Why Share Personal Information?

Why would anyone talk about himself online?  Why would I tell people about my personal life, my post divorce depression and my ongoing personal improvement projects in a forum that anyone can read?  Isn’t this going against all common sense and wisdom?  Aren’t future employers / spouses / friends / whatever going to read this and be taken back?  I get these kinds of questions all the time from friends, family and total strangers and so I decided to answer them here in a way that might help you make up your own mind about open communications.

First, What To Share

The first thing I note is that I’m not sharing the kinds of things that make someone seem unprofessional.  I’m sharing basic details of life that are both common and normal.  Yes, I do share information about my personal life, my divorce for example, but is this so out of the ordinary?  Yes, I went through a rough time and I made it through it.  How is this bad?  How is being depressed after a major life change like that make me bad or unemployable?  I’m not here telling stories about committing crimes or getting drunk every night (neither of which I do I might add).  I’m simply sharing details about life and the events that happen in it.  A lot of people go through events like these and a lot of people have a hard time after going through them.  Nothing unusual there.

Second, Why Share

Next I point out that I’m doing this as a way of trying to help people.  I’m not here writing some long preachy article about how you should all eat less meat or else you’re awful people!  I’m sharing my feelings, thoughts and emotions as a way of reaching out to all of you.  I want to share with you and through that sharing learn something about myself and help you learn something about yourself.

Third, How To Share

When you share, you want to be open and honest but also objective if possible.  Sharing for me is not an excuse to be accusatory, lay blame, complain or insult.  It’s a way to speak about what’s been bothering you, what has bothered you, what you accomplished and what you learned.  In this way you take valuable information and you pass it out to people who are willing to listen.

So What Does This Mean To You?

Not all of you are going to share portions of your life on a website, but I really think everyone should try and share their life with others.  Sharing is a wonderful way of learning about ourselves and each other.  It’s a way of building bonds and relationships that will last a lifetime.  I used to be afraid to talk about my life, even with my family and friends.  I kept it all to myself, making me very unhappy in the process.

When I first started sharing those details I found myself afraid of shame, embarrassment and humiliation.  What if people think I’m strange?  What if they think I’m weird and scary?  The truth was the exact opposite.  When I started sharing I found so many people who were willing to listen and share their life in return.  I learned from them, I learned about myself and I found myself a much happier person as a result.  All of those details that you thought are shameful or embarrassing, when you hold up to the light of day, they turn out to be not so important after all.

So yes, I share my life, my problems and my experiences on this website with all of you.  How do you share yours and with who?