I am constantly bombarded with opinions. Aren't you? Everywhere you go, someone is telling you what to do and how to do it. If you say you are going on a diet, the person next to you is a suddenly a nutrition expert and is quick to tell you all the things you shouldn't eat. If you say you want to save more money, someone will be quick to tell you that it's impossible to do that in the current economy. Everyone seems to be an expert with no qualifications. Everyone is quick to tell you how to live your life, but who is telling them how to live theirs?

I have lots of opinions. Strong opinions. But sometimes it's hard to make them known in such a noisy world. Everyone is talking and nobody is listening. It's incredibly frustrating. It seems like only the loudest, most obnoxious people are the ones to get their opinions heard. But what about the rest of us?

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not afraid to speak up for myself. I am not afraid to talk in front of people. I do it every night. But sometimes I don't have the energy to try to be louder than everyone else. That is where it gets hard for me. How do I make my opinion's known when everyone is talking and no one is listening?

Music. That's how.

I think this was the biggest reason I got into music when I was a kid. I could write a song and when I was performing it, people had to listen to me. Finally, people would have to listen to my opinions and I could stop listening to everyone else's for three and a half minutes. It is an amazing gift to be able to express yourself in an artistic way, whether it's music, painting, writing, speaking or whatever else. Art is how the quiet people get their opinions heard. With music, I've been able to express myself and get my ideas out into the world. And as great as that has been, I need to be able to get it out in other ways as well. I need to not just let everyone be an "expert" in my life, always telling me what to do. I need to make my own decisions. I need to believe in my own opinions. I need to be quick to make decisions and very slow to change them.

I am allowed to have my own opinion. Matter of fact, my opinion matters most! Just like yours should matter most to you. If you are letting everyone else speak louder into your own life than you are letting yourself speak, there is a problem. It is great to have close friends in your life that you trust and that can help you find answers. I'm not saying to never take advice from anyone. But we need to make sure the people we are listening to are people who love us and have our best interest in mind. If they don't, then they are just making noise and their opinions really don't matter at all.

Stand up for yourself. Be proud of your beliefs. And hold true to your opinions. Nobody else is you. No one else sees the world through your eyes. So your opinions matter most. And when the world gets tired of talking, they will be ready to listen.