Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. ~Brené Brown
Yesterday, I talked about ignoring the haters. Today, I started out this post with a quote because it just seemed so fitting for the topic of Owning Your Story. There is so much you can do with your story when you use it in the right way.
What’s the right way? Being authentic. It all comes down to being authentic.
You don’t have to tell every story. Or even all parts of the story. But blogging your truth means that you do have to tell the story truthfully, authentically, and even with the hard parts in it.
Doing so will help you, but it will also help others.
For me, owning my story is easy – I wear my emotions on my sleeve and I’m an open book. I have no problem sharing things I’m going through and talking about the hard stuff.
For me, that means talking about the loss of my son and how I have overcome that tragedy through faith and helping others. I blog about life, loving yourself, and moving forward. I blog about my surviving children and how we are managing through life. And these are all powerful things.
I don’t just talk about the good day, I also talk about how easily I get frustrated or how I don’t always feel like I’m a good mom. I talk about how I struggle with my grief or how infertility and loss has affected me. Sure, there are good days and fun posts mixed in (see one here), but I resolve to tell my story authentically – by owning it, taking pride in it, and loving where my story leads me.
You see, our lives are full of good stories. We don’t need to look any further for a good story than inside ourselves. Because what we have to share with the world is a powerful thing. Will you own your story?
You can tell a more over-the-top incredible story if you use a nonfiction form. ~Chuck Palahniuk
For more 31 Days of Blogging Your Truth posts, click on the image below. And, be sure to join us tomorrow as I talk more about owning your story and how you can know which story is the one you need to tell.
Anderson Cooper interviewed Elizabeth Smart recently. She has written a book – called My Story – about her kidnapping experience. She told Anderson that she put 100% of the story into the book, that she felt strongly that she had to tell the whole story of everything that happened to her during those 9 months. She said that every time she speaks – all over the world – someone comes up to her afterwards and tells her his/her story. I think it is remarkable that people like you and Elizabeth are able to share your stories so honestly. The best thing about it, aside from the healing I hope it brings survivors like you, is that you can help other people when you share your own story. That is a gift!
So true! I love that about her, because she truly is helping others. She’s someone I’d like to meet one day…