When I started writing online, I didn’t want to share my personal life too much.

I wrote about what I was learning.

I wrote about the interesting things I read.

I wrote about the challenges I set myself to make life interesting.

All that sounded harmless and had just enough detail about me without exposing my dirty laundry in public. I thought I was protecting myself. And sparing my readers from the ugly side of my life.

But I was wrong.

I wasn’t protecting myself, I was hiding. My readers were not connecting with me because they were not seeing the whole of my story.

I am researching storytelling. This week I immersed myself in storytelling books. I read three books and made countless notes in “my personal knowledge management system (my second brain).

What I am trying to figure out, is how can I tell stories from my everyday life that educate, entertain, and inspire. As an online writer, I can’t escape from writing about myself. Both good and bad.

Two reasons for that:

One: nothing educates, entertains, and inspires more than stories.

Two: the stories are much more impactful if the writer features in them.

What I thought of as dirty laundry was in fact my vulnerabilities.

Without revealing my vulnerabilities, I can’t make a trusting connection with my readers. My vulnerabilities shape me. They made me the person I am today. I wouldn’t have been the purpose-driven, challenge-seeker, productivity-junkie, I am today, had I not gone through all that I have.

At its core, stories are all about making tough decisions to overcome one’s fears or obstacles.

And that’s what online writing is all about. Sharing stories of our triumphs and failures to educate, entertain and inspire.