Becoming Great Heritage Makers in Our Families - Seven Easy Steps
Our lives are filled with a wealth of experiences that make us rich in history. Being aware of how to use the bounty of those moments puts us in the position to become world-class heritage makers. Simply put, heritage making is telling and recording the past and present in order to preserve and positively affect the future through the gift of story. Everyone has stories, but regretfully most of them do not get recognized, recorded or passed along. No matter what your stories have been, they are priceless to those around you and need to be shared. Your adventures should be told in order to enrich those who are watching as well as to encourage those who will follow behind.
Time has made us warriors and heroes, victors and inventors. By it, we have also been made wise and virtuous beyond our own determination. The members of our families need to know how we blazed the trails of success or endured the paths of hardship because they too will experience things of that nature. Someone has said that we are only great because we have stood on the shoulders of giants. Any true magnitude we possess came because someone else paved the way and we directly or indirectly reaped the benefits of their sacrifices. We are not the first heroes in our generation. Neither will we be the last. Your story could actually propel someone forward into victories of their own, just because you shared.
The privilege of recording and celebrating those stories is an enduring resource just waiting to be mined. Every human struggle or joy we will ever know has the power to enrich someone else if we choose to share it. We live in a face paced technological world. While it is true this can place more demands on us, it is also true that it can leverage our time and resources most efficiently so we can invest more fully into the future generations. Here are some tangible steps that will help you to harness that potential.
Recognize how precious and valuable the ordinary occurrences in your world are. It doesn't take long to realize that the most important "things" in life are not really things at all. Rather they are a collection of irretrievable moments shared with the people we love. When we have cultivated the discernment to see what is most valuable, we are able to give the gift of story in very powerful ways. Most everything that holds true value cannot be held in our hands, rather cherished within our hearts. Begin seeing your daily experiences through a new grid. Stories are gifts. They are being developed every moment and are ripe for the harvesting. Re-think: walks, washing the dishes together, doing errands, having tea, playing chess, folding laundry, memories of your own childhood. What goes through your mind in a day that you would like to tell someone or record for them to know about you and your experiences? Become rich in conversation and memory sharing using routine tasks to bond with others and in so doing,change your lives. Investigate the hidden treasures within that would otherwise be lost.
Be intentional. Time stops for no one. It moves along whether we are ready and engaged in the moment or not. Birthdays, trips, inside jokes and other more "ordinary moments" as mentioned above all become priceless when we look back at the shared experiences and how that made us who we are. The old saying "carpe diem" (seize the day) is just as true today as it ever was. You cannot make a cake or build a house without intentionality. You cannot grab something if you are not aware it has passed your way. As you start enlarging your understanding of the wealth of your life and the lives of others, you will need to plan walks, talks, and the art of making books for others to read again and again. Even though the tortoise and the hare embarked on the same journey, only the turtle was intentional enough to take the appropriate amount of steps to cross the finish line. The journey of a million miles begins with just one step. Make each one purposeful. We can build a legacy once we have a plan and choose to carry it out. Be aware and celebrate life as much as you can.
Anticipate the beauty of discovery and the power of sharing it. If you expect nothing, you will be sure to find it. Little children have an amazing sense of wonder and we would do well to imitate them in this regard. Expect there to be beautiful things worth recording and passing along in each and every day. Much is determined by our attitudes. The cup is either half full or half empty. How we interpret something determines whether we will be able to resource and find enjoyment there or squander it altogether. It's amazing what you don't see when you are not looking. Two people can view the exact same encounter from very different perspectives. The same person can change and feel differently about an event they experienced if able to look at it from a different paradigm. Asking which one will help propel others forward is crucial. Become a child in your anticipation of good things and you will be pleasantly surprised at how fun and natural it is to tell your stories. You will be more likely to leverage a moment's potential to share with someone else that way.
Never devalue your experiences. The perseverance that comes from walking the roads of defeat and discouragement should be celebrated along with those moments where milestones were passed and records established. The diversity of our everyday living makes us who we are and that is valuable to others. Even though we all walk different paths, we will still encounter the same giants of fear, grief, loss and uncertainty. We will universally know surprise, shock and unbelief no matter how it is dispensed to us. Heroes in life are deemed to be so because they acted valiantly and did not give up when that option stared them in the face. You can make someone the hero in their own story just by taking the time to celebrate their actions and accomplishments as well as by sharing how you had to work through a similar journey of overcoming. People see themselves in our stories and know they are not alone and will somehow make it over their mountain as well. We are where we are because of a variegated set of circumstances. Resource them and honor even the hard things. They are a part of what made you who you are.
Take the necessary time to research and record. Document things before they are forgotten and lost. Ask questions of those in your family who are still old enough to remember things you weren't there to know about. Even if you only have a scrap of paper and a thought for something you want someone to know, jot it down. It will help trigger your mind later when you do have the time. Make a list of things you want to write and record in the future and begin working your list. Once this becomes a habit in your life, it will be easy to get over the hump of the feeling like there is too much to do. Start with one small project to inspire you. This new habit will flow out of that and you will be so glad you started making things happen. Great Heritage Makers develop a way of life to record and establish value over time. They recognize the invaluable reality that their stories are gifts just waiting to be shared.
Be creative and have your camera on hand whenever you can. Consider the following: Have a "high tea" with the little princess in your life while she still cares about her special dress up clothes. Make a bubble bath out of the outdoor kiddie pool and surprise your children by jumping in too. In the dead of winter, make mini snowmen to hide in the freezer for a hot July day when you can have a snowman melting contest. Don't take endless pictures, take smart pictures. Be willing to delete what you don't need. Capture moments that you can use for unique picture gifts because even there you can positively create identity and belonging for others. If you feel stuck for creativity, look at what other free digital scrapbooking sites are doing with custom storybooks. You can make a photo calendar surrounding a theme or virtues that will encourage a child who is struggling with self-esteem. You can also show value to a friend who is battling cancer by creating a project heralding their bravery and courage. The possibilities are endless with today's technology and the richness of our life experiences. Never before have we had so many tools to help us become great heritage makers.
Don't forget that the journey of life is for the sharing. Tell your story! You may be the first one in your generation to start investing in your friends and family this way. Let that inspire and not hinder you! You could begin to write grandma stories about the "ways things used to be in the olden days". Our lives and stories are gifts. May you be inspired to record and pass them along. If this has never been done before, decide that you will become a pioneer that invests and sees a positive change in your family tree. Become a life-giver and enjoy the process of growing wide and deep on your heritage making journey.
Barb is currently engaged in parenting her 8 wonderful children while changing the world one person at a time through the gifts of relationship and story! She lives and thinks holistically while being fully engaged in the business of life. She loves tea and conversation with a good friend and the joy of giving original one-of-a kind gifts to others through the tremendous resource of on-line digital publishing. She is a Heritage Makers consultant with a heart to inspire and enrich people while on their personal journeys. For more information about Heritage making go to http://www.publishedmemories.com/
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