I believe that we all have a story within us. Telling your personal story takes courage and allows you to find your voice and be seen. When you share your story, and give a voice to issues and topics that are usually kept silent, you shatter the stigma and stand for all of who you truly are the good, the bad, the love, pain, heartache, trust, loss, and everything in between and not so in between.
The stories we share with one another provide inspiration, context, and history. They offer insight, connect us with the past and the people around us. Sharing stories transfers wisdom and can literally change someone else’s life. This process is part of the healing.
It requires vulnerability, honesty, openness, and willingness to share our stories. Admitting weakness and sharing our difficult stories is an incredibly freeing act. It provides others the freedom and strength to share theirs.
The first step to healing and writing a new chapter is to accept your story. Parts of us that may be lined with regret, guilt, shame and, things beyond our control. Secrets that we don’t want anyone to know about. Because if people knew these things about our story, that would mean we are flawed in some way. Not enough. But the truth is by not embracing our story fully, everything that has happened to us, “good” or “bad”, we are denying ourselves and this is a form of self-rejection. Acceptance of your story is where you’ll find acceptance in yourself. Embracing it, sharing it is the process that heals.
Breaking the silence on taboo subjects like abuse, addiction, parents speaking openly about the challenges of having a child with a developmental disability, mental health, fathers reflecting on the difficulties of raising sensitive sons, depression, people coming out about life choices, their sexuality, belonging, rights to education, racism. We need to give ourselves permission to share it.
The truth transforms if you have a story, it’s time to tell it.