For a long time now, you’ve been thinking you may one day write your life story. But the chatter inside your mind has you second guessing this choice. Maybe you’re waiting for someone else to give you the go-ahead—the permission—to move forward with this project. You may Fear failure. Or, you may fear that your book could one day become a massive success. And maybe that level of success will shine a light on all the dark corners of your life for everyone to see, or maybe it will separate you from cherished family and friends. These fears can be daunting, whether they’re right or wrong, true or false.

3 Reasons Why You Should Write Your Life Story

So many questions may be running through your head. What will people think of me? Will they understand or will they judge me? Will this hurt or embarrass the ones I love? Should I do it?

There are a lot of articles out there on how to write your life story. But, today, I want to talk about 3 reasons why you should write this important story. I want to help you past the fear that is holding you back so you can stop procrastinating and move forward with it. After all, you’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time now. Haven’t you?

1. It’s the story you know best.

The best way to learn how to write a book is to start with a story that is most familiar to you—your own life story. There is no character research to be done. You won’t even have to create fictitious scenes out of thin air. Everything is already there at your disposal, inside your memory. All you have to do is sit down and write it.

Where do you start? Well, I recommend starting with any pivotal moment that stands out in your mind, that you’ve thought about many times. Write it down. Then write down the next moment. And then the next one. You can rearrange the timeline later, as you’ve written out more scenes from your life. The important thing is to start.

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
~Louis L’Amour

Do this religiously every evening, one scene at a time. The next thing you know, you’ll have a full book written.

2. It can be therapeutic for you.

You may find, as I did, that writing out certain scenes from your life is a therapeutic way of purging negative emotions—especially when it comes to writing about traumatic experiences. As you explain the situation and your reactions to it, you may also gain new insight that helps you heal, forgive, and move forward anew.

When it comes to your life story, there are no hard and fast rules on how to structure it. Just write. Let whatever comes to mind flow out through your hands onto that computer keyboard without judgement. Write from your heart. Feel it all again as you write it. By doing so, others will feel it when they read it later on. It will be that much more impactful. Which brings me to…

3. You may just help someone.

Lisa Nichols is a bestselling author, transformational coach, and professional speaker. She’s also one of my top sources of inspiration whenever I need a boost. What I love most about Lisa is her willingness to share her life story with others—including all the times she’s fallen during her lifetime.

Lisa is unapologetic about her journey. She encourages others to stand on top of their stories rather than carrying them as heavy baggage. One of her favourite sayings is, “The truth is sexy!” And she’ll help you to realize that if her truth is okay to share openly, then so is yours. You have nothing to hide or fear or protect if you’re sharing your truth in a productive way with genuinely helpful intentions.

“There’s a calling on your life that you don’t get to shake, and its only yours. No one else has the same calling as you. … I need you to fall in front of me. Because I’m not watching you when you fall. I’m watching how you get back up again. … I need you more than you need you. When you cross my path, and I watch you keep working at it, and I watch you keep coming back, you put oxygen in my chest.” Lisa Nichols, Mindvalley keynote

That’s perhaps the greatest reason why you should write your life story. In doing so, you may just help someone else.

One Important Disclaimer

No publisher can answer all your questions for you—particularly any legal questions you may have about writing certain controversial scenes or “characters” into your personal story. It’s always best to consult a qualified trademark, copyright and entertainment attorney in your area with these types of questions. Only a lawyer can provide you with legitimate legal advice.

Related reading:
Do You Really Have What It Takes to Write a Book?
Don’t Call Procrastination Laziness. Call it Fear.

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