The gift of a transformational narrative, one that holds universal truths
Have you ever read a novel, memoir, or autobiography and thought that your life story holds similar themes, messages, and events? This is the gift of a transformational narrative, one that holds universal truths that no matter who reads the story, can gain some insight into their own lives.
We may not think of it, but our life stories are full of universal truths. As humans, we thrive off of the same things, even if the way we get there looks different. We need love, humility, and connection. None of these things need to be romantic or family-based. In fact, we can feel these emotions with anyone, really. You never know who you’ll meet along the way who shares your passions, similar experiences, and values.
When we talk about writing an autobiography, we often think of it as something we give to family members and friends, those who know us best but may not know the entire truth. We like to think that by creating these stories, we are giving a piece of ourselves to future generations–which is true. But we’re also sewing together this web of human experience, that no matter who picks up our private autobiography, they may find themselves connecting to it, even if they only know our name.
We aren’t suggesting you have to give your private autobiography to strangers, but we want you to consider the bigger picture. Why are you really writing this story?
We all are working through something, even if the turmoil we face seems long past us. Those moments in time shape us, change how we handle the things we can, and how we navigate through the events we cannot.
Writing your private autobiography will help you gather the strings of life that made you the person you are. As you begin to write down events and memories in your LifeBook journal, you may realize there are emerging themes in how you share your story. Maybe hope, love, perseverance. Consider those themes when writing and meeting with your interviewer. They can greatly shape how you want your autobiography to be consumed by those you share it with.
Not only will these themes give you an idea of how you want your message and life to be captured, but you may also grow from this experience. We often think that adolescence and young adulthood is when we morph into the person we are meant to be. But we as humans can change all the time. The more we experience and learn, the more likely we are to adapt to new thoughts and feelings. You may find while writing that this is a very healing process because of that. And, you may be shocked to see just how much you’ve transformed as a person over the years.
We know this may seem like a very selfish reason to write a private autobiography, to see what you, the author, can get out of it. But we need not forget that at the end of the day, we are sharing our journey and experience to share these universal truths, life lessons, and wisdom we have collected over the years.
We grow and connect by listening to the life stories of others. Are you ready to share yours?
Contact us at LifeBook Memoirs today.
