The simple habit to be more confident about who you are.

Most people don’t write down their story, because they don’t think their life is interesting.

But the truth is, everyone has an interesting story. And writing is a powerful habit that can change your life —even if you never share a single word of what you’ve written.

Allison Fallon is author of The Power of Writing It Down, and founder or Find Your Voice, an online education platform to help people accomplish their goal of writing a book.

Fallon says that not everybody can write a book, but everybody can write their story. And it’s in the writing of their story that they realise who they really are.

Knowing your story can save you from:

Self sabotage.
Feeling invisible.
Feeling insecure.
Not believing you belong.
Passing up opportunities.

When you write your story, you start believing that your life matters and that you can inspire others.

The benefits of writing your story

It is therapeutic.

Writing about your own life allows you to rewrite the way you view yourself. Reflecting upon past seasons of your life and reframing them helps you heal. It gives pain in a story meaning, and, as you find closure, helps you move on.

It builds confidence.

Writing helps you become more confident about who you are as a unique person with a story. Without realising, we can easily mimic other peoples voices, instead of going through the (messy) process to find our own. Writing helps you find your voice and share it with others.

It keeps you in shape.

Writing, as a practice, sharpens your mind. Author Donald Millar compares writing to yoga or a regular habit of exercise. Writing is mental gymnastics: it takes work to put the events, feelings and relationships of our lives into words. But when we do, we can make meaning to the seasons in our life. As a result, we become stronger, more healthy leaders.