Another reason I've been hesitant to write is because suddenly I am afraid that I constantly come across as a downer and negative, and I don't want that. I want to be able to write super honestly, be real, and that will include the good and the bad. Really, I want you to see that the struggles and negatives in my life have actually helped me to be more positive and joyful than ever. That is what I want this blog to be about. My journey through all the stuff to finding the true joy.
But mostly, I'm afraid that I wont be an encouragement. What I want most is for my good bad and in between to encourage you! I hope that by my honesty and vulnerability it will help you to find the courage to share your story. I saw a quote once on one of my CHD support groups and it said something like, "Keep sharing your story. It might just be the key to help some one unlock their own." It has stuck with me and has been an encouragement to me to keep writing. I know that hearing other peoples stories has helped me process my own journey. And keeping my life lessons to myself helps absolutely no one. I want to say here is my story, the real, non-sugar-coated, hard stuff, and here I am! Now I want to hear yours! Tell me your real story.
If you are going to go through something hard, you want it to have purpose and see something good come out of it. So I want all that we walked through to turn into something good, a story that encourages others. I want to show others that the story is never over. My story isn't over, and neither is yours. It is ever changing, new twists and turns will come, the good the bad and the in between will continue. What truly matters is what you make of it. Will you close yourself off, keep it to yourself, or will you turn it around and make something out of it? It is so cultural to "leave things at the door". When someone is hurting, it is only in the walls of their own home and you leave it there. But what if we welcomed people into our homes, into our lives? What if we let people walk through our doors? I heard once that empathy is stepping into someone and sympathy is stepping away. Sympathy is saying I'm sorry for you, but empathy is saying I'm sorry, let me sit in this with you. Let's be empathetic, not sympathetic. If you are willing to sit with someone in their hard times, I'm sure you will have people willing to sit with you in yours.
I want to encourage you to stop comparing your story to other people and start opening up and relating with other people. There is no comparison, no person can compare to any other person because we are all totally unique and different, so why even try? We may have had the same experience, but I'm sure we handled it differently and come out of it differently. So instead of even attempting to compare your story to someone else, step into their story, listen and say I can empathize with that, I can relate with you in that. What if we were all vulnerable and honest? Maybe that tough stuff wouldn't be so tough if we walked through it together. Maybe we'd come out the other side with a new vision, a new lease on life and a new joy!
