The Gift of Your Words: Share Your Story

Livia ChanBlog, Connect Better, Engage Better, Lead Better, Reflect Better, Self Care Better

TL;DR:

  • You have a gift of words to share by telling your stories. 
  • There are five reasons why writing is a passion: dive into deeper thought to better understand yourself, practice self-care, sharing is caring, create new connections or deepen existing relationships, and make an impact by amplifying your voice.
  • See the Writing Strategies & Marketing Your Work course overview below.

Take a moment. List all of the roles in your life. We all have experiences and expertise from our multitude of roles as a teacher, leader, coach, parent, spouse, sibling, child, colleague, teammate, friend, and many more. You have a story. Actually, you have many stories. That means you have a gift to share. It’s your gift of words through your stories.

In our everyday conversations, we regularly share stories about things that happened to us, things that happened to others, or things that happened in the world. It’s how we connect and share our lives. Telling stories through writing is just another way for us to share but it’s longer-lasting and farther-reaching when shared publicly. For me, it’s one of my passions for many different reasons. 

The Gift of Your Words: Dive into Deeper Thought to Better Understand Yourself

I enjoy writing because I am entertained by thinking, reflecting, and ruminating. While I love to consume and learn new things, I love the challenge to create and craft my message about the things I’ve learned. The writing process helps me dive deeper into my thoughts, ideas, and feelings. With time for introspection and reflexivity, my learning is made clearer and deeper as I form a better understanding of myself, including my beliefs and values. To watch ideas unfold word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph is a beautiful work of art. It is the gift of your words to yourself.

In teaching others, we teach ourselves.

– Traditional proverb

The Gift of Your Words: A Practice in Self-Care

So in a sense, writing is a self-serving activity that also serves as my self-care because I have the opportunity to pursue something I am passionate about. It nourishes my soul and my mind to write. When I am in my state of flow, it feels like no time has passed. I can be on my laptop for hours and not even realize that it’s now 4 am in the morning. It’s peaceful. It’s invigorating. I feel like I’m truly alive. And I feel like I am in my element. I am so very blessed and grateful to have found this gift of words for my own well-being. 

How can we learn best? Together! We can give the gift of our words by courageously sharing our stories. It’s in us to give freely as an act of friendship and collaboration. Click To Tweet

The Gift of Your Words: Sharing is Caring

As much as writing is a passion, teaching and learning is very much my passion too. I crave learning new things and I appreciate others who share so generously and prolifically. I am who I am today because of the many before me who have shared their passions, wisdom, vulnerabilities, experiences, and expertise. So I feel a sense of responsibility to share some of the things I feel passionate about sharing so that others may benefit from betterment too. It’s a way to give back to all of the knowledge I’ve gained.

How can we learn best? Together! We can give the gift of our words by courageously sharing our stories. It’s in us to give freely as an act of friendship and collaboration. We can learn from and with each other when we amplify our voice. We are stronger together and better together. 

Sharing knowledge is the most fundamental act of friendship.

– Richard Stallman

How many times have you read or heard something and thought, “This was EXACTLY what I needed to hear today?” Perhaps it was something that touched your heart, affirmed what you already knew, or made you cry. What you received was the gift of words. Those words were put out into the universe for you to consume right at that moment. It pulled at your heartstrings, stimulated your mind, or resonated in some way. Regardless, you received a gift because someone gave you the gift of their story.

That can be YOU offering your words. Don’t underestimate the power of your words and the power of your story. It may be just the special way you said it or it may be just received at the right time—the right moment. Regardless, you can give the gift or your words to offer peace, solace, understanding, and a feeling that they are not alone. Wow, how potentially powerful and impactful when you amplify your voice through writing.

The Gift of Your Words: The Gift of Connection

When your voice is amplified, your impact can be far-reaching. By sharing the gift of your words, you have provided an avenue for connection. I truly believe that we can learn so much from each other. Once your work is published, there is a great opportunity to connect with others, further your thinking, and deepen relationships. 

Since I started reading other people’s blog posts and blogging on livchan.com in April 2020, I made many new connections by reaching out to share my gratitude for their gift of words and share something that resonated with me. It’s such a phenomenal opportunity to create new friendships or further develop existing ones. They can help you amplify your voice too!

This simple act of expressing gratitude has truly changed my life with many new opportunities I am so grateful for. May I encourage you to share your gratitude to let others know how their words resonated or made an impact on you? Trust that they will see it as an encouragement to keep sharing. We love it when consumers of our content connect! It is greatly appreciated!

[scroll down to keep reading]

The Gift of Your Words: Make an Impact

Many of us want to make an impact. We don’t become teachers unless we want to make a difference in people’s lives. Our students and families are in our circle of influence but why not expand that circle? I never knew I wanted to make a larger impact until I started blogging and sharing my ideas. 

Honestly, at first, it was downright scary. There was so much hesitation, self-doubt, and fear the first time I hit publish. But over time, the fear diminishes when you begin to feel that your words are seen as a gift that brings value to others. 

If my words can help just ONE person, that is enough. And really, that first person is me. The cathartic nature of recording my thoughts onto a page and seeing it all come together into one cohesive, carefully thought out piece of writing is so incredibly satisfying, rewarding, and a great sense of accomplishment. I write for myself. I make an impact in my own life first. Then as my work is published, I am hopeful that it makes an impact on others too. The gift of words to me and then the gift of words to you. 

Writing and sharing our work is a big part of making an impact. When we share, we have the greatest opportunity to touch people’s hearts, make them laugh or cry, teach them something they didn’t know, or simply provide them with some entertainment to pass the time. Regardless of the end result, what you have to say matters. Your story matters. It may just be the story that ONE person needs to hear that day. Your story may just be the story that changes a person’s life. Yes, your gift of words can have that kind of impact. 

May these words be an encouragement to share the gift of your words with the world. My hope is that you may find the same passion whether it be writing or something else!

I am so passionate about writing and teaching writing that we have the greatest honor to offer The Writing Strategies & Marketing Your Work course! You will find a ton of tangible tips and strategies to discovering yourself as a writer through the 5 W’s of writing:

  • WHO am I writing for?
  • WHAT will I write?
  • WHEN will I write?
  • WHERE will I write? 
  • WHY am I writing?

Then we will dive into things to consider BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER you write, ending with a section on how to market your work. The ideas in this course have been tried, tested, and true. I have used these strategies with my students for years and I have presented in my district too.

Both Kari Pitstick and I are here to support you in any stage of readiness for writing. Please feel free to reach out to us at @Kari@teachbetter.com and @Livia@teachbetter.com and we will be thrilled to connect!

See the full “Writing Tips & Tricks” blog series here!

About Livia Chan

Livia Chan is a Head Teacher and author passionate about building relationships, teaching, leading, and daily learning. Her other passions include family, friends, and the sport of ringette. She lives by the belief that in every interaction we have the opportunity to intentionally uplift others through our kindness and gratitude to help make their day a brighter one.

For over 20 years, Livia has continued to experience the joy of teaching in the Greater Vancouver area in BC, Canada and loves her role as a Head Teacher and classroom teacher. She previously served on the District Staff Development Team in Learning Technologies supporting K-12 educators. Currently, Livia is honored to be the Digital Content Coordinator and Ambassador for the Teach Better Team and loves being a part of this family! Her motto is “Working together to better ourselves, each other, and the world around us.”