How to prepare a life history
| Return to Main Page | Preparing a life history
appears to be a formidable task. However, by using some simple forms and
techniques, a very interesting summary of one's life experience can be
completed. Like most everything that is worthwhile and valuable, it takes
some hard work. Necessarily, large tasks are accomplished by the
accumulation of the completion of many small tasks. The preparation of a
life history is no different -- it requires some diligent effort, a little
bit at a time, until the entire task is completed.
Because most everyone is inexperienced in preparing personal histories, forms, samples, and schedules are provided to assist. Getting Started Most everyone has difficulty getting started with a life story. We all tend to think that we need to start at the very beginning and move chronologically through our life to the present. Actually, it is much easier to just record different events in your life independently, as they are remembered, and then organize them later. Just divide your life into major chunks -- childhood, adolescence, college/young adult, middle age, and maturity. Then, just take a few moments each week and record on the form what you remember about something. If you do this every week, after one year you will have more than fifty different stories or events. Then, we will order those in an appropriate order. Please remember that events that you may feel are rather mundane or insignificant may be of great interest or worth to your younger relatives. It is important for all of us to recognize and understand that everyone has experienced difficulty and hardship in life, and if you have not, it is coming. Similarly, each of us has experienced tremendous joy and happiness at times. Many times the knowledge that we are no different from others, that we face the same problems as others, notwithstanding our apparent age differences, we gather courage from knowing that we are not alone. So, your stories of rather simple or routine events may be most inspiring to others. |
