Everyone has a story. Everyone has a reason. Sometimes those stories are an open book, sometimes people hide their past under lock and key, still more times people hide dark tales under light masks.

I may not know the story of everyone I know, but this much I know for sure.

Every story deserves a spotlight.

Everyone should be given a chance to tell their story, even if one person the only one to hear it.

No story is too “bland”, too “dark”, too “light”, too “normal”. It has been said that what’s normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.

This is a list of encouragement, a list that explains why one should share their testimony, their story, their life.

1. You show people who you really are.

There is no doubt that everyone you know has different views. Of books, movies, food, people, everything. And those opinions are based on our preferences as well as what we know about the subject. Therefore when someone forms an opinion of you that opinion is created based on what they know of you. If you share your testimony you are showing people who you really are. It can be terrifying to share every part of you but the reasons below will show why it can be the most amazing choice you’ve ever made.

2. Your story is the key that can unlock someone else’s prison.

Even if parts of your story seem insignificant someone else could be going through something similar, something that you can help them with when they thought no one else could. People can be lost without knowing, and if you share your story with whoever might listen, those prisons will open wide and the people in them will become free.

3. Your scars can be someone else's sign of hope.

This is similar to what was said above, but knowing that someone else has been through something and knowing that they made it is something comforting and empowering. Once again, bumps in the road to you can be a mountain to climb for someone else, and if you are a survivor then a new hope could be found.

4. Your story can do more than heal others, it can heal you.

So many people are in pursuit of the meaning of life, or the way to find themselves. I may not know the meaning to life, or how to solve the mysteries of the human brain, but I do know this, allowing the truth out is allowing freedom in. Keeping the truth bottled up cannot help anyone, and even if the truth seems inconsequential, you will feel better once you’ve shared it.

5. No one is perfect.

Some people shy away from sharing their story because they don’t think they have anything to share, they might think that other people will hear the story and disapprove because an ‘ideal life’ is being shared. That’s okay. There is no one on this earth that is any more or less perfect than the next. And just because you share your story doesn’t mean that everyone is going to listen and appreciate the story. But as I’ve been saying time and time again. You don’t need hundreds of listeners. All you need is one. And one life is better than none.

Sharing your testimony can be something terrifying, to look back on the trials and tribulations that have made you into the person you are today can be a walk down memory lane that you would prefer to avoid. However, testimonies can also be something amazing.

Now I’m not saying that you have to go out and spill the beans on every second of your life all at once, that would be a long time to talk and a long time for someone to listen. But even if you just share parts of your story, a little here and a little there, you could be changing your life as well as the people around you.

So take a risk, use your key to open someone's prison, and don’t be afraid to listen to the stories of people around you. You could be in a cage that you never noticed before.