Sharing Your Truth Will Better Your Life

Here’s what happened when I shared mine in front of 300 people

Image from Canva.com

A nervous wreck, I ran back to the bathroom for the third time. Breakfast wasn’t going to be an option.

I considered bailing several times that morning, but Elizabeth was counting on me, and I couldn’t let her down.

So I decided on the soft pink blazer, slid my bare feet into grey strappy sandals to pull the outfit together, grabbed my handbag and gunned it out of the driveway like a maniac

Pulling into the empty parking lot for the big event, I practically jumped from the car, eager for the day to be over.

Surrounded by three hundred co-workers and guests, I sat in the audience praying the sessions would run over their scheduled time. Distracted, I fumbled through my purse looking for a mint when Elizabeth took the stage to announce her guest speaker — shit, that’s me!

I smiled and made my way towards the stage with my heart racing as the audience clapped and cheered.

With a deep breath, I looked up from my notes to take in the sea of eyeballs and expectant faces.

What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to do this?

Elizabeth had become a good friend and mentor since I’d started my new business venture. I owed her an outstanding debt for taking me under her wing and helping me through my healing journey.

I’m an abuse survivor, and when I met Elizabeth, I’d long since escaped that devastating situation. But, what I hadn’t done, was heal from those ten horrific years of being mistreated.

Today, I was to share a part of my story with the audience at Elizabeth’s request. Another gigantic step towards a better version of me.

Because of my immense gratitude for her guidance, I stood, hands shaking, hoping I wouldn’t vomit.

I got started ok; I even cracked a joke to get people laughing.

But when my throat constricted and my voice cracked, I stopped speaking altogether. I stood in a trance, frozen in time. You could feel the tension in the room building as the audience shuffled in their seats, wondering what had happened.