Most people believe their lives are ordinary and their experiences are of no interest to anyone else. This is untrue.
Future generations of your family, your children, grandchildren and generations to come will benefit from seeing that your journey is part of the foundation for their own.
Recording your life story is more than documenting dates and places. Its primary purpose is to provide your family with a sense of identity and belonging.
When you share your experiences you provide a road map for each person following in your footsteps. Reviewing the challenges you faced and the triumphs you celebrated contributes to your family narrative.
Your stories can also help younger generations understand why certain family traits or values exist. It helps them understand their own “origin story.”
Why Your Story Matters
First you can provide an emotional connection to bridge the gap between generations. Family members can experience their ancestor as a ‘real person’ who like them experienced dreams, challenges, joy and wisdom. You can be part of preserving your family’s cultural heritage. Cultural traditions, family recipes and “inside jokes” are kept alive through the written word or recorded story.
Small details such as the smell of a specific Sunday dinner, the first car you owned or a challenge you overcame at your first job are examples of what ordinary life was like for you makes your story relatable.
We all learn lessons throughout our life. Your insights on life, love and work can guide younger family members through their crossroads.
You don’t have to be a skilled storyteller to record your story. Your family wants to hear your voice not to read a literary masterpiece. Take to heart that it’s not the ink and paper or the digital record that matters; it’s the heart behind the memories. Your family wants to learn about you.
A story told in your own simple words is powerful. The authenticity of your “life story writing” comes from the truth of your experience.
Getting Help with Your Legacy
If sitting down facing a blank page feels intimidating, start by telling the story behind one single photograph. Once you start, the memories usually begin to flow.
There are guided journals available. These books that can be purchased online or from book and department stores provide prompts and questions to trigger specific memories.
Also, you don’t have to go it alone. There are many ways to get professional or technical support to bring your story to life.
You can look into life story coaching. This means working with a mentor who will help you structure your memories as well as keep you motivated.
If you prefer talking to writing, you can record your stories. This can be done using your mobile phone. Your recording can be easily transcribed into text for editing. You can also call in the professionals who can transcribe and edit your story into a unified narrative, or record your story in another format, such as audio or video.
You can also enrol in online courses. You can join a community of like-minded individuals to learn the step-by-step process of organising your legacy.
Your life is a unique collection of moments that only you can share. By putting pen to paper or fingers to a keyboard or voice to recorder you can make your life story a treasure your family will cherish over lifetimes.
By Marilyn Martyn
Follow Us