Feb 7, 2020
You have a story.
Let me say that again.
YOU have a story.
Really. It’s true. It’s there.
You know how I know?
You’re alive. You breathe. You’re so many years old. Honestly, if you’re even a minute old, you have a story. In fact, your story began before you were born. Your story began with your parents, with your grandparents, with your great-grandparents.
Okay, I digress.
Some of your story you may not remember. But that’s besides the point.
You are a living, breathing, human who has had experiences. That means you have a story.
But, you may not realize it.
Why You May Not Realize You Have a Story
There are a few reasons. Well, there could be a lot of reasons. I’m only going to talk about a few.
That darn social media: Yes, I said it. Social media is the comparison tool of Satan. Hahahaha. I don’t really talk like that.
In all seriousness though, social media is a horrible comparison tool. We get on and think: I’m not as pretty. I don’t have all that cool, shiny stuff. I wish I could go on a trip like that. Wow, she’s got a beautiful dress that I could never afford.
When we get on social media, we compare and we put ourselves down. Unfortunately, our comparisons are misconstrued, exaggerated. We, especially women, tend to play ourselves down.
But, guess what! Your life is just as awesome, probably even more so, than all that stuff on social media.
Your story is boring? NO! Your story is NOT boring.
Unfortunately, I have the same misconception. I think my life is just boring. Who cares what’s going on with me? It’s not that interesting.
Well, guess what? When I start talking about how I went to yoga teacher training, how I love yoga, how my husband was deployed for six months and now he’s gone again, how I can’t get pregnant but Scott and I hope to adopt, how I am a huge Spider-Man fan, people are like, “What!” and I’m like, “Huh,” ‘cause even though I think I’m just living my day, being boring, my life is a lot more interesting than I think. I’m more interesting than I think.
And guess, what! So is your life. So are you!
We tend to down play ourselves: I kind of mentioned this one in the social media section, but it’s worth its own place.
As women, we are taught to be humble. Unfortunately, our interpretation of humble tends to be self-deprecating. We put ourselves down. Sometimes it’s through comparisons. Sometimes it’s just through the simple fact that we can’t recognize our unique awesomeness for fear it will make someone else feel less.
What?!
Guess what! That is so hurtful, to you and the world. You have a lot to offer. Your story matters. Your life is incredible. It deserves to be recognized, especially by you.
You Have a Story
You do have a story. In fact, you have many stories. Or, another way to look at it: You have one big story that is made up of a million little stories.
Your big story is your entire beautiful life. Your little stories are the many experiences you’ve had along the way. And even some of those experiences are made up of micro stories.
Some of your stories can be happy, exciting, joyful. Some can be sad, depressing, hurtful. Some may be embarrassing or revealing or too close to share.
Imagine: Here’s a little exercise. You don’t need a pen or computer; just your brain. Your brain is where those memories and stories are stored.
Now, think of when you were 12-years-old. Just think about it. What were you like? What did your hair look like? What were your favorite things, TV shows, toys, books? What was your favorite candy, food, ice cream? Did you have a crush? Was there something going on at that time in your life that was life-changing, hard to handle, or exciting?
Through these questions, a memory came to mind, didn’t it? That’s your story.
My 12-year-old story: I was in sixth grade. For Christmas my mom bought me lipstick. I was finally old enough to wear it. So I put some on before school.
I left my first period to run to the bathroom. The halls were empty, except for one girl. I knew her, kind of. She was in one of my classes.
As I passed her in the hall she scoffed, “What do you think you’re trying to be with that lipstick on?”
Oh, look on her face, in her eyes; it was hurtful. While in the bathroom I washed my lipstick off.
To this day I have a hard time wearing lipstick without thinking of that encounter.
Sharing Your Story
To be honest, I’m not much of a sharer. I’ve become better. But I typically don’t share much about my life unless it’s brought up in conversation. This sharing thing on my blog and social media is very new to me.
BUT…
But I choose to do it. I have personal and professional reasons for wanting to share my stories.
You don’t have to. Really. My goal here is NOT to make you feel like you have to put yourself out there and tell your stories to the world. You should only do that IF you feel the calling to do so.
Your stories are your own. Put another way, you own your stories. Sometimes you need to keep your stories close to your heart, sacred. That’s okay. My goal is to help you see that you have stories and they make you uniquely awesome, beautiful.
Conclusion
There are so many wonderful stories in your life. I hope you can recognize them as experiences that add beauty and strength to your life.
Do you have thoughts about this post? Please leave a comment.