If you’re thinking about writing your autobiography or it’s something you’d like to gift to a family member, then you probably already have a fair few motivations. But what if it’s something you’ve never considered before? What if you don’t feel like your story’s worth telling or you don’t feel that you’ll be able to remember enough details? It’s normal to have doubts and it’s something I’ve encountered time and time again. But, what I’ve also encountered is that there are far more pros than cons when it comes to telling your story.
The Importance of Storytelling
Stories are what bind us, they are the connective tissue of our families and the links within our communities; they’re there to inspire, to warn and to teach. When it comes to your story, you might not think it’s worth telling. You might think that autobiographies are reserved for the rich and famous. But that’s where you’re wrong. Instead, why not ask yourself why your story isn’t just as important as anyone else’s? And, when it comes to your loved ones, the ones who’ll read it, your story isn’t just as important, it’s far more important. Your words are priceless.
6 Reasons Why You Should Tell Your Story
If you’re still not convinced, here are six reasons why you should take the plunge and commit your story to the archives of time:
1. Your Family Will Thank You
Writing your autobiography isn’t a selfish act, quite the opposite. Imagine how you would have felt if your parents or grandparents had recorded their memories for you to read. How would it feel to be able to share the true story of your family with your children? Your family would feel the same. Your memories mean so much. Even if you think they already know your story, despite their best efforts, they might not remember the details in years to come. If it’s written down, it can be read and re-read, shared and loved for years to come. And what’s more, it will be in your voice, your words, the way you’d say them. It’s not just for you, it’s the most wonderful gift for future generations of your family.
2. Your Life IS Interesting
You don’t have to be a celebrity to have a story worth capturing. We are all interesting and your story matters just as much as the next person’s, even more when it comes to your family. You’re probably not writing your book with the intention of creating an international best seller, you’re writing it for you and your family. The trick, of course, is asking the right questions. With the right prompts, you’ll be surprised how many incredible memories come to the surface. You’ll be able to record all the idiosyncrasies, funny moments, challenges and achievements that make you who you are. The difficulty won’t be in finding enough interesting things to write about, it will be deciding which ones to include.
3. You Can Preserve Your Family Heritage
Your family heritage refers to your unique inherited sense of family identity. It includes the values, traditions and culture that have been passed down by previous generations and it is something that you’ll pass on to future generations. Your book won’t just record your story, it will record memories of your parents and grandparents, the generations of your family that came before you. The memories that you have will be lost if you don’t write them down. You’re the keeper of so many important memories, writing your story allows you to pass that job on to your loved ones.
4. You Have a Chance to Reflect
We’re often so busy moving forward that we don’t take the time to slow down, look back and reflect. By writing your story, you are giving yourself permission to take a moment for self-reflection. You’ll think about all the things you’ve accomplished and all the people you’ve touched along the way. While that also means you might reflect on difficult times, remembering can be really cathartic. In fact, letting someone else bear witness to you can be good for your health, turn off stress responses and release healing hormones that give you a moment of calm.
5. You Can Strengthen Family Bonds
With many of our families spread across great distances, we miss out on a lot of day-to-day chats together. Those natural conversations that happen around the kitchen table, in front of the TV or driving in the car. When you write your story, you’ll likely find yourself having conversations with family members that you haven’t had for a long time or that you’ve never had. Talking about shared memories, and reminiscing over old photos offers you a great chance to reconnect and strengthen the bonds that you share. Whether you laugh or cry, it’s an experience that will bring you together.
6. You Don’t Have to Know How to Write
You don’t have to sit down with a blank page on your own and try to write your story. In fact, you don’t need to know how to write at all. Yet, you have everything you need to create the story of your life. Instead of worrying about the words themselves, structure and grammar, you can focus on the important part of recounting your memories. With a ghostwriter working with you, you can talk freely, while someone else worries about asking the right questions to fill any gaps. With the whole book creation process managed for you, you don’t need to worry about a thing.
Are You Ready to Write Your Story?
If you think you’re ready to write your story, then I’d love to hear from you. The first step is for us to have a chat, sharing your story is an incredibly personal thing to do, so it’s important to make sure you’re comfortable with me and what I can offer before we begin. Then, if you’re happy to go ahead, the fun really starts.
Whether you’d like me to ghostwrite your story for you, or you want to go it alone, I’d love to help you on your journey. Remember, everyone has a story to tell and everyone’s story matters.