Our life-defining stories matter. We need to find them and tell them -- or write them.

Our brains allow us not only to create our personal story of self but to edit, interpret, and find meaning in what we are creating.

Writing is a beautiful way to let out pain. When you put your story out there, you release it. Once it is no longer buried or stuck within you, you are free to move forward.

Our stories are by nature problem-solving tools, and we are problem-solving beings.

Our lives hang on narrative thread. . . Our world is shaped by the stories we tell ourselves -- what we believe about our lives and what we hold to be true about our world.

When I look back on my personal story through my journals, it struck me my words had an unmatched power to heal me. To change me.

Life is beautiful, and my words have allowed me to find and revel in that beauty.