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Live Life Happy

7 Beautiful and Inspiring Short Stories About Life

We’ve collected 7 of the best inspirational and beautiful short stories to help you get through life’s challenges. Enjoy!

The Story of Life

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbor, coworker, longlost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger) but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience help to create who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

Make every day count!!! Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.

I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”

“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium.

As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.

You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.

If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.

At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.

We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.

The Starfish Story

An old man walked across the beach until he came across a young boy throwing something into the breaking waves. Upon closer inspection, the old man could see that the boy was tossing stranded starfish from the sandy beach, back into the ocean.

“What are you doing, young man?” He asked. “If the starfish are still on the beach when the sun rises, they will die,” the boy answered. “That is ridiculous. There are thousands of miles of beach and millions of starfish. It doesn’t matter how many you throw in; you can’t make a difference.”

“It matters to this one,” the boy said as he threw another starfish into the waves. “And it matters to this one.”

The Seasons of Life

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.

He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.

If you give up when it’s winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfilment of your fall.

Don’t judge a life by one difficult season. Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands started going up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

Still the hands were up in the air.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!

Building Your House

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, “This is your house… my gift to you.”

The carpenter was shocked!

What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.” Your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, Build wisely!

Find Happiness

Once a group of 50 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each attendee one balloon. Each one was asked to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

Now these delegates were let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then began, “This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life…the pursuit of happiness.”

Well done, my friend! You’ve made it to the end… so what do you think? Did any of these inspirational life stories help you shift your thinking? I know they did for me. Actually, the one about the carpenter made had me crying like a baby! Anyhooo, if there’s a short inspirational story that you’d like to share with our community, please do not hesitate to post it below in the comment section. I may add it to this list if enough people comment on it.

Again, thanks for taking the time to read these stories. It means the world to me 🙂

P.S. Looking for more stories? Check out the ones below 🙂

30 Days of Carrying My Wife

Ubuntu Story

Every Successful Story Has a Painful Beginning

Reader Interactions

February 3, 2012 at 5:29 pm

March 27, 2012 at 11:41 pm

live life happy

March 31, 2012 at 2:51 am

Awsm stories

April 6, 2012 at 9:31 pm

Itz jz awwwesoomee n encouraging stories! Amen.

April 6, 2012 at 9:33 pm

Its just awesome and encouraging stories! Amen.

April 8, 2012 at 8:02 pm

Nice and Touching stories

April 12, 2012 at 11:57 pm

dis is extremely good stories, soo encouragin nd extra-odinary!

April 21, 2012 at 7:45 am

Extremely nice stories……………….

April 22, 2012 at 9:22 am

the wise, will achieve from the story, but the fool will ll see it as a lagh & joke story….The story somuch make sence

April 24, 2012 at 11:57 pm

Nice and encouraging stories

April 30, 2012 at 4:19 pm

May 1, 2012 at 5:06 am

Infact, dis story is educative , phycological it is great,

May 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm

Very inspiring stories

May 8, 2012 at 6:53 pm

nice stories pls i need more.

May 30, 2012 at 7:21 pm

These Stories r inspiring.

June 2, 2012 at 8:04 am

Inspiring stories! It’s as if the stories are actually meant 4 me.

June 3, 2012 at 5:01 am

l love this stories

June 15, 2012 at 7:05 am

Life changing stories ..thumbs up!!

June 16, 2012 at 7:04 pm

luv ur writing.

June 24, 2012 at 12:27 am

love it please mention the writer

June 25, 2012 at 8:18 pm

Dis is great

June 28, 2012 at 12:49 pm

I think dis great or real life stories

June 28, 2012 at 4:33 pm

Awesome n motivational.

July 1, 2012 at 2:52 pm

Excellent stories!

July 5, 2012 at 11:49 am

They ar nice and encouraging

July 11, 2012 at 9:09 pm

Nice and educative story

July 12, 2012 at 4:46 pm

I got new things to learn…….

July 14, 2012 at 9:33 am

i am 14 years of age and i have lost my father 5 days ago in a fatal car crash and was taken too soon. he is still here with me in my memories and in my heart. Although i have been kicked around by life in this never ending night mare that unfortunately cant wake up out of. these story’s have inspired me. i just needed some inspiration and motivation to keep me going in these rough times. it has helped so much! thankyou livelifehappy!

love you dad. miss you! your son Mitchell.

July 20, 2012 at 4:22 am

stories are really ,,,,,,,adorable

July 20, 2012 at 4:23 am

i wish u will come acroos this phase really soon……………

July 21, 2012 at 9:21 am

live changing stories- so good.

July 27, 2012 at 6:30 pm

May our gud Lord grant u happiness in ur heart so as to live pleasant life.we are with u in prayers and i send my sincere gratitudes to livelife happy 4 inspirational and life encouraging stories.thnx.

August 2, 2012 at 6:25 pm

Great stories, great lessons. I love them like the Bible

August 5, 2012 at 12:32 pm

Inspiring story,its amazing & encouraging. Tnx 2 u livelifehappy

August 19, 2012 at 11:40 am

i liked and loved these stories very very very very very very very very much because these are the real stories which are passing in our life

August 21, 2012 at 2:07 pm

Tough time won’t last but tough people do. God bless you

August 25, 2012 at 8:19 am

exactly it gv me hope n courages….

August 27, 2012 at 7:35 pm

This are actuly nice mind blowing stories. The hv the leasons every life nid to tak, ma adoration as i nid more

August 29, 2012 at 12:23 pm

diz storiez r de best

August 29, 2012 at 12:26 pm

nice stories

August 30, 2012 at 7:18 am

I got you jst in time, your stories are such encouraging. keep it up!

September 3, 2012 at 5:54 am

Really was awesome stories thanks live life happy

September 3, 2012 at 1:10 pm

This stories make me to re-adjust my movement in life,it makes me to understand that my life and what am going to become in life is in my hand.thank very much livelifehappy for this wonderful stories.

September 10, 2012 at 7:29 am

Awesome Stories ; I will implement with immediate effect.

September 12, 2012 at 11:13 am

encouraging stories.thanks live happy life

September 13, 2012 at 2:48 am

September 19, 2012 at 6:49 pm

So makin my life so bright nd clear. Thank u so much 4 ur stories of encouragement. God bless u livelifehappy.

September 27, 2012 at 4:13 am

its one the best site ,i visit everyday… awsome word’s and stores ..keep on !!!

September 28, 2012 at 11:58 pm

Nothing has ever in my life touches me, but this story is very important to the strong heart, I appreciate you so much, the story has just change my way of reasoning.

October 4, 2012 at 10:17 am

This stories help us know that thing always Work out for the best and that we should never lose hope or judge for one day we will need someone to see our beauty.

October 9, 2012 at 2:48 pm

Hey livelifehappy, is there a way I can join the crew? I’m a 12 year old girl dreamer, and I’m turning 13 pretty soon. I made my own website for those who want to live life the way they want, but are drawn back by fear, aka-stargazers. Maybe visit it sometime? I feel like this website really helped me a lot, and whoever wrote these quotes, and the owner of the site, has a lot in common with me. Please send me an email, I really want to be able to work with those who understand and can relate. I feel like people like us are one in a million, and it would be a honor to help/contribute, since I think we feel/think in a similar way. I feel like other people will be able to understand, but I felt like I can relate. I know I’m young, but I’ve been through a tough life of bullying and the death of my brother, and three best friends. Faith was what saved me. So now, I feel like I would do anything, ANYTHING, to find somewhere I belong and somebody to write with. Please consider me! ~ Victoria Lee

October 24, 2012 at 11:42 am

these are some of the wonderfull stories by reading them one can bring positive feeeling in his or her life… really such a great inspireing stories…..

October 25, 2012 at 4:43 pm

November 1, 2012 at 9:40 pm

This stories are very encouraging because i learnt a lot from it these past few days.They are inspirational stories.

November 8, 2012 at 5:09 pm

Inspirational Stories.! Very 9ce Work On The Site..LiveLifeHappy Always : )

November 11, 2012 at 7:26 pm

Better To Be a Failure I honestly think, as put by George Burns, it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate. It is not a failure if you enjoyed the process. Even if you fall down, don’t worry. Have a fresh view. The world looks different from the ground. You can take from every experience what it has to offer you. Do better the second time. You never know when you success is at threshold. It’s very difficult to come up with new, creative, and novel ideas unless you are passionate about your work. Leave your reputation and invest in character. Cheers to a new year; another chance for us to get it right with a new resolution.

November 28, 2012 at 12:16 am

I’m at a pretty low point right now and these stories and site in general has stirred some hope for me. Thank you for these!

December 3, 2012 at 9:22 am

i luv ur quotes,ur quotes nd stories are elements dat touches d heart..keep it up

December 9, 2012 at 5:15 pm

These stories are like magic words. They have spark something within me to help me live wisely.

December 18, 2012 at 2:39 pm

these are so good stories and so touching and filled with messages……….

December 18, 2012 at 8:33 pm

LOVE THIS GOOD TO SEE REFRESHING IN THIS NEGATIVE WORLD SOMETIMES THANKYOU AND GOD BLESS

December 21, 2012 at 6:01 am

hi its good to read these type of stories who are weak in their life or career like me. after reading it brings a positive attitude thankyou one & all who upload it please upload more

December 26, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Thank you so much for these stories…and thank you to all those who made it possible…

January 8, 2013 at 2:29 am

i want to thank you for these wonderful stories they help in planning for my future!

January 14, 2013 at 9:00 pm

a well life enchantin quotes nd stories wish i kud b getin lots of life on my email daily ….KUDOOS TO SITE OWNER u’ve inspired lives unknwd

January 23, 2013 at 3:34 am

hmmm…. Very touchn story

February 1, 2013 at 10:27 am

Thank you I love it I need this story in my e mail every day one story per day or whatever thank you.

February 1, 2013 at 12:50 pm

i too lked you bt ore important s i want to be ur friend.will u be my….

February 1, 2013 at 12:52 pm

This site is just awesome .!!!

February 5, 2013 at 5:02 am

these story are most eventful if u want something do to urself ……………

February 7, 2013 at 4:20 pm

Very inspiring stories. Very motivational! will keep them at heart!

February 9, 2013 at 12:14 pm

i loved these stories and please tell me how can i get more of them

February 12, 2013 at 1:25 pm

The stories are so nice n encouraging.i felt stronger after reading them.nice!

February 25, 2013 at 5:56 am

good stories

February 28, 2013 at 11:19 am

very much inspiring…

February 28, 2013 at 8:20 pm

This is awesome live life happy.

March 9, 2013 at 5:05 am

Genesis, I feel the same. Instead, lets make our own.

March 14, 2013 at 6:25 pm

Live life to the fullest:)

March 19, 2013 at 3:24 pm

Lovely website. Very inspiring and refreshing.

March 22, 2013 at 5:54 am

This is awesome

March 24, 2013 at 7:14 pm

Hi Mitchell, Thank you so much for sharing that story, u didn’t have to but u didid. I am going through so much right now, and literally feel like the world is on top of me and I cannot get out from underneath. I don’t know why, but something made me read your comment, I was scrolling down to see if there aren’t more stories, but could only see comments, somehow something told me to read your story and I am so sorry for the pain you have to go through without having your dad in your life. I just want you to know that your story just made me look at life differently, made me think “hey, u still have your mom and dad, why are u complaining” I guess everyone has a different kind of pain, guess that’s what life does. But what I do know for a fact is that nothing stays the same for too long. There might be lighting storms but the sun always comes out eventually. As much as It hurts to live in this world, there are amazing things about this hurtful world too. We will get through it all, we are made to make it through. We are created in the image and likliness of God, so we can do anything and have so much strenght in us, it is in our darkest hours that we discover who we are. Ur dad is with you always and will continue to be. God bless Mitchell and thank you once again…

April 1, 2013 at 7:12 pm

I love this story very ancorageing and very very impirational

April 11, 2013 at 11:54 am

Very encouraging, I needed to read this.I came accross it at a very relevant time. Thank u guys for sharing.

April 12, 2013 at 4:52 pm

Thank You for these beautiful stories 🙂

April 14, 2013 at 7:05 am

YAA sometimes life takes our test of trust ,that situtaion very hard for us to decide whether we did mistake so that we r faceing problem,that time we should convince our self thae gods dos every thing for our careing.

April 15, 2013 at 11:35 am

awesome stories….Thanks a lot

April 26, 2013 at 11:27 pm

So very interesting…I love these story

April 27, 2013 at 4:14 pm

Your story raises my spirit.

April 30, 2013 at 1:52 pm

Excellent justification given by you, felt really nice to read your comments it really inspires us. thanks

May 5, 2013 at 3:28 pm

that was lovly is great

May 19, 2013 at 4:59 am

Awesome Life story 1st blog

May 23, 2013 at 2:31 pm

Hi, very nice, thought provoking, above par … list goes on… May I know the intervals for new stories.

May 25, 2013 at 8:21 pm

Really impressive stories…..I get a new view of life. Thanks

May 29, 2013 at 8:40 pm

great indeed

June 3, 2013 at 8:29 am

wow great story

June 10, 2013 at 11:43 am

Nice, luv dis page

June 22, 2013 at 11:06 am

I want to be receiving your posters, pictures, stories, and quotes. They are very interesting. Thank you

July 7, 2013 at 3:52 pm

These stories are very inspiring. It made me feel better when I read them. Thank you livelifehappy!

July 12, 2013 at 7:29 am

I’m so very inspired from this story.. especially “your value” and “seasons of life”… make more inspiring quotes… 🙂

July 12, 2013 at 7:31 am

may God bless you more.. the person who wrote this stories …..

July 15, 2013 at 10:46 pm

Thank yo very much for your great words!!

July 16, 2013 at 9:01 am

Very Nice stories

July 19, 2013 at 5:42 am

so nice to read and it is very much useful for the yong generations

July 20, 2013 at 11:12 am

Thank You so much for sharing all above stories … I was feeling so depressed and wanted to end my life at any cost…. after reading all above stories for an hour i forget all my problems and pain… I just enjoyed and learned alot…. thanks again …..

July 21, 2013 at 7:19 am

Truly inspiring and transforming. The principles encountered from the stories will not only inspire us but will lead us on a journey of life that will bring about potential change.

July 21, 2013 at 8:56 am

i give thanks to the person who wrote these stories. I was really inspired. And I learned a lot. thank you.

July 24, 2013 at 6:00 am

I am inspired to live my life as what God has planned for me..:)

July 25, 2013 at 9:45 am

Very inspiring stories. It gives me more pleasure. Some times we forgot to love ourselves because of the things happening around us and we feels that we doesn’t have any value at all. But instead of suffering with these regrets, if we feel that as odd season and if we take a step with belief and prove ourselves, then obviously we can get back the value in the society. By following these kind stories, we can achieve a better life i feel.

July 25, 2013 at 11:59 am

Thank you for all these wonderful life lessons stories, I am really touched & have learn lots from it. Life is a process, Its Beautiful & meant to live it no matter what we face in the journey.

July 26, 2013 at 3:15 pm

These stories have helped me re-evalate my self worth and appreciate things differently, hopefully we get to see some more up here soon 🙂

July 29, 2013 at 11:37 am

I m just Speechless..!! This Is Really Worth..<3 Even Couldn't Explain with my words

July 29, 2013 at 3:49 pm

I am Speechless and i couldn’t explain from my words..:) Really Inspirational

July 30, 2013 at 6:43 am

yaaaaa ful agree wid u. “leave your reputation and invest in character” is bst line in al ds.

July 30, 2013 at 9:22 am

July 30, 2013 at 7:43 pm

Hi Mitchell,

Just read your comment now..this is my first time readinglivelifehappy.com, and your comment above really got my attention and i cant explain how’s my feeling right now. I wanna say after a year that you posted it, prioritize your education and aim to finish it whatever happens..you can do more if you’ll be graduated from your chosen course..in this modern world your weapon is education..you can learn more ideas, knowledge and etc.. to understand more deeper what is life are all about and how can we handle things when we encounter such trials,difficulties, losing happiness and etc.. Be a good girl always huh? dont forget to pray god..avoid making friends of bad influence people..just focus to your goal..and I’m sure you can definitely make it..Wish you to have a happy life and succesful career.

July 30, 2013 at 7:58 pm

I am so inspired on your stories, reading of these made me realize that there are so many ways to be a better person, just find ways and do it.

August 1, 2013 at 12:03 pm

I’ve learned to believe in myself or else no one believe in me. Thank u live life hapy.

August 2, 2013 at 8:30 pm

Nice stories, Your stories are really inspring. Thnx 2 live Life 4 leting me knw that it is never too late to be all i can possibly be. Keep the good work.

August 5, 2013 at 9:58 am

August 5, 2013 at 3:22 pm

frankly am inspired,thank you for sharing with us…..!

August 6, 2013 at 2:01 am

thanx for posting these stories..i believe these small stories will bring big difference in life….

August 6, 2013 at 7:42 pm

So inspiring am touched positively

August 6, 2013 at 11:03 pm

I really want to thank the person to teach me what decisions i should take i am 19 years old people around me always told me what to do and what not to but i guess never ever forget these stories

August 8, 2013 at 6:23 pm

August 10, 2013 at 5:16 pm

Dis stories are really, inspirational, Motivational and Adorable. I love it

August 12, 2013 at 12:14 pm

Really positive thinking is must, it gives positive results by default.

August 12, 2013 at 12:26 pm

Good inspirational quotes/stories are life experience.

August 12, 2013 at 5:06 pm

I WILL IMPLEMENT THE WONDERFUL THOUGHTS FROM THE STORIES IN MY LIFE………

August 13, 2013 at 10:04 am

im so inspire by this site full of encouragement.. happiness and i feel blessed while reading those stories/..thank you lord..!

August 13, 2013 at 4:50 pm

’twas so wonderful to have read all these.i CAN’T afford to be unhappy!

August 14, 2013 at 9:44 am

Wow! Fascinating…..Am highly blessed with these stories.

August 14, 2013 at 2:31 pm

wonderful storis woooooow juana dast xosh

August 15, 2013 at 5:39 am

Realy touching story….

August 15, 2013 at 7:55 am

so many things in a few simple words… brief and precise! I loved it!

August 15, 2013 at 8:12 am

i was a man who lost my hope and dream but this remind me once again the my failar is nothing but its a lesson of achievement in our life.

August 15, 2013 at 9:29 am

Wooow !!! I can’t believe such inspirational stories are documented… I love these stories… What a great way to start my Morning…

August 16, 2013 at 11:22 am

Nice stories. I learnt so much. so much inspired me

August 17, 2013 at 12:44 pm

REALLY, WORTH THOUSANDS APPLAUDS. I AM ABLE TO LEARN LITTLE MORE THAN I USE TO HAD BEFORE READING THEM. THANKS A LOT.

August 17, 2013 at 1:12 pm

What a great story.. I’m so inspired with this ur blog….u deserve d best bcuz u ar already the best….long live u for us….one love

August 17, 2013 at 5:58 pm

nice & inspiring stories………

August 18, 2013 at 6:32 am

iliked and loved these stories very very nice storeis realy

August 18, 2013 at 6:40 am

August 19, 2013 at 1:17 am

these stories are really inspirational

August 20, 2013 at 12:54 pm

Great inspiring stories. By reading one gets a lot of strength and lessons to learn about life. These stories are filled with a lot of encouragement. Thanks for sharing.

August 21, 2013 at 5:08 pm

There were that were lost on our way far from our families and friends hiding something because we dont want to be critisized or to be judge and were looking for someone, something that could help out us speak tell the truth these inspirational stories shed me a light thank you very much!

August 21, 2013 at 10:03 pm

August 22, 2013 at 9:22 am

Inspirational and life transforming stories. great work.

August 22, 2013 at 11:37 am

the dollar note has not lost its value.we are also into many difficult situations,threw ourselves away feeling sorry to our selves..but we are still what we are..we also dont lose our value..i told about it to my friend she was in depression..once she realised..she is doing very well now.it is motivating

August 23, 2013 at 8:01 am

Excellent stories. They are helping to reshape my life.. Thanks a lot for sharing.

August 23, 2013 at 2:56 pm

THANKS FOR ALL THIS STORIES ..

August 24, 2013 at 12:06 pm

I am touched and encouraged by these life changing stories. It has really helped me to reshape and refocus my priorities in life.

August 24, 2013 at 12:25 pm

Amazing stories! Real life lessons

August 25, 2013 at 7:21 am

Thank you! I appreciate all your stories. Pls keep on writing, keep inspiring.

August 26, 2013 at 5:36 am

This is really very nice and the important thing is that, these type of stories give us courage, strength and make people strong and give a feeling to do something in your life. Helping out to make our dreams come true and gives a lots of experiences. Thanks “live life happy” for posting some inspirational stories.l

August 27, 2013 at 6:18 pm

The stories were truly heart mending,we needed to be constantly aware of d fact that wat ever a man speakth he becometh . Thanks a lot 4building courage true media,i think dis is of d incomparable benefits of media. Keep it up.

August 29, 2013 at 6:00 pm

oh i’m touch with these stories God bless u all.

August 29, 2013 at 9:47 pm

They stories are really cool!!! It av really been an inspiration 2 mi @ also to many others… More power to your elbow.

September 2, 2013 at 10:04 am

-excellent, w0nderful, amazing, magnificent, enthusiasm, perfectly, and flamb0yantly pr0ud t0 salute this kind 0f irresistable st0ries, it shares deeper th0ughts, deeper meanings and pr0ductive analysis . . . t0 me, n0t 0nly in me but even th0se m0tivati0nal pe0ple and admiring people to transf0rm, change 0r ev0lve- 🙂 c0ngratulati0ns!

September 14, 2013 at 12:22 pm

Thatz xo inspiring,thanx alot.

September 17, 2013 at 1:02 am

Wow! Al the stories are amazin and wonderful, am realy touched

October 3, 2013 at 3:45 pm

you enlighten my life thank you for this wonderful and encouraging story..

October 10, 2013 at 9:59 pm

Simply Amazing

October 13, 2013 at 4:30 pm

Wow thanks fot the great stories am blessed i used to devalue my self due to my past but thank God that i have known i have known. May he bless you mightly.

October 14, 2013 at 11:22 am

what an interesting story?it is real inspiring me.amen

November 22, 2013 at 1:40 pm

very nice and touching stories

December 1, 2013 at 12:46 pm

Thank u livelifehappy,im in a foreign land and this is my story….this year 2013 my work permit expired and my salary was cut in july.early november i got involved in a near fatal accident,i cant have my car fixed because of the salary issue.After submitting my permit to my employer i was told that i would only be paid for two months i.e. November and December only.As if that was not enough,they told me that i have been terminated due to the late submission of documents…..i just wanted 2 say thank you livelifehappy for your inspiring quotes.

December 14, 2013 at 3:17 am

This is so true

December 16, 2013 at 2:58 pm

This massages are inspiring and incouraging us dat we hav to work hard for ourlives

January 11, 2014 at 2:57 am

Our true character is revealed through adversity. Our mistakes, hardships, difficult times etc do not define who we are and ppl shouldn’t judge on that basis. It is how we react to adversity…whether or not we can shoulder our mistakes and be able to look into the mirror. It takes incredible courage to accept and own our faults in order to become better, wiser people. I admire those who have gone thru unthinkable times in their lives and are able to stand back up. If the adversity was self-inflicted, can they accept it openly rathen than make excuses? If they were betrayed, do they allow the hurt to destroy them or use it to gain perspective and grow. To me, these type of examples will show the true character of a person

January 24, 2014 at 4:35 pm

These short stories are great reading. I find them to be inspirational and motivating, Thanks.

February 19, 2014 at 3:33 am

Great stories and very inspiring!

March 14, 2014 at 9:48 pm

wow what the inspiring stoies im greatful.im back on my feet again,keep up the good work by motivating us.

March 25, 2014 at 1:45 pm

life is really the hardest exam ever..,everyone ought to tackle his or her own life differently since we all have varying abilities…these stories have given me ago ahead in life despite the many challenges that i have undergone.I sure have a future as everyone else depending on how i handle life and every situation that comes my way.Lets all remember that everything always has a purpose in this world….LETS ALL BE HAPPY AND JOVIAL ALWAYS FOR LIFE IS SHORT!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the stories.

March 31, 2014 at 2:52 pm

I’d almost everything… Thank you so much for such a lovely sharing. It’s all .. Rest all have already praised about your website and I’m sure my word won’t be best describe it.. except “Thank you!”

April 24, 2014 at 4:57 pm

Just amazing stories its really motivating n truely inspiring thank u for sharing it n making us realize the worth value n correct meaning of life

May 22, 2014 at 7:22 am

It is highly inspired;keep the good work going!

June 27, 2014 at 9:07 am

Mind blowing and stories on recontsructing a shattered shabbed life in every ramifications and aspect of life….thumbs up..

July 27, 2014 at 3:47 pm

All the stories are motivating,inspirative.I will tell to my students at period of moral education…Thank u for such stories!After hearing or reading these stories everyone will get inspiration.

