Why share your story?
Share your values and lessons learned
We all want to be seen, truly seen for who we are and know that our lives matter.
I don’t necessarily think that you have to share your life story and include every detail from birth to present day – but there are definitely portions of your life that you want to record and leave as a witness. In December 2012, an article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Before Passing Along Valuables, Passing Along Values”, by Robert Powell, touched on the effort in estate planning to encourage adults to share their stories and values before they die. We can choose to record our life lessons and values just like we choose to write a will and pass along our valuables to those we love.
We all want to be understood
We’ve all been misunderstood at times and telling your story is a chance to have the ‘last word’ so to speak. By sharing your story you give others the opportunity to understand you and come to know you better. As you write your story it joins others stories and becomes part of a bigger history. You have an opportunity to share your values, dreams, and lessons learned. You may not be rich or famous but you still want to be remembered. From the beginning of time people have wanted the same. I suppose the carvings in the caves are there because someone wanted to tell their story and didn’t want to be forgotten.
Your story should include the significant events in your life and how you feel about them.
Each life is a library with volumes of information on many different subjects. The lessons learned and wisdom gained through our experiences is valuable and ought to be shared as a legacy with those we love. This certainly doesn’t mean we lived a perfect life or didn’t make mistakes, rather that we want to share what we’ve learned in hopes it can benefit those who come after us.