I almost broke my own rule...

We've all broken it before.

TL;DR

The rule:

“True vulnerability is uplifting. Open books instruct. Open wounds infect.”

A couple months ago, I had a terrible, horrible, awful, no good, very bad day.

(Just like good ol’ Alexander.)

I can quite literally say it was one of the worst ever. Something happened where I had to make a choice I never thought I’d have to make.

And I still have both literal and psychological scars from what happened.

My response in the first 24 hours?

I immediately started drafting a newsletter about it. (yeah, not proud of that…)

But I stopped.

And asked myself:

“Why am I sharing such a raw wound so fast?
How will this story help people?”

It wouldn’t.

I was just fishing for sympathy. For attention.

See, there was nothing helpful in the post.
Nothing instructional.

Just grief. And pain. And a touch of self-loathing.

So I saved the newsletter as a draft. Where it will stay.

Maybe you’re wondering “Why save the draft when I don't plan to post it?”

Because the writing itself was healing. Writing allowed me to get my thoughts out. Writing freed me to see that this story didn't need to be shared. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

This is a rule I came up with a couple years ago when a client was struggling with how much to share in his book. How vulnerable is too much? How much becomes off-putting?

So I told him that as long as the story is helpful to people, then it should be included.

If it’s just venting (or trauma p0rn), then save it for the diary.

Be an open book, but never an open wound.

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Relatable and authentic pain that instructs is a common storytelling devise used by the some of the biggest bestsellers. Grab a cheat sheet. Steal their methods:

Download your copy here.

Until next time, keep changing the world—one story at a time.

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