January 20, 2015 at 9:32 pm

Your writing shows deep reflection and insight. Additionally, your writing is clear and concise. Your English teachers would be proud (even with intentional spelling adjustments) and smiling. Continue to write—you have a gift!

February 21, 2015 at 6:52 pm

Wow, what a great site this is – love your images – thanks 😉

March 2, 2015 at 9:16 pm

life has been came so wonderful with this stories I read Here everyday I love this site,its the best place I like to spend my time reading and it makes me wiser and changes me as a person to do better, I thank you very much

March 16, 2016 at 5:23 am

Worth reading! Thank you very much. 🙂

December 8, 2017 at 10:29 am

Wow, what a great site this is – love your images – thanks ?

March 9, 2018 at 12:07 am

This really keep me going . Anytime I feel like giving up and go through this amazing motivational quotes ,it make me strong ? hard times are there to lead us to great places ?

March 9, 2018 at 11:19 pm

I’m glad this could help you…

April 5, 2018 at 12:59 pm

After reading these stories, i realized i missed a lot of things in life. These stories will absolutely change my life.

April 19, 2018 at 8:16 pm

story about old lady is awesome.

April 22, 2018 at 4:47 pm

So much ave missed…anyway am blessed..thumps up..i need more stories..2018• guyz more comments

April 29, 2018 at 7:58 pm

Rose story was awsome

May 2, 2018 at 2:17 pm

these stories are very inspiring and I really felt enthusiastic after reading them. I learned that life is beautiful and whatever happens, happens for the best.thanks for sharing such motivational stories. Hope we will get some more stories to read. Good Luck!

May 6, 2018 at 3:09 pm

Well I’m so inexperienced to articulate what I m feeling right now. This is the first time that I have read livelifehappy.com but I would definitely say this is the best utilization and happy hours for me. I wish I could find lot more of the story. I kept on scrolling down but I could comments section. This has given me different way of looking into things and people as well. Hey Rob that really really wonderful to read this. Waiting for the upcomings. Thankyou so much for making me smile and motivated.

May 9, 2018 at 8:48 am

Thanks for such an inspirational stories… In today’s world people are so busy in making money and they have no time for their family and friends due to which people are facing lots of struggle.. … I am sure that by seeing this inspirational stories everyone will feel better and calm…. Anyone who are facing problems I just want to say that help one people who are in need of your help than I am sure by seeing smile on others face your problem will becomes less…. By helping others you will really feel solace….. When I read this short stories I really feel calm…. So thanks a lot……. Smile……

May 10, 2018 at 7:44 am

nice work and good stories i like it

May 16, 2018 at 5:59 am

Talking in between lectures and get thrown out of the class. This are the best classroom stories to remember. Just like when my crush got thrown out of the class. Even I went out just to talk with her and spend time with her, Some chapters of love stories are best learned outside the classroom love story

May 18, 2018 at 6:23 am

Encouraging stories.actually we need more.

May 22, 2018 at 10:40 am

This is really awesome, obviously these are all inspiration stories and we can share it to friends or family members not to be miserable.

Thanks for this kind of stories, please share more this kind of stories.

May 22, 2018 at 5:38 pm

Glad you enjoyed them my friend

May 25, 2018 at 1:39 am

you have a good article, i want to share this artukel, i hope it will be useful for others .. thanks

May 27, 2018 at 11:37 pm

very touching and so relevant..loved it!

June 8, 2018 at 1:01 pm

Such a great and an awesome story! Thanks for Sharing

June 18, 2018 at 6:47 pm

In the fast pace stressful life, inspirational stories works as energy boosters and pill with no side effects. Thanks for sharing the stories. I write inspirational stuff to inspire and motivate myself and others too. It gives another level of happiness. You may want to check these http://innovativheart.com/thomas-edison-life-lessons-success-story/ http://innovativheart.com/inspirational-story-butterfly/

June 22, 2018 at 6:55 am

at the first ,i was bored to read this long type stories but when i start to read i was really shocked ,it was amazing and power to inspire human.thank you

June 22, 2018 at 2:54 pm

Today I am lucky. I came out of my routine, finding out solutions for mysilly problems. At this age, I am wasting my time, a large part of it, into finding solutions for unnecessary issues. Today I made my first positive step and came to this wonderful and resourful blog post. The post is humarous, real, motivational and touching. I will keep coming to this blogs daily and spend a couple of hours on similar blogs.

June 22, 2018 at 5:29 pm

Everything happens for a reason and I’m so thankful that I happen to find these stories. Truly inspirational

June 28, 2018 at 2:04 pm

What A Wonderfull Stories I Like Them Please Add More

June 29, 2018 at 6:17 am

very nice stories …inspiring and motivating

July 2, 2018 at 9:50 pm

Hi guys, thanks for these inspiring story, indeed they do lift up a dead soul like mine, where by I thought I was worthless, and no longer have value. Thank you so much ?

July 4, 2018 at 2:38 am

i love these stories

July 4, 2018 at 2:40 am

These stories are so inspiring and so much fun to read. I enjoyed them.

July 8, 2018 at 1:58 pm

wow,such a great and inspirational stories

July 10, 2018 at 4:14 am

nice story ..

July 14, 2018 at 8:33 am

this is LOVEEE !…Its so beautiful to see the world with these eyes. A huge thanks for introducing me to these life visions. Pure happiness…

May 7, 2019 at 6:25 am

thank you so much i really loved and inspired with these stories . that’s how your morning should start thank you again.

March 24, 2020 at 10:19 am

May 13, 2020 at 11:09 am

Refreshing and makes you think about them. Thank you soooo much. Love

May 13, 2020 at 11:10 am

Refreshing and makes you think about them. Thank you so much. much love. Keep up the good work

May 13, 2020 at 10:53 pm

wonderful stories and good lessons for life. wish there more people in the world could read these stories.

May 31, 2020 at 9:11 pm

i love your work it has really bless me

June 7, 2020 at 1:53 pm

I ENJOYED THE STORIES I READ FROM YOUR BLOG. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

July 11, 2020 at 12:50 pm

August 19, 2020 at 9:52 am

inspiring stories

August 30, 2020 at 5:28 pm

thanks sir your site is good and i will share it my personal blog

September 23, 2020 at 2:16 pm

one day in 2020, I am finding myself

November 3, 2020 at 9:08 am

Hi, Can I know who is the writer of this stories?

March 16, 2021 at 11:18 am

As a rule, pride is at the bottom of all problems and mistakes. The truth will always be hard to swallow when we are choking on our noble.

April 8, 2021 at 5:16 am

Very encouraging stories. Thanks for sharing.

April 19, 2021 at 5:55 pm

Was looking for some takes regarding this topic and I found your article quite informative. It has given me a fresh perspective on the topic tackled. Thanks!

June 11, 2021 at 6:38 am

Thank you for tis stories. I would like more many. Please upload this type of things with in reality reach n teach us. 👍

July 22, 2021 at 5:20 am

October 11, 2021 at 12:48 pm

Good day A bit of my brain tumors Story….. I was about 21 when I was in a major train accident and had major head injuries and it left me paralysed for a few months or sooo as my pelvic bones were broken as well. I am a 51 year woman who worked for Nedbank for 27 years then this traumatic events started : We were moving office from one floor to another and I fell up the stairs with boxes in my arms and aged 22 bumped my head that time my colleague laughed and said they never heard of a person falling up the stairs but only down the stairs.

The doctor that time said my tumours is inherit from 3 generations meningioma and malama passed on to me and is stress related and he suggested that we move out of the residential area. Which we did. But neverless I lost everything my husband my beautifull plot my children my friends all my personal and sentimental belongings due to my personality changes, emotional insecurity, social phobia, memory loss, Nobody understood the changes in me, not even me do now. I had 4 brain operations over a period of 15 years. The first in 2001 half of my hair was shaved off to open my scalp to remove the tumour, the second 2002 the back of my left ear that leave me partial deaf the 3 rd in 2011 on my frontal right lobe eye what started with losing my eye sight the last in 2015 in my right frontal lobe.. which created a personality change which I battled to accept and it is difficult for my family as well. My children think I am putting up a act to get attention. I am losing my eye sight I think the last one was the most difficult one due to my age and it created a personality change which is difficult to accept by myself and family and I am scared for people that I did not know before the operation. I have no words to explain my condition, I cry every day and is tired and sleep most of the time. I am unbalanced and dizzy if I stand to long I cannot even go shopping. I went through a divorce and into a new relationship which made every thing more confused as I did not understand why are everybody treating me like a baby and my bf never left my side for 24/7. It felt that all know something but don’t want me to know. I believed I was crazy but my family rescued me. Well I believe I am able to cure with professional help / sponsorship or even if research is done on me to better technology. I am prepared to relocated for studies to be done on me. I want to be the same or a better person with wealth and health and happiness and success and love than before. I am under 24/7 care but believe I am able to heal 100% with God on my side and professional help. I constantly change living arrangements within the family as they do not know how to handle my moods and I cannot live by myself . I have emotional issues as I cry a lot and my family want me save and happy. I have short term and long term memory loss and it seem that no one understand me and I have no reason to live anymore. I was once admitted to Akeso Clinic as I had a major breakdown and my daugther send me to Randvaal in Walkerville in 2016 a place for old age people and brain damage persons younger than 60 who are under care 24/7 as well, as she has Power of Attorney on all of my financial affairs, but I turned out worse and now I am with family in Heidelberg always family with me 24/7 as I get lost and all funny things happen to me. So I am never alone….. I were everywhere with the family Durban, Cape Town, but had no professional help just loving family protecting and caring for me for the past 5 years. The Brackenhurst clinic referred me to Alberton North pshyco who wanted me go go to Sterkfontein hospital but my family said noooo. Once a month the family comes together and dress me up and make me beautifull for photos but that makes me even more emotional. They love me sooo much and also want to see me as I use to be and I Brain opp photos x15

November 30, 2021 at 3:10 am

These are soo inspiring stories we should put in our lifes.

January 13, 2022 at 6:38 am

Awesome site. Thanks for sharing.

March 1, 2022 at 7:48 pm

All stories inspired my way of thought and my life too. This will always be my power and knowledge to my life.

March 3, 2022 at 9:07 pm

I loved it I read it at school and it was the best ever I had to write a story based off or it.

April 6, 2022 at 9:43 am

The quates are seem to be a considerable and useful for everyone who logically go through them. Thank you. I appericiate your work.

November 7, 2022 at 2:52 pm

Thanks for sharing the stories. It would be nice to have more. I would appreciate if you could upload these kinds of things with in real life reach and teach us. 👍

Best Todays – Best Todays | A website to learn the ways to make money online and reviews. https://bestodays.com/

October 30, 2023 at 9:03 am

Thanks a lot buddy. Really felt happy.

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How to write your life story: 7 tips to start

Aspiring autobiographers often mail us asking, ‘how can I write my own story?’ Try these 7 life writing tips to start:

• Post author By Jordan
• 64 Comments on How to write your life story: 7 tips to start

Aspiring autobiographers often mail us asking, ‘how can I write my own personal story?’

How can I craft a compelling narrative?’ It can seem like a daunting task writing and researching your life experiences.

It can be a challenging writing project, but a valuable and creative one. It’s a chance to organise the narrative arc of your life, key impactful moments in your life, reappraise where you’ve been and where you’re going. You’ll also see what life lessons you have experienced and can share that with readers. It can be a rewarding creative writing project. 

There are several book genres to consider when writing a life story: autobiography (a whole sweep of a life), memoir (which tends to focus on a theme, or a particular time in one’s history), or an essay collection. 

Try these seven life writing tips to start:

1. Decide whether you’ll write non-fiction or fictionalize

There are many ways to approach life writing. You could follow a non-fiction approach and set down dates, facts and memories as close to events as they occurred as possible.

Another option is to fictionalize and blur the line between fact and fiction. This approach to life writing may be useful if you want to:

• Protect your identity or those of others while writing about trauma or difficult subject matter
• Experiment with elements of fiction and a playful approach even if you are wanting to write it as a nonfiction book of real-life events. 

Hedi Lampert, one of our writing coaches, takes this approach in her fictionalized memoir, My Life with my Aunt. Although it’s based on a true story, there are many fictionalised elements in it.

Although you might go with a non-fiction approach, add all the elements of fiction that you need to. For example, include strong characters (build them up in the reader’s mind), flesh out the supporting cast, include description, use the five senses as much as possible, include dialogue, and so on. 

Example of experimental life writing: Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes

The French theorist Roland Barthes begins his memoirs with a preface that reads:

It must all be considered as if spoken by a character in a novel. Roland Barthes,  Roland Barthes  (1977).

Barthes proceeds to give the reader fragments written in the third person , alternating with captioned photographs from his youth. For example, in one fragment titled ‘Arrogance’ he writes:

He has no affection for proclamations of victory. Troubled by the humiliations of others, whenever a victory appears somewhere, he wants to go somewhere else . Barthes,  Roland Barthes ,  p. 46.

Describing himself in the third person, Barthes gives the reader insights into his views and values, as an ordinary autobiography might . Yet in their fragmentary, third-person presentation (without narrative), they become like brief, philosophical musings, rather than a traditional linear ‘story’ with character development. The memoir is told very much in the voice of a theorist and scholar of language.

2. Choose an approach to time

Time is an interesting element to conside r when deciding how to write your life story.

For example, will your book cover birth to the present day? Or a few weeks or months spanning either side of a momentous life event?

First-person narrators in fiction give us examples of narrative approaches to time we can also adopt in writing about our lives.

For example, the title character of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield begins his story by describing the setting for his birth:

To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night. Charles Dickens,  David Copperfield  (1850), p. 5 (1992 Wordsworth Editions).

After detailing the day and time of his birth, David goes into closer setting detail:

I was born at Blunderstone, in Suffolk, or ‘thereby,’ as they say in Scotland. I was a posthumous child. My father’s eyes had closed upon the light of this world six months, when mine opened on it. Dickens,  David Copperfield,  p. 6.

This approach to time gives a linear sense of the way a life progresses, from childhood. It’s a common narrative approach in many bildungsromans (coming-of-age stories).

You can also, however, experiment with time in writing your life story.

You could start with a significant event that happened later in adulthood, for example, and circle back to past scenes that illuminate backstory and help the reader to understand what led up to later events.

As you plan how you’ll write  time in your life story, ask, ‘What would provide the strongest dramatic effect?’

Begin Your Story with Confidence

Delve into your life story with our Kickstart Your Novel course. Over six weeks, gain the clarity and direction needed to start writing compellingly about your experiences.

3. Do what you need to set aside any fear

Many writers feel daunted when embarking on a new project. This is often particularly acute when writing about more personal experiences or real life where you don’t have the protective veil of fictional characters.

When the acclaimed biographer of Virginia Woolf, Hermione Lee, was asked whether fear is a useful emotion for a biographer, she replied:

The fear has to be channeled somehow into the energy of the work. While you’re doing it, I think you have to feel that she is yours and you alone understand her. But in order to arrive at that feeling you have to deal with, and master, your apprehension. Hermione Lee, interview in ‘Hermione Lee, The Art of Biography No. 4’ for The Paris Review, available here . 

Lee goes on to describe how the biographer Richard Homes coped with this feeling. He said:

I get to my desk every morning and I hear these little voices saying, ‘He doesn’t know what he’s doing!’ and I raise my arm and I just sweep , I sweep them off the desk.’

Find your own way to silence any fear, be it changing key figures’ names or even fictionalizing your life entirely.

Personal Guidance on Your Journey

Writing your life story is a journey of discovery and reflection. Navigate it with an expert by your side. Our private coaching offers personalized feedback, encouragement, and the critical insights needed to transform your personal experiences into a captivating narrative. Let us help you tell your story with authenticity and emotional depth.

4. Summarize significant events to cover

Any one person’s life is a massive archive or trove of significant experiences and memories. As Hermione Lee says, the immensity of this ‘source material’ can feel overwhelming.

As a preparatory step in deciding how to write your life story, summarize key events you want to include. Try to write just two lines for each incident or scene you’re thinking of including (you can create and organize scene summaries in our Scene Builder tool ). This will help you plot the key points of your life story, and may even help you with arranging the story thematically. If not already apparent, the narrative arc of your story will become apparent.

You’ll also see what life lessons you have experienced and can share that with readers. Remember you don’t have to write your entire life story from year dot.

Another important point is to remember to describe in detail. Sometimes when we are writing from memory or the ‘mind’s eye’, because the landscape in our recollections is familiar to us, we sometimes don’t describe things. We might say, ‘We lived in that house for ten years.’ We can see the house, because it’s so deep in our memory, but the reader can’t. Describe the house: ‘It had redbrick and a red tiled roof and small windows that let in hardly any light.’ That tells the reader a lot more than ‘that house’.

At the heart of great life writing (as with great fiction), there’s often a main internal conflict and/or an external conflict. A key tension or experience the autobiographer confronts. Tweet This

For example:

• A moment of awakening or discovery of purpose
• Family or personal trauma
• Career or financial difficulties: retrenchment, having to sell your home 
• Relationship troubles
• A breakup or divorce 
• Birth of a child
• Death of someone significant

What core experience (or group of experiences) will your story frame?

5. Allow your authentic voice

As in fiction, in life writing the voice of the memoir author helps to create a distinct sense of character.

The acclaimed memoirist and poet Mary Karr gives excellent advice to aspiring life-writers on voice in her book The Art of Memoir (2015). Writes Karr:

Each great memoir lives or dies based 100 percent on voice. It’s the delivery system for the author’s experience—the big bandwidth cable that carries in lustrous clarity every pixel of someone’s inner and outer experiences. Mary Karr,  The Art of Memoir  (2015), p. 35.

Karr cautions against covering up aspects of your own voice to appear more palatable a person to readers. She says:

The voice should permit a range of emotional tones – too wise-ass, and it denies pathos; too pathetic, and it’s shrill. It sets and varies distance from both the material and the reader – from cool and diffident to high-strung and close. The writer doesn’t choose these styles so much as he’s born to them, based on who he is and how he experienced the past. Karr, p. 36.

6. Avoid telling the truth in oversimplified terms

In Karr’s chapter, ‘The Truth Contract Twixt Writer and Reader’, she discusses the value of telling the truth (rather than ‘pumping yourself up’ for your audience):

How does telling the truth help a reader’s experience, though? Let’s say you had an awful childhood – tortured and mocked and starved every day – hit hard with belts and hoses, etc. You could write a repetitive, duller-than-a-rubber-knife misery memoir. But would that be “true”? And true to how you keep it boxed up now, or to lived experience back then? Back then, those same abusers probably fed you something, or you’d have died. Karr, p. 2.

What Karr’s words strike at is that the ‘truth’ is often something more complex than what makes us look good (or others look bad).

One of the important lessons in learning how to write your life story is how to portray people not simply as heroes and villains. Indeed, to rather show the bits of life between people’s better and worse choices that flesh out more complex portraits, with more colours (and more shades of grey). As Karr says:

It’s the disparities in your childhood, your life between ass-whippings, that throws past pain into stark relief for a reader. Karr, p. 2.

Your Life, Your Story

Ready to write your life story but not sure where to start? Sign up for a Now Novel account. Brainstorm your story idea, create compelling character profiles, and share your work for community feedback. Begin crafting your life narrative today.

7. Get help pulling your life story into shape

Writing memoir or a fictionalized autobiography is challenging because you are dealing not only with the standard elements of story (conflict, narrative, voice and more) but also personal areas. Some of these may be more challenging to revisit (or capture in prose) than others.

Due to the many challenges involved (including the challenge of subjectivity), don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Karr writes about sending people she’s included in memoirs manuscript drafts to ensure embellishment does not disservice the person or the story. Beta readers may provide valuable input, more so if they were bystanders or active participants in the events you describe.

You can also get help from a writing coach who will help you begin weaving personal experience and anecdote into a better, fuller story.

Related Posts:

• How to write a biography: 7 life-writing ideas
• How to write memoir: 9 ideas for a vivid slice of life
• How to write the middle of a story: 9 tips
• Tags how to start writing a memoir

Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.

64 replies on “How to write your life story: 7 tips to start”

am 15 yrs old I’m writing my own story.Thanks

Hi Desmond, good luck writing your story. Thank you for reading our articles!

Hello. I enjoyed reading your tips, in fact I am copying them off for reference if that is ok. I began the memoir/life story before and lost all my data with computer failure. Dumb me, lesson learned to back things up on a couple of flash drives so that doesn’t happen again. So, I am beginning again, after reading your notes here that may have been a blessing in disguise as I have learned so much reading your article. Thank you for publishing this, it will be invaluable as I begin again!! 🙂

Hi Jenny, thank you for reading! Please do feel free to copy anything for reference. I’m so sorry to hear about your data loss, that is frustrating. Glad you’re creating backups this time around, though. Have a creative, inspired 2021, from all of us at Now Novel.

Good day I don’t have a comment but I would love to write my life story as I know it could you help me on this matter thank you.

Hi Catherine, thank you for sharing that. Go for it! I would say start by creating a list of life events you feel would be important to include. Look within them for a good starting point, is there a specific, pivotal event out of which the rest of your life story could unfold in narrative?

If you share a little more about what aspect of your life is compelling you to write (you can email us at [email protected] ) I’m sure we can provide more detailed, specific help.

Hi Jordan, am happy that this morning i came across your article, the artcle mae a good start of writing my own life story. i have been thinking on how to start for a while but now i see my path. Thanks.

Hi Joyce, I’m happy to hear that this article was helpful and you can see the path ahead. I hope you make great progress and discover many moments of excitement and revelation as you proceed.

[…] https://www.nownovel.com/blog/how-to-write-your-life-story/ […]

Hand written my not finished book of 350 A4 Pages

Hi Freda, that sounds like an epic, impressive to have written it by hand. Good luck with what remains of the process.

Hi, my son gave me an empty book pages cover with my childhood pictures.I started some lines. Actually I was searching a writer about my Sisters life story which is very interesting. You’re Tips are good.

Hi Cloty, that sounds a lovely gesture on your son’s part. It’s interesting that you’d like to write your sister’s life story, is there a reason you’d prefer to write about her life rather than your own? Good luck with it, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed our articles.

Very good guide lines

Thank you, Cloty!

I’ve given a lot of thought to writing my story, and haven’t been sure how to get started. I’ve finally been doing some digging, and came across this article. My experience to date is blogging, so a book seems intimidating, but broken down like this it’s a little less scary. I think I’ll create an account here, see what else you have to offer!

Hi Tara, thank you for sharing that. Being a blogger you already have some good writing experience, I’m sure. That is the trick, breaking it down into manageable, less daunting tasks. Please do, and thanks for reading our blog!

Hello Jordan. I am writing a life story but specifically the love interests and most memorable experiences. Your tips have been so helpful. My main problem is that I don’t know whether to write separate chapters for each or separate short stories for each because the timelines overlap a lot. Please help.

Hi Lindo, I’m so glad to hear that you’ve found the Now Novel blog helpful. It depends whether you have a running narrative thread (if the individual love stories add up to a specific outcome or growth or other arc) or each is more fragmentary/discontinuous (despite the timeline overlap).

If the latter, I would suggest short stories as if there’s no narrative end-point (for example, a new learning or insight these love interests and experiences lead to), then each might be more self-contained. Sending the stories as a collection to an editor would likely help, as this would firstly polish the individual pieces but an evaluation could also give insights into how to connect them all together.

I hope this is helpful, keep going!

Hello and thank you. I enjoyed reading your article. I am considering writing my life story however I am not sure of whether I would like to write an actual tell all/novel/biography-book or if I would actually like to write a screenplay instead. A lot of your methods can be translated the same way when writing a screenplay. I would eventually like my story to become a movie. Should I write the book 1st or just go straight to the screenplay? Which is a better route?

Hi Tony, thank you for your interesting question. Many screenplays are based on novels or biographies and I think it helps to write in book-from first, since you then have the shape of the story down, the research (if needed) and other elements such as characterization in place. From there you could whittle and carve the best possible use of mise en scene , dialogue etc. out of what you have. It would be an interesting way to build a sound framework for a tauter screenplay in other words, I’d say.

I need to write my life stories but is confused. I know it can change someone’s life or journey . I have been saying this for 20 years or more ….why am I not doing it ? ….

Hi Dawn, thank you for sharing that. All I will say is: Start! 🙂 And thank you for reading our blog.

I want to write my life stories very interesting, but some negative idea comes to my mind. That is my story is not so much important, i am not knowen person any field of work,…etc. But now i get clues ,so i am initate to write my own autobiography.

Hi Zenenbe, I’m glad you’re writing regardless of those doubts. It’s natural to have doubts, but there are stories worth telling and sharing in every life – whether the teller is famous/well-known or not ?. Good luck!

Your tips are very helpful. I have started entering short stories competitions (written in first person)for practice! Now starting on Fictional/factual life story and find Tip 1 and 3 helpful to give my characters fictional names and feel comfortable also using 3rd person i.e.she. Also more confident about introducing fictional events into my story to make it more compelling for the reader while still being authentic.

