I really want you to know that YOU have a transformational story, and it has the ability to heal and inspire others, because owning your story has power. It is very common to hide our pasts, shove experiences under the rug, pretend we’re living a perfect life and hide behind masks. We live in a culture where we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others through social media, so being proud of our stories, our journey and who we are has become increasingly hard.

We all have parts of our story that are a little more difficult to own up to than others and that’s ok. What I want you to take away from this is that you HAVE a story. More often than not, I hear a lot of friends and peeps in my community saying that they have no story, or that their stories aren’t special or transformational in any way.

So that’s two things that weigh down on our stories, the fact that you may think it isn’t “special” enough, and how we tend to hide the “bad” parts of our journey. Well let me tell you something, there are no bad experiences that aren’t worth sharing and each and every story is unique, special and magical.

Why Your Story Matters

I love sharing my own stories. It makes me feel vulnerable, but I know that someone somewhere will read it and connect with me, and I think that’s beautiful. It is my hope that by sharing my story I may be able to help someone, to make them feel less alone, less strange and help them heal. 

There’s a reason people are drawn to movies, comics, books and one of the most beautiful phrases on the planet: Once upon a time. We love stories. We crave them because it’s how we learn. We read multiple articles on sites like Buzzfeed and HuffPost, scouring the internet to find connections, solutions to problems, community. By reading someone else’s words, thoughts and stories we find comfort. Your story matters because it has the power to help others and you.

You Have a Transformational Story

Yup, you do. No ifs, buts or coconuts. You totally have one pal! And no, your story does not have to have extreme trauma to have major impact. This is a huge misconception, it leads us to think that we must suffer in order to succeed. I don’t want you to think that you need to be stuck in victim mode to own the power of your story. It also doesn’t have to involve a spectacular Hollywood hook. You don’t have to quit your job and sell everything you own, have a spiritual journey around Europe, do some sort of “Wild” hike across the Pacific Crest Trail, live an epic romance or have a gigantic montage set to 80’s music. Every story is unique and you can have deep transformations happen with the simplest situations.

Either way you have a story to tell and the world needs to hear it… whenever you are ready. Because you also don’t have to tell a story you aren’t ready to tell.

The Power Behind Your Story

The most important part about your story is that it’s authentic. Your truth is what inspires and heals. Remember that you got here today because of all the lessons you have learned, and those lessons hold the power to help others. It also holds the power to unleashing your magic.

No one has the unique combo of skillset and story that you do. There is literally no one on this entire planet that can do what you can do! Isn’t that amazing? Only you have the ability to do, teach and create something awesome with your talents and vision. You know that phrase “It’s all been done before”?… well yeah, everything has been done before, but not by YOU. Your story has the magical power to unlock a new door. It has the power of a new perspective that no one has ever seen or heard of before.

When you own your story you are owning who you are, and by honoring and respecting your journey (the ups and downs), you unlock your true potential and therein lies magic.

Owning Your Story

There’s power in storytelling. Sharing your life with the world isn’t easy but it’s valuable to both you and others. Owning your story is important in your own personal growth and it helps to create deep connections with your community.

Here’s the scary part, owning your story is accepting yourself as you are. Your raw, beautiful, vulnerable self. The messy thoughts, the hardships, the tough lessons, all of it. It takes guts, lot’s and lot’s of guts, vulnerability, and a whole lot of here-goes-nothing pep talks. Finally, when you share your truth, it feels like magic.

Sometimes owning your story means sharing the messy, not-so-pretty parts of you. But it will remind others that you’re human too, that we’re all a work in progress.

Sometimes it means not sharing that perfect Instagram post and letting the real you shine and break through the made-up realities of the social App. But it will give others the courage to share their real selves too.

Sometimes it’s reminding yourself that where you’ve been is not where you’re going and you have the power to change your direction at any moment. It will teach others how we’re the authors of our own lives and we have the power to change it.

Sometimes you have to be brave and bare it all so that someone else can feel less alone. Other times you have to confront yourself with courage and kindness so that you can bust through your limiting beliefs and let your true Self shine through.

Stories hold power. In today’s world we crave authenticity and connection, we want to feel understood. I know that reading a bloggers post about how she suffered anxiety with Instagram made me feel less alone. It made me feel like I wasn’t weird for feeling this way about an App. It gave me the courage to take it down and to purge it from my life. It was almost like the permission I needed to go against society and my own fears and just remove it from my life.

Stories inspire stories, so I invite you to tap into your community this week and share your story. Whether it’s your full life story or a single experience, open up. Because when you share your story, you encourage others to do the same and that is magical.