Authentic Blogging: Build Community & Heal the World?

When you're blogging about personal stuff, how much do you put out there? What if your mother reads it? Or your boyfriend, or your boss? As a doctor, I struggled with the temptation to pretend to be more put together than I really am- just in case patients read my blog. But I realized that didn't feel authentic to who I really am, so I've decided to put it all out there. And my readers have done the same. What I've discovered is that - in being real and exposing our vulnerabilities- we give each other the opportunity to feel truly SEEN, which has a profound healing power in the world. Every time you tell your truth, you open yourself up to someone within your community who might feel like she's the only person who has ever felt like you. The more we put ourselves out there, the more we say "NO!" to a life of superficiality, pretenses, and artificial hierarchies. So I'm a doctor- and sometimes a basket case. I've blogged about my divorce, my Mommy issues, and my coochie.  Is it professional? Maybe not. But so what? It's real, and if I'm committed to encouraging others to live authentic lives, why not model it in my blog?

What about you? Do you tell the truth in your blog? Does it ever bite you in the butt? Have you been brave (or fool-hardy!) enough to really put it all out there? Come join a round table discussion about telling the truth on the web. Share your experiences. Be heard. Tell us YOUR truth. Let's be authentic, girlfriends!

Group hug,

Lissa Rankin, MD

www.owningpink.com

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