Hi Lyn, I’m glad you found this helpful. It’s great you’re entering short story competitions, that’s great practice. Absolutely, many non-fiction authors embellish for the sake of story. Good luck with your contest entries!

Wonderful article. Just wanted to let you know of a new service that helps you in putting together your life story. https://www.huminz.com/ It makes writing your story fun. And then brings your story to life

Hi Etan, thank you and thanks for sharing your web app for memoir-writing, it looks interesting.

It’s been long overdue, I’m 54 yrs old now. I finally have come to terms in writing an autobiography of myself. Life experiences I have encountered from my 1st memory as a child. At the age of 4yrs old, the year was 1971 Christmas Eve. First memory to my life awaken by the Jaws of life. My mind has been a camera through every moment in my life. What would be read on the publisher end, would be so intrigued to see all the drama, hardships. Caught up in how I survived my dilemmas, with all to be said, physically be right their with me. So consumed from your start of my life to relive my nightmare. Totally lost on how I still have so much compassion & love till this day. Never a dull moment adventure ,trauma, abuse, raped, child molesters. I’m ready to bring it all to an end to start a life I was expected to do as child in middle school. Looking forward to replaying the camera that has consumed my eyes & life experiences. Not sure where I will have to submit my book when I have achieved my story.

Hi Kathleen, thank you for sharing that. It’s never too late to share one’s life story (and from the subject matter you mentioned, I’m sure your courage in telling your story could greatly help others who’ve been through similar life experiences). I’m glad you’re looking forward to the process – go for it. Once you have a first draft you could think about submission (for now I’d say focus on the task at hand which is getting the first version of your story down).

I find the article really useful.Thank you so much for the enlightenment. I have more than twice in my lifetime thought of sharing my life story through a book,but have often felt like it was a load of work to do so. But reading through your article and also reading through the comment section,I feel like its the right time.Thank you so much for being an inspiration especially with me as a beginner.

Hi Mere, it’s a pleasure, thank you for reading our blog and for sharing that. Writing is a lot of work, but it’s rewarding work I’d say. I hope you enjoy the process. Feel free to join our writing groups where you can chat to others at a similar stage of the journey.

That is nice,and thanks for that

Ok,I need your help more

Hi Mary, thank you for reading our blog and a Happy New Year to you. What would you like help with? Please feel free to mail us any questions at help at now novel dot com.

Hi , i wanted to write my life story, how to start?? Any help?

Hi Hana, thank you for sharing your question. I would start by brainstorming a list of key/significant events in your life you want to include, as these you can then plan scenes and scene structure around; once you know what experiences in your life you want to tell most. As a guiding principle, I’d suggest brainstorming incidents that are:

• Emotionally impactful – wins, losses, trials, turning points
• Illustrative – of where you’re from, who you are, what you value and have learned or overcome

This is a loose starting point but I would say is a good preparatory process for sifting through memories and ideas and finding topics and subtopics to organize your life story around. I hope this helps!

Thank you sir Jordan for sharing these tips. I am planning to write my life story. However, I’ll write a story because of the problems and negative things that happened to me in the past and I’m a little bit shame about my experiences but I want to make a story that can inspire many and motivate them. I also ask on how to start writing. Is there any chapter? and how to divide some events of your life into writing a story.

Hi Joash, it’s a pleasure, and thank you for sharing this. Life-writing can be hard because of this – that there are often traumas and painful experiences one wants to write about but there is often fear attached as sometimes society tells us these areas are taboo; that we aren’t allowed to talk about them.

A writing teacher gave a writing circle I belonged to great advice once – ‘turn the family portraits to the wall’ (in other words, banish silencing figures and, ‘What would uncle so-and-so say?’ from your writing space, if possible). You can edit for sensitivity/intensity in the passages that are uncomfortable later if necessary, but the first draft is for telling yourself the story, and nobody else’s potentially shaming perspectives matter at this stage.

There are many places to start. One of the classic autobiographical starting points is when you were born (what year, place, era, political moment). I would suggest reading a few biographies and taking notes on the opening to see the many possibilities. Ask whether the beginning is effective, what information the author focuses on, whether they start with a description, a statement, or something else. A great biographer to read is Hermione Lee – she has written many acclaimed biographies of famous writers and artists.

THANKYOU FOR SHARING,SIR JORDAN

It’s a pleasure, Gladys! No need for honorary titles 😊 just ‘Jordan’ is fine. Thank you for reading our blog.

Hi Jordon it’s nice we can communicate with you and take ideas from you I want to start writing and I’m so pleased to know you !

Hi Randa, thank you for reaching out and for reading our blog – it’s good to meet you.

I have been mulling over writing my life story and being asked by many to do so, however, have no clue where to start. I could not write using my own name as the need for my protection for others is immense. What would you suggest?

Thank you for reading this article and for your question. I would suggest changing names if necessary and writing under your own name. You could also change a few fundamental details in the story arcs of the others you wish to protect (and make it so-called creative non-fiction) so as to further obscure their identity or the possibility of readers connecting the story back to the real people involved. If it is possible, you could also ask anyone who features whom you personally know for their permission to be included as a character in your memoir. If they wish to remain anonymous, then changing their name (and some details as suggested above) would help to protect their privacy.

I hope this helps.

Hi Jordan, have been difficulties on to start my life story,what is the best title for the story do i need to mention names.

Hi Gristone, it’s difficult to advise on a title not knowing anything about the scope or subject matter of your memoir. My suggestion would be to look at the memoir and autobiography titles currently selling well and study titles for ideas – where do the titles draw from? The person’s vocation or profession, a specific aspect of their personality, a specific life experience or struggle they overcame?

If you mean mentioning names in your title, not necessarily. It could be descriptive or it could be more straight-up, e.g. ‘[Name}: [Descriptive phrase]’. I hope this helps.

I been searching and collect some ideas how to start my life story which i think can give inspiration , for those who lost hope in life.

Thank you Jordan for this write-up. I plan to write the story of my life and I needed a guide as to how to start.

Hi Ogbu, it’s my pleasure. I hope it was helpful and wish you a good experience in writing your life story. Let me know if you have any further questions.

My book I have been working on for many years has been my life story of more trauma that seems unreal I started from birth of what I read from mom’s and grandma’s diaries in their words then what I remembered. From birth to 15 . Childhood secrets to motherhood at 16 domestic violence and drug abuse. Marriage 25 years of escaping after 9 attempts divorced never free. Stauked violated for years. Gas lighting still to this day and I am 59 years old soon. With the knowledge I know things I would have done differently and want to pass on that to anyone it may help. The name of my book is Broken -Post Vietnam untold stories of a military family what happened after the war. It’s a story of molestation, shame , guilt ,PTSD a lifetime of struggle . A mentally wounded father. And generational mentally wounded family. Most dysfunctional family hidden behind closed doors

Hi Patricia, I’m truly sorry to hear that you’ve been through such traumatic experiences and I commend you for wanting to help others through writing your life story. It’s important as a society we talk about these things and don’t just sweep them under the rug, but it is brave to confront them and bring them to light (and healing, I hope) too. Best of luck with your story. It sounds particularly interesting in that it touches on what it’s like being in a military family, as I know people who had similar experiences in military families. War is traumatizing on multiple levels and its deleterious impact is far-reaching.

hi Jordan, I have always been a bit of a story teller, all through my life in fact. I never really attended school but after my children I decided to go to college as part of an access course into nursing. one of the modules was English at A Level equivalent. I achieved a B in my written work But an A* in my Oral exam. I know this doesn’t make me a writer and I’m certainly not a reader but I can tell a good story, especially if its something factual happening in my life. I have got to an age in my life where I have lived so much love, loss, happiness and drama, not to mention how different things were back when I was a child to society today and I would like to reflect the stages of my life and how I feel emotionally and mentally. I would like to write my life story fictionally but based on true life events and experiences. This is to protect my identity and that of all the people involved due to the content. I don’t want to do it all in one book, 58 years of living my life couldn’t possibly be captured in one go. please can you advise me on where to start

Hi Lucy, Thanks for getting in touch. The article offers great tips for starting out, but one idea is to start by writing short stories inspired by the different stages in your life. You should reflect on any memories that stand out to you, the key points in your life story, then incorporate the details and the emotions that they evoke. If you need more advice, we can recommend our coach Hedi Lampert who has recently made more slots available in her schedule for new clients.

thank you Jordan for this article honestly it helps me so much and i have a lot to learn from it i am 16 and i am trying to write my life story cause i need to talk about a lot of things about like my trauma , absent father , strict mom that give me no freedom and always controlling , being pressure since 9th grade to get a scholarship and till now i am in 11th going to 12th still be pressure trying to be the perfect daughter , sacrifice happiness and mental health in order to get all A’s and whenever something happened to me i am the only that is always there for myself , whenever i cry i wipe my own tears and it has now get to the point i keep telling myself very soon i will old enough to live my life but every time i try to write the story i don’t know where to start from but reading this article just boost my knowledge and one things that bothered me is fear , i don’t know but every time i try to write something i always have fear or even before i started writing i will just start cry for no reason i think maybe cause i am not ready to write then i will give my self time but the same things will repeat it self so my fear and emotions is always holding me back and i don’t know why that happen but every time fear and emotions hold me back so i have now decided how will write it no matter what even though i will end up with red eyes from crying but i will not let my fear take over me , thank you so much for taking time to read this i will love to hear back

Dear Tee Tee, Thanks for writing in. I’m sorry to hear that it’s difficult for you to write your story. This can be something that stops you from starting. I think it’s useful to begin your story, as this is something you want to write about. If you’re not sure where to start, perhaps start by writing some ideas, an outline of what you’d like to write? Or, you could place ideas/themes that you would like to explore, eg: absent father as one theme, strict mother, another theme, and write some ideas of what you’d like to explore in relation to these themes. Hope these ideas resonate with you. Feel free to write in with any further questions.

I am 16 years old and I am starting to write a story about my life and this reading really helped me learn the steps on how to write it and the examples helped to! Thank you for making this reading. It has helped me so much!!

Hello Nevaeh,

That’s so wonderful to hear! Enjoy the writing process!

Great article, which I will share with my writers’ group. I am about two thirds of the way through the first volume of my memoir and conisdering submitting it to an agent with a proposal. I will get it read and edited by a mentor before I go ahead.

Thanks for your comment John! It’s wonderful that you’re writing a memoir. Good luck with it all!

Thanks so much John. Good luck with your memoir!

This really helped Thank you!

I’m so pleased to hear that. Good luck with your own life writing.

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Everybody has a story that matters. Writing your life story creates a legacy for your loved ones and for future generations. It is also a way of examining your life a little deeper. Writing your story will help you recognise that you have lived a meaningful life and made a positive contribution to the world.  

A well-lived life includes a wealth of stories, experiences and memories. Writing these down can bring enjoyment, satisfaction, healing and a sense of closure. Writing about your life will allow you to see the uniqueness in the life that you have lived and it will make you aware of the life lessons and universal truths contained within your unique life story that are worth sharing with others. But where do you start?

I’ve just finished delivering a series of six workshops teaching rural community members how to write their life stories. It’s by far one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had. The workshops were originally offered to senior citizens, but I had plenty of participants younger than me. Clearly many people are longing to write their life stories but where to start is often the problem. 

In this post I share some of the main points that came up in these workshops to make it easier for you to start writing your life story. 

Firstly, what is the difference between memoir and autobiography?

When I told a friend that I am writing a memoir he looked at me like I am nuts. I could literally see what he was thinking: you are not famous. Who do you think would be interested in your memoir? 

Famous people write autobiographies, I told him. Ordinary people write memoir and it happens to be one of the most popular genres at the moment. An autobiography chronicles a person’s entire life story, from childhood to the present. A memoir, by contrast, is about a life event that has profoundly changed the writer and carries a universal lesson.

As memoir coach Marion Roach Smith puts it, it’s not what you did in your life but what you did with it that makes for an interesting story.

The best memoirs are often stories about adversity overcome and how that has made the writer grow and find deeper meaning in life that has universality.

A good memoir is written as narrative non-fiction, which simply means it’s a true story (non-fiction) written like a novel adhering to narrative conventions of plot, clear story line that builds to a climax and follows a story arc. The people you write about in a memoir become characters and are developed like characters in a novel would be, ie. through narrative (description) intermixed with scenes (action and dialogue anchored in place and time). 

In a memoir, unlike in an autobiography, you include only the stories and experiences that are directly relevant to the book’s message and central question.

Writing your life story doesn’t have to be this complicated, but do try to write it with the reader in mind. Tell your story in a way that will allow your reader to emotionally relate to your story and to identify with you, the protagonist.

Start writing your life story by breaking it down into stepping stones & turning points

Writing your entire life story can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.

Don’t sit down to write your whole life story in one go, start to finish. That will feel overwhelming and will most definitely put you off. Break it up into small anecdotes and individual memories, then sit down to write that anecdote or that particular memory as an event.

You don’t have to remember every event in your life, that would also be impossible. Focus on the key events that brought you to where you are today. Start writing your story by remembering the life-changing moments that have shaped you. 

Identify the key events that changed your life for better or for worse. These can be positive events such as getting married, the birth of your children, graduating from university, creating a business. And they will also include big and tragic events such as the loss of a loved one, migrating to a new country or surviving an illness. They can also be smaller but no less tragic events, ie. a high school teacher telling you that you are not clever enough to go to university.

Simply begin with a brainstorm, writing down 10-15 stepping stone moments.

To start writing your life story, focus on the turning points in your life

As well as considering the life-changing moments in your life, you need to think about the major turning points in your life. The thresholds in our personal narratives are the entry points into your story. They are the major dramatic beats that signal transformation, radical change and growth. 

The most fascinating stories are often about the ways we have overcome life’s obstacles and how we have transformed and created new meaning for ourselves.

What obstacles have you overcome in your life and what did you learn from that experience? These lessons may just be the core of your story that everything else moves around.

Making a list of the major turning points in your life will help you find the structure of your story.

Adding detail and finding your theme

Write the stepping stone and turning point events out like a scene in a book. Add dialogue, description, vivid detail and conflict. Bring your writing alive with sensory detail. What could you see, touch, hear, touch, test and smell? Engage your reader emotionally. What was the dominant emotion at a particular life event?

As you keep writing and collecting memories and key life events, you will start to see themes, patterns and questions.

Storytelling is all about asking a question. As the playwright Eugene Ionesco said: “It’s not the answer that enlightens, but the question.”

Most stories revolve around a single question that represents the core of the story. Will Romeo and Juliet end up together? Will Harry Potter defeat Voldemort? Will Frodo destroy the Ring?

Perhaps the underlying theme of your life story is about finding happiness despite the odds and your question is, what does it take to create a happy life?

Remembering the details

All of our writing comes from memory. 

Memories are, by definition, subjective. Every time we recall a memory, we recreate it, we embellish it or expand on it. In other words, we are being creative.

Let me give you permission right now to be creative with your life story! Don’t worry, nobody expects you to remember exactly what you said as a 12-year old or even as a 45-year old.

Here are a few ideas to help you remember as many details as you can for writing your life story:

PHOTOGRAPHS

Photographs are great memory triggers. You can use them as writing prompts and to recall forgotten details.

Pick a photo from a meaningful event and write about the people in the photo and the occasion it was taken. What feelings do you associate with the photo? Explore the memories that come up.

OLD LETTERS

Old letters will help you find your voice.

Over time the way we speak changes. See if you can dig up old letters (or emails) or even diaries and discover the ways you spoke and thought in the past and the stories they contain.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLES

What were the news headlines on your wedding day or your first day of school?

You can access old news content online (get a younger member of the family to help you if necessary), or maybe you can dig up clippings of old newspaper articles from an important event in your life that you have kept? This will provide historical context and also help you to unlock specific memories and feelings.

My favorite writing prompts to help you start writing your life story

To dig up your unique memory of a specific event ie. your first kiss, your wedding day, your first trip overseas we need to tap into our ‘episodic memory’, which is stored in our long-term memory.

A great way to do that is to use writing prompts and to write to a timer. 10 minutes is a good length.

I am a big fan of timed writing prompts because freewriting in this way allows you to bypass the inner critic who always sits on our shoulder telling us that our writing is no good.

Here are 4 quick and simple writing prompts to help you write your life story :

I REMEMBER…

This prompt helps to unlock the stories you really want to tell and it jogs your memory to recall forgotten details and to find the stepping stones and turning points in your life.

The prompt is inspired by Joe Brainard’s autobiography, I remember (1970), depicting his childhood in the 1940s and ’50s in Oklahoma as well as his life in the ‘60s and ’70s in New York City. The book, which became a literary and artistic cult classic, is written in sentence form, all of which start with the words “I remember.” Sounds almost too simple, but it’s a great read!


Set the timer on your phone for 10 minutes and write without stopping to think or edit. 

Brainstorm as many memories as you can, starting each new sentence with the words “I remember…”

I DON’T REMEMBER…

This prompt invites us to fill in the blanks. In Natalie Goldberg’s words, it makes us explore the underbelly of the mind. Let’s try to get to what lurks in the depth of our memories, what remains hidden, what we fail to notice or what we actively banish from our minds.

You’ve got infinite possibility with this prompt. Your hidden memories can be positive or negative. It’s whatever comes up. You may end up writing for 10 minutes about the things you don’t remember about the primary school you attended, the things you wish you could remember; or you may write a list related to things you CAN remember — the little details within your memories that you’ve forgotten. Be specific and give sensory detail.

THE FIRST TIME

Make a list of ten random memories of when you did something for the first time.

My first day in a foreign country, my first day of marriage, my first kiss, my first day at work, my first day as a parent, my first bicycle, the first time I ate sushi, the first time I went to the cinema on my own…simply brainstorm, write quickly and capture whatever comes up.

Then choose one FIRST and write for 10 minutes. Be specific. Give details. Was the bicycle you rode to school red or blue? Did it rain on your first day at work? What did you eat for lunch on your first day as a mother? You never know what will happen when you allow the pen to lead the way.

I BELIEVE…

What will engage a reader in a novel are the moral values that drive a character. A strong storyline is about conflict and challenge and how a character reacts when core values are being tested. The same goes for writing your life story.



Write “I believe …” at the top of a blank page and then find 5-10 different ways to complete it. Write without stopping to think, without giving the logical mind a chance. Stay with your intuitive mind.

Then choose one of your “I believe” statements and write it at the top of a fresh page. Explore your “I believe” statement from every possible angle.

Would you consider writing down your life story? Are you already doing so? Let me know in the comments and, please, share this with anyone you think will enjoy writing their own life story.

Hi I am Kerstin

I am a published author and former academic with 20 years university teaching experience. I discovered the healing power of writing when I went through the darkness of grief. Writing was my lifesaver. Read more

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Short Stories about Life: 21 Inspirational Short Stories about Life

Some of the most memorable lessons in life come from stories. Stories are fundamental to the way we process life experiences and the feelings that surround them. Stories are a way to encapsulate life’s memorable moments and enduring life lessons. The human brain is programmed to perceive patterns and grasp the plot sequences of stories to store them in long-term memory.

We strongly believe that good stories can change lives; thus, we have a list of some amazing short stories about life that will teach you valuable lessons, help you deal with various life situations and inspire you to take on life differently.

1. The Secret to Success

Once a young man asked the wise man, Socrates,   the secret to success . Socrates patiently listened to the man’s question and told him to meet him near the river the following day for the answer. So the next day, Socrates asked the young man to walk with him towards the river. As they went in the river, the water got up to their neck. But to the young man’s surprise, Socrates ducked him into the water.

The young man struggled to get out of the water, but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Finally, Socrates pulled the man’s head out of the water. The young man gasped and took a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when your head was in the water?” The young man replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air while you were in the water, then you will get it. There is no other secret.”

Moral of the short story:

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.

  2. The coldest winter

It was one of the coldest winters, and many animals were dying because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep each other warm. This was a great way to protect themselves from the cold and keep each of them warm, but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After a while, they decided to distance themselves, but they too began to die due to cold. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or choose death. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with a few wounds caused by their close relationship with their companions to receive the warmth of their togetherness. This way, they were able to survive.

3. Meaningless Goals

A farmer had a dog who used to wait by the roadside for vehicles to come. As soon as one came, he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake the car. One day the farmer’s neighbor asked the farmer, “Do you think the dog is ever going to overtake those vehicles?” The farmer replied, “That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one.”

Many people in life behave like that dog who is pursuing meaningless goals.

4. A lesson in giving 

Many years ago, when I worked as a transfusion volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little three-year-old girl suffering from a disease. The little girl needed blood from her five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same condition. The boy had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness and was the only hope for his sister.

The doctor explained the situation to the little brother and asked if the boy would give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate only for a moment before he took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I will do it if it will save my sister.”

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale, and his smile faded. Finally, he looked up at the nurse beside him and asked with a trembling voice, “When will I start to die?”

The young boy had misunderstood the doctor and thought he had to die to save his sick sister.

5. Everyone has a Story

A young man in his twenties was seeing out from the train’s window shouted…

“Father, look at the trees! They are going behind!”

The young man’s father smiled at the man, and a young couple sitting nearby looked at the young man’s childish comment with pity.

Suddenly, the young man exclaimed again.

“Father, look at the clouds! They are all running with us!”

The couple couldn’t resist and said to the old man.

“Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?”

The older man smiled and said

“We did, and we are just coming from the hospital. My son was blind from birth, and he just got his vision today.”

Every person in the world has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you.

6. Unnecessary Doubts

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of beautiful marbles. The girl had some candies with her. The boy offered to give the girl all his marbles in exchange for all her candies. The girl agreed. The boy gave all the marbles to the girl but secretly kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble for himself. The girl gave him all her candies as she had promised. That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn’t sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some more tasty candies from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral: If you don’t give your hundred percent in a relationship, you’ll always keep doubting if the other person has given their hundred percent.

7. Soar Like an Eagle

Did you know that an eagle can foresee when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

Instead of hiding, the eagle will fly to some high point and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind can pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle soars above it.

The eagle does not escape or hide from the storm; instead, it uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the stormy winds which others dread.

When the storm of life or challenges hits us, we can rise above them and soar like the eagle that rides the storm’s winds. Don’t be afraid of the storms or the challenges in your life. Use it to lift you higher in your life.

8. The reflections

Once a dog ran into a museum filled with mirrors. The museum was unique; the walls, the ceiling, the doors and even the floors were made of mirrors. Seeing his reflections, the dog froze in surprise in the middle of the hall. He could see a whole pack of dogs surrounding him from all sides, from above and below.

The dog bared his teeth and barked all the reflections responded to it in the same way. Frightened, the dog barked frantically; the dog’s reflections imitated the dog and increased it many times. The dog barked even harder, but the echo was magnified. The dog, tossed from one side to another while his reflections also tossed around snapping their teeth.

The following day, the museum security guards found the miserable, lifeless dog, surrounded by thousands of reflections of the lifeless dog. There was nobody to harm the dog. The dog died by fighting with his own reflections.

Moral: The world doesn’t bring good or evil on its own. Everything that is happening around us reflects our thoughts, feelings, wishes and actions. The world is a big mirror. So let’s strike a good pose!

9. Stopped by a brick

A successful young executive was riding his brand new Jaguar down a neighborhood street when he noticed a kid darting out from between parked cars. He slowed down a little bit as he appeared near it, and a brick smashed into his car’s door. He slammed on the brakes and drove back to the place where the brick had been thrown.

The furious man jumped out of his car and caught the nearest kid shouting, “What was that all about? What the heck did you do to my car? Why did you do it?”. The young boy was a little scared but was very polite and apologetic. “I am sorry, Mister. I didn’t know what else to do,” he pleaded. “I had to throw the brick because no one else would stop for my call to help.”   With tears rolling down his cheeks, he pointed towards the parked cars and said, “it’s my brother, he rolled off the curb and fell off his wheelchair, and he is badly hurt. I can’t lift him.”

The sobbing boy asked the man, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He is hurt, and he is too heavy for me.” The young man was moved beyond words and tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Then, he hurriedly lifted the other kid from the spot and put him back in the wheelchair. He also helped the little kid with his bruises and cuts.  

When he thought that everything would be ok, he went back to his car. “Thank you, sir, and God bless you,” said the grateful kid. The young man was too shaken up for any word, so the man watched the little boy push the brother who uses a wheelchair down the sidewalk. It was a long and slow ride back home to the man.   When he came out of the car, he looked at his dented car door. The damage was very noticeable, but he did not bother to repair it. Instead, he kept the dent to remind him of the message; “Do not go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.” 

Moral : Life whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we do not listen to it, it throws a brick at us. It is our choice, listen to the whisper or wait for the brick.

10. Shark Bait

A marine biologist was involved in an experiment with a shark. He placed a shark in a tank along with other small bait fishes.

As expected, the shark ate every single fish.

The marine biologist then inserted clear fiberglass to create two sections within the tank.   He placed the shark in one area and smaller fish in the other section.

