The Vanity of Telling the Truth
Telling your story isn’t vanity. It’s courage
People will call you vain the moment you start telling your story out loud.
It doesn’t matter how honest, humble, or raw you are —
once you speak with confidence, someone will assume you’re showing off.
But here’s the thing —
we only call people vain when they make us uncomfortable.
And nothing makes people squirm more
than someone who actually knows who they are.
Intent is the difference.
What are you trying to do by putting yourself out there?
Are you chasing fame, wealth, validation?
Look — some of that can be there too.
What’s wrong with a little personal gain
if people find what you do worth it?
I write on Substack because it gives me a place to think out loud —
to discuss, to learn, to connect.
If someone wants to throw me a few bucks so I can keep going,
what’s wrong with that?
The truth is, if you go on social media to exploit yourself, that’s vanity.
But if you put yourself out there because you believe you might have something to offer —
because you think someone might relate, or grow, or just feel less alone —
that’s not vanity.
That’s community.
People confuse confidence with arrogance all the time.
Why? Because they’re not used to seeing someone
who doesn’t flinch when they speak.
They mistake certainty for ego —
when really, it’s just clarity.
It’s not that you think you’re better than anyone else.
It’s that you finally stopped thinking you’re worse.
And that scares people.
Because once you stop apologizing for existing,
you stop being easy to control.
So they call you vain.
Arrogant.
Self-centered.
Anything to make you shrink back into silence.
But that’s not your job anymore.
Your job is to keep showing up,
keep sharing,
keep learning out loud.
Because when one person has the courage to speak honestly,
it gives everyone else permission to do the same.
So no — telling your story isn’t vanity.
It’s courage.
The difference is simple:
Vanity says, “Look at me.”
Honesty says, “Here’s what I see.”
And if you do it right —
if you tell your truth without ego,
without pretending to have all the answers —
what you’re really saying is, “Come see with me.”
That’s not self-promotion.
That’s self-expression.
That’s growth.
That’s connection.
And if people can’t tell the difference,
that’s on them — not you.
So go ahead.
Tell your story.
Speak your truth.
Share your lessons.
Because the world doesn’t need fewer voices.
It needs better intentions.
And since I’m feeling gracious, I’ll keep it clean.
But if you really want to push it…
Fact check me, motherf—
You know the rest. 😉