Telling Your Story Starts With Listening to Yourself
It’s the first step to reclaiming your life
The voice sounded like it was coming from down a tunnel.
It was small, faded, the way a voice gently waking you up leaves a trace of its music in your ear. It wasn’t behind me or in front of me. It was unmistakably mine. But it was shrunken and hushed. The voice of a child.
I’m going to tell.
A pledge, an invitation.
I was five days into a 10-day vow of silence, and I wasn’t expecting that.
Yet I understood the message. It was time to tell my story.
I always planned to tell my story—someday. I told myself I’d do it in my twilight years.
But in the years leading up to this silent retreat, during which this errant voice intruded on my focus, I had been confronting the recognition of having lived an abusive history and the understanding that my life was a byproduct of childhood trauma.
Now in the midst of my Vipassana meditation – a technique designed to eradicate mental impurities – it dawned on me that just understanding it wasn’t enough.
Telling my story was the key to unlocking the next stage of my life. Sharing the truth would be the way to transcend my past and not allow the trauma to continue to shape my life.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. It was exactly what I needed to do.
After I heard that voice, I couldn’t wait to tell. The last few days of the silent retreat were excruciating. Not because I was dying to talk to anyone, but because I couldn’t wait to get home and start the telling.
After the 10th day, when the vow of silence was lifted, I watched my fellow attendees chatting like long lost relatives. But I couldn’t speak.
Nor could I speak on the two-hour ride back home.
After 10 days of sitting in a dark room, my circadian rhythm was out of balance, and the very next morning, I was easily up by 4 a.m. I made myself a cup of tea, opened my laptop and sat down to tell.
That was the beginning of the journey to publishing my memoir.
I can’t even imagine what my life would look like today if I hadn’t told my story.
Not only has it given me a tool to talk about my life, but it’s also given me the gift of helping others.
Nothing is more rewarding than hearing someone say how eye-opening my book was for them, or how much they feel seen after reading it.
It reminds me that writing is a powerful tool for healing.
But you don’t need to be a writer or even think of yourself as a writer to reap this reward.
Writing is an essential expression of our humanity.
If you’re carrying a story inside you, I encourage you to write without restraint or expectation. Write to discover or reclaim your voice, to embrace your truth, or to embark on a path to healing. And if you do decide to share your words, you might also uncover the healing power of connection—the profound impact of helping someone else feel less alone.
Ready To Find Your Own Voice?
If you feel the pull to start your own journey, let’s talk.
Book a free 30-minute discovery call with me, and let’s explore how I can support you in telling the story only you can tell.
🔗 Schedule your free call here.