The shark quickly attacked, but then he bounced off the fiberglass. The shark kept on repeating this behavior. It just wouldn’t stop trying.

While the small fish in the other section remained unharmed and carefree, after about an hour, the shark finally gave up. 

This experiment was repeated several dozen times over the next few weeks. Each time, the shark got less aggressive. Eventually, the shark got tired and simply stopped attacking altogether.

The marine biologist then removed the fiberglass. The shark, however, didn’t attack. Instead, it was trained to believe in the existence of a barrier between it and the baitfish.

The moral: After experiencing setbacks and failures, many of us emotionally give up and stop trying. Like the shark, we choose to stay with past failures and believe that we will always be unsuccessful. We build a barrier in our heads, even when no ‘real’ barrier between where we are and where we want to go. Don’t give up. Keep trying because success may be just a try away.

11. The Old Carpenter

A carpenter with years of experience was ready to retire. He communicated with his contractor about his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely retired life with his wife and family. The contractor felt a little upset that his excellent and experienced carpenter was leaving the job, but he requested the carpenter to build just one more house for him.

The carpenter agreed with the contractor, but his heart was not in his work like it used to be. He resorted to shoddy craftmanship and used inferior materials for building the last house of his career. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter completed the house and the employer came to inspect the home.

He looked around the house, and just before he exited the house, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” This was a massive surprise to the carpenter. Although it was supposed to be a good surprise, he wasn’t feeling good as he felt a deep shame inside him. If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in a home that wasn’t built that well.

Moral : Like the carpenter, we build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less rather than the best. Give your best. Your attitudes and the choices you make today will be your life tomorrow; build it wisely.

12. Build like a Child

On a warm summer at a beautiful beach, a little boy on his knees scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bucket. He upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. He works all afternoon spooning out the moat, packing the walls, and building sentries with bottle tops and bridges with Popsicle sticks. Finally, with his hours of hard work on the beach, a sandcastle will be made.

In a big city with busy streets and rumbling traffic, a man works in an office.   He shuffles papers into stacks, delegates assignments, cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers. He juggles with numbers, contracts get signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life, he will work. He was formulating the plans and forecasting the future. His annuities will be sentries, and Capital gains will be bridged. An empire will be built.

The two builders of the two castles have very much in common. They both shape granules into grandeurs. They both make something beautiful out of nothing. They both are very diligent and determined to build their world. And for both, the tide will rise, and the end will come. Yet, that is where the similarities cease. The little boy sees the end of his castle while the man ignores it. As the dusk approaches and the waves near, the child jumps to his feet and begins to clap as the waves wash away his masterpiece. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He is not surprised; he knew this would happen. He smiles, picks up his tools and takes his father’s hand, and goes home.

The man in his sophisticated office is not very wise like the child. As the wave of years collapses on his empire, he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He tries to block the waves with the walls he made. He snarls at the incoming tide. “It’s my castle,” he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs.

Go ahead and build your dreams, but build with a child’s heart. When the sun sets, and the tides take – applaud. Salute the process of life and go home with a smile.

13. A   cup and   coffee 

A group of highly established alumni got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation among them soon turned into complaints about their stressful work and life. The professor went to his kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups, including porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive and some exquisite. The professor told them to help themselves with the coffee.

After all the students had a cup of coffee in their hands, the professor said: “Did you notice all the nice looking cups are taken, and only the plain inexpensive ones are left behind. While it is normal for everyone to want the best for themselves, but that is the source of problems and stress in your life. “The cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most of the cases, it’s just more expensive and hides what we drink.”, the professor continued.

“What   all of you wanted was coffee, not the cup, but all of you consciously went for good-looking expensive cups and then began eyeing on each other’s cups.”

“Let’s consider that life is the coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position are the cups. However, the type of cup we have does not define or change the quality of our lives.”

Moral: Sometimes, we fail to enjoy the coffee by concentrating only on the cup we have. Being happy doesn’t mean everything’s around you is perfect. It means you’ve decided to see beyond the imperfections and find peace. And the peace lies within you, not in your career, jobs, or the houses you have.

14. A funny Joke

Once a wise man held a seminar to teach people how to get rid of sorrows in their life. Many people gathered to hear the wise man’s words. The man entered the room and told a hilarious joke to the crowd. The crowd roared in laughter.

After a couple of minutes, he told them the same joke, and only a few of them smiled.

When he told the same joke for the third time, no one laughed anymore.

The wise man smiled and said,” You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why do you cry over the same problem over and over?”

15. Two Neighbors

A wise and successful man bought a beautiful house with a vast orchard. But, not all were happy for him. An envious man lived in an old house next to him. He constantly tried to make his fellow neighbor’s stay in the beautiful house as miserable as possible. He threw garbage under his gate and did other nasty things.

One fine day the wise man woke up in a good mood and went into the porch to notice buckets of garbage thrown there. The man took a bucket, and cleaned his porch. He carried a bucket and went to knock on his envious neighbor’s door. 

The envious neighbor heard a knock at his door and gleefully thought, “I finally got him!”. He answered his door, ready to quarrel with his prosperous neighbor.   However, the wise man gave him a bucket of freshly picked apples, saying, “The one who is rich in something, shares it with others.”

16. Changing Vision

There once lived a wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians,   but none could treat his ache.   He went through a myriad of treatment procedures, but his pain persisted with more vigor. He looked for every available solution for his pain and approached a wise monk renowned for treating various illnesses. The monk carefully observed the man’s eyes and offered a very peculiar solution.

The monk told the man to concentrate only on the green color for a few weeks and avoid other colors. The man was desperate to get rid of the pain and was determined, ready to go to any extent. The wealthy man appointed a group of painters, purchased green paint barrels and directed that every object, his eye was likely to fall to be painted green.

After a few weeks, the monk came to visit the man to follow up on the man’s progress. As the monk walked towards the man’s room, the appointed painter poured a bucket of green paint on the monk.   The monk could see that the whole corridor and the room were painted green. As the monk inquired about the reason for painting everything green, the wealthy man said that he was only following the monk’s advice to look at only green.

Hearing this, the monk laughed and said, “If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles worth just a few dollars, You could have saved a large share of your fortune. You cannot paint the world green.”

Moral: Let us change our vision, and the world will appear accordingly.

17. A boat for all feelings

Once there was an island where all the feelings and emotions lived together. One day a big storm from the sea was about to drown the island. Every emotion on the island was scared, but Love made a boat to escape. All the feelings jumped in the boat except for one sense. Love got down to see who it was. It was Ego! Love tried its best to bring Ego to the boat, but Ego didn’t move. Everyone asked Love to leave Ego and come in the boat, but Love was meant to Love. It remained with Ego. All other feelings were left alive, but Love died because of Ego!

18. Waiting for rabbit suicide

Once there lived a lazy farmer who did not enjoy working hard in the fields. He spent his days napping under a tree. One day, while he was resting under a tree, a fox came chasing a rabbit. There was a loud THUMP–the rabbit had crashed into the tree and died.

The farmer picked up the dead rabbit and took it home, frustrating the hell out of the fox. The farmer cooked and ate the rabbit for dinner and sold its fur at the market. The farmer thought to himself, “If I could get a rabbit-like that every day, I’d never have to work again.”

The next day, the farmer went right back to the tree and waited for another rabbit to die similarly. He saw a few rabbits, but none of them ran into the tree-like before. Indeed, it was a very rare incident, but the farmer did not realize it. “Oh well,” he thought cheerfully, “There’s always tomorrow.” Since he was just waiting for the rabbit to hit a tree and die, he did not give any attention to his field. Weeds grew in his rice field. Soon, the farmer had to be hungry as he ran out of his rice and never caught any other rabbit too.

Moral: Do not wait for good things to come without doing anything. Do not give your life to luck without working for success.

19. Twenty Dollar Bill

A well-known speaker started his seminar by holding up a brand new twenty-dollar bill. In the room filled with people, he asked if anyone would like to have his $20 bill. Hands in the rooms started going up. He crumpled and crumbled the bill and asked the crowd if anyone was still interested in having the bill. The hands were still up, signing that people still wanted the crumpled $20 bill.

He then dropped the bill on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked up, now crumpled and dirty $20 bill. “Does anyone still wants the bill?” he asked. Still, the hands went into the air.

The speaker said, “Today, we have all learned a valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the bill, you still wanted it because it did not lose its value.”

“Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as if we are worthless, but no matter what happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.”

Moral: Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, we are priceless. The worth of our lives comes not from where we are from or who we know, but from who we are.

20. The Little Wave:

A little wave was bobbing along in the ocean and was having a grand old time. He was enjoying the wind and the fresh air as it traveled– until he noticed that all the other waves in front of him were crashing against the shore. “Oh My God, this terrible,” The little wave thought. “Look what is happening to all the other waves, and I will have to face the same fate!”

When the little wave was in a state of panic, another wave came across and asked the little wave, “Why are you distressed, my friend?”

The little wave said, “We are all going to crash against the shore and face our end! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?”

The second wave answered with a smile, “No, you don’t understand. You’re not just a wave; you are a part of the ocean.”

21. Start with yourself

The following words were written on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in the Crypts of Westminster Abbey: 

When I was young and free, and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable. 

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. 

And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed my life first, then by example, I would have changed my family.

From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world.

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8 Epic Journeys in Literature

Reading Lists

Micheline aharonian marcom, author of "the new american," recommends quest stories.

The journey story, where the hero must venture out into the world for reasons not necessarily entirely of his/her own devising, is likely as old as recorded literature.

Of course the journey story can also be understood as an allegory of the self, or soul, and its evolution in a lifetime, for storytelling is always an act, as Ann Carson says, “of symbolization.” In this sense, the journey story not only narrates the material events of a life, but also the interior transformations an individual undergoes.

As I wrote my seventh novel, The New American —which takes up the story of a young Guatemalan American college student at UC Berkeley, a DREAMer who is deported to Guatemala and his journey back home to California—I thought a lot about these kinds of archetypal stories in imaginative literature. Here are a few of my favorites. 

The Epic of Gilgamesh, or He Who Saw Deep translated by Andrew George

The epic poem, one of oldest works of world literature, was composed in its earliest versions over 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and written in Babylonian cuneiform on clay tablets. Much of the reason it is lesser known than the younger works of Homer is because the epic itself was not rediscovered until 1853, cuneiform was not deciphered until 1857, and it wasn’t well translated until 1912. Fragments of the story on stone tablets continue to be found in modern-day Turkey, Iraq and Syria.

The basic story follows the King Gilgamesh of Uruk (modern-day Warka, Iraq) and his friendship with the wild man Enkidu. They undergo various battles including fighting and defeating the bull of heaven. Later, upon Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh journeys to the edge of the earth where he goes in search of the secret of eternal life and, not finding it, returns home to Uruk having in some manner, in spite of life’s sorrows and travails, made peace with his own mortality.

“Ever do we build our households, ever do we make our nests, ever do brothers divide their inheritance, ever do feuds arise in the land. Ever the river has risen and brought us the flood, the mayfly floating on the water. On the face of the sun its countenance gazes, then all of sudden nothing is there!”

The Odyssey by Homer

Written down, along with the Iliad , soon after the invention of the Greek alphabet around the 8 th -century BCE, the epic poem sings of Odysseus’ return home after the Trojan War and his encounters with monsters, the Sirens, shipwrecks, and captivity by Calypso on her island until he finally makes it back to Ithaca. Because the poem survived more or less continuously until modern times and has had influence in so many cultures for millennia (unlike the more recently rediscovered and older Gilgamesh ), there’s no need to reiterate a narrative which so many of us already know, either directly or through the many stories the poem has inspired and influenced. One of my favorite moments comes in Book 14 when Odysseus finally makes it to Ithaca after ten years of traveling and, disguised as a beggar, seeks out Eumaeus the swineherd, who, not recognizing Odysseus, asks “But come…tell me of thine own sorrows, and declare me this truly, that I may know full well. Who art thou among men, and from whence?” These lines have seemed to me to in some way encapsulate some of storytelling’s most basic questions across the ages. 

The Divine Comedy by Dante

Written after Dante had been sent into exile from his beloved city of Florence, the Commedia tells of the pilgrim’s descent into hell, his travel through purgatory, and eventually his ascent to paradise, with the Roman poet Virgil as his first guide, and later his beloved, Beatrice. The Commedia —the adjective “divine” in the title wasn’t added for several hundred years—begins with “Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita/mi ritrovai per una selva oscura” which can be translated from the Italian to “Midway through the road of our life I found myself in a dark wood.” This is another line from literature that has haunted me for years, not only for the allegorical  “dark wood” many of us might at times find ourselves lost in, but at Dante’s strange use of the word “our” even though the Commedia will tell of one pilgrim’s journey and search for the right way. The first person plural points, I think, to the common story of seeking meaning, understanding, and wisdom, and how in the case of this beautiful work, the company of literature with its manner of encoding in the song of language (even if you don’t speak Italian, read a few lines out loud and you can hear the poem’s rhythms) is a blessing in any reader’s life’s journey. 

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, translated by John Rutherford

Alfonso Quixano has read too many chivalric romances (popular in 15 th and 16 th -century Europe), has gone mad from his reading, and now confuses reality with fantasy: he imagines himself the knight-errant Don Quixote and he determines to set off in search of adventure. From that premise, we journey through the countryside with our knight errant and his squire, Sancho Panza, as they slay giants (windmills) and defend the honor of his lady-love, Dulcinea del Toboso (a neighboring farm girl), who doesn’t actually ever appear in the story. In addition to being an amusing, laugh-out-loud tour de force of strange encounters as the pair travel across La Mancha, the reality of the violence, ignorance, and venality—not of Don Quixote, but of the society in which he lives in 17 th -century Spain—of corrupted clergy, greedy merchants, deluded scholars, and the like, is on full display. To this day, Don Quixote continues to reveal the joyous role of reading in our lives, how fictions make for all kinds of realities, and how very often it is the fool who sees the truth.

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams—this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness—and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”

Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih

Tayeb Salih’s mid 20th-century masterpiece is narrated by an unnamed young scholar who returns from England to his village on the Nile after seven years of study abroad and encounters a mysterious newcomer, Mustafa Sa’eed, who also lived for many years in the north. The novel takes up the many complexities and legacies of colonialism in post 1960s Sudan, the difficulties of encroaching modernity, the tragedy of Sa’eed’s life in England, and the intricate web of communal relationships in a traditional village. It is some of the women characters, especially the irreverent and bawdy storyteller, Bint Majzoub, very much like a storyteller out of the Nights , who regales the elder male listeners with bawdy tales, that has stayed in my imagination since I first read the book a decade ago. But it is the style of the book, its formal narrative complexity and interplay, the beauty of its prose, its deep and complex interrogation of the self in the world, that have made it a book I continue to return to. “How strange! How ironic! Just because a man has been created on the Equator some mad people regard him as a slave, others as a god. Where lies the mean?”

The Bear by William Faulkner

The journey here is into the woods to hunt Old Ben, the last remaining brown bear of his kind and stature in the quickly diminishing woods of Mississippi at the turn of the 19 th -century. As with so much of Faulkner’s work, the writing is sublime, the form strange, the land is a character, and we witness the maw of industrial capitalism as it reduces everything—animals, the land, people—to a ledger of profits and loss. The last scene of the illiterate woodsman, Boon, in a clearing—the land by then has been sold, Old Ben is dead, and loggers will imminently cut the remainder of the old woods down—sitting beneath a lone tree with squirrels running up and down its trunk screaming “They’re mine!” has long haunted me.  

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

Italian writer Italo Calvino’s fantastical novel is about the imagined conversations between the 13th-century Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, and the Tartar Emperor Kublai Khan of the cities Polo has seen during his travels. The book, however, is mostly made up of descriptions of cities—fantastical forays not into any visible or historical cities, but imaginary invented ones: both ones that might have been and could be, and ones which perhaps did or do exist but are now transformed by the lens of story and distilled to their strange often wondrous essences. Calvino reminds us in this glorious book how the stories we tell greatly shape our thinking, our cultural formations, our views. “You take delight not in a city’s seven or seventy wonders, but in the answer it gives to a question of yours.”

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

When I think of Hurston I recall her description in her essay “ How It Feels to Be Colored Me ” of the “cosmic Zora” who would emerge at times as she walked down Seventh Avenue, her hat set at a certain angle, who belonged “to no race nor time. I am the eternal feminine with its string of beads.” In Hurston’s extraordinary novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God , the eternal and timeless qualities of imaginative literature are on full display in the very specific groundings of place and time, spoken language and culture. The book opens with Janie Crawford recounting her life story to her friend Pheoby upon her return to the all-Black town of Eatonville, Florida. The book, set in the 1930s, follows Janie’s narration of her early life, her three marriages (the last for love), and the many trials she undergoes including the death of her beloved during her travels, before she finally returns changed, wiser, independent. “You got tuh go there tuh know there…Two things everybody’s got tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves.”

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• Essay Editor

How to Write a Story About My Life Essay

Your life story is a unique tapestry of experiences, emotions, and milestones. Here's a guide on weaving these elements into a compelling narrative:

How do I write a story about my life essay? Writing about your life is an introspective journey. Reflect on milestones such as: "In 2005, my family embarked on a cross-country move from New York to California. This was not just a physical journey, but an emotional one as we navigated cultural shifts and personal growth."

How do you write a life story example? Narrative snippets can bring your essay to life. Consider: "Amid the aroma of my grandmother's kitchen, where the scent of fresh-baked bread intertwined with stories of her youth in Italy, I realized the importance of preserving family narratives."

How do you write a story essay? For instance: "As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over our beach campfire, my friend Sarah started narrating her unexpected escapade in the jungles of Borneo. With every twist and turn, we were gripped, realizing that sometimes life's best stories are unplanned."

What is life simple essay? Life's moments can be captured in simple narratives. Reflect upon: "Last winter, while walking my dog Max, we came across a frozen pond. Watching children gleefully slide across it, I was reminded of life's fleeting moments of joy and the importance of seizing them."

How do you write a short life story about yourself? Begin with defining moments: "When I was ten, I found a wounded bird in our backyard. Nursing it back to health didn't just kindle my love for animals but taught me compassion and patience."

How can I write about myself example? Use varied experiences: "From scaling the rocky terrains of Colorado, immersing myself in the bustling streets of Tokyo, to teaching underprivileged kids in my hometown, each experience has crafted a chapter of my ever-evolving life story."

What is our story? "In college, Lisa and I teamed up for a project on Renaissance art. Not only did we ace it, but our shared admiration for art and culture fostered a bond that turned two classmates into lifelong friends."

How do you start an interesting story example? Set the scene vividly: "It was on a cold, foggy night in London when I stumbled upon an old bookstore. Little did I know, this store harbored secrets that would lead me on a whirlwind adventure."

How do you write a successful story? Use emotions to captivate: "As Maria gazed upon the old photograph, tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't just an image; it was a time capsule transporting her back to summers spent at her grandparents' cottage."

How do you write an example essay? Support your arguments with real-life instances: "In arguing the importance of community, I often reflect on the time my neighbors came together post a hurricane, showcasing unity and resilience."

What life means to me example? "Life, for me, is a mosaic of memories – from the giggles shared over childhood pranks to the solace found in solitary walks during challenging times."

Frequently Asked Questions

• What makes a personal life story essay engaging? True stories resonate best. Pouring genuine emotions, raw experiences, and candid reflections into your narrative makes it universally relatable.
• How can I avoid making my life story essay sound boastful? Maintain a balance. Celebrate achievements, but also shed light on challenges, lessons learned, and moments of vulnerability.
• What tense should I use when writing my life story? Past tense is often used, but present tense can create immediacy when sharing thoughts.
• How personal should I get in my life story essay? Authenticity is engaging, but set boundaries on details you share.
• Is chronological order essential in a life essay? Not necessarily. Chronology provides clarity, but thematic or importance-based sequencing can be impactful.
• Can I incorporate dialogues in my life story essay? Absolutely! Dialogues make moments come alive and give insights into character dynamics.
• Should I conclude with a lesson in my life story? Ending with a reflection or lesson provides closure and a takeaway for readers.

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Hero's Journey 101: How to Use the Hero's Journey to Plot Your Story

By Dan Schriever

How many times have you heard this story? A protagonist is suddenly whisked away from their ordinary life and embarks on a grand adventure. Along the way they make new friends, confront perils, and face tests of character. In the end, evil is defeated, and the hero returns home a changed person.

That’s the Hero’s Journey in a nutshell. It probably sounds very familiar—and rightly so: the Hero’s Journey aspires to be the universal story, or monomyth, a narrative pattern deeply ingrained in literature and culture. Whether in books, movies, television, or folklore, chances are you’ve encountered many examples of the Hero’s Journey in the wild.

In this post, we’ll walk through the elements of the Hero’s Journey step by step. We’ll also study an archetypal example from the movie The Matrix (1999). Once you have mastered the beats of this narrative template, you’ll be ready to put your very own spin on it.

Sound good? Then let’s cross the threshold and let the journey begin.

What Is the Hero’s Journey?

The 12 stages of the hero’s journey, writing your own hero’s journey.

The Hero’s Journey is a common story structure for modeling both plot points and character development. A protagonist embarks on an adventure into the unknown. They learn lessons, overcome adversity, defeat evil, and return home transformed.

Joseph Campbell , a scholar of literature, popularized the monomyth in his influential work The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949). Looking for common patterns in mythological narratives, Campbell described a character arc with 17 total stages, overlaid on a more traditional three-act structure. Not all need be present in every myth or in the same order.

The three stages, or acts, of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey are as follows:

1. Departure. The hero leaves the ordinary world behind.

2. Initiation. The hero ventures into the unknown ("the Special World") and overcomes various obstacles and challenges.

3. Return. The hero returns in triumph to the familiar world.

Hollywood has embraced Campbell’s structure, most famously in George Lucas’s Star Wars movies. There are countless examples in books, music, and video games, from fantasy epics and Disney films to sports movies.

In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1992), screenwriter Christopher Vogler adapted Campbell’s three phases into the "12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey." This is the version we’ll analyze in the next section.

For writers, the purpose of the Hero’s Journey is to act as a template and guide. It’s not a rigid formula that your plot must follow beat by beat. Indeed, there are good reasons to deviate—not least of which is that this structure has become so ubiquitous.

Still, it’s helpful to master the rules before deciding when and how to break them. The 12 steps of the Hero's Journey are as follows :

• The Ordinary World
• The Call of Adventure
• Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• Reward (Seizing the Sword)
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir

Let’s take a look at each stage in more detail. To show you how the Hero’s Journey works in practice, we’ll also consider an example from the movie The Matrix (1999). After all, what blog has not been improved by a little Keanu Reeves?

#1: The Ordinary World

This is where we meet our hero, although the journey has not yet begun: first, we need to establish the status quo by showing the hero living their ordinary, mundane life.

It’s important to lay the groundwork in this opening stage, before the journey begins. It lets readers identify with the hero as just a regular person, “normal” like the rest of us. Yes, there may be a big problem somewhere out there, but the hero at this stage has very limited awareness of it.

The Ordinary World in The Matrix :

We are introduced to Thomas A. Anderson, aka Neo, programmer by day, hacker by night. While Neo runs a side operation selling illicit software, Thomas Anderson lives the most mundane life imaginable: he works at his cubicle, pays his taxes, and helps the landlady carry out her garbage.

#2: The Call to Adventure

The journey proper begins with a call to adventure—something that disrupts the hero’s ordinary life and confronts them with a problem or challenge they can’t ignore. This can take many different forms.

While readers may already understand the stakes, the hero is realizing them for the first time. They must make a choice: will they shrink from the call, or rise to the challenge?

The Call to Adventure in The Matrix :

A mysterious message arrives in Neo’s computer, warning him that things are not as they seem. He is urged to “follow the white rabbit.” At a nightclub, he meets Trinity, who tells him to seek Morpheus.

#3: Refusal of the Call

Oops! The hero chooses option A and attempts to refuse the call to adventure. This could be for any number of reasons: fear, disbelief, a sense of inadequacy, or plain unwillingness to make the sacrifices that are required.

A little reluctance here is understandable. If you were asked to trade the comforts of home for a life-and-death journey fraught with peril, wouldn’t you give pause?

Refusal of the Call in The Matrix :

Agents arrive at Neo’s office to arrest him. Morpheus urges Neo to escape by climbing out a skyscraper window. “I can’t do this… This is crazy!” Neo protests as he backs off the ledge.

#4: Meeting the Mentor

Okay, so the hero got cold feet. Nothing a little pep talk can’t fix! The mentor figure appears at this point to give the hero some much needed counsel, coaching, and perhaps a kick out the door.

After all, the hero is very inexperienced at this point. They’re going to need help to avoid disaster or, worse, death. The mentor’s role is to overcome the hero’s reluctance and prepare them for what lies ahead.

Meeting the Mentor in The Matrix :

Neo meets with Morpheus, who reveals a terrifying truth: that the ordinary world as we know it is a computer simulation designed to enslave humanity to machines.

