Experiences don’t matter if they aren’t shared…

There’s a lot of talk about “everyone has a story” and “your story matters”. It’s true, YOU matter and you have some experiences that were incredibly transformational. Ones that you carry into everything you do, every decision you make, and the overall way you live your life. You also have way more than “a story” (one), AND you’re allowed to not be ready to share that experience.

I had a friend once tell me I was a mystery. We’d known each other for years, some of those years were more closely connected than others. But after she paused and thought for a moment, she realized I hadn’t shared much beyond the here and now and where I aspire to be in life. I left out a lot of the details about how I ended up being me. A lot of that at the time was intentional.

You see, I had some stories and experiences I wasn’t overly proud to share. And I just plain wasn’t ready to truly own and champion that part of who I was. I ran from a few of those for a while. Partly because I didn’t understand yet how those experiences impacted me on a deeper level and helped me understand my own actions, emotions, and thoughts. But also because somewhere along the lines I believed that sharing those experiences and stories meant everything about me and my life had to be immediately talked about, shown, put on display front and center in order to be authentic, genuine, real.

WRONG.

Some of the best lessons come in retrospect. Some of the most impactful wisdom is delayed, And, all of the best stories are told in the past tense.

Our experiences shape who we are, how we see the world, the decisions we make and so much more. And you’re allowed to process them, feel them, and learn from them before you start telling that story to the world… if you ever tell that story to the world.

Sharing your experiences gives others a deeper insight into who you are and what you care about, but maybe you don’t have all that processed for yourself or you aren’t sure yet just how to tell that story.

The art of storytelling isn’t giving every detail the same treatment and exposure. Instead, it’s placing them in their proper place and creating dynamic pull by giving some details (or experiences) more attention than others. You’re the author, the master puppeteer, the ring leader, the conductor (whichever visual resonates the most), and you get to decide which storyline takes the lead and when.

Do you know enough about that experience’s impact to properly place it in your book of life?