Writing is something the average person either completely loathes or wholeheartedly enjoys. For me, writing has always been a solace, provided me an outlet for thoughts and feelings I would otherwise have kept bottled up. Writing about my life is something that, for years, has come naturally to me. Yet I have always felt that writing my autobiography would be a daunting task. Well, it does not have to be.
It’s All About You.
Your autobiography is an expression of yourself. It is more than just your life story — it is a soul search. Writing your autobiography inspires you to connect with yourself more intimately, encourages you to truly discover who you are. It is about you embarking on a voyage of self-discovery and making a record of your journey. You are the author; ultimately, you decide what to include, omit, and modify throughout your story. It does not have to be comprehensive. You can choose to write about your life as a whole, or pick specific parts you wish to revisit. You can even select one particular point in your life to center your story around. Most importantly, along your writing journey, you become more self-aware, learning your strengths and areas for improvement, not only as a writer but as a person.
Remember.
Memories long since forgotten begin to resurface as you think about the events that have shaped your life. Times with family and friends, life-altering experiences, even little things that you never realized meant so much to you come drifting back into your mind. Although sometimes we bury things deep inside ourselves in an attempt to forget, writing about memories can be incomparably cathartic. Writing aids in healing, in coming to terms with something that happened to you, in learning from your experiences. Writing your autobiography opens both your mind and your heart to all the people, places, and experiences that have made you who you are.
Forever.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing and also terrifying parts of writing your autobiography is its permanence. You put your thoughts, your ideas, your heart out on paper and it is there forever. Years after you have passed from this world, your presence will still be known and recorded through your writing. Even if you choose not to publish your life story, your posterity will have an invaluable token of your life and all that you accomplished. Your story will bring comfort to those who knew you and wisdom to those who endured similar experiences.
Writing your autobiography should not be something that terrifies you. Yes, it will be a challenge, but along the way, you will learn more than you ever thought you knew about yourself.