#5: Crossing the First Threshold

At this juncture, the hero is ready to leave their ordinary world for the first time. With the mentor’s help, they are committed to the journey and ready to step across the threshold into the special world . This marks the end of the departure act and the beginning of the adventure in earnest.

This may seem inevitable, but for the hero it represents an important choice. Once the threshold is crossed, there’s no going back. Bilbo Baggins put it nicely: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Crossing the First Threshold in The Matrix :

Neo is offered a stark choice: take the blue pill and return to his ordinary life none the wiser, or take the red pill and “see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and is extracted from the Matrix, entering the real world .

#6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Now we are getting into the meat of the adventure. The hero steps into the special world and must learn the new rules of an unfamiliar setting while navigating trials, tribulations, and tests of will. New characters are often introduced here, and the hero must navigate their relationships with them. Will they be friend, foe, or something in between?

Broadly speaking, this is a time of experimentation and growth. It is also one of the longest stages of the journey, as the hero learns the lay of the land and defines their relationship to other characters.

Wondering how to create captivating characters? Read our guide , which explains how to shape characters that readers will love—or hate.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies in The Matrix :

Neo is introduced to the vagabond crew of the Nebuchadnezzar . Morpheus informs Neo that he is The One , a savior destined to liberate humanity. He learns jiu jitsu and other useful skills.

#7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

Time to get a little metaphorical. The inmost cave isn’t a physical cave, but rather a place of great danger—indeed, the most dangerous place in the special world . It could be a villain’s lair, an impending battle, or even a mental barrier. No spelunking required.

Broadly speaking, the approach is marked by a setback in the quest. It becomes a lesson in persistence, where the hero must reckon with failure, change their mindset, or try new ideas.

Note that the hero hasn’t entered the cave just yet. This stage is about the approach itself, which the hero must navigate to get closer to their ultimate goal. The stakes are rising, and failure is no longer an option.

Approach to the Inmost Cave in The Matrix :

Neo pays a visit to The Oracle. She challenges Neo to “know thyself”—does he believe, deep down, that he is The One ? Or does he fear that he is “just another guy”? She warns him that the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

#8: The Ordeal

The ordeal marks the hero’s greatest test thus far. This is a dark time for them: indeed, Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, which causes them to hit rock bottom.

This is a pivotal moment in the story, the main event of the second act. It is time for the hero to come face to face with their greatest fear. It will take all their skills to survive this life-or-death crisis. Should they succeed, they will emerge from the ordeal transformed.

Keep in mind: the story isn’t over yet! Rather, the ordeal is the moment when the protagonist overcomes their weaknesses and truly steps into the title of hero .

The Ordeal in The Matrix :

When Cipher betrays the crew to the agents, Morpheus sacrifices himself to protect Neo. In turn, Neo makes his own choice: to risk his life in a daring rescue attempt.

#9: Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The ordeal was a major level-up moment for the hero. Now that it's been overcome, the hero can reap the reward of success. This reward could be an object, a skill, or knowledge—whatever it is that the hero has been struggling toward. At last, the sword is within their grasp.

From this moment on, the hero is a changed person. They are now equipped for the final conflict, even if they don’t fully realize it yet.

Reward (Seizing the Sword) in The Matrix :

Neo’s reward is helpfully narrated by Morpheus during the rescue effort: “He is beginning to believe.” Neo has gained confidence that he can fight the machines, and he won’t back down from his destiny.

#10: The Road Back

We’re now at the beginning of act three, the return . With the reward in hand, it’s time to exit the inmost cave and head home. But the story isn’t over yet.

In this stage, the hero reckons with the consequences of act two. The ordeal was a success, but things have changed now. Perhaps the dragon, robbed of his treasure, sets off for revenge. Perhaps there are more enemies to fight. Whatever the obstacle, the hero must face them before their journey is complete.

The Road Back in The Matrix :

The rescue of Morpheus has enraged Agent Smith, who intercepts Neo before he can return to the Nebuchadnezzar . The two foes battle in a subway station, where Neo’s skills are pushed to their limit.

#11: Resurrection

Now comes the true climax of the story. This is the hero’s final test, when everything is at stake: the battle for the soul of Gotham, the final chance for evil to triumph. The hero is also at the peak of their powers. A happy ending is within sight, should they succeed.

Vogler calls the resurrection stage the hero’s “final exam.” They must draw on everything they have learned and prove again that they have really internalized the lessons of the ordeal . Near-death escapes are not uncommon here, or even literal deaths and resurrections.

Resurrection in The Matrix :

Despite fighting valiantly, Neo is defeated by Agent Smith and killed. But with Trinity’s help, he is resurrected, activating his full powers as The One . Isn’t it wonderful how literal The Matrix can be?

#12: Return with the Elixir

Hooray! Evil has been defeated and the hero is transformed. It’s time for the protagonist to return home in triumph, and share their hard-won prize with the ordinary world . This prize is the elixir —the object, skill, or insight that was the hero’s true reward for their journey and transformation.

Return with the Elixir in The Matrix :

Neo has defeated the agents and embraced his destiny. He returns to the simulated world of the Matrix, this time armed with god-like powers and a resolve to open humanity’s eyes to the truth.

If you’re writing your own adventure, you may be wondering: should I follow the Hero’s Journey structure?

The good news is, it’s totally up to you. Joseph Campbell conceived of the monomyth as a way to understand universal story structure, but there are many ways to outline a novel. Feel free to play around within its confines, adapt it across different media, and disrupt reader expectations. It’s like Morpheus says: “Some of these rules can be bent. Others can be broken.”

Think of the Hero’s Journey as a tool. If you’re not sure where your story should go next, it can help to refer back to the basics. From there, you’re free to choose your own adventure.

Are you prepared to write your novel? Download this free book now:

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So you are ready to write your novel. excellent. but are you prepared the last thing you want when you sit down to write your first draft is to lose momentum., this guide helps you work out your narrative arc, plan out your key plot points, flesh out your characters, and begin to build your world..

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77 Positive and Inspiring Journey Quotes

Embark on a journey of a lifetime with these inspiring journey quotes. Life’s a thrilling ride, filled with ups and downs.

It’s about braving the storms and cherishing time spent with loved ones.

So whether your path is spiritual, an exciting travel adventure, or just starting something new in life, let these quotes fuel your spirit for exploration and discovery.

Journey quotes to begin your path towards greatness

1. “Never give up on your dreams, no matter how painful and difficult your journey is.” – Lisa

2. “The journey is never ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown

3. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

4. “Sometimes its more about the journey than the destination.” – Jamal Crawford

5. “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Ashe

6. “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

New journey quotes to inspire your success

7. “Not all those who wander are lost.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

8. “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake

9. “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

10. “Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

11. “Struggle teaches you a lot of things, and I am happy that I witnessed a roller coaster ride. The journey has improved me as a person and made me more matrure.” – Manoj Bajpayee

12. “Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.” – Henri Frederic Amiel

Life is a journey quotes

13. “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” – Oliver Goldsmith

14. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

15. “Learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it.” – Lolly Daskal

16. “Life is a journey that have a lot of different paths, but any path you choose, use it as your destiny.” – Unknown

17. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

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18. “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

19. “Everyday you got a chance to make your journey more beautiful than yesterday.” – Nitin Namdeo

20. “Every day is a journey and the journey itself is home.” – Matsuo Basho

21. “Everybody has their own story; everything has their own journey.” – Thalia

Enjoy the journey quotes

22. “Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.” – Marshall Sylver

23. “Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame.” – Benedict Cumberbatch

24. “Enjoy the journey and try to get better everyday. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

25. “Enjoy the journey, the destination will come.” – Verghese

26. “Don’t wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to enjoy your life.” – Joyce Meyer

27. “Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey.” – Urijah Faber

28. “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey

29. “Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kochar

30. “Enjoy the journey, enjoy every moment, and quit worrying about winning and losing.” – Matt Biondi

31. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey.” – Babs Hoffman

32. “I haven’t been everywhere but its on my list.” – Susan Sontag

33. “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” – Les Brown

Inspirational journey quotes

34. “You can never regret anything you do in life. You kind of have to learn the lesson from whatever the experience is and take it with you on your journey forward.” – Aubrey O’Day

35. “Life is a journey. When we stop, things don’t go right.” – Pope Francis

36. “There’s no map for you to follow and take your journey. You are Lewis and Clark. You are the mapmaker.” – Phillipa Soo

37. “I’m different than most people. When I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I’m thinking about what I’m going to do tomorrow. It’s as if my journey is everlasting, and there is no finish line.” – David Goggins

38. “We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.” – Marcel Proust

39. “Though the road’s been rocky it sure feels good to me.” – Bob Marley

40. “We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.” – Earl Nightingale

41. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs

42. “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.” – Enoch Powell

Motivational journey quotes 

43. “Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.” – Tennessee Williams

44. “Gotta take that adventure in order to understand your journey.” – Jennifer Pierre

45. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

46. “The beauty of my journey is that it’s always been pretty unpredictable, so stay tuned.” – Andreja Pejic

47. “The journey not the arrival matters.” – T.S. Eliot

48. “The future depends on what you do today.” – Mahatma Gandhi

49. “The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.” – Unknown

50. “Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.” – Theodore Roosevelt

51. “The harder you work from something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” – Sudhashree Acharya

52. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy

53. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – ILHQ

54. “When setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home.” – Rumi

Positive journey quotes

55. “You may only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

56. “Every day you got a chance to make your journey more beautiful than yesterday.” – Nitin Namdeo

57. “Stay positive. Better days are on their way.” – Unknown

58. “Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.” – Ralph Marston

59. “You make a life out of what you have, not what you’re missing.” – Kate Morton

60. “Every sunset is an opportunity to reset. Every sunrise begins with new eyes.” – Richie Norton

61. “Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.” – Drew Barrymore

62. “Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.” – Asha Tyson

63. “And suddenty you know…It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart

64. “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” – Dolly Parton

65. “Your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.” – Michelle Obama

66. “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

67. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

Journey of life quotes

68. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins

69. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

70. “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

71. “You take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing, no one to blame.” – Erica Jong

72. “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather

73. “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

74. “Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger, and living a fulfilling, happier & healthier life.” – Germany Kent

75. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

76. “Our lives are the journey we take to find our true selves!” – Alyssa Gonzalez

77. “Your braver than you believe, stronger that you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne

Which of these journey quotes were your favorites?

We all have the potential within us to be great.

But greatness isn’t about luck. It’s a choice.

We must choose to succeed and take steps towards it.

Remember, the path to success is a journey, not a quick leap.

Let these quotes inspire you to stay focused on your goals and dreams, no matter what obstacles get in your way along the path.

Helping people and eating tacos are my jam! This blog exists to help provide tips and resources that can help you achieve your goals and live a better life. Whether you’re looking for tips on personal growth, fitness, advice on starting a side hustle, or resources for working remotely, I’ve got you covered.

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Life is a journey — 15 inspirational quotes to make you treasure it

Life is not one but many journeys. here are quotes to help you treasure every journey you take in life..

Sunday September 13, 2020 , 3 min Read

All of us have heard it — “Life is a journey” — so many times. It’s not a singular journey though. Every person has a different experience, a different destination and itineraries to tick off. However, it's a journey that we must learn to savour, cherish and treasure.

Everyone has a different meaning to their journey as well. Life’s journey is filled with roadblocks and achievements but we must savour every bit. Here are quotes to help you take on the many journeys that life has to offer.

“Because the greatest part of a road trip isn’t arriving at your destination. It's all the wild stuff that happens along the way.” – Emma Chase, author

“Sometimes the longest journey we make is the sixteen inches from our heads to our hearts.” – Elena Avila, author

“Life is an opportunity, seize the day, live each day to the fullest. Life is not a project, but a journey to be enjoyed.” – Catherine Pulsifer

“The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place.” – Barbara De Angelis, relationship consultant and author

“I haven’t a clue how my story will end, but that’s all right. When you set out on a journey and night covers the road, that’s when you discover the stars.” – Nancy Willard, writer

“Embrace your life journey with gratitude, so that how you travel your path is more important than reaching your ultimate destination.” – Rosalene Glickman, author and entrepreneur

“If ever there was a metaphor to illustrate the importance of the journey over the destination, it is life itself. For everyone who departs from birth is destined for death, so the journey IS life. Savour it!” – Michele Jennae, author

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ursula K Leguin, author

“Winning and losing isn’t everything; sometimes, the journey is just as important as the outcome.” – Alex Morgan, professional football player

“Life is a journey and it’s about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are, and loving who and what you are.” – Kelly McGillis, actor

“The benefits of the accomplished journey cannot be weighed in terms of perfect moments but in terms of how this journey affects and changes our character.” – Ella Maillart, adventurer, travel writer and photographer

“Learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it.” – Lolly Daskal, entrepreneur and leadership coach

Edited by Kanishk Singh

• Quotes on Life
• inspirational quotes

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51 Meaningful Quotes About How Life is a Journey

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They say that life is about the journey and not the destination. But what does that really mean?

You’ve probably heard this line a million times before, but maybe you couldn’t quite understand what it was trying to illustrate. 

The most successful people will tell you that the process of accomplishing something is far more valuable than the end result. You learn much more from all of your experiences and encounters than you do from arriving at the destination.

Ultimately, the process is the greatest reward. The sweetest moments come when you realize that you have attained the final goal because of everything you have experienced.

You look back on the mistakes, the challenges, and everything you had to endure—but you also celebrate the fact that you faced your problems head-on. Your journey through life is what makes you human.

In this article, we share with you a list of quotes about how life is a journey . We hope that, through these words, you’ll be able to enjoy everything that life has to offer. Even more so, we hope that they will inspire you to live a more meaningful and happier life .

But before we check out our list, let’s discuss how reading these quotes can get you motivated.

Table of Contents

Why Read Quotes About How Life Is a Journey?

Reading these quotes can inspire you to live a better and more fulfilling life.

They are, after all, from people who have found their journeys through life enjoyable and gratifying. There’s no better way to motivate yourself than to get inspiration from people who have already lived wonderful lives.

In the same vein, these quotes can help you appreciate the gift of life. They help you realize that you only live once, so you must relish the moments you have been given.

Finally, reading these quotes can encourage you to share your life with others. You will realize that, in order to be able to live your life to the fullest, you need someone to share both your joys and sorrows with. You require companions to fully live in the moment .

Now that you know why it’s important to read journey quotes, let us check out our list!

Meaningful Life is a Journey Quotes

• “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But by all means, keep moving.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
• “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
• “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
• “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” – Heraclitus
• “Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere – on water and land.” – Walt Whitman
• “The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between, and they took great pleasure in doing just that.” – Norton Juster
• “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” – Steve Maraboli

• “Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost.” – Erol Ozan
• “For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.” – Michelle Obama
• “I am no longer afraid of becoming lost because the journey back always reveals something new, and that is ultimately good for the artist.” – Billy Joel
• “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” – Pat Conroy
• “Never stop just because you feel defeated. The journey to the other side is attainable only after great suffering.” – Santosh Kalwar
• “There is a strange comfort in knowing that no matter what happens today, the Sun will rise again tomorrow.” – Aaron Lauritsen
• “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” – Drake
• “ Transformation is a process , and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.” – Rick Warren
• “The journey is never-ending. There’s always gonna be growth, improvement, and adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what’s right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment.” – Antonio Brown
• “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson
• “On your journey, don’t forget to smell the flowers. Take time out to notice that you are alive. You can only live one day.” – Ray Fearon

• “If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends. It simply means the river bends.” – Enoch Powell
• “It’s not an easy journey, to get to a place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place because it frees you.” – Tyler Perry
• “Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kochhar
• “Sometimes we make the process more complicated than we need to. We will never make a journey of a thousand miles by fretting about how long it will take or how hard it will be. We make the journey by taking each day step by step and then repeating it again and again until we reach our destination.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin
• “Your journey never ends. Life has a way of changing things in incredible ways.” – Alexander Volkov
• “Each one of us has our own evolution of life, and each one of us goes through different tests which are unique and challenging. But certain things are common. And we do learn things from each other's experiences. On a spiritual journey, we all have the same destination.” – A. R. Rahman
• “Going by my past journey, I am not certain where life will take me, what turns and twists will happen; nobody knows where they will end up. As life changes direction, I'll flow with it.” – Katrina Kaif
• “Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don't lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

• “But it's a journey and the sad thing is you only learn from experience, so as much as someone can tell you things, you have to go out there and make your own mistakes in order to learn.” – Emma Watson
• “The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs.” – Wally Lamb
• “Life is a journey that must be traveled no matter how bad the roads and accommodations.” – Oliver Goldsmith
• “The Sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it's here is up to us. Journey wisely.” – Alexandra Elle
• “We may run, walk, stumble. drive, or fly, but let us never lose sight of the reason for the journey, or miss a chance to see a rainbow on the way.” – Gloria Gaither
• “Whole life is a search for beauty. But, when the beauty is found inside, the search ends and a beautiful journey begins.” – Harshit Walia
• “Not everyone will understand your journey. That's okay. You're here to live your life, not to make everyone understand .” – Banksy
• “I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom.” – Les Brown
• “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” – John Bingham
• “As you journey down the path, don't forget to be present moment-by-moment and absorb the beauty and richness of simply being alive.” – Cary David Richards
• “If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all.” – Dan Rather

• “Life is a journey of either Fate or Destiny. Fate is the result of giving in to one's wounds and heartaches. Your Destiny unfolds when you rise above the challenges of your life and use them as Divine opportunities to move forward to unlock your higher potential.” – Caroline Myss
• “I know it can be tough to imagine how to get from where you are today to where you want to be tomorrow. But I’m here to tell you that change is possible if you enter into this journey with your eyes wide open, and with real intention.” – David Hauser
• “Part of the challenge that comes with striving for success is how the entire journey comes with its own fair share of failures and disappointments.” – Rupert Johnson
• “The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That's all there ever is.” – Alan Watts
• “Life is a journey and it's about growing and changing and coming to terms with who and what you are and loving who and what you are.” – Kelly McGillis
• “Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.” – Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• “I just constantly tell myself that I should be the only one to define my worth and what I'm capable of and how I perceive myself. And that I should never source that worth from other people, especially strangers on social media. They don't know who I am, the length of my journey, who I am as a person.” – Catriona Gray
• “ You have learned a lot, but there are still lots of learning for you as you journey through life. Never stop learning.” – Kate Summers

• “One of the most important things that I have learned in my 57 years is that life is all about choices. On every journey you take, you face choices. At every fork in the road, you make a choice. And it is those decisions that shape our lives.” – Mike DeWine
• “I'm different than most people. When I cross the finish line of a big race, I see that people are ecstatic, but I'm thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow. It's as if my journey is everlasting, and there is no finish line.” – David Goggins
• “The journey matters as much as the destination. By engaging at the moment on set, I've stopped rushing and now find pleasure in the collaborative process – the characters, the costumes – rather than worrying about the finished product.” – Michelle Dockery
• “It's a life's journey of finding ourselves, finding our power, and living for yourself, not for everyone else.” – Mariska Hargitay

Final Thoughts on Life & Journey

Life is a journey, and we all take different paths.

There are those who take the road less traveled and enjoy unique accomplishments, while others go with the crowd but still end up loving the lives they’ve chosen as well. Regardless of our choices, we will all have the potential to become successful in the ways we personally define success.

We hope that these quotes inspired you to enjoy your life’s journey and make it more meaningful. Enjoy the moment and live happy!

And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 63 Inspiring Walt Whitman Quotes About Life
• 51 Do What Makes You Happy Quotes for 2023
• 107 Quotes About Overcoming Adversity and Challenges in Your Life

Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success .

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Life’s Stories

How you arrange the plot points of your life into a narrative can shape who you are—and is a fundamental part of being human.

This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic , Monday through Friday. Sign up for it here.       

In Paul Murray’s novel Skippy Dies, there’s a point where the main character, Howard, has an existential crisis. “‘It’s just not how I expected my life would be,’” he says.

“‘What did you expect?’” a friend responds.

“Howard ponders this. ‘I suppose—this sounds stupid, but I suppose I thought there’d be more of a narrative arc .’”

But it’s not stupid at all. Though perhaps the facts of someone’s life, presented end to end, wouldn’t much resemble a narrative to the outside observer, the way people choose to tell the stories of their lives, to others and—crucially—to themselves, almost always does have a narrative arc. In telling the story of how you became who you are, and of who you’re on your way to becoming, the story itself becomes a part of who you are.

“Life stories do not simply reflect personality. They are personality, or more accurately, they are important parts of personality, along with other parts, like dispositional traits, goals, and values,” writes Dan McAdams, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, along with Erika Manczak, in a chapter for the APA Handbook of Personality and Social Psychology.

In the realm of narrative psychology, a person’s life story is not a Wikipedia biography of the facts and events of a life, but rather the way a person integrates those facts and events internally—picks them apart and weaves them back together to make meaning. This narrative becomes a form of identity, in which the things someone chooses to include in the story, and the way she tells it, can both reflect and shape who she is.  A life story doesn’t just say what happened, it says why it was important, what it means for who the person is, for who they’ll become, and for what happens next.

“Sometimes in cases of extreme autism, people don’t construct a narrative structure for their lives,” says Jonathan Adler, an assistant professor of psychology at Olin College of Engineering, “but the default mode of human cognition is a narrative mode.”

When people tell others about themselves, they kind of have to do it in a narrative way—that’s just how humans communicate. But when people think about their lives to themselves, is it always in a narrative way, with a plot that leads from one point to another? There’s an old adage that everyone has a book inside of them. (Christopher Hitchens once said that inside is “exactly where I think it should, in most cases, remain.” ) Is there anyone out there with a life story that’s not a story at all, but some other kind of more disjointed, avant-garde representation of their existence?

“This is an almost impossible question to address from a scientific approach,” says Monisha Pasupathi, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Utah.  Even if we are, as the writer Jonathan Gottschall put it, “storytelling animals,” what does that mean from one person to the next? Not only are there individual differences in how people think of their stories, there’s huge variation in the degree to which they engage in narrative storytelling in the first place.

“Some people write in their diaries and are very introspective, and some people are not at all,” says Kate McLean, an associate professor of psychology at Western Washington University. Journal-keeping, though a way of documenting the life story, doesn’t always make for a tightly-wound narrative. A writer I interviewed several months ago—Sarah Manguso—has kept a diary for 25 years, and still told me, “Narrative is not a mode that has ever come easily to me.”

Nevertheless, the researchers I spoke with were all convinced that even if it’s not 100 percent universal to see life as a story, it’s at least extremely common.

“I think normal, healthy adults have in common that they can all produce a life story,” Pasupathi says. “They can all put one together … In order to have relationships, we’ve all had to tell little pieces of our story. And so it’s hard to be a human being and have relationships without having some version of a life story floating around.”

But life rarely follows the logical progression that most stories—good stories—do, where the clues come together, guns left on mantles go off at the appropriate moments, the climax comes in the third act. So narrative seems like an incongruous framing method for life’s chaos, until you remember where stories came from in the first place. Ultimately, the only material we’ve ever had to make stories out of is our own imagination, and life itself.

Storytelling, then—fictional or nonfictional, realistic or embellished with dragons—is a way of making sense of the world around us.

“Life is incredibly complex, there are lots of things going on in our environment and in our lives at all times, and in order to hold onto our experience, we need to make meaning out of it,” Adler says. “The way we do that is by structuring our lives into stories.”

It’s hardly a simple undertaking. People contain multitudes, and by multitudes, I mean libraries. Someone might have an overarching narrative for her whole life, and different narratives for different realms of her life—career, romance, family, faith. She might have narratives within each realm that intersect, diverge, or contradict each other, all of them filled with the microstories of specific events. And to truly make a life story, she’ll need to do what researchers call “autobiographical reasoning” about the events—“identifying lessons learned or insights gained in life experiences, marking development or growth through sequences of scenes, and showing how specific life episodes illustrate enduring truths about the self,” McAdams and Manczak write.

“Stories don’t have to be really simple, like fairy-tale-type narratives,” McAdams says. “They can be complicated. It can be like James Joyce out there.”

If you really like James Joyce, it might be a lot like James Joyce. People take the stories that surround them—fictional tales, news articles, apocryphal family anecdotes—then identify with them and borrow from them while fashioning their own self-conceptions. It’s a Möbius strip: Stories are life, life is stories.

People aren’t writing their life stories from  birth, though. The ability to create a life narrative takes a little while to come online—the development process gives priority to things like walking, talking, and object permanence. Young children can tell stories about isolated events, with guidance, and much of adolescence is dedicated to learning “what goes in a story … and what makes a good story in the first place,” Pasupathi says. “I don’t know how much time you’ve spent around little kids, but they really don’t understand that. I have a child who can really take an hour to tell you about Minecraft .” Through friends, family, and fiction, children learn what others consider to be good storytelling—and that being able to spin a good yarn has social value.

