So What’s Your Story, Morning Glory?

Telling your story – your authentic story – is so important to blogging your truth. In fact, it IS your truth. That’s why I encourage people to own it.

So how do we own our stories? Well, I talked a bit about why in yesterday’s post, and today I’ll cover a bit about how – at least, how to know which story is the one you should tell. Consider this…

There was a reason my first substantial role after rehab was to play a maniac whose personal story ended badly. I knew what it was like to go those dark places. I played a guy who died as a result of his abuse. ~Charlie Sheen

For Charlie Sheen, he knew that he was meant to take on that role – he had lived that role. So he owned it and made something out of it. And you can too.

So how did I decide what story to tell?

You see, I’m a child of divorce; I’ve been sexually abused by a babysitter and physically abused by my stepmom; I’ve been divorced myself; I’ve dealt with infertility. There’s more of course, but those are all big things. I could share any of those with you. But they didn’t feel right. It’s almost like when you know your boyfriend isn’t ‘the one’.

The minute I lost my son, I knew that my story had found me. I knew that this was the story I would share with the world. My blog needed to be about loss and overcoming it, because it would be agony to NOT share that story.

The key was doing it in such a way that it would become something bigger than me, something powerful and helpful. Because, in all honesty, only I can tell my story.

I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do. ~Brene Brown

For you, it will be a matter of figuring out which story you want to own, share, tell… here are some ways to figure that out.

1. Write a list of all the things that have happened to you – good and bad.
2. Circle the two or three that jump out at you as significant. Don’t think too long and hard about it. Don’t worry about how hard it will be to share or what others will think. Do this based on gut.
3. Look at the ones you circled. Ask yourself these questions:
   1. Is there enough of a story there that you can write continuously on the topic? Do you have enough to say? Is the topic too narrow or broad?
   2. Would any of the people involved in your story be offended, embarrassed, upset or otherwise affected if you shared your story? If so, is there a way to tell your story without telling theirs?
   3. Can you be completely honest and authentic about this story, or will you be less than truthful. Remember, blogging your truth doesn’t mean telling all of your story – it just means telling the parts you do tell truthfully and authentically.
4. After thinking on the questions above, decide which story you want to own. This is the story you want to make a part of your daily life, whether it be on your blog, through helping others, or something else.

More tips:

• Usually, you’ll know which story you should share. It’s the one that will probably scare you, but it’s also the one you know inside and out. It’s something that can help you heal, but can also potentially help others. It’s the one that you would feel like something was missing if you didn’t share it.
• Be sure to get my printable and read the entire series on Blogging Your Truth. Each step is important and will help you know how comfortable you’ll be with the story you choose to tell.
• Remember, you don’t have to choose just one, and you don’t have to stick with it. Also, it doesn’t have to be a horrible thing – it can be something good that’s happened to you too – you just have to be willing to be authentic when you share it.

Join me tomorrow for the quick break in our 10 steps when I share another loss mom story with you (as I do every Tuesday). This mom will share her truth, and it will encourage you to share yours, so don’t miss out!

One more thing before we go today, though... in the comments below, tell me what YOUR story is – I’d love to know what you blog about (or if you don’t blog, what you’re passionate about sharing with others).

For more posts in the 31 Days Of Blogging Your Truth series, click the image below, and be sure to share these posts using the hashtag #bloggingyourtruth.