Any Big Project needs both a “how” and a “why” to get you started and keep you going until you finish it. How are you going to do the project and why are you doing it?

I think it goes without saying that if you’re taking on the task of creating a Family Story Collection filled with your special stories and photos, then there’s no question that you are working on a Big Project!  

I want to suggest that there is a third question that needs to be answered. Yes, answering “how” is important. And knowing your “why” is equally important. But have you asked yourself “who” all this work is for? Because if you haven’t realized it already, this project is going to be a lot of work.

Who Benefits? – Step 1

I already know the answer to this question and I bet you do, too. But let’s dig a little deeper and get really clear. Building a collection of only family stories will take a good deal of your time and effort. Add in the work of organizing and scanning decades of photos plus any memorabilia that you might be photographing and you are talking about a serious commitment of your time.

So I ask you – who will benefit from your efforts to create a Family Story Collection? To help you get clarity, let’s put the answer to that question in the form of a mission statement. Please take the statement I wrote for you here and write it out for yourself. Fill in the bracketed area with your personal information. This is Step 1.

If you can’t identify anyone specifically to put in that bracketed area – maybe you don’t have any children or grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. Then, you can jump right to Step 2, because it’s as important as Step 1!

I’m building this collection because I want [insert your own names] to have an easy way to find the stories and photographs that tell the life and history of my family.

Who Benefits? – Step 2

Now that you have identified who will be benefiting from the hard work you are putting into building your collection, I have some incredible news for you. Guess who will be gaining the most – yes, I said “the most!” – from your hard work with your Family Story Collection?

You. 

How do I know this? Well, first I know it on a personal level. I’m just getting started with the tedious process of scanning photos. And I never fail to experience at least one of these reactions when I come across certain photos:

• surprise,
• a feeling of love and nostalgia,
• a deeper understanding that I am overwhelmingly blessed,
• the warm fuzzies,
• challenged to see things differently than I remembered, and
• on and on.

You. Will be a better version of yourself by doing the work of looking backward. 

And then you’ll be a better version of yourself by sending that information forward. 

Packaging the narrative and visual history of your parents and grandparents along with your own life experiences is a process you will never regret. And it’s a gift to those who will come after you. 

Now go back to the statement you wrote from earlier and add this additional phrase:

I’m building this collection because I want [insert your own names] to have an easy way to find the stories and photographs that tell about the life and history of my family and I want to enjoy the emotional benefits I will receive from creating it.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started today!

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