1. No one else will do it for you.

2. No one else knows the stories of you life quite like you do. Do you want them to tell it?

3. This is an opportunity to share knowledge, wisdom and advice to those who would be inspired to learn from us.

4. When we record something, we remember more.

5. By reflection and recording we are able to gain a deeper appreciation for all the surrounding happenings that influenced our decisions and experiences.

6. A life examined and recorded is twice precious, first the experience itself and then the memories it evokes when we read about it later.

7. Everyone has a story to tell. We each have a unique view of history from our own perspective.

8. There is an inner need in each of us to be remembered. To reflect and to see that our lives had value.

9. We want to be remembered by descendants as a real person and not just a name on a tree.

10. If not recorded, the stories you learned from your grandparents will die with you.

11. The things you did as a child are as remote from children today as Mars is from the Earth.

12. You will be looking at painful memories of childhood with the eyes of an adult and realize that they no longer have the power to hurt you.

13. You have the opportunity to leave a legacy for friends and family.

14. This is a way to celebrate your own life.

15. It allows family and friends to know you as an individual, not just the role they were familiar with.

16. By sharing how you overcame adversity, it may strengthen another who is facing a hard time.

17. It gives you an opportunity to not only examine events, but feelings and emotions.

18. It allows you the opportunity to say on paper what is sometimes hard to express in person.

19. By writing our stories, we can examine our life's journey with a wider view.

20. It is very therapeutic to examine the past and then to let old hurts go.

21. It is the ultimate journey of self-discovery, even if no one else ever reads it.

22. You can pass down traditions, standards, beliefs or even recipes that have a great deal of meaning within the family or community.

23. As you grow older and less verbal, it helps caregivers and others to see you as you once were.

24. You will be respected, envied and praised for doing what most people just talk about doing.

A recent survey taken of a group of elderly people indicated that their major life regrets were in not:

! Taking more risks-choosing the secure over the unknown and the unknown would have been fine..

! Reflecting more, taking time to stop along the way and decide who we are and where we are going.

! Contributing and sharing more feelings, thoughts and emotions with family, friends and community.

By recording your life story, which is a scary step to take, you can accomplish all three.

There is an old African saying that every time a person dies, it is as if a library has burned down.

Just do it, you will always be glad that you did!!!

If you are interested in getting the answers to these and other questions about life story writing, please contact us at judywright@artichokepress.com and sign up for a tele-class and our FREE e-zine: "The Artichoke" - finding the heart of the story in the journey of life..

?Judy H. Wright, Personal and Oral Historian - www.artichokepress.com