Why Your Writing Makes A Difference

My top three reasons of why we should share our feelings more openly

Let’s be honest: Many of us feel much more comfortable hiding our feelings. We prefer not to show ourselves as being too vulnerable.

We are frightened to put ourselves out there. Frightened of what others might think. Always scared to be judged.

What if no one wants to hear what I’m saying?

What if my voice doesn’t count?

What if someone disagrees?

I’m no different! I have decided only recently to share my writing online and it is terrifying to think, that so many people now have access to it.

But let me tell you one thing: it’s absolutely worth it!

Here are three reasons, which help me overcome my fears by remembering the benefits of publishing my stories.

1. Writing connects

About seven years ago I met a group of students, who were on a school trip, travelling across Europe. They stayed in the village, where I lived at the time and after I had chatted to them briefly, we all connected on social media.

There was one person, whose posts caught my attention, because she was sharing a lot of her personal experiences. She talked about her feelings and her thoughts. And not all of them were positive or uplifting. But they were real.

I had never read anything like that before. Her words had moved me.

I decided to reach out to her — not really knowing whether she would even remember me. But turns out she did!

We started messaging and seven years later she is one of my best friends. I am lucky to talk to her almost every day and I’m thrilled that we’ve managed to meet up a couple of times since our first encounter.

The power of words can make it possible for people to bond.

2. Your words can help someone feel less alone

In my job as a receptionist on a cruise ship I experienced a rather memorable situation.

It was a boy, who came to talk to me at the front desk one evening. He seemed very unwell and started telling me how anxious he was — his family had been having a really bad fight and he was in denial what to do.

The more he talked, the more he started crying and we went for a little walk together. I listened to him while he repeatedly said how pathetic he felt about opening up and that everything he said was ridiculous and didn’t make sense.

But it did — to me. I could relate to his family situation, because my story wasn’t all too different from his. And I decided to tell him that.

We were able to come up with a good solution for the boy and his family and the following day he came back to see me.

He told me how grateful he was, that I comforted him and that knowing about my experiences had made him feel supported.

I never forgot this encounter, because it has taught me such a valuable lesson: By showing myself vulnerable, I could help another person.

And your writing is no different to that. Your words can provide comfort to someone, making them feel less alone.

3. You are an inspiration

It’s no secret that we’ll never be able to please every single one of our readers with our writing. And we are all too aware, that people might disagree with our opinions, which can be scary to begin with.

But in a relatively short period of time I’ve received so much positive feedback on the stories I shared. I’ve had messages saying that I’ve inspired someone or that I’ve reminded them of an important lesson.

These messages mean so much to me and give me all the energy I need to keep going.

The goal doesn’t have to be to please the majority of your readers. Sometimes one person is enough.

Reaching someone, who resonates with your feelings is absolutely brilliant and who knows, reading your story might have made that person’s day!

Remember: You are an inspiration. If your writing reaches one other person out there, that’s a success!

Even though I know how frightening it can be to share your feelings — I hope I could convince you, why it is definitely worth it!