The Story of my Life

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Step 3...Gather your life together

Have you made your decision to write your life story in a notebook or a word processor? (step 2).

When writing your life story it is beneficial to have a basis with which to be begin and also help you along the way. Your life has many parts or time periods to it, and you supposedly have kept papers and mementos from each part. You will use those items in helping to write your life story...not only writing about the time frame that the item came from, but the item itself will help to jog your memory of a lot of other incidents.

So, to begin this gathering process, obtain a large box and go all around your house, looking in drawers, boxes, closets, attic, garage, basement...and GATHER up all the documents and items that pertain to your life, such as birth certificates, award certificates, diplomas, letters and cards, school memorabilia, photos, souvenirs from trips, plays you have attended, old calendars and date books, scrapbooks, yearbooks, newspaper clippings, report cards...any item or piece of paper that pertains to you and your life.

When you feel you have gathered everything, then begin to sort each item into certain piles: “birth and pre-school”; “elementary school”; “high school”; “college”; “marriage”. Now take each pile and put the items within that pile in chronological order as best you can. When you are finished doing this with each pile, then put each chronological pile into a separate box or envelope and label it.