discover your life book
d o n ' t s w e a t t h e s
m a l l s t u f f
- Don't worry about grammar or spelling. If you expect your writing to be
perfect, you may never get your life book filled out.
- Don't worry about writing something you're uncomfortable with. If you're
keeping your life book to yourself, then writing through your fear may
help you learn a little more about yourself.
- You don't need to fill out all the questions in one sitting. Your life
book is meant to be with you throughout your life. You may be too young
to fill out some of the questions, or you may not have experienced some of the events mentioned. It could take you a few hours, months,
years, or even decades before your life book is completed. What's
important is that you get your life documented for your friends, family,
future generations, or just for yourself. Imagine you're seventy,
eighty, or ninety years old, sitting on the porch, sipping lemonade, and
looking out at the ocean. You have your life book in your hands and it's
the one thing that holds the memories to your life. What a great way to reflect on where
you've been and how far you've come.
- Don't wait too long before starting your life book. Get your memories
down while they're still fresh in your mind.
-
Your life book is meant to reflect your personality. If you like to
doodle, then include doodles wherever you can find free space. If you
like photos, then include photos at your different life stages (there
are ten pages sprinkled throughout the book where you can paste in
photos). When working on your life book, take a deep breath and relax.
Remember, it's not a test or exercise. It's your life.
- When you include photos in your life book, make sure not
to use your originals. Include only copies of your original photos, so
if you ever want copies for something else, you still have the originals
handy.
g e t c r e a t i v e
- Toss your life book in your backpack or purse, and when you get inspired
during the day, or just get some free time, get your life book, flip it
open to any page, and fill out the question. You never know when
inspiration will hit, so be prepared when it does.
- Your life book is the perfect conversation starter at any party. Sit
with your family and friends around a table and ask them random
questions from the book. If you haven't filled your book out yet, or if
you don't care who reads your thoughts, then pass the book around and
let everyone have a turn at asking a question.
- If you're in a relationship, get yourself and your partner each a life
book. After you both have filled out the books, exchange them so you can
read about each other's life journey. You may be more comfortable
sharing your experiences in writing rather than discussing them
face-to-face.
- If you have a family member (mother, father, grandmother, grandfather,
aunt, uncle, etc.) that you know has a great story to tell, give them
me, myself and my life as a gift with a note on how you would
love for them to fill it out because you're interested in learning about
his or her life journey. One day, when you least expect, you may receive
the book back with all the questions filled in just for you. Your
original gift
to them is now a gift given back to you.
- If you're in a slump, depressed, or wondering about the meaning of life,
grab your copy of me, me, myself and my life and fill it out. Learning a
little more about yourself may be the jolt you need to get back into
this crazy thing called life.
- You probably noticed there are no wild colors or fancy artwork in the
book. That's because it's your life book. Grab some colored pens,
markers, or crayons and use a different one for each question. If you
like to draw, then draw anywhere you can inside the book (don't worry
about the lines or margins). If you collect stickers, then add some
of your favorite stickers. If you like to travel, then include a couple
postcards of your favorite places. You get the picture (oh yeah, don't
forget the photos). Just think, when your book is finished, everything
in it will reflect your personality, not someone else's. So don't be
afraid to mark up the book anyway you want, because it's all about you,
right?
- You don't have to fill in the questions with perfect sentences in
perfect paragraphs. Try answering some of the questions with bulleted or
numbered lists, drawings, photos, or even a single word will do. If
you've come up with a creative way to answer one of the questions, then
definitely do it. Remember the first time you worked on an art project
in school? The possibilities were endless. Well, picture yourself
sitting at that school desk, the teacher handing you your life book, and
telling you to show her who you are. Around you are endless art supplies
and you're allowed to use any of them. Now go for it.
- If you happen to fill out your entire book, but aren't sure what you
want to do with it yet, consider hiding it in a secret place. You could
put it in a sealed container and bury it in your backyard. You could
hide it behind some boxes in your attic. You could keep it in a
safe-deposit box. Or you could trust it to someone close to you for
safekeeping. Then in ten, twenty, thirty years, you could retrieve your
book and read what you had written all those years earlier. Or, you
could leave the book right where it is for someone else to find one
day. Imagine a hundred years from now some kids digging up your book in
their backyard, bringing it to show their mother, and her sitting down
at the kitchen table to read the thoughts of a man or woman who lived in the same place decades
earlier. Or, the book could land into the hands of your grandchildren's
grandchildren. Where it will end up, you won't know. But, your story
will live on.
So what are you waiting for? You story is waiting to be told!
