There are stories we all have that we are afraid to tell other people. These are the stories that we are embarrassed by, or which make us feel bad, or ashamed. These stories are our secrets and by not telling them we think they will go away. However, the truth is, these stories that we hide from are our more interesting stories. If you harness the negative energy these stories create in you and release the energy, you remove energetic barriers that hold you back from creating more of what you desire. There is a lot of creative energetic power in the stories you hide. Therefore, be brave and tell your story. By doing so, you make yourself lighter and open yourself up energetically to receive more good in your life. Plus, your story will most likely be a way to inspire others or help people through their own hidden stories.
After the birth of my second child, I experienced an aggressive form of alopecia – an autoimmune disorder that results in the loss of hair. The experience of losing all my hair was terrifying. I had lived with alopecia all my life, but it was always manageable and unnoticeable before. This time, the loss was more severe and I was not responding to my usual treatments of cortisone injections. I tried different solutions, such as topical creams, acupuncture, and special shampoos, but nothing worked. Week after week, month after month, my hair did not stop falling out and I began to feel stressed and depressed. I had spent several months feeling scared, insecure, and self-conscious, but I was determined to look and feel like my old self again. After many months of searching for a solution, I found a woman who specialized in hair loss and extensions. She understood what I was going through and she helped me through my hair loss. I quickly went from hair extensions to wearing a full wig and fake eyelashes, as the hair loss accelerated and I lost all of my hair. Throughout this experience, I was determined to hide what was happening to me from my colleagues, my friends, most of my family, and even my children. The only people I initially confided in were my husband and my parents. I did not want people to look at me differently or see me as not being good enough. I was determined to hide what I considered to be a personal flaw or weakness. I was successful at keeping my secret because my wig looked so natural.
It wasn’t until I was at a leadership retreat with colleagues from work three years later, that I summoned the courage to tell my story. At part of this retreat, each one of us had the opportunity to share our personal stories that had shaped us as people and leaders. I watched how my colleagues who spoke before me were so honest, trusting, and vulnerable in their story telling. I knew this was the time that I needed to be honest and share my story with them. When it was my turn to tell my life story, I was shaking and emotional because I was about to reveal the fact I was wearing a wig. I had consciously hidden this secret for so long that when I finally expressed the truth and told my story I released a lot of tears. Even though everyone was very supportive and respectful, I initially regretted telling my story wondering if it was worth the embarrassment. When I came home, I finally told my young children who reacted with such innocent curiosity yet I knew it did not change how they saw me. I slowly started to tell more friends and family who responded in the same way. The more people I told, the lighter I felt. The negative energy I released by telling my story opened me up to receive more positive things in my life, including new relationships and deeper relationships with people. Over the next two years, I started to share my story more confidently as it no longer had a negative emotional hold over me.
By telling your story, you start to own your story instead of your story owning you. Spiritually, this means you take your creative power back by releasing the negative energy that imprisons you. When you take your creative power back, you become a more powerful creator of positive things in your life. Remember:
· Stories have power. The power in a story is not rational nor physical. Instead, it is energetic and spiritual because stories influence or reflect our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions.
· Your stories are your perspectives on how you view your experiences, and your perspectives create your reality. Change your perception of your experience and you can change your story. If you change a negative experience or story to something positive, you create positive energy and create a new positive reality for yourself.
· Your negative stories hold you back. Tell your hidden stories. By releasing the negative energy these stories create in you, you remove energetic barriers that hold you back from creating more of what you desire.
Excerpt from the book Your Hidden Light: A Personal Guide to Creating Your Desired Life. To learn more please visit www.yourhiddenlight.com.