first, but then something caught my attention, and my wife could see my metaphorical ears perk up in excitement. My ears are too small to perk up, by the way. Immediately she responded though, “Blog or Thoughtful Tuesday? I know that look”. This made me chuckle. In the episode I am referencing the characters were learning about the difference between inside voices and outside voices. It was a cute and straightforward moment: the kids were practising how to speak quietly indoors and how it was okay to be louder when they were outside playing.

It seems like such a basic lesson. But the more I thought about it, the more it struck me how relevant that idea still is—even for us as adults. I assume you’re an adult if you’re reading this.

So often, we forget to "check our volume" in life—not just literally, but emotionally, mentally, and socially. Sometimes we charge into conversations with an “outside voice” energy when the moment calls for calm, thoughtfulness, or quiet reflection. Other times, we hold back, stay silent, or downplay our needs when what we need is the boldness of an “outside” voice to speak up and advocate for ourselves.

That 90-second lesson from a children’s show suddenly felt like a gentle nudge to reflect on how I show up in the world. Am I using the right “voice” for the moment I’m in? Am I being mindful of how I affect the space around me? Am I being too loud? Am I not loud enough? Having a daughter has made it even more important to understand when to use which voice.

It’s funny how often we assume we outgrow the lessons of childhood, but then a purple dinosaur singing about voice levels ends up teaching one something that is probably needed.

Maybe the idea that there's any wisdom to be found in those old shows sounds laughable, especially when it comes to the purple dinosaur. Surprisingly, there’s a lot we can learn from them if we stop being so quick to dismiss it.

Have a great week!

Euan

The Sweet Jam Journal

Speaking of inside and outside voices, today’s artist featured in the Sweet Jam Journal is the embodiment of this phrase, Adele!!

Much like the lessons taught by Barney about using our 'inside' and 'outside' voices, Adele is a perfect example of an artist who can seamlessly shift between these two modes in her music. In her song 'When We Were Young,' she masterfully transitions from soft, vulnerable moments in the verses using her inside voice to powerful, soaring choruses that fill the room with emotion using her outside voice. This ability to adapt her vocal delivery highlights the importance of knowing when to be gentle and when to project, much like the balance we learn in communication.

Enjoy!