You have a penchant for sharing your story with such passion that your listeners are captivated and ask you to share it with other people in their circle. Your story, your life, has become a testimony! You’ve probably thought about documenting your experiences in a book and have likely realized that you are more influential than you thought. It’s one thing to verbalize your story – you’ve got that on lock down, reciting your story in a gratifying and exciting way. But what happens when you’re ready to write your vision? What happens when you’re ready to document what you’ve shared verbally?
I’d say that when you find yourself asking these questions, it is the perfect time to build your legacy and preserve your memories by writing a book. Writing is one of the oldest and most respected forms of communication and one that will never go away. Think about it, reading and writing are the foundation of every learning experience in the academic world and in everyone’s career.
Let’s take that same mindset and consider the benefits of writing your story. It preserves your legacy and allows you to take control of the narrative of your life. A few years ago, I worked to help organize a family reunion. First of all, that’s some work! I had no idea how much time it would take when I started the process, but it became a passion of mine. Hearing stories about my ancestors became one of the most life-defining moments I’ve experienced to date. I found out that my love of fresh flowers throughout my house likely came from one of my grandmother’s sisters, who inherited the love of flowers from her mother, my great grandmother. It also seems that the women in the family share a love of nursing and education.
Interesting, right?
Unfortunately, COVID-19 strained the world and cancelled our reunion, but the seed had been planted. I’ve continued to work on putting my family’s legacy into written content and encourage everyone I know to do the same. After all, we need to know where we come from to know where we’re headed, right? I’ve assisted several people with writing their memoirs and enjoy seeing them shine a light on their lives.
Imagine having a puzzle that has missing pieces to it; to complete it, you might have to ask around and see who else has opened the box and who can tell you where to find the missing pieces. That means the experience can restore relationships that have diminished over time, refresh memories, and give future generations a blueprint for navigating this chaotic world we live in!
There are several reasons we may decide to preserve our memories.
The passage of time brings faded memories, so it’s important to talk to our parents, grandparents and other elders in our family to learn the family history. This is the first step I took when coordinating and building a guest list for my family reunion. I’ve also found it beneficial to collaborate with a genealogist as well; tracing family history can become complex and time consuming, so I decided to allocate my time more effectively and trust my family’s history with a professional who’s skilled at finding the details I needed.
In other cases, we have stories to share but may feel that those we want to hear it most are not ready to receive it or for those who may not be born yet. My father has recently written his memoir as a way to heal from his past while giving his offspring, especially the young men in the family, the knowledge they need to overcome life’s challenges. He shared things with me during the writing process that I never knew. It was extremely helpful to hear his recollection of his early years and my grandparents. I knew I had gotten much of my business acumen from him, but I soon realized that it also came from my grandfather and his father. I have so much more in common with them that I never knew about. It was encouraging for me to know that if my grandfather could build a thriving business in the middle of the civil rights era, I could certainly build mine in this day and age.
Men like my father now have an outlet for making sure the legacy they have built is remembered as it should be. It also lets their family know where their strength comes from. There is nothing more powerful than this!
How do you plan to share your legacy? We’d love to share your legacy storytelling journey with you – if you have any questions, please reach out to us.
Our team of writers, journalists, and visionaries is excited to hear your story and help you bring it to life!
