Have you ever not told your story out of fear of what someone might think?
Maybe you have 1 or 2 sections or boxes of your life that particularly come to mind that you try to hold back from getting too deep into conversation about.
You keep it surface level. Always.
If you do happen to get into that conversation, you fear that as you’re telling a story the other person will start making 1 of the faces that say…
“I’m really not interested in what you’re saying.”
“That is the stupidest idea ever!”
“Why is that something you’re anxious about?”
You don’t even need the verbal cues, it is all in their face.
I have been there, experienced that, felt that. I’ve done everything I could to keep from getting that face.
I recognize that I could also be making up a story in my head based on their facial reactions.
But either way, I’ve felt that fear based on the social cues I get.
But guess what?
The people that might be making that disinterested or judging face while you tell your story probably don’t get it and it is not our job for them to get it.
Every person we tell our story to is going to take something different away.
Maybe it is good and maybe it is bad, but we don’t really get to choose which one they pick.
But I have found that there are special people out there that are going to get it and it is going to take you telling your story to find them.
They see where you’re coming from, they understand the anxiety, and maybe they’ve even been there.
And there will be other people that won’t get it, but still go out of their way to understand you and provide the support that they can. They’re special too.
But how are we going to know if those special people are out there if we don’t share our story?
How can you discern the not-so-special people (the face makers) from the special people (the supporters) if you don’t tell your story?
Here are 3 perks to being a little more vulnerable:
Gives others permission to share.
There are a couple of people I’ve come across that don’t share much about their life. They keep things close to the chest.
When this thought comes to mind I try to ask myself, do they feel like they can share? Do I share with them?
Everyone gets to pick what they want to share and who to share it with. However, if you tell your story and put yourself out there, others are more likely to feel they have permission to tell their own story.
Maybe you can find a special person in each other.
Remember, the permission to tell your own story has always been there. It just needs to be granted by yourself.
It lets people know how to support you during big moments.
This is HUGE! If you’re excited about something, then tell someone. If you’re anxious about something, open up about it. If you’re hopeful about something, let those close to you know.
Because whether things end up in your favor or not, the people around you will know how to support you during the outcome.
They can be the person to celebrate things going better than expected, or the shoulder to lean on when you’re bummed out.
But they won’t know how you’re feeling about it unless you tell them.
Helps connect with people in ways you didn’t know.
Most of the stories we don’t tell are the hard ones and the ones we need the most support.
We only see the highlight reel on social media or the filtered version of what people decide to tell us. But there are people going through really hard things like you’re.
I remember being hesitant to tell a friend about a health issue I was having. What do you know, another friend of hers was having the same health issue and she connected us so we could support each other.
I remember being nervous to tell someone a hard thing I had experienced in a previous relationship. Come to find out they had been through the exact same thing.
It isn’t easy to say the hard things, but maybe it is what brings us closer together.
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Maybe I’m writing this because I have to remind myself of the reasons to be vulnerable and tell my story over and over again.
My 2 sections or boxes of my life I’m not that great at sharing? 1) dreams I have for this blog and 2) romantic relationships.
Once I realized that the things I hold back from sharing are big parts of my life, I began to share them more and I’m proud of the huge strides I’ve taken.
And I’m not talking about sharing on social media (an entirely different beast). I’m talking about sharing with family and friends. The special people.
However, I do believe there are people out there on social media that can join the special people club, which I think is part of the reason I show up the way I do in my writing.
In a world that can feel so lonely, sometimes it takes opening up and connecting with 1 special person to make everything feel alright.
