Lessons learnt: See how easily life lessons can be included in a life story

Lessons learnt: See how easily life lessons can be included in a life story. A field of red poppies at sunset. Photo by Pixabay

Amazing secrets about sharing important life lessons learned

The concept of lessons learnt is a powerful reason to start a life-story project.

Indeed this week in Australia people stopped to mark Anzac Day and remember servicemen and women who died in the line of duty.

Most importantly at services we say “lest we forget“, which reminds us not to forget past sacrifices.

Certainly this phrase is apt for memorial days but it can also be a motivator to create a life story.

Related article – All the writing advice you need to write a life story today

An earlier video on this topic was first published here.

Learn from the past

Lessons learnt are undoubtedly uncovered when creating life stories.

Also audiences are drawn, consciously or unconsciously, to life stories for the lessons they can learn.

Indeed they want to know what challenges others faced and overcame.

In short, this offers clues or ideas for how to deal with similar situations in their own lives.

Related article – Why write: Why is writing important and why do we write

Your Family Stories System. Father and girl on his shoulders with arms spread wide at the beach.

Discover valuable life lessons learnt

Life stories can highlight numerous lessons learnt.

For example, this could relate to:

  • Health: habits, putting yourself first, aging
  • Relationships, love
  • Family and children
  • Learning, work, career
  • Finances, debt, attachments
  • Places and time lived or experienced
  • Religion and life outlook: gratitude, honesty, forgiveness, intuition
  • Friendships, fun, dealing with others
  • Other: change, taking risks, dealing with emotion (anger, fun, worry, failure, etc) 

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Writing about lessons learned in life

One way is to summarise key lessons in a life story introduction or conclusion.

On the other hand, reflect on lessons learnt at the end of chapters and sections.

Meanwhile sprinkle minor life lessons throughout your project.

Indeed some lessons learnt might require a combination of all three tactics!

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Lessons learnt example

To illustrate let’s consider a life-long health problem.

First, tell the story of how the sickness began and lessons learnt dealing with the immediate symptoms.

Next, as the story progresses, sprinkle in more details and lessons about the condition as it changed long term. 

Finally, in closing, reflect on the health problem as a whole plus the physical and mental effects.

Related article – Painful stories: How to write about sad memories and hard conversations

Final say: Lessons learnt

Life-story projects help us reflect on lessons learnt through our lives.

Certainly this is valuable to us individually and to others, now and in the future.

To sum up, key points to keep in mind are: the importance of learning lessons, types of lessons and how to include them in a life-story project.

Indeed life is a cycle of change and transformation so generously share your seeds of wisdom.

Happy writing!

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Your say

What is a life lesson someone has shared with you or you can share with others? Certainly I’d love to hear your thoughts. Send me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.

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Have you hit a roadblock sitting down to write a life story? Let me know here so I can help!

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First published November 8, 2018: This article has been updated and improved.