How To Share Your Story
How To Share Your Story
Sharing a part of yourself can be scary. It’s a very vulnerable act which can bring a lot of fear and anxiety. I know this because I feel that way, and I know I’m not the only person to feel it. Despite this post being titled “How To Share Your Story”, I don’t pretend to be an expert, and I don’t want to offer advice. Rather, I would just like to share what has helped me share myself with others.
What's Your Intention?
Ask yourself what your intention is for sharing your story. For me, my only intention is to simply share a part of myself. Yes, of course I would like for it to inspire others. But that isn’t in my control. I like to set my intention to be something that I can have complete control over. I am not responsible or in control of your inspiration. For me, that acknowledgement takes all the pressure off. I only aim to be 100% true to myself and share myself authentically with others. If they’re inspired, bonus. If they’re not, that’s fine too. Either way, I’m true to my intention and I’m successful regardless of how I’m received.
Set yourself up for success and set an intention that you are in control of.
Imagine Myself From Another Perspective
When I look back at times where I’ve been inspired by others, I try to imagine myself in a similar position. Whether it’s in front of 100 people or just one, imagining myself from the outside always helps me be clear about my intention. What was it about that one person that really inspired me? Or conversely, why about it really rubbed me the wrong way? Remembering past instances where others have opened up to you and shared some part of themselves can give you insight into how you would like to do the same.
Sometimes I find it helpful to imagine what my past self needed to hear. Whether it’s 10 years ago, 5 years, or even just last week, what was something that I could tell myself that would help in some way? For me, when I imagine speaking to my younger self, I become much more compassionate. I was much harder on myself than I am now, and looking back I realized I could’ve used more self-compassion. Sharing my story while also being compassionate to myself gives space for listening.
There's More Than One Way To Share
Sharing your story can happen in many ways. It’s not always in person, or even verbal. One of my biggest breakthroughs was when I wrote a letter to my deceased father. I really shared a part of myself with him through that writing, and it wasn’t even to someone who was able to read it. A piece of art can sometimes say more than words ever can.
Maybe you simply want to share your story, but not to anyone particular. Maybe you don’t want anyone to know who you are. There’s so much power in simply sharing, sometimes even more when it’s done anonymously. A story shared anonymously needs no context, it simply speaks for itself.
Share Your Perspective
With all that being said, if you are comfortable sharing some part of your story in words, we would love to hear from you. We are always open for you to share your perspective.
If you are comfortable with sharing a story about yourself, please check out our Perspectives on our site. We will not edit any part of your submission, we want your words to speak for themselves. A chosen phrase or section of the submission will be used for social media, and the submission in its entirety will also be posted on our blog.
Remember: Sharing is Powerful!
Whatever or wherever you share, remember that by sharing a part of yourself, no matter how large or small, you are making the world a more open and better place for us all.
