Most people underestimate themselves. There are golden nuggets of personal history waiting to be mined out of every life. First of all, consider that we have been living through one of the most event-packed periods of our history. We have seen U.S. Presidents come and go. We have been through wars, depressions, recessions, and inflation. We have gone from splitting wood to splitting the atom, from crystal sets to satellite TV, from mustard plasters to heart transplants, and from washtubs, iceboxes, blackboard arithmetic, and crude biplanes to washing machines, refrigerators, computers, and space flights to the moon! You have seen all this firsthand. You have learned much, you have struggled through it, raised families in the midst of it, and you have thoughts and feelings about it. This is now your chance to tell about it.
Link your life story to history. You have lived during a time of important historical events. When you link what was happening to you to such events you are placing your life in time and place. Who was President when you were born? Where were you when Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, when Prohibition ended, during the Great Depression, at the time of Pearl Harbor, D-Day in France, the stock market crash, the day President John Kennedy was shot, the day when U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the events of 9/11?
There are wonderful resources on the Internet to help you “remember” some of the events of your lifetime. Check out the following:
http://www.1970sflashback.com/ Substitute year(s) of choice)
http://www.fact-index.com/ Use Fact Index search field to find a year or span of years
http://www.wikipedia.org/ In the Search field, type in 1960s (or any year of choice) and it will bring up all kinds of topics (cultural events, social events, world history, etc.)
http://www.crazyfads.com/ Put in particular decade and see what the latest fad was!
http://www.ourtimelines.com/ Create a timeline for yourself and see what else was going on in the world. Also check out who your contemporaries were!
http://dmarie.com/timecap/ Enables users to create "Time Capsules" for any date in history from 1800 to 2001. Results include headlines, famous birthdays, songs, TV shows, books, and toys for the date given.
www.fiftiesweb.com/fifties.htm A lot of stuff about the 1950s, but also some of the 60s and 70s.
http://www.google.com/ Use the Google search engine using key words such as fashion trends 1960s, or slang terms 1950s, etc.
You will find ingenious ways to include historical background information in your life history. In doing so, you add more color to your history by showing how your life has paralleled such important historical happenings and what impacts they may have had on you and your life. Help your reader experience history as you saw it!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Young Adult Years
After leaving high school, it’s all about “going out on your own” and creating your own independence. In our culture, this is a time when we take on adult responsibilities and commitments. Share your feeling of “being an adult” and what that meant for you.
What was it like for you to leave home? Who helped you prepare to go and in what way? Were you off to school? A mission? A job? Or just to an apartment to be on your own?
If you stayed at home, what was your family life like? What advice did your parents give you? What rules of the house did they have – did the rules change once you graduated from high school? Did your relationship with your parents change in any way?
Who were your friends during those days? What sort of leisure things did you do? What transportation did you have and what did it cost? Tell about any travels you had. Recall some of the things that were new to your life during these years. Tell of something you did that was adventurous. Tell of something that increased your confidence.
When did you begin to feel you were an adult? What hopes did you have for your future? What fears or worries did you have? What was most important to you? What new realizations came to you? How did your priorities change? Do you recall what goals you set for yourself during these years? How close did you come to realizing your dreams? Were you very idealistic then? How did those ideals face in the light of later experience? Did you think about politics or causes then?
Did you continue schooling? What school did you choose and why? Where was it located? What was your major or what subjects did you take? Did you live on campus or off? What were some of your extracurricular activities, or activities on campus? Did you work to put yourself through school? If so, what were your jobs? How much did you earn? Did your family help with finances? Tell about your experiences of learning, both in the classroom and out. Did you room with others? What were your experiences like of living with other people, cooking your own meals, budgeting your finances, etc. Did you receive any special honors in school? Did you graduate? With what degree or certificate? If not, tell what happened. Describe what you think higher education did for you.
Did you serve in the military? What branch were you in? Why did you go in? How long did you serve? Where were you living when you entered the service? Where did you undergo basic training? Where did you travel to in the military? What was your rank? Your pay? What were your duties? Were you in combat? Where? Did you study while in the service or did you receive specialized training? If so, describe what and where. Looking back, how do you value your military service? Was it helpful to you?
