Tell Your Story

It takes courage to tell your story.

If you are alive, you have a story. If you are an adult, you have survived childhood…so you definitely have a story. If you have ever loved another, you have a story.

We all have a story but many of us are afraid to tell ours. We worry that others might judge us or that if we share our story, we might break down. But what if we don’t? What if people don’t judge us but instead they feel a connection to us?

Not all stories should be shared with everyone. I started this blog as a way to share my authentic self with other people. It has been a healing journey and while I most certainly hope my story has helped some people to find some courage and some peace in their lives, it has been a healing and powerful journey for me.

There are, however, parts of my story I have not shared publicly, and likely won’t, at least not in the near future. Parts of my story deserve to be heard only by those who have earned that privilege. The same is true for your story. There is nothing more healing and transforming than sharing your story with someone who can listen, without any judgement, and who can then share your pain or your joy or your fear or your excitement and honestly tell you they see you.

What keeps us from being brave enough to share our story? For me it is the fear of judgement. I have had the experience of sharing the darkest parts of my story, to be met with judgement, to be dismissed, to be called “attention seeking” when I was asking for help through my story.

I hesitate to share the awesome things happening in my life, especially when those awesome things are happening because I have worked hard and achieved good things because I worry that others will think I am bragging or that I am showing that I have an inflated sense of self importance.

But, our story is our story. And we need to tell our story because it matters to us. Maybe our story will give someone else the courage to face their own challenges. For me, I will continue to share who I am through this blog. Some people will read it. Some will not. And that is ok. It is part of my bravery journey to share my story. It is not part of my journey to worry about how others will accept it.

So take a step of courage today. Tell someone you trust an little piece of your story. And if someone has the courage to share theirs with you, hold that story with love and care. Thank you, my readers, for gently holding mine.