You Have A Story: How To Start Documenting It Now
I was driving yesterday with my 5-year-old son in the back seat, and he said something brilliant. It was so sweet and so true of who he is, and I wanted to capture it somehow.
But we were in the middle of a no-shoulder, Tennessee back road, and I couldn’t just pull off into a random gravel driveway (must keep the kids safe!), to write a note to myself with his precious thoughts immortalized, so I figured just thinking about it was enough to “file it away.”
Surely I would remember later. Surely I wouldn’t forget.
But I did forget.
I have no way to go back and re-capture that moment. He doesn’t remember what he said, and even if he did, he wouldn’t say it exactly how he did originally.
So how do you begin documenting your story, of the story of someone you love?
You can begin simply by asking yourself these 3 questions:
What are the things you do?
Who are the people you love?
What values matter to you?
Then, the next time you’re doing that thing you do, or are with a person you love, take out your phone and grab some photos and video. But please film video with your phone sideways. I beg you!
The Dichotomy: What keeps you present in the moment fights against capturing the moment itself.
Have you noticed that your desire to document your life fights against your desire as a person/daughter/friend/whatever to be present in the moment?
It’s a funny tension, isn’t it?
You want to be fully present in the moment with your attention and emotions, but at the same time, you see the moment unfolding before you, and you want to preserve that moment forever.
My solution is to place priority on being present in the moment first. Live it, embrace it, enjoy it.
If you know about one of these significant moments beforehand, ask a friend or family member to press record and hold your phone for you. This could be walking on stage to accept an award, welcoming a family member back from deployment, or another special ceremony or event.
If you have a daily practice of art, Bible study, or cooking, maybe decide you’ll film yourself doing that thing just one day this week. And then maybe one day again in 6 months.
You don’t have to be on camera all day every day to capture your story!
The Gift of Remembering
Facebook memories has spoiled us! But it has also shown us how seemingly insignificant, every-day moments that we share, mean so much to us years later.
As you capture these moments, you might notice a bit of a pattern. Maybe it’s a word. Maybe it’s a physical object that keeps reappearing. Maybe it’s a symbol of hope for you. Write it down!
When you start documenting your life in a way that captures the significant moments, you start to build your story, without the pressure of staring at a blank screen wondering what you’ve done with your life.
Decide to Tell Your Story
The bottom line is that until you decide to tell your story, you won’t find the motivation you need to carry out documenting your life as it unfolds. So you need to decide that you want to tell your story.
If you want help, guidance, and encouragement to tell your story “as you go,” make sure you’re following me on Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes storytelling in my video production business, and more blog posts like this one.
If you’re looking for one-on-one coaching to discover your story and develop a plan to tell it, check out my Story Framework session.
I know for a fact that you have a story worth telling. Let’s help you create a plan to capture and honor your story.