Did you serve a mission? Tell about receiving your mission call, your preparations, and who helped you as you prepared to enter the mission field. What was life like in the MTC (or LTM)? What were the highlights and lessons learned at the MTC? Where did you serve? What was mission life like? Describe the physical boundaries of your mission. Who was your Mission President? How did you perceive him and what were your experiences with him? Tell about each area in which you served – the Branch/Ward, the members, the converts. Describe your activities as a missionary – did you do door-to-door tracting, street boards, member referrals? Did your mission have a special program you used to contact and/or teach people? Who were your companions? What special spiritual experiences did you have on your mission? What were the highest highs and lowest lows of your missionary experience? What did you learn on your mission? Who were the individuals who had the greatest influence or impact on your mission (positive and negative)? What was it like to return home from your mission? What adjustments did you have to make? What testimony-building experiences would you like to share?
Tell about your jobs and work experience during this time. Were any of your jobs things that led to a career?
Help your readers to see and understand your successes, struggles and fears, your joys and pains. Be generous, sharing your thoughts and feelings about becoming an adult and giving your reader insight into how you became the person that you are.
What was it like for you to leave home? Who helped you prepare to go and in what way? Were you off to school? A mission? A job? Or just to an apartment to be on your own?
If you stayed at home, what was your family life like? What advice did your parents give you? What rules of the house did they have – did the rules change once you graduated from high school? Did your relationship with your parents change in any way?
Who were your friends during those days? What sort of leisure things did you do? What transportation did you have and what did it cost? Tell about any travels you had. Recall some of the things that were new to your life during these years. Tell of something you did that was adventurous. Tell of something that increased your confidence.
When did you begin to feel you were an adult? What hopes did you have for your future? What fears or worries did you have? What was most important to you? What new realizations came to you? How did your priorities change? Do you recall what goals you set for yourself during these years? How close did you come to realizing your dreams? Were you very idealistic then? How did those ideals face in the light of later experience? Did you think about politics or causes then?
Did you continue schooling? What school did you choose and why? Where was it located? What was your major or what subjects did you take? Did you live on campus or off? What were some of your extracurricular activities, or activities on campus? Did you work to put yourself through school? If so, what were your jobs? How much did you earn? Did your family help with finances? Tell about your experiences of learning, both in the classroom and out. Did you room with others? What were your experiences like of living with other people, cooking your own meals, budgeting your finances, etc. Did you receive any special honors in school? Did you graduate? With what degree or certificate? If not, tell what happened. Describe what you think higher education did for you.
Did you serve in the military? What branch were you in? Why did you go in? How long did you serve? Where were you living when you entered the service? Where did you undergo basic training? Where did you travel to in the military? What was your rank? Your pay? What were your duties? Were you in combat? Where? Did you study while in the service or did you receive specialized training? If so, describe what and where. Looking back, how do you value your military service? Was it helpful to you?
Did you serve a mission? Tell about receiving your mission call, your preparations, and who helped you as you prepared to enter the mission field. What was life like in the MTC (or LTM)? What were the highlights and lessons learned at the MTC? Where did you serve? What was mission life like? Describe the physical boundaries of your mission. Who was your Mission President? How did you perceive him and what were your experiences with him? Tell about each area in which you served – the Branch/Ward, the members, the converts. Describe your activities as a missionary – did you do door-to-door tracting, street boards, member referrals? Did your mission have a special program you used to contact and/or teach people? Who were your companions? What special spiritual experiences did you have on your mission? What were the highest highs and lowest lows of your missionary experience? What did you learn on your mission? Who were the individuals who had the greatest influence or impact on your mission (positive and negative)? What was it like to return home from your mission? What adjustments did you have to make? What testimony-building experiences would you like to share?
Tell about your jobs and work experience during this time. Were any of your jobs things that led to a career?
Help your readers to see and understand your successes, struggles and fears, your joys and pains. Be generous, sharing your thoughts and feelings about becoming an adult and giving your reader insight into how you became the person that you are.
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