If there is one deep personal wish that I could have fulfilled right now, it would be to trust my voice.

I was driving my late friend Barry Marshall to an appointment one day and we were talking about life and personal development. Barry had seen me develop from my teenage years to my late 20's. I glibly commented to him that I would like to “find my voice” in life – that unique and particular influence that I could have on this world.

Barry quickly said to me,”I think you have found your voice. You have just not learnt to trust it!”

That moment has stuck with me in a significant way.

It was a memory at the fore of my mind as I grieved Barry's death at his funeral in September.

And I think it's true. I have not learnt to trust the “voice” God has given me.

I walk out of sales meetings, deeply disturbed by how I feel I did not speak up as I should have. And this is just one example.

So, this is a self-development mission for me now: learning to trust my voice.