If you’re following along on Instagram, you would know that I decided to set some time aside to read last weekend. My books of choice from my recent book haul were Carly Findlay’s Say Hello and her curated collection of stories Growing Up Disabled in Australia. On Saturday, after sending the super delayed Suger News, I signed off and started reading. That day I pretty much finished Growing Up Disabled before starting Say Hello the next morning.

I loved them but this isn’t a book review. No, in this post I want to acknowledge the power of telling your story. Whoever you are and whatever your life looks like. As I read through Growing Up Disabled in Australia, I was moved to laugh, cry, and be challenged by my own beliefs. Forced to in the most entertaining of ways to reconsider or change my mind. Such is the power of story-tellers and the access and platform to tell their story.

There’s so much power in telling your story.

Learning to speak up and be heard is one of the key ways I define success. Always a loud child, I had to learn the difference between making noise and speaking up. It’s difficult to speak about your needs or wants for people to hear. It’s hard to tell your story on a platform no one asked you to speak from. To own your truth and invite others to hear it, whatever the motives, is empowering.

I’ve mentioned this before; it’s why I blog and why I think everyone should have a blog or similar platform. Creating the space for yourself that doesn’t require permission from society, in general, is powerful. With some time and practice, it becomes empowering for people who are like you. They can see themselves in your story, empathise, relate. But it is just as important to those that are different from you. They get to experience life from your shoes or have their eyes opened to an experience they’d never considered.

I hope you’ll find a way to tell your story.

Whether it be through writing, art, photos, video or audible story-telling. One of the highlights of social media is that the whole world is out there, ready and somewhat willing to hear from you. Yes, accessibility is still a major concern, with access to the internet being a major disparity in this and most countries. But for the most part, especially for those of you able to access and read this, you have all the tools you need to share. Speak your truth, tell your story and do it in a way, whatever way, empowers you. We all need more of that.

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Melissa Walker Horn

Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.