It’s in the late teens and early years of adulthood that story construction really picks up—because by then people have developed some of the cognitive tools they need to create a coherent life story. These include causal coherence—the ability to describe how one event led to another—and thematic coherence—the ability to identify overarching values and motifs that recur throughout the story. In a study analyzing the life stories of 8-, 12-, 16-, and 20-year-olds, these kinds of coherence were found to increase with age. As the life story enters its last chapters, it may become more set in stone. In one study by McLean , older adults had more thematic coherence, and told more stories about stability, while young adults tended to tell more stories about change.

McAdams conceives of this development as the layering of three aspects of the self. Pretty much from birth, people are “actors.” They have personality traits, they interact with the world, they have roles to play—daughter, sister, the neighbor’s new baby that cries all night and keeps you up. When they get old enough to have goals, they become “agents” too—still playing their roles and interacting with the world, but making decisions with the hopes of producing desired outcomes. And the final layer is “author,” when people begin to bundle ideas about the future with experiences from the past and present to form a narrative self.

This developmental trajectory could also explain why people enjoy different types of fictional stories at different ages. “When you’re a kid, it’s mostly about plot,” McAdams says. “This happens and this happens. You’re not tuned into the idea that a character develops.” Thus, perhaps, the appeal of cartoon characters who never get older.

Recently, McAdams says, his book club read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. “I read it in high school and hated it,” he says. “All I could remember about it was that this sled hits a tree. And we read it recently in the club, and whoa, is it fabulous. A sled does hit the tree, there’s no doubt that is a big scene, but how it changes these people’s lives and the tragedy of this whole thing, it’s completely lost on 18-year-olds. Things are lost on 8-year-olds that a 40-year-old picks up, and things that an 8-year-old found compelling and interesting will just bore a 40-year-old to tears sometimes.”

And like personal taste in books or movies, the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves are influenced by more than just, well, ourselves. The way people recount experiences to others seems to shape the way they end up remembering those events. According to Pasupathi’s research, this happens in a couple of ways. One is that people tailor the stories they tell to their audiences and the context. (For example, I tell the story of the time I crashed my mom’s car much differently now, to friends, than the way I told it to my mom at the time. Much less crying.)

The other is that the act of telling is a rehearsal of the story, Pasupathi says. “And rehearsal strengthens connections between some pieces of information in your mind and diminishes connections between others. So the things I tell you become more accessible to me and more memorable to me. Those can be pretty lasting effects.” So when people drop the cheesy pick-up line “What’s your story?” at a bar, like a man who nicks his carotid artery while shaving, they’ve accidentally hit upon something vital.

But just as there are consequences to telling, there are consequences to not telling . If someone is afraid of how people might react to a story, and they keep it to themselves, they’ll likely miss out on the enrichment that comes with a back-and-forth conversation. A listener “may give you other things to think about, or may acknowledge that this thing you thought was really bad is actually not a big deal, so you get this richer and more elaborated memory,” Pasupathi says. If you don’t tell, “your memory for that event may be less flexible and give you less chance for growth.” This is basically the premise of talk therapy.

And all of this doesn’t even account for all the conversations you plan to have, or elaborately imagine having and never have. The path from outside to inside and back out is winding, dark, and full of switchbacks.

Once certain stories get embedded into the culture, they become master narratives—blueprints for people to follow when structuring their own stories, for better or worse. One such blueprint is your standard “go to school, graduate, get a job, get married, have kids.”

That can be a helpful script in that it gives children a sense of the arc of a life, and shows them examples of tentpole events that could happen. But the downsides of standard narratives have been well-documented—they stigmatize anyone who doesn’t follow them to a T, and provide unrealistic expectations of happiness for those who do. If this approach were a blueprint for an IKEA desk instead of a life, almost everyone trying to follow it would end up with something wobbly and misshapen, with a few leftover bolts you find under the couch, boding ill for the structural integrity of the thing you built.

“I think that’s a particularly pernicious frame for people who become parents,” Pasupathi says. “That’s a narrative where the pinnacle is to get married and have kids and then everything will be sort of flatly happy from then on.”

And these scripts evolve as culture evolves. For example, in centuries past, stories of being possessed by demons might not have been out of place, but it’s unlikely most people would describe their actions in those terms nowadays.

Other common narrative structures seen in many cultures today are redemption sequences and contamination sequences. A redemption story starts off bad and ends better—“That horrible vacation ultimately brought us closer as a family”—while a contamination story does the opposite—“The cruise was amazing until we all got food poisoning.” Having redemption themes in one’s life story is generally associated with greater well-being, while contamination themes tend to coincide with poorer mental health.

Many people have some smaller stories of each type sprinkled throughout their greater life story, though a person’s disposition, culture, and environment can influence which they gravitate to. People can also see the larger arc of their lives as redemptive or contaminated, and redemption in particular is a popular, and particularly American, narrative. “Evolving from the Puritans to Ralph Waldo Emerson to Oprah Winfrey … Americans have sought to author their lives as redemptive tales of atonement, emancipation, recovery, self-fulfillment, and upward social mobility,” McAdams writes in an overview of life-story research . “The stories speak of heroic individual protagonists—the chosen people—whose manifest destiny is to make a positive difference in a dangerous world, even when the world does not wish to be redeemed.”

The redemption story is American optimism—things will get better!—and American exceptionalism—I can make things better!—and it’s in the water, in the air, and in our heads. This is actually a good thing a lot of the time. Studies have shown that finding a positive meaning in negative events is linked to a more complex sense of self and greater life satisfaction. And even controlling for general optimism, McAdams and his colleagues found that having more redemption sequences in a life story was still associated with higher well-being.

The trouble comes when redemption isn’t possible. The redemptive American tale is one of privilege, and for those who can’t control their circumstances, and have little reason to believe things will get better, it can be an illogical and unattainable choice. There are things that happen to people that cannot be redeemed.

It can be hard to share a story when it amounts to: “This happened, and it was terrible. The end.” In research McLean did, in which she asked people who’d had near-death experiences to tell their stories to others, “the people who told these unresolved stories had really negative responses,” she says. If there wasn’t some kind of uplifting, redemptive end to the story (beyond just the fact that they survived), “The listeners did not like that.

“The redemptive story is really valued in America, because for a lot of people it’s a great way to tell stories, but for people who just can’t do that, who can’t redeem their traumas for whatever reason, they’re sort of in a double bind,” she continues. “They both have this crappy story that’s hanging on, but they also can’t tell it and get acceptance or validation from people.”

In cases like this, for people who have gone through a lot of trauma, it might be better for them not to autobiographically reason about it at all.

“The first time I ever found this association, of reasoning associated with poor mental health, I thought that I had analyzed my data incorrectly,” McLean says. But after other researchers replicated her findings, she got more confident that something was going on. She thinks that people may repress traumatic events in a way that, while not ideal, is still “healthy enough.”

“The typical idea is that you can repress something but it’s going to come back and bite you if you don’t deal with it,” she says. “But that’s still under the assumption that people have the resources to deal with it.”

In one study, McLean and her colleagues interviewed adolescents attending a high school for vulnerable students. One subject, Josie, the 17-year-old daughter of a single mother, suffered from drug and alcohol abuse, bipolar disorder, rape, and a suicide attempt. She told the researchers that her self-defining memory was that her mother had promised not to have more children and then broke that promise.

“I’m the only person that I can rely on in my life because I’ve tried to rely on other people and I either get stabbed in the back or hurt, so I really know that I can only trust myself and rely on myself,” Josie said when recounting this memory.

“That’s pretty intensive reasoning,” McLean says. “So that’s meaningful in understanding who you are, but it doesn’t really give you a positive view of who you are. It may be true in the moment, but it’s not something that propels someone towards growth.”

It’s possible to over-reason about good things in your life as well. “There’s been some experimental research that shows that when people are asked to reflect on positive experiences, it makes them feel worse, because you’re like ‘Oh, why did I marry that person?’” McLean says. “Wisdom and maturity and cognitive complexity are all things that we value, but they don’t necessarily make you happy.”

Though sometimes autobiographical reasoning can lead to dark thoughts, other times it can help people find meaning. And while you may be able to avoid reasoning about a certain event, it would be pretty hard to leave all the pages of a life story unwritten.

“I think the act of framing our lives as a narrative is neither positive nor negative, it just is,” Adler says. “That said, there are better and worse ways of doing that narrative process for our mental health.”

In his research, Adler has noticed two themes in people’s stories that tend to correlate with better well-being: agency, or feeling like you are in control of your life, and communion, or feeling like you have good relationships in your life. The connection is “a little fuzzier” with communion, Adler says—there’s a strong relationship between communion and well-being at the same moment; it’s less clear if feeling communion now predicts well-being later.

But agency sure does. It makes sense, because feelings of helplessness and hopelessness are classic symptoms of depression, that feeling in control would be good for mental health. Adler did a longitudinal study of 47 adults undergoing therapy, having them write personal narratives and complete mental-health assessments over the course of 12 therapy sessions. What he found was not only that themes of agency in participants’ stories increased over time and that mental health increased, and that the two were related, but that increased agency actually appeared in stories before people’s mental health improved.

“It’s sort of like people put out a new version of themselves and lived their way into it,” Adler says.

(There’s something about the narrative form, specifically—while expressing thoughts and feelings about negative events seems to help people’s well-being, one study found that writing them in a narrative form helped more than just listing them.)

But, he continues, “I’m not like Mr. Agency, agency at all costs. I don’t believe that. If you have Stage 4 cancer, agency may be good for you, but is it a rational choice? And I do think [redemption] is good in the long term, but in the throes of really struggling with illness, I don’t know that it actually helps people.”

But I wondered: Though agency may be good for you, does seeing yourself as a strong protagonist come at a cost to the other characters in your story? Are there implications for empathy if we see other people as bit players instead of protagonists in their own right?

“That’s actually kind of an interesting empirical idea,” Pasupathi says. “I don’t know that anybody’s looking at that.”

As Adler’s work shows, people need to see themselves as actors to a certain degree. And Pasupathi’s work shows that other people play a big role in shaping life stories. The question, perhaps, is how much people recognize that their agency is not absolute.

According to one study, highly generative people—that is, people who are caring and committed to helping future generations— often tell stories about others who helped them in the past. McAdams suggests that narcissists are probably more likely to do the opposite—“People [who] are really good at talking about themselves and pushing their own narrative, but they’re not willing to listen to yours.”

“If our stories are about us as triumphant agents going through life and overcoming, and they underplay the role of other people and the role of institutional support in helping us do those things, we are likely to be less good at recognizing how other people’s lives are constrained by institutions and other people,” Pasupathi says. “I think that has real implications for how we think about inequity in our society. The more the whole world is designed to work for you, the less you are aware that it is working for you.”

It’s a dizzying problem: People use stories to make sense of life, but how much do those stories reflect life’s realities? Even allowing for the fact that people are capable of complex Joyce-ian storytelling, biases, personality differences, or emotions can lead different people to see the same event differently. And considering how susceptible humans are to false memories, who’s to say that the plot points in someone’s life story really happened, or happened the way she thought they did, or really caused the effects she saw from them?

Pasupathi’s not convinced that it matters that much whether life stories are perfectly accurate. A lot of false-memory research has to do with eyewitness testimony , where it matters a whole lot whether a person is telling a story precisely as it happened. But for narrative-psychology researchers, “What really matters isn’t so much whether it’s true in the forensic sense, in the legal sense,” she says. “What really matters is whether people are making something meaningful and coherent out of what happened. Any creation of a narrative is a bit of a lie. And some lies have enough truth.”

Organizing the past into a narrative isn’t a way just to understand the self but also to attempt to predict the future. Which is interesting, because the storytelling device that seems most incompatible with the realities of actual life is foreshadowing. Metaphors, sure. As college literature-class discussion sections taught me, you can see anything as a metaphor if you try hard enough. Motifs, definitely. Even if you’re living your life as randomly as possible, enough things will happen that, like monkeys with typewriters, patterns will start to emerge.

But no matter how hard you try, no matter how badly you want to, there is no way to truly know the future, and the world isn’t really organizing itself to give you hints. If you’re prone to overthinking, and playing out every possible scenario in your head in advance, you can see foreshadowing in everything. The look your partner gives you means a fight is on the horizon, that compliment from your boss means you’re on track for a promotion, all the little things you’ve forgotten over the years mean you’re definitely going to get dementia when you’re old.

“Actual life is full of false clues and signposts that lead nowhere,” E.M. Forster once wrote. These become obvious in the keeping of a diary: “Imagine a biography that includes not just a narrative but also all the events that failed to foreshadow,” Manguso writes in Ongoingness, the book about her 25-year diary . “ Most of what the diary includes foreshadows nothing.”

So what to do, then, with all the things that don’t fit tidily? There is evidence that finding some “unity” in your narrative identity is better, psychologically, than not finding it. And it probably is easier to just drop those things as you pull patterns from the chaos, though it may take some readjusting.

But Pasupathi rejects that. “I would want to see people do a good job of not trying to leave stuff out because they can’t make it fit,” she says. “We’re not trying to make pieces of your life go away.”

And so even with the dead ends and wrong turns, people can’t stop themselves. “We try to predict the future all the time,” Pasupathi says. She speculates that the reason there’s foreshadowing in fiction in the first place is because of this human tendency. The uncertainty of the future makes people uncomfortable , and stories are a way to deal with that.

“The future is never a direct replica of the past,” Adler says. “So we need to be able to take pieces of things that have happened to us and reconfigure them into possible futures.” For example, through experience, one learns that “We need to talk” rarely foreshadows anything good. (Life has its own clichés.)

There’s been some brain research supporting this link between the past and the future, showing that the same regions of the brain are activated when people are asked to remember something and when they’re asked to imagine an event that hasn’t happened yet. On the flip side, a patient with severe amnesia also had trouble imagining the future.

Similarly, the way someone imagines his future seems to affect the way he sees his past, at the same time as his past informs what he expects for the future.

“If you’re planning to be a doctor, and you’re a 25-year-old starting medical school, and you have expectations about what the next five to 10 years are going to be like, you’ve probably construed a narrative from your past that helps you understand how you got to this point,” McAdams says. “Then, say, you get into med school and you hate it and you drop out, you probably at the same time are going to change your past. You rewrite the history.”

A life story is written in chalk, not ink, and it can be changed. “You’re both the narrator and the main character of your story,” Adler says. “That can sometimes be a revelation—‘Oh, I’m not just living out this story; I am actually in charge of this story.’”

Whether it’s with the help of therapy, in the midst of an identity crisis, when you’ve been chasing a roadrunner of foreshadowing toward a tunnel that turns out to be painted on a wall, or slowly, methodically, day by day—like with all stories, there’s power in rewriting.

“The past is always up for grabs,” McAdams says.

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Metaphors for Life That Can Fit Your Journey

Popular Metaphor Examples to Inspire and Motivate you

• Development
• Common Examples
• Using Metaphors

Metaphors about life are figures of speech that state that one thing is actually another thing. They are a way of creating a comparison that while not literally true, provides a figurative meaning. This can help you think about your life and problems in a different way , also serving as a source of encouragement, motivation, or gratitude.

Here we explore some common metaphor examples about life that can be used to inspire you in your daily life. These metaphors may also help you better understand some of the challenges you face, giving you the ability to see more clearly why you feel the way you do or even how to move forward.

How Metaphors About Life Begin

As children, we begin to understand and organize the world. If we think of the brain as a filing cabinet, childhood is when we open new files and label them. We then spend the rest of our lives putting material in these files.

Metaphors often begin as a way to understand the world around us, both as individuals and within the communities in which we live. They can make it easier to know where to place this information in our internal filing system.

Impact of Metaphors for Life

Even if we don't know the origin of certain life metaphors, many have stood the test of time for good reasons. These metaphor examples not only help us define and describe an experience but they can be used to improve our lives in many ways.

For example, some people see life as a battle. Every encounter is a struggle, and if they don't win, they feel like they have lost. Others view life as an adventure. Each new day brings new opportunities to explore, and if something goes badly today, there's always tomorrow.

If you are facing a challenge , a metaphor might help you see the big picture and give you strength. For example, someone going through cancer treatment may look at the journey as climbing a mountain. It may be difficult at the moment, but the view that lies at the top helps them keep pushing forward.

Metaphors can also provide a picture that helps others enter your world. A picture is often worth a thousand words, but a word picture (a metaphor) can sometimes do the same. Alternatively, a negative metaphor may help you see that you haven't been living your life the way you wish. It might be the stimulus you need to make changes.

While there are no specific studies looking at commonly held life metaphors and wellness, positive thinking is beneficial in many ways. A general attitude of optimism has been correlated with lower rates of cancer, heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, and infection.

Common Metaphor Examples for Life

Metaphors for life are not always obvious. We may have to stand back a long way to see patterns. Because the way we look at things can have a great impact on how our lives unravel, it's worthwhile to think about the metaphors that fit the life we currently live.

Metaphors can be positive or negative. These are just examples and not every metaphor will resonate with every individual. Take a moment to think of other metaphor examples that may describe your life or serve you better.

If you see your life as a garden, you may feel that relationships with family and friends can be cultivated like flowers or vegetables. Relationships, like flowers, need regular watering. They need sunshine. Sometimes they need to be pruned. Sometimes you need to weed the garden (or eliminate toxic friends ).

The end result of careful and regular care, with timely interventions for insect infestations or decay, can lead to plants (or relationships) that are growing, producing oxygen that helps you breathe. They also create beauty as they flower and bloom.

You may see a battle as a metaphor for your life if everything is a competition or a struggle. In a battle, you are always either winning or losing. If a battle represents your life, you may wish to look at how life isn't always about winning or losing.

Relationships, especially, are not always a competition. Sometimes it is better to be more loving toward others than to be right or win.

Viewing your life as a mission can be either positive or negative. You may feel that you have talents and gifts you wish to share. On the other hand, you might feel that you need to convince others that your point of view is the only correct one.

Just as with missions throughout history, your life can be a platform to bring goodness to the world. Alternatively, you may see your mission as the need to impose your beliefs on those who do not wish to hear them.

A journey is a common metaphor for life as it reminds us that the destination is not our only goal. Like with any journey, there are times when the roads are straight and times when they are winding.

This metaphor example helps us remember that there will be ups and downs and potholes along the way—times when life will feel easy and times when life feels hard . Yet, there are also often wonderful surprises and fun discoveries that we would never have experienced if it weren't for the route we chose.

An adventure can also be a beautiful metaphor for life. We don't always know where we are going, but the thrill of our travels (our day-to-day living) leaves us excited and ready to see and experience new things.

A building is a solid metaphor for life and can be a reminder that a sturdy foundation is needed before building higher. Once you have a firm foundation in place, whatever that means to you, it's easier to confidently add floors and rooms that will stand the test of time and weather.

Roller Coaster

This metaphor example can describe life or it can describe the speed bumps we encounter. For example, people with a chronic disease know the roller coaster effect of a challenging diagnosis. Using the metaphor of a roller coaster also illustrates what many people who have had hardships understand so well.

You don't fully experience the high points of your journey without the contrast of the lows. For example, studies are now finding that being diagnosed with cancer doesn't just introduce challenges but can also change people in positive ways as well.

Stained-Glass Window

The metaphor of a stained-glass window illustrates not just the variety of lights and colors which make up our world, but the beauty in every person and situation. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude by taking the time to see what isn't obvious at a quick glance can be illustrated by this metaphor.

Mountain Climb

Climbing a mountain is a great metaphor for many parts of our lives. It can describe our educational path or the steps we take in climbing the corporate ladder. Life often consists of hierarchies.

This metaphor example also illustrates that it typically takes hard work, determination, and sometimes sheer endurance to get where we wish to go. Most mountain paths are not directly uphill, but take us down through valleys to get to the next peak.

Emotional resilience allows you to follow the trail as it descends before it turns the corner and heads back up again. This can improve your ability to cope and protect mental health during times of stress.

A race can be both a positive and negative metaphor for life. In the biblical sense of the metaphor, we are called to run the race of life not only for the prize.

A race can also be a negative metaphor, as in the "rat race," describing how sometimes we are so busy going from one place to another that we never really stop to enjoy any particular moment. In yet another negative sense, a race can describe the practice of always finding the fastest route, or needing to keep up with the proverbial Joneses.

If you view life as a courtroom, life can be challenging. In a courtroom, everything in life should be fair. Real life, however, is not always fair.

Good people die young and criminals go free. If you try to constrain your life to the metaphor of a courtroom, you open yourself up for repeated disappointment.

Stepping Stones

Stepping stones can be a metaphor for life in many ways. In a negative sense, stepping stones may describe the phenomena in which we barely get comfortable where we are before we look for a better job or a bigger house. In another sense, stepping stones can be a positive metaphor for a life lived with goals in mind and conscious awareness of the steps needed to get there.

This metaphor can also describe how we sometimes take a detour right or left along our way to prevent negative influences from catching up with us. An example of this type of metaphor is stepping stones crossing a stream in a garden.

Life is a classroom in so many ways and there are always new lessons to learn no matter your age. This metaphor can be a reminder to keep your mind active and strive to continue to learn throughout your life.

A prison can be a metaphor for a life in which you feel out of control . You may feel like you don't have choices and that others have the power. If this is you, it might be helpful to visualize a key to the door by which you can escape to your freedom, and what that might mean in real life.

Learning to reframe a situation can shift your perspective and change how you see a situation. Doing this can help reduce worry, stress, and anxiety.

A battery represents a life metaphor example of being drained and recharged through life, such as the daily drain of energy related to work, followed by weekends and evenings in which to recharge. Often taking small periods of time to recharge at frequent intervals leaves your battery less likely to die (lose all energy).

How to Use These Metaphor Examples

The examples above are just a few of the metaphors that illustrate people's lives. What metaphors fit your life? Do they work for you or do they cause problems and limit your choices? It's possible to change metaphors or modify yours (such as finding the key to the prison cell) but it can take some effort.

Taking the time to think about the metaphors that fit your life can help you find patterns that aren't working well for you, motivate you in positive directions, and help you cope with the obstacles we all periodically face. Think of your life metaphors today, but don't stop there.

Periodically re-think your life metaphors. Are they positive metaphors that bring you peace and contentment , help you reach goals, or allow you to see the beauty around you? Or are they negative metaphors that are limiting your life?

Good mental health includes having metaphors that help you see the big picture of your life. After thinking about your life metaphors, learn about other ways in which you can become a positive thinker and reduce stress in your life .

Metaphors about life can be helpful ways of thinking through problems you might be facing. They can also serve as a source of inspiration and motivation to encourage you to keep working toward your goals.

At other times, negative metaphors might hold you back or contribute to feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. If your life metaphors are hurting instead of helping, look for ways to reframe your thinking in order to take a more positive, optimistic approach.

Black Rupp N. The rise and fall of metaphor: A study in meaning and meaninglessness . Semiotica . 2016:213:419-433. doi:10.1515/sem-2015-0131

Kim ES, Hagan KA, Grodstein F, Demeo DL, De Vivo I, Kubzansky LD. Optimism and cause-specific mortality: a prospective cohort study. Am J Epidemiol . 2017;185(1):21-29. doi:10.1093/aje/kww182

Holtmaat K, van der Spek N, Lissenberg-Witte BI, Cuijpers P, Verdonck-de Leeuw IM. Positive mental health among cancer survivors: overlap in psychological well-being, personal meaning, and posttraumatic growth .  Support Care Cancer . 2019;27(2):443-450. doi:10.1007/s00520-018-4325-8

Färber F, Rosendahl J. The association between resilience and mental health in the somatically ill .  Dtsch Arztebl Int . 2018;115(38):621-627. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2018.0621

Eagleson C, Hayes S, Mathews A, Perman G, Hirsch CR. The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in generalized anxiety disorder .  Behav Res Ther . 2016;78:13-18. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2015.12.017

By Leonard Holmes, PhD Leonard Holmes, PhD, is a pioneer of the online therapy field and a clinical psychologist specializing in chronic pain and anxiety.

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100+ life journey quotes to inspire you.

Life is a journey. How often have you heard that?

As we find our road through life, we all need inspiration and guidance. And this is never so true as when we are travelling, especially as solo travellers. 

This can come from many sources: friends, family, self-help books. But sometimes, a simple quote about life’s journey can provide inspiration or make us view our path through a different lens. 

Drawing on the writings of authors and poets, scholars and spiritual leaders here are my favourite life journey quotes. Is your favourite there? 

Are you looking for a short and sharp travel caption to add to your images or social media feed? If so, check out these dreamy travel captions

IN THIS ARTICLE

My Top 10 Life Journey Quotes

There are many quotes about life as a journey out there and picking a list of favourites is a tough call. From Maja Angelou to Mark Twain, here are those that continue to inspire me.

1. Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away. – Maya Angelou

2. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did so. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.   – Mark Twain

3. Remember where you have been and know where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. – Nikita Koloff

4. We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.  – Paulo Coelho

You are far from the end of your journey. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. See how you love. Buddha

6. You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending. – C.S. Lewis

7. When setting out on a journey do not seek advice from someone who never left home. – Rumi

One of the greatest journeys in life is overcoming insecurity and learning to truly not give a shit.  J. A. Konrath

9. Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson 

10. Sometimes life takes you on a journey that changes everything you thought you wanted. – Melaina Rayne

Life Journey Quotes: First Steps

Every journey begins with a single step. Taking that first step is often the hardest part of any endeavour, whether that’s booking your first trip alone , quitting your job or moving overseas.

Be inspired to take the plunge with these inspirational life journey quotes.

11. Big things have small beginnings. – Prometheus 

12. The only impossible journey is the one you never begin . – Tony Robbins

13. A little step may be the beginning of a great journey. – Unknown

14. If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all. – Dan Rather

15. Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey. – Vera Nazarian

Beginning are usually scary and ending are usually sad, but it’s everything in between that makes it all worth living. Bob Marley

The Next Steps: Quotes on the Journey of Life

But that first step is just that; the first step on the road of life. Life – and travel – can present a series of obstacles to overcome.

17. Life’s journey is a collection of stories. Make yours a bestseller. – The Flashpacker ( Bridget Coleman )

18. One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time. – John Wanamaker

19 . … a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. – John Steinbeck

20. To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping. – Chinese Proverb 

21. Life is a journey. When we stop, things don’t go right. – Pope Francis

22. The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is. – Alan Watts

23. Life is a journey, travel it well. – Unknown

The key to realising a dream is to focus not on success but significance, and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.  Oprah Winfrey 

25. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. – Helen Keller

26. No journey is too great, when one finds what one seeks. – Friedrich Nietzsche

27. Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.  – Chanda Kochhar

28. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike . – John Steinbeck

29. No journey is too great, when one finds what one seeks. – Friedrich Nietzsche

30. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. – John Steinbeck

31. I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination. –  Jimmy Dean

32. Your journey will be much lighter and easier if you don’t carry your past with you! – Tamara Kulish

33. May the stars guide you on your journey, and your heart always lead you home. – Melaina Rayne

Quotes to Inspire Solo Travellers

Any seasoned solo traveller knows that travelling alone has the power to change your life . But sometimes it can be difficult to find the words to describe your experiences. 

To empower you to travel alone , here is the pick of the best life journey quotes that can be applied to solo travel.

34. It’s your road, and yours alone, others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. – Rumi

35. No one can decide the road that inspires us to kick-start a journey better than the one embarking on the path. We may find others joining our journey, but we have to take the first step alone to reach our destination.  – Dr Prem Jagyasi

36. Don’t be scared to walk alone. Don’t be scared to like it. – John Mayer

37. Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone. – Buddha

There are some places in life where you can only go alone. Embrace the beauty of your solo journey. Mandy Hale

39. No one you have been and no place you have gone ever leaves you. The new parts of you simply jump in the car and go along for the rest of the ride. The success of your journey and your destination all depend on who’s driving. – Bruce Springsteen

40. The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. – Henry David Thoreau

41. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. – Neale Donald Walsh

42. If you make friends with yourself you will never be alone. – Maxwell Maltz

I have traveled many roads in my life. Some were imbued with pain and I needed to avert my gaze. Others were so beautiful that I would have remained there forever. But always, at some point in these routes, I reached a place where I encountered myself. Pablo Holmberg

44. The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before. – Albert Einstein

45. Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s okay. You’re here to live your life, not to make everyone understand.  – Banksy

Are you looking for more quotes to inspire you to travel alone? If so, check out these inspirational solo travel quotes

Making Friends on the Journey of Life

Of course, none of us needs to be alone. Other people can play a huge part in our life journey.

46 . A journey is best measured in friends, not in miles . – Tim Cahill

47. Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life. – Pythagoras

48. In this journey of life, you will meet people who will make you feel alive! – Avijeet Das

49. On a hard jungle journey, nothing is so important as having a team you can trust. – Tahir Shah

50. Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. – Izaak Walton

The main thing that you have to remember on this journey is, just be nice to everyone and always smile. Ed Sheeran

52. Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind. – Henri Frederic Amiel

53. We never know the journey another person has walked, so be kind to everyone. – Lynette Mather

Having Faith in Yourself

Life throws obstacles at us, and it can be difficult to believe in yourself and in your ability to deal with these challenges. Even with those important first steps, you sometimes have to throw caution to the wind. 

54. Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be…Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you’ll live as you’ve never lived before. – Erich Fromm

I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom.  Les Brown

56. Trust yourself, trust the road, trust the weather, and trust your destination! This quarto-trust can create a miraculously successful journey!  – Mehmet Murat Īldan

57. Have faith in your journey. Everything had to happen exactly as it did to get you where you’re going next! – Mandy Hale

58. Things are only impossible until they’re not. – Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek ( the Star Trek universe can teach us much about travel )

Finding Your Path

As profound as it may seem, sometimes getting lost is the first step to finding our way on the journey of life, and there is not necessarily one right path. The correct path is the one that is right for you. 

59. In the middle of the journey of our life I found myself astray in a dark wood where the straight road had been lost sight of.  – Dante Alighieri

60. Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost. – Erol Ozan

You have to get lost before you can be found. Jeff Rasley

62. Life is a journey that has a lot of different paths, but any path you choose use it as your destiny. – Ryan Leonard 

63. This thing we call life is not a destination with an end but a path down which we continue to journey as long as we can breathe. Life is to be lived not squandered or to give away waiting for the end to close upon us.  – Byron Pulsifer

64. The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths . – Barry H. Gillespie

65. Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lessons Learnt

Some of the best life journey quotes relate to the lessons you learn along this journey. Many of these lessons may not be obvious at the time, especially in tough times, but ultimately they help shape who we are.

66. A journey taken in vain is not a wasted journey if you have learnt something. – Anthony T. Hincks

67. All journeys have secret destinations of which traveler is unaware. – Martin Buber

68. Always remember life is a learning journey. Keep filling your mind with all that is worthy. – Catherine Pulsifer

69. One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things. – Henry Miller

Learn to trust the journey, even when you do not understand it.  Lolly Daskal 

71. We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world. – Marcel Proust

72. Travel far enough, you meet yourself. – David Mitchell

73. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse. – Anthon St. Maarten 

74. What you learn in tough times can be used in many ways to bless your personal life journey.  – Scott Gordon

75. Sometimes in your life you will go on a journey. It will be the longest journey you have ever taken. It is the journey to find yourself. – Katharine Sharp

Enjoy the Journey

Ultimately, what is it all for unless you enjoy the journey?

As travellers, we are often guilty of fixating on the destination, instead of learning to enjoy the journey, and celebrating the triumphs instead of stressing about the difficulties.

76. Roads were made for journeys not destinations. – Confucius

77. Life Is What Happens When You’re Busy Making Other Plans . – John Lennon

78. The journey is the reward. – Tao Expression

79. In the tapestry of life, every thread matters. Weave a journey worth treasuring. – The Flashpacker (Bridget Coleman)

80. Life is a journey, and if you fall in love with the journey, you will be in love forever. – Peter Hagerty

81. It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.  – Ernest Hemingway

82. Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. – Greg Anderson

83. Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination . – Drake

84. Accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

85. And at the end of the day, there is nothing but the journey. Because destination is pure illusion. – Rich Roll

86. Life is a journey, not a destination. Learn to enjoy the ride. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

If ever there was a metaphor to illustrate the importance of the journey over the destination, it is life itself. For everyone who departs from birth is destined for death, so the journey IS life. Savor it! Michele Jennae

88. The journey in between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life takes place. – Barbara De Angelis

89. Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.  – Arthur Ashe

It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way! Penelope Riley

91. Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think you’ve lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time. – Asha Tyson

92. Embrace your life journey with gratitude, so that how you travel your path is more important than reaching your ultimate destination. – Rosalene Glickman

93. Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved. Winnie the Pooh

94. Let your joy be in your journey – not in some distant goal. – Tim Cook

95. Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again. – Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek

96. Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore. – Andre Gide

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride! Hunter S. Thompson

98. Every day is a journey filled with twists and turns. Every day, if you smile, you will feel alive, my son. – Santosh Kalwar

99. Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.  – Fitzhugh Mullan

100. I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be . – Douglas Adams

101. We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. – T.S. Eliot

102. Life is an opportunity, seize the day, live each day to the fullest. Life is not a project, but a journey to be enjoyed. – Catherine Pulsifer

103. I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. – Douglas Adams

104. Time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. – Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek

Final Thoughts

Life for me, like travel, is all about the journey. The shape of that journey is up to the individual.

I hope that these life journey quotes help inspire you to live your best life. That’s all that any of us can aim for.  

Enjoy the journey.

Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind. Anthony Bourdain

About Bridget

Bridget Coleman has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.

Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.

To get in touch, email her at [email protected] or follow her on social media.

Summaries, Analysis & Lists

Stories About Journeys: Short Stories About Quests or Journeys

In these stories about journeys, characters make some sort of physical trip or quest and sometimes have a psychological journey as well. See also:

• Time Travel

Stories About Journeys

The Outcasts of Poker Flat | Bret Harte

In an effort to improve their town, the citizens of Poker Flat expel a group of undesirables from their midst. They set out for the next settlement, making a difficult mountain journey. On the way, they meet up with a couple headed for Poker Flat, who share some provisions and direct them to a cabin to rest.

This is the first story in the preview of  Big Book of Best Short Stories: Western .

“The Story of a Letter” by Carlos Bulosan

A man receive a letter from his son Berto who left home eight years prior. It’s in English, so neither he nor his younger son, the narrator, can read it. He has some ideas on how to get it translated. ( Summary )

Read “The Story of a Letter”

“At the Fall” by Alec Nevala-Lee

Eunice, a robotic hexapod, is deep under water along with her toroid companion, Wagner. They discover a fallen gray whale. They use it to recharge. Eunice was part of a five member crew that were mapping, analyzing and observing the underwater ecosystem and bringing their data to the surface. Now they’re on a dangerous journey.

This story can be read in the preview of  The Year’s Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 4 .  (46% into preview)

“The Golden Apples of the Sun” by Ray Bradbury

A rocket ship is nearing the sun and the temperature outside reaches a thousand degrees. Inside, the temperature is a thousand degrees below zero, maintained by many refrigeration units. The crew wears protective suits. They plan to fly right up to the sun. ( Summary )

“Precious Cargo” by C. H. Hung

The  USS Marilyn Barton  is a bioship, carrying a large human delegation. One of Marilyn’s rooms is sagging and has turned a sickly yellow. Doctor Thrasher is working to fix the problem. The life of the ship and the passengers are at risk. Normally, a bioship knows what is wrong with it, but the deterioration happened too quickly in this case. Marilyn needs to be healthy enough to get everyone to Aurigae Prime.

This story can be read in the preview of  Beyond the Stars: Infinite Expanse . (23% into preview)

“20/20” by Linda Brewer

Bill and Ruthie are on a road trip. Bill finds her conversation simplistic; she refuses to argue anything. She says what she sees along the way. ( Summary & Analysis )

Blue Winds Dancing | Tom Whitecloud

A young American Indian man, lonely and disillusioned with school, leaves for home to be with his own people again. ( Summary )

A Forward Movement | Louisa May Alcott

Miss Tribulation’s quest to become an army nurse continues as she boards a night-train in New York. Afterward, she reaches a boat in New London. She relates her interactions with other passengers and the difficulties of the trip.

This story can be read in the preview of  100 Great American Short Stories .  (25% into preview)

“Man and Woman” by Erskine Caldwell

A dejected and exhausted man and woman are walking at dawn. When they see a farmhouse in the distance, Ruth believes they’ll be able to get something to eat there.

This story can be read in the preview of The Stories of Erskine Caldwell .  (29% into preview)

“A Little Journey” by Ray Bradbury

Mrs. Bellowes is on Mars staying at Mr. Thirkell’s Restorium in preparation for a rocket trip to heaven which will bring her closer to God. She’s been there a week now, and it’s almost time for take off. ( Summary )

“A Journey” by Edith Wharton

A married couple are taking a train back home to New York. They have been away for the husband’s health, but he hasn’t improved. His wife still loves him, but she feels constrained by the situation. She wants her old life back. ( Summary )

Read “A Journey”

“The Walk Up Nameless Ridge” by Hugh Howey

Over sixty thousand feet up Mount Mallory on the planet Eno, one of the three climbing teams rests. The narrator is ashamed to admit he doesn’t want either of the other teams to make it. He wants the glory of being the first to summit this mountain. Governments and alpine clubs gave up conquering it long ago. Now, individuals who have climbed the highest peaks on their own worlds try to immortalize themselves on Mount Mallory.

This story can be read in the preview of  Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories .  (30% in)

“Tower of Babylon” by Ted Chiang

The Babylonians are building a tower to heaven. Hillalum arrives from Elam as part of the mining crew who will dig through at the top into the vault of heaven. On the ascent, Hillalum learns how the construction of the tower takes place, and what the plans are when the top is reached. There are many workers as well as people who live at various points on the tower.

A lot of this story can be read in the preview of  Stories of Your Life and Others . 

“A Newspaper Story” by O. Henry

The movement of a daily newspaper is tracked, along with the uses it’s put to. ( Summary ) It’s the newspaper that goes on a “journey” in this story.

Read “A Newspaper Story”

“Wild Honey” by Horacio Quiroga

Gabriel Benincasa, an accountant, feels a need to leave city life for a while to test himself in the jungle. His godfather warns him that he won’t last in the jungle and tries to discourage him from going off himself. ( Summary )

Read “Wild Honey”

“That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French” by Stephen King

Carol and Bill, married twenty-five years, are on their second honeymoon, driving to their destination. Carol experiences déjà vu; voices and images keep coming to her mind. Their drive comes to an end and she finds herself at an earlier point in their trip.

“Che Ti Dice La Patria?” by Ernest Hemingway

Two men travel near Savona. They let a man ride on the outside of their car with them into Spezia. They stop to eat at a restaurant where the waitresses are very friendly. They continue through the suburbs of Genoa.

Paul’s Case | Willa Cather

Paul gets suspended from his Pittsburgh High School. His father wants him to be a responsible wage-earning family man when he grows up, but Paul is drawn to a life of wealth and glamour, so he decides to go to New York.

Read “Paul’s Case”

Journey Stories, Cont’d

Here’s Your Hat What’s Your Hurry | Elizabeth McCracken

Aunt Helen Beck, a woman in her eighties, outspoken and eccentric, travels around to all her relative’s homes to stay for a while.

The Train | Flannery O’Connor

Haze, nineteen, is travelling by train to Taulkinham. The porter reminds him strongly of a man he used to know; he might even be the man’s son. He tries to find a way to talk to him.

Read “The Train”

Falling in Love | Sandra Birdsell

Lureen’s boyfriend leaves her as he’s done several times before. She tries to go back to her family by bus, but misses her connection, and has to walk thirty miles in the heat.

A Worn Path | Eudora Welty

An elderly African-American woman, Phoenix Jackson, walks through the Mississippi forest to get into town. She encounters many obstacles along the way.

The Swimmer | John Cheever

While relaxing at a friend’s pool, an affluent man decides to make his way home by swimming the length of the pools in his neighborhood.

The Furnished Room | O. Henry

A young man searches boarding houses looking for the woman he loves, a small-town girl trying to break in to show business.

Read “The Furnished Room”

Greyhound People | Alice Adams

The narrator boards a greyhound express bus to San Francisco with the feeling that she’s in the wrong place. On the way, a man angrily demands her seat, a woman tells a boy to be quiet and the boy’s mother confronts her, she listens to conversations, and has other interactions.

The Ultimate Safari | Nadine Gordimer

The narrator, a young girl, tells us that her mother and father left one day and never came back. Her village has been targeted by bandits who have taken everything. Fearing for their lives, the girl and her extended family set out on a long and difficult trek through South Africa to a refugee camp.

What I Have Been Doing Lately | Jamaica Kincaid

An unidentified and unnamed narrator answers the door but doesn’t find anyone there. After having a look around, the narrator goes on a dreamlike walk.

Stalking | Joyce Carol Oates

A thirteen-year-old girl, Gretchen, is pursuing her Invisible Adversary through the suburbs. She follows it through fields and across roads, and eventually into a shopping center.

Tears of Autumn | Yoshiko Uchida

Hana Omiya is on a ship going from Japan to the United States. She is seasick and nervous; she has some regret about the trip. She’s going to America to marry a man she has never met.

The Ugliest Pilgrim | Doris Betts

Violet Karl is traveling to Tulsa, Oklahoma to get healed by a televangelist—she was struck by an axe head as a child which disfigured her face. As she travels by bus, she meets several people who react to her in different ways.

The Facts of Life | Somerset Maugham

Nicky Garnet is a well liked young man who’s never given his parents any trouble. An opportunity arises for him to play in a tennis tournament in Monte Carlo. Nicky’s father doesn’t want him to go unsupervised.

The Hiltons’ Holiday | Sarah Orne Jewett

After a long day of hard work, John Hilton talks to his wife about their lives and daughters. He has the idea of taking his daughters on a small trip so they can see the world off the farm.

The Blue Jar | Isak Dinesen

A rich Englishman who only cares about collecting rare China is sailing with his daughter when the ship catches fire. His daughter is left behind in the confusion. She is rescued by a young sailor, and they float in the lifeboat for nine days before being picked up.

“The Blue Jar”

By the Waters of Babylon | Stephen Vincent Benet

The narrator, a young man, is the son of a priest, and will one day be a priest himself. The people are forbidden to go east to the Dead Places, or to cross the river to the Place of the Gods, except for a priest. There is another more primitive group called the Forest People. He sets out to the east on a journey.

Read “By the Waters of Babylon”

The Sun-Dog Trail | Jack London

Sitka Charley is relaxing after a day on the Alaskan trail. He and the narrator start talking about a painting, which reminds Sitka of an arduous journey he once made. When he was a letter carrier on Lake Linderman, a young woman hired him to take her to Dawson. Then she hires him to travel with her. She is desperately looking for something but doesn’t tell him what.

Read “The Sun-Dog Trail”

The Other Side of the Hedge | E. M. Forster

A man stops to rest on the side of the road. He is passed by some people, and also thinks of his brother whom he left behind. He notices a small opening in the hedge that lines the road. He pushes his way through it.

The Town of Cats | Hagiwara Sakutaro

The narrator used to take many drug-induced voyages. They had a bad effect on his health. He starts taking long walks, ending up in an unfamiliar, charming town. He relates one such walk he took while staying at a resort.

Identities | W. D. Valgardson

Moved by childhood memories, a man leaves his own affluent neighborhood and goes exploring. He ends up in a seedy area. He can’t blend in because he’s driving a Mercedes.

The Greatest Thing in the World | Norman Mailer

Al Groot, a young adult, enters a lunch wagon and tries to get a deal on a doughnut and coffee. He has been walking and hitch-hiking, trying to get to Chicago. When three men come in for a meal, Al tries to get a ride with them.

The Wisdom of the Trail | Jack London

Sitka Charley is an Indian who has left his own people to learn the white man’s sense of honor and the law. He’s a member of a traveling party led by Captain Effingwell. Only Sitka and the Captain are armed. Sitka warns two other Indians with their crew to carry out their duties properly.

Read “The Wisdom of the Trail”

Bitter Grounds | Neil Gaiman

The narrator is dead in every way that counts. He starts driving. He throws away his cell phone and withdraws all the money he can. After staying over at a motel, he meets a man in the lobby who’s waiting for a cab. He offers the man a ride.

Read “Bitter Grounds”

The White Silence | Jack London

Mason, Ruth (his wife), and the Malamute Kid are on the Yukon trail, low on food, with a long trip in front of them. They know they will have to eat some of the dogs. They reach a high bank that proves difficult for the weakened dogs to climb.

Read “The White Silence”

The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains | Neil Gaiman

The narrator, an unusually small man, is looking for a cave on the Misty Isle. He wants to hire Calum MacInnes as a guide. MacInnes is reluctant to go because of the legends about those who take gold from the cave. It is a long journey.

Read “The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains”

Passage | Kevin Jared Hosein

The narrator was drinking at a pub, The Tricky Jester. One of the regulars, Stew, told a story of when he hiked El Tucuche. He claims to have come across a house in the middle of the mountain, and to have seen a young woman there. The narrator works for the Forestry Division, and knows the wilderness well. He has doubts about Stew’s story. He decides to check for himself.

The Road from Colonus | E. M. Forster

Mr. Lucas is getting old—slowing down and losing interest in things. A forty year dream of his has been to go to Greece, and now he’s there. While traveling with his party on muleback, he pulls ahead of them and arrives at a small inn. It’s surrounded by plane trees, including one that is hollowed out and hanging over it, with water flowing from it. Mr. Lucas is struck by the scene.

Read “The Road from Colonus”

Rock Springs | Richard Ford

Earl is getting out of Montana—he’s had trouble with the law and with women. He leaves in a stolen car with his girlfriend, Edna, and his daughter, Cheryl. He hopes for a new start, but he seems to attract trouble.

Read “Rock Springs” (Pg. 48)

I’ll keep adding short stories about journeys or quests as I find more.

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My memories carried me on an amazing 3-D journey of my life, as if I were truly “time traveling” through decades, phases, friendships, romances, historical events, discoveries, foreign countries, disappointments, successes, relationships, revelations and exciting episodes of my 70-year lifetime. I wouldn’t trade the memories that were stirred and found their way to the pages of my legacy journal for anything – even if no one ever reads them but me! More than just simple stories, I think I have written some fascinating “road-maps” of how to live a beautiful life to share with those I love – and perhaps for children of my children and their children , who haven’t even been born!

I found Journey to Legacy at a time when I felt stuck in my writing process. In my mind I wasn’t worthy of putting something out there. I believed it wouldn’t be good enough. But by making the commitment to write, I realized I did have stories to tell. And I knew that they weren’t going to be important to everyone, but they would be important to someone. The program is fun and Joanna is generous with encouragement and suggestions. The bonus is meeting other women and sharing life stories! I highly recommend this program to anyone interested in memoir writing.

What makes journey to legacy unique, 1. focus on meaningful stories, our tutorials, writing exercises and intuitive prompts are designed to guide you beyond surface-level recollections, helping you explore the pivotal moments and memories that have shaped your life. through this guided self-inquiry process, you’ll uncover the profound lessons, blessings, and wisdom you’ve gained along the way. we’ll show you how to transform anecdotes about your life events into stories that hold deep significance, ensuring that your legacy is one of purpose and meaning., 2. interactive teaching sessions, our courses are structured to provide you with an engaging and dynamic learning experience. in our life review and memoir writing courses, you’ll have the opportunity to interact directly with the instructor and other participants and receive real-time answers to your questions. our life story course is delivered in a video format, allowing you to learn at your own pace with separate q&a sessions to address your questions., 3. simple 7-step life story writing framework, our 7-step framework is designed to provide you with a structure for self-reflection and storytelling, whether you’re writing your life story for posterity or engaging in a personal life review. by guiding you through each step, we enable you to identify the most impactful moments . we offer techniques to sensitively portray the relationships and individuals who have been part of your journey, balancing honesty with respect. our approach encourages intuitive exploration , allowing you to find and trust your authentic voice while also developing discernment. through this process, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the lessons and growth that have shaped your life, and learn to weave the threads of your connections into a rich, nuanced narrative., 4. personal attention, our life review and memoir writing courses are designed to provide a rich, interactive experience through live zoom sessions. to ensure that each participant receives the support and attention they need, we limit enrollment in these courses. this allows for engaging discussions, personalized feedback, and a strong sense of community as you explore and share your life experiences., 5. easy to use story weaver software, our optional story weaver software is specifically for life story writers and is easy and fun to use even if you have little to no previous tech experience. it’s accessible online from your desktop or laptop. designed to be intuitive, our software makes it simple to navigate, write, edit, organize and share your unique life story. share your life story via email, as a downloadable ebook or bound book, you can even choose specific stories to share by creating multiple copies of your collection of life stories to give to different people in your life., 6. three unique courses to meet your specific needs, each distinct level provides tailored features and varying degrees of support.   no matter which level you choose, you’ll have the opportunity to create a personalized life story book that captures your unique journey. upon completing the program, you can easily share your life story with others via email, download it as a convenient ebook, or have it professionally printed and bound into a cherished keepsake., compare the features of each level to find the perfect fit for your needs and embark on a transformative journey of self-discovery and heartfelt storytelling., 7. private online community of life story writers, being a part of a private online community of life story writers, you’ll feel safe and supported in sharing your stories. you’ll also develop heartwarming friendships with people who are on this journey with you., 8. ongoing technical support, when you need more assistance with any technical aspects of writing or sharing your story, we’re always here to help. we offer support via email on an ongoing basis..

Have questions or need more information?

Who is this for.

Now is the time to write and share your life story.

Life story writing, life review and memoir are catalysts for recovering key moments in your life that deserve to be honored, celebrated and remembered. as such, writing about your life requires vulnerability, courage and a willingness to look back on your life with a fresh perspective., if you’ve experienced any of the following:.

