People spend thousands of dollars on an elaborate funeral. They buy exquisite flowers, an ornate casket, expensive gravesite and, of course, an engraved marble headstone.

During the funeral service, people share wonderful memories about how the deceased person impacted their lives. The stories continue over a meal as people find comfort in recalling the person’s funny quirks and mannerisms they’ll most remember.

After hugs and tears, people go their separate ways to remember the individual only through photos and, perhaps, a cherished memento, and a program from the memorial service.

For a while, they’ll make regular trips to the gravesite until time brings closure.

The saddest part is knowing the deceased person’s lasting contribution to the world is often just a grave marker. It tells he was born on this date and died on that date. “Beloved husband, father, friend. R.I.P.”

On the grave marker, the dash between the two dates is an inch long, or less. Yet, it fails to encompass the essence of the person’s life. The dash doesn’t reflect his:

• Faith
• Hopes
• Dreams
• Favorite things
• Unique experiences
• Difficult challenges
• Disappointments
• Things that brought true joy
• Real contributions through work and service

The dash doesn’t pay tribute to the people who loved him, shaped him and guided him into the person others will remember the rest of their lives.

There is no genealogy reference to those who came before him, or any genetic legacies they left that may impact his own descendants.

The dash doesn’t mention his ideas that never came to fruition or work he left undone for others to advance what he began.

All the money spent on his funeral failed to retain even a smidgen of his true legacy.

That’s the way life worked for centuries. However, today’s technology allows people to easily capture and permanently retain the essential aspects of their life stories.

Your story is your legacy

Your story relays wisdom and insight not only to the people closest to you, but also for those people who you may never meet, like your great grandchildren. Even complete strangers who shared similar struggles could benefit from the inspiration you leave behind.

The good news is that it doesn’t cost a lot of money to leave a lasting legacy. In fact, it doesn’t cost anything to do it yourself. All it requires is your time.

Help is available, if you want it. Life Story School’s do-it-yourself class can give you the framework to organize your story. We will give you major themes to ponder as well as hundreds of specific topics to consider when sharing your story.

Simply pick the things that matter most to you and write or record your responses.

If you need more help, Life Story School has packages to work with you to tell your story. Or, we can do it all for you from conducting an in-depth interview to writing a professional manuscript and editing audio/video files of you telling your story, your way and in your own words.

Everyone dies twice – First, when his or her body finally gives out and, finally, when their name is mentioned for the last time.

Your story matters! Capture, retain and share it today.

Everyone over the age of 50 has a tremendous and interesting life story to tell. You need to share yours!

We have all endured struggles and experienced triumphs. Unexpected doors opened, and closed just as suddenly. Cherished friendships flourished for years, and others ended whether it was our choice or not.

The valuable lessons we learned often came with significant pain, embarrassment, loss or plenty of trial and error. The rewards we received came unexpectedly or, as was more often the case, via perseverance through seemingly impossible odds.

We had front-row seats as history unfolded around us. Events shook us to the core and made us question the existence of God, while others worked to build or strengthen our faith.

The right people showed up at just the moment we needed their help. For better or worse, our lives were often changed simply by a word of encouragement or a biting comment.

Technology promised to improve our lives, and it did in many ways. At the same time, gadgets ushered in a sense of loneliness in a world more connected with others than ever before.

Through it all, we developed several core values which guided our lives and served as anchors through turbulent storms. It is those values that forged our legacy, and they need to be passed on to future generations.

Just 60 years ago, the only way someone could preserve his or her memories and important life lessons was by slowly banging it out on a Selectric typewriter, with lots of White-Out to cover our mistakes. It was nearly impossible to share them with the world at large, unless someone could convince a publisher to turn it into a book.

So much has changed today. Self-publishing makes it possible for anyone to create a book and make it available to others. People can share their thoughts on podcasts or through YouTube videos. Digital copies of photos and recordings mean they’ll never be lost.

Most people want to preserve their important memories. Some want to teach others the lessons they learned the hard way.

The question is, what’s stopping you from sharing your story?

It is said people die twice. First, when their heart stops and, second, when their name is mentioned for the very last time. Don’t take your story to the grave, preserve it today.