• You’ve tried to write in the past but never made progress
• You’re curious and ready to explore the deeper meaning behind your life experiences
• You want to feel more purposeful
• You believe writing is a tool for healing and self-discovery
• You flourish with structure, guidance and accountability
• You’re ok with technology, especially if it’s easy-to-use
• You want to share what you’ve learned with others
• You want to build a connection to future generations

Then, we’ve got you covered.

Still have questions find answers to frequently asked questions here ., how to get started, 3 simple steps to begin your life review or life story writing journey, choose the level that suits your needs, life story, life review or memoir course based on the result you desire and the support, guidance and accountability you need to find what is meaningful in your life story., start reflecting & writing about your life, no matter which level you choose, you’ll find guidance and inspiration to uncover and write about what matters in the unique experiences that shaped who you’ve become. , turn wisdom into inspiration, no matter which course you choose, you’ll gain clarity and inspiration about what you want to do with the wisdom you’ve uncovered, whether you share your stories with others or allow them to guide you as you write your next chapter..

Not sure which level is right for you?

Answers to frequently asked questions, what do i need to participate on the live calls.

• Computer/Tablet/Phone
• Private, quiet and comfortable space
• Good WiFi access
• Journal or paper and pen
• Earphones, if you need them

What if I can't make the live calls?

All of the calls are recorded, so if you can’t make one, you’ll have access to the replay within 48 hours. 

What do I need to use the Story Weaver software?

The Story Weaver software is online so you can log in from anywhere there is an Internet connection. It works best on laptop or desktop computers that run Mac OS, Linux or Windows and use Chrome as the browser.

How does this program differ from Storyworth?

While both Journey to Legacy and Storyworth offer you a writing platform, writing prompts and a bound book, Journey to Legacy offers guidance through the courses and by including what we call “deeper questions” with every writing prompt. These guide you toward a more introspective, retrospective approach as you write your stories. This helps make your stories more compelling and meaningful to both you and those who will read them.

Am I just getting a bunch of general writing prompts?

No. Our thought and memory-provoking prompts are offered in all of our programs. Our prompts and introspective questions take you deeper into your memories and experiences where revelations, breakthroughs and healing take place.

What is the difference between life story writing and memoir?

  Life story writing is a collection of stories about one’s life without a central theme.

Memoirs explore specific impactful episodes through a literary lens to convey inner transformation.

What is the difference between life review and life story writing?

Life Review is an introspective process aimed at gaining understanding, inner peace and insight while life story writing is a reflection on memories and writing them as stories, usually to share.

Life review focuses on finding meaning, resolving unfinished business, and integrating one’s life experiences in a forward-thinking way.   It can be a wonderful first step for life story writers.

What is the difference between life review and memoir?

Memoirs and life review share a reflective, internal focus on exploring deeper meaning and insight from key life experiences. Both involve focusing on impactful episodes and relationships

The memoir writer crafts these into stories, while life review aims to review life experiences for the purpose of resolving unfinished emotional business, finding self-acceptance, and/or using life’s wisdom to guide future choices.

Life review has a broader scope – it encompasses reflection on the totality of one’s life to achieve life integration rather than centering just on peak episodes of insight. Memoirs by nature are selective, developing literary themes around epiphanies, though this process can initiate crucial reflection and edits the raw stories of our memories into wisdom.

Ultimately life review is a more comprehensive yet private journey to self-acceptance, while polished memoirs publicly share our lessons learned. Yet both value reflective meaning-finding from emotional life events.

How is life review different from therapy?

While life review involves reflecting on your broader life journey, therapy uses clinical techniques to address specific mental health concerns that are negatively impacting your current well-being and functioning. Life review seeks to find empowerment, meaning and closure by re-examining the entirety of your life, whereas therapy aims to relieve current acute symptoms and issues.

What if I can’t remember much from my past?

Do i have to be a good writer.

You do not have to be an experienced writer or worry about getting it right when it comes to punctuation, spelling or grammar. The prompts, guided visualizations and workbook make it simple and inspire you to write. Our intuitive writing software makes it easy to title, edit and organize your stories for a cohesive and Legacy Journal you can download, share via email or have *printed and bound.

How much of my time will this take?

This 12-week life story writing course is designed to be flexible to fit your schedule. Each week, we’ll release new video lessons, exercises, and writing prompts that build upon the previous material.  However, you’ll have lifetime access to all of the course content, so you can work through it at your own pace. The recommended time commitment is around 1-32 hours per week to watch the lessons and complete the writing assignments

The Life Review course meets for 90 minutes each week for 12 consecutive weeks. There are journaling and creative, experiential assignments each week that will take about one hour to complete.

The Memoir course meets 3 times/month for 6 months. Each meeting is between 60-90 minutes. The amount of time you spend writing is up to you but we recommend at least 2 hours/week in this course.

What if I don’t think I have anything worthy or exciting to write about?

Why do you require an application to join the memoir course.

With such an intimate group setting and the sensitivity of topics addressed, I like to ensure each participant is ready and willing to engage and commit to this 6-month journey.

What happens if I get stuck after I sign up?

If you join our Journey to Legacy Memoir or Live Review courses and get stuck at any point in this process, you will have all the support and guidance from our team to ensure you move past any obstacles or technical issues you encounter. If you take our Life Story Writing course, you will also have 12 months of support via email in the event you get stuck or need more information. 

What if I’m not sure anyone will read my life story?

What if i’m worried others will judge me once they read what i’ve been through, what if my past is too painful.

As a counselor and intuitive coach, I know how difficult it is to experience and recall painful memories. If you need more personal guidance, support and coaching to help you feel safe in revisiting the past, I recommend joining our Memoir writing group where you receive private coaching included in the program.  Although I will gently guide you, I do not push or pressure you to go beyond what is comfortable or feels right for you. I’ll help you make peace with some of the most challenging moments of your past and celebrate your strength and ability to rise above. You’ll also have a safe and compassionate community of other life story writers to lean on throughout this 6-month journey.

What should I consider when choosing among the different programs?

Being honest about what you need to be successful is critical. If you’re ready to write stories to share with loved ones and just need help with the writing tools, our Life Story Writing 12-week course may be the best option for you. If you want to take a deeper dive in reflecting on your life, whether it be to uncover meaningful stories to share or to understand where you’ve been as a guide to where you’re going, our Life Review course is the right fit.  And if you want to do both a deeper dive into your past to help you write your memoir plus be inspired by an intimate community of other writers where you share and connect through your stories, the Memoir course is perfect for you.  If you are unclear of which option is right for you, feel free to schedule a no-obligation appointment and we’ll help you find the best fit.

How long will I have access to this course and writing software?

You’ll have access to our intuitive writing software for one year from the day your course begins. You can renew your subscription to our writing software on a monthly or annual basis for a nominal annual fee.

What is your refund policy?

All of our courses offer a 15-day money-back guarantee.

What if I’m not ready but want to learn more about how this process works?

We recommend downloading our free Life Story Writing Starter Kit so you get a feel of what’s involved and the process of life story writing. You can also schedule a call to ask any questions you have.

Choose the Option that’s Right for You

Virtual course with live q&a, you’re new to life-story writing and want a simple structure and guidance to help you feel confident and inspired., virtual live course with group coaching, you’re at a crossroads in life and want to gain perspective on your life journey, create meaning, integrate lessons and gain wisdom to guide your future., live course with group & private coaching, you know you have stories in you but you need a structure, private coaching and safe community to help you bring out your inner writer and let her shine., feeling called to write about your life, your life story is full of golden nuggets of wisdom and inspiration., you’ve gained valuable lessons and unique insights. you’re ready to get real, reflect and take responsibility to discover a richer sense of meaning and a deeper connection with others. it’s time to share your story. this is your legacy., subscribe to my weekly newsletter for self-discovery tips and inspiration and get this free guide to begin your journey to legacy.

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A day in a teacher's life: A journey of purpose, passion, and growth

An educator's life is a fulfilling blend of purpose and passion, driven by the desire to shape young minds. each day is a journey of growth, continuous learning, and meaningful impact..

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A teacher does not choose his destiny; destiny chooses him. The path to education is often more about divine design than meticulous planning. It's a calling that resonates with a select few, and those who find their place in its fold discover a world filled with wonder, joy, and purposeful striving. When one imagines the life of an educator, it's essential to recognise the magic present even in the mundane. Each day is a bloom of possibilities and purpose.

As Director of The Vivekalaya Group of Institutions, Aishwarya Rao exemplifies the purposeful and passionate journey of an educator, shaping both students and faculty. Her leadership blends strategic planning, curriculum development, and continuous growth.

Let me share a little insight into my life as an educator:

Lighting a lamp symbolises the warding off of evil and the invitation of divine light into our lives

The school morning is a blend of meetings, planning, and budgeting

Our calendars are a balanced mix of academic and extracurricular activities.

In a country like India, where development defines our future, it is imperative to continually improve school curricula to cater to the fast-approaching future

Most days involve organising talks, interactive sessions, or cultural experiences for students

5. Infrastructure and environment

Part of the life of a managing educator includes overseeing construction, expansion, and improvement of the spaces where our children grow and learn.

A common question I often encounter is, "You must hate reading, having to continuously read in school?" Fortunately, the opposite is true. Books line my walls and fill my soul

While learning is a limitless ocean and education a rewarding field, I can only express my gratitude for this path that has chosen me.

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Welcome to treslife: your journey to natural hair.

Are you ready to embark on a journey to healthier, more beautiful hair? Welcome to the TresLife, where we empower you to embrace and love your natural hair with our holistic, all-natural solutions! Handmade with love in the USA, our products are organic, toxin-free, paraben-free, and 100% chemical-free – and really work. Whether you’re just starting out on your natural journey or you’re looking to enhance your hair care routine, we provide you not only with nourishing natural products but specialized salon experiences to ensure your hair dreams become reality.

Watch our story here !

TresLife (pronounced tress-life) is a black owned, holistic hair care provider based in Raleigh, NC. We’re all about natural hair care, offering nourishing solutions for every hair type- whether kinky or coily, fine or thick, low or high porosity. We understand the many challenges with curly hair, like dry hair, hair loss, and dandruff. We’re here to help you overcome them with confidence. We work to empower you with the knowledge, tools, and all-natural products you need to embrace your natural hair and meet your hair goals without the worry of harmful toxins, parabens, or chemicals. Every product is thoughtfully formulated and crafted by our founder and CEO, licensed cosmetologist LaTanya Lodge, to nourish your hair from root to tip ensuring your style not just looks good- but feels good too.

In the TresLife Curl Bar Salon, we don’t just offer hair care- we provide a luxurious, spa-like experience that rejuvenates both your hair and spirit. Every client receives a steam treatment, a moisturizing deep conditioning treatment, and a revitalizing scalp massage. Our range of services, including clay detoxes, steam hydration treatment, aloe vera and honey treatments,  wash and gos, twist styles, and more. All of our services are tailored to your specific hair needs to bring out the best in your natural beauty. In our tranquil salon environment, complete with calming music, dim lighting, and heated eye masks, you can truly unwind and enjoy a luxury hair care experience.

Our Mission

At TresLife, our mission is simple: to empower women and girls to love and embrace their natural hair. We believe that natural beauty should be celebrated and that every person deserves to feel good and love themselves. We’re committed to providing the support, knowledge, and all-natural products you need to feel confident and beautiful in your own skin.

The idea of TresLife began over a decade ago with a simple yet powerful mission: to create safer, all-natural hair care products that truly nourish and protect. When in cosmetology school, our founder, LaTanya Lodge, discovered the harsh reality of harmful ingredients in many mainstream hair products. These products were marketed to those with curly hair and promised moisture, growth, and protection, but instead left hair dry, damaged, and required daily application. LaTanya was left frustrated by the lack of healthy products that actually worked for curly hair. She decided she wanted to create a product line for the working mother and wife, products that worked and allowed for less time to be spent managing their hair and more time spent enjoying their lives. After thorough research, all signs pointed to a clear answer: natural ingredients.

TresLife officially launched in 2019 with just three products. With a desire and a prayer to have an entire product line, the three-product line expanded to over 40 offerings. All products were crafted to nourish and transform curly hair throughout the world.

2020 presented challenges for many businesses, but at TresLife, we saw an opportunity to connect with our community in new ways. LaTanya took to Facebook, launching a live-streaming series to educate viewers on the importance of healthy hair care ingredients and practices. This initiative not only kept our business thriving, but also helped us build a loyal customer base that values natural, safe, and effective hair care.

In 2021, TresLife opened its first retail location in downtown Raleigh, providing a space for our customers to experience our products firsthand. As we continued to grow, we expanded our offerings by opening the TresLife Curl Bar Salon in 2022.

In November of 2022, we relocated to our current location in Crabtree Valley Mall, where our salon has become a go-to destination for those seeking expert care and attention while being able to relax in a spa-like environment.

What makes TresLife different from other hair care brands?

TresLife products are toxin-free, chemical-free, and 100% organic. Not only can we promise holistic, healthy hair products, but we can also promise that they actually work . Our products have been effective in clients with alopecia, those with damaged hair, those looking to grow their hair, and so much more.

TresLife puts our customers at the center of our business. We make sure to keep in touch with our clients, as our priority is being available to assist you with any questions or concerns you have. We work as your cheerleaders as you embark on this journey that can be daunting for some.

How do I know what products are right for my hair?

Our product line is designed to meet the needs of every hair type. We recommend starting with our online hair quiz that will give you an idea as to what products are best for you depending on your needs. Looking for more in depth information? Book a consultation with us online, where we will assess your hair and give a thorough explanation for what products and services are best for your hair type.

Can I order products online?

Absolutely! Click here to go to our online shop.

Does your salon take men?

We work only with women and girls in our salon. However, men are welcome to use our products! If you talk with one of our trusted Beauty Advisors, they will be able to suggest the best products for your hair needs.

Ready to Transform Your Hair Care Routine?

Discover the difference nourishing all-natural ingredients can make! Explore our full range of holistic hair products designed to revive and protect your curls. Whether you’re dealing with dryness, thinning, or damage, TresLife has the perfect solution for you. Book your appointment at the TresLife Curl Bar Salon or shop our all-natural products online and join the movement towards healthier, more beautiful hair!

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Program: Quitting alcohol – the story of how Seana got sober

Program: Conversations

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Seana Smith grew up in a beautiful house in rural Scotland, and when things were good at home, they were wonderful.

But Seana’s father loved to drink, and his habit took over her family’s life.

Despite the fights, abuse and violence, Seana's mother couldn't bring herself to leave her husband, and so Seana found every excuse to get away -- from pony camp at 12 years old, to applying for boarding school without her parents' knowledge, and then to Oxford University.

Eventually Seana fell in love and ended up on the opposite side of the world, in Australia, where she started a family of her own.

But as she reached her mid 50s, Seana realised that the way she loved to drink meant she hadn’t really left home at all, and so she started her own journey of sobriety.

Further information

Going Under: A Memoir of Family Secrets, Addiction and Escape is published by Simon & Schuster.

Seana has her own podcast called The Publisher & The Writer , and you can keep up to date with Seana here.

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It took Seana years and several attempts to quit alcohol for good. ( Supplied )

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Ex-Warrior JTA, fueled by fatherhood, continues basketball journey

Ex-Warrior JTA, fueled by fatherhood, continues basketball journey originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CRUZ – Juan Toscano-Anderson, sitting on the sidelines at Kaiser Permanente Arena, looks down at the inside of his left forearm gleaming with pride. The Oakland native and Warriors champion isn’t new to the court that kickstarted his road to Golden State. What is new is his latest ink in honor of his son that’s beginning to heal.

“That’s at the top of my list, being a dad,” Toscano-Anderson told NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s the best thing I could have ever done. I’m glad that my son chose me to be his dad. He’s the best, he’s my baby goat.

“I just got his name tattooed, ‘Jadyce The Greatest with a baby goat,’ because he’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”

The 31-year-old is back at the home of the Santa Cruz Warriors as a member of the G League United for the G League Fall Invitational where an eclectic group of prospects and veterans alike will play BC Mega Mis of Serbia on Wednesday and Friday, the same club that the late former Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic coached future three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and current Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac .

At the conclusion of the United’s final practice before their first game, Toscano-Anderson skipped to center court and dapped up his teammates on his way to a huddle led by San Diego Clippers coach Paul Hewitt where he had the team break on “Dominate!” together.

Toscano-Anderson easily is the leader of the group with the deepest pedigree. While others are looking to prove themselves for the first time, Toscano-Anderson is playing for something bigger as the current free agent also believes he still has plenty left to give on the court. Once the opportunity was presented to him, Toscano-Anderson jumped at the chance of coming back to Santa Cruz.

Relentless defense. Diving for loose balls, even if it means putting his body on the line and crashing into the scorer’s table. Using his athleticism as a high-flier however it can help the team, and being an extra voice on the floor or the bench. All these traits have led to Toscano-Anderson’s improbable path to becoming a champion.

And all will remain with him as long as he’s playing basketball. He also is quick to point out that he did shoot over 40 percent from 3-point range in his first full NBA season with the Warriors in 2020-21, but understands shooting always has been a knock on his game. Toscano-Anderson says he has worked relentlessly the past few months on his outside shot, specifically training with coach Phil Beckner in Phoenix and hopes to show consistency there to receive a training camp invite to a team. His contagious energy is sure to be seen, too.

The sentimental aspect of these two games isn’t missed by him either. These fans are home to Toscano-Anderson. He earned a spot on Santa Cruz’s roster from an open tryout in 2018 and played 74 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors between the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons prior to making his NBA debut for his hometown team at 26 years old on Feb. 8, 2020.

“When I left Santa Cruz and went up to Golden State I always said, ‘Man, I miss playing in Santa Cruz,’” he remembers. “I never knew if I’d get the opportunity to play here again. Now that I do, I just want to embrace it, enjoy it and just be in the moment.”

It has been more than four and a half years since Toscano-Anderson played a game in Santa Cruz, and six months since his last game action, which was with the Mexico City Capitanes of the G League. He signed with the Sacramento Kings nearly two months into the NBA season after playing 11 games for the Capitanes, and then played 11 more games for coach Mike Brown ahead of being waived in early January.

That could have been a hindrance too hard to handle for many. But that’s not how the Castro Valley High School alum is built. A month and a half later, Toscano-Anderson was back in Mexico City where fans flocked to watch him play and his popularity surpassed those with the highest power in the entire country.

Toscano-Anderson as a member of the Warriors in 2022 became the first Mexican-American champion in NBA history. Eighteen months later, his son attended his first game on Dec. 3, 2023, where in front of 13,561 fans at Mexico City Arena who revere Toscano-Anderson, he scored 29 points against the Austin Spurs. Those 29 points are more than he has scored in any of his 202 NBA games, as well as his 93 career games in the G League and the 121 games he played at Marquette.

“You step into this business and you want to be a basketball player, but it comes with so much more,” Toscano-Anderson said. “You become a role model, you become an ambassador, you become all these other things. It’s cool to be a role model for kids, but it’s even cooler to be a role model for my own son.

“The biggest thing for me is when my kid grows up or he gets older, I want him to be proud when he says, ‘That’s my dad.’ That’s just how I look at it. I want to put on the best game I can when my son comes to see me play because I want to set a standard for him. … Averaging 15 points is cool, but I can average 25 if my dad averaged 15. Being an NBA champion is cool, but I can be a three-time NBA champion because my dad was an NBA champ. Or I can be an MVP or All-Star and so forth.

“That’s just my perspective on it all. I just want to set a baseline standard for him, so that way he has things to attack and things he wants to accomplish as he gets older.”

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Parenthood for many creates a newfound motivation some never knew they had within them. That isn’t the word Toscano-Anderson gravitates towards, however. Perspective is, in every way.

The perspective of a parent, a partner, a man who now has almost a decade’s worth of professional basketball to his name, and a name that holds weight that no other NBA player has.

“From my position, being a one-of-one, representing a country and being that for Mexico, I won’t be forgotten,” Toscano-Anderson knows. “... I don’t know if there are any other Toscano-Andersons in the world, but I want that name to carry weight and for it to be a legacy moving forward and something for my son to be proud of.”

When he walks back onto the Kaiser Permanente Arena court Wednesday night, a little more than three weeks from Jadyce’s first birthday on Sep. 28, Toscano-Anderson will remember Santa Cruz fans screaming his name years ago. He’ll remember why he wore No. 95 for the Warriors as a tribute to his childhood home on Oakland’s 95th Avenue. The highs, the lows and everything else will be there with him, as they always have been.

Now all he’ll have to do is take a peek at the baby goat imprinted on his left forearm for why the journey continues wherever his basketball life takes him next, supplanted forever by his greatest gift of fatherhood.

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By Tarrell Mitchell  Aug. 27, 2024

Jonathan and Natalie Sybert on their wedding day in 2023 held at Emory University Hospital, where he spent more than 200 days.

— Courtesy of Jon and Natalie Sybert

Jonathan Sybert seemed like any other man in his mid-30s. Ordinary in every way. He was healthy, active and an Army veteran. He enjoyed hobbies like playing the competitive Pokémon Trading Card Game and had recently begun to build a family, blending his life with his now wife Natalie and their four children.  

That sense of normalcy and growth was suddenly disrupted last year, when Jon landed in the hospital with what doctors believed was pneumonia. He would wind up staying in the hospital fighting for his life for 203 days, supported by Natalie, their family and the team of Emory Healthcare providers who worked around the clock to save his life.   

Jon and Natalie with their daughters.

On April 24, 2023, Jon made his first visit to urgent care near their home in Warner Robins, looking for answers and relief. He was experiencing shortness of breath, which prompted a worried Natalie to insist that her sweetheart see a doctor to find out what was really going on with him.  

During that visit, the doctor captured x-rays of Jon’s lungs and told him he might have pneumonia. They gave him an antibiotic and sent him home to keep an eye on things. Over the next few days, Jon showed some improvement and began to return to a normal routine, believing the unusual illness was finally over.  

The moment of relief was short-lived.  

Just a week later, while at church, Jon’s shortness of breath returned with a vengeance, accompanied by a troubling new side effect: bluish lips from lack of oxygen.  

As a nurse, Natalie knew something was seriously wrong. They raced home to drop the girls off and rushed to their local hospital, still thinking that it was a persistent pneumonia.   

When Jon and Natalie arrived at the Emergency Room (ER), Jon’s oxygen levels were dangerously low. Normal, healthy oxygen levels are between 90 to 100, with anything below 80 percent considered life threatening — and Jon’s oxygen levels were in the 60s. 

The fact that he was still up and walking, despite gasping for air, was both astonishing and deeply alarming to Natalie and the intake team. He was immediately whisked to the pulmonary unit for swift intervention.  

Days went by as doctors worked to determine what was going on. The news was bad. Jon’s condition was deteriorating, and he required higher oxygen levels to improve. On May 8, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and then three days later, the medical team informed Natalie — who was celebrating Mother’s Day weekend with her kids at the time — that Jon would need to be placed on a ventilator.   

Preparing for the worst, Jon designated Natalie his power of attorney.  

Jon and Natalie reminiscing on the time they spent in Emory University Hospital.

When Jon and Natalie found out that he was going to need serious treatment and even, possibly, a lung transplant, Natalie remembers firmly saying, “Then let’s send him to Emory.” 

Because the local hospital lacked the facilities to initiate or manage the treatment that he needed, they had to coordinate to dispatch a cardiothoracic team from Emory to his location to begin treatment. Teams at both hospitals would need to work closely together to plan everything out, to ensure that Jon stayed stable and received continuous care during the two-hour ride from Warner Robins to Atlanta. Transferring Jon to Emory University Hospital (EUH) was like preparing for a big move.

Once Jon arrived at Emory, he was going to need to begin something called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which is a long term “by-pass machine” that supports the heart and or/lungs by taking blood out of the body, oxygenating it via an artificial lung and pumping it back into the body.

The first step in ECMO treatment is cannulation — doctors carefully insert thin tubes called cannulas into major blood vessels. These tubes connect to the ECMO machine, which then takes over the job of pumping and oxygenating the blood.   

Once Jon arrived at EUH, his care team got to work figuring out the deeper issues going on with his health.  

Sagar Dave, DO, remembers first hearing about Jon’s case. Dave is the associate medical director of Emory’s ECMO program and associate medical director of EUH’s cardiovascular ICU (CVICU). Dave recalls first being introduced to this young man whose illness, initially was suspected to be pneumonia, now had him cycling in and out of emergency care.

Sagar Dave and Casey Miller with the Syberts.

Dave tried to be as optimistic as possible, while remaining realistic. Jon’s situation was serious, but the entire medical team was going to work as hard as they could to help get him better.  

Three days after arriving at EUH, Jon was extubated, meaning that they removed his breathing tube. Jon remembers how clouded his mind was during that time. He still cannot recall much from those days.  

After removing the tube, doctors tried every possible treatment, including high dosages of steroids, but the lungs still showed no improvement. At that point, there was only one option left: A lung transplant.  

To be physically stable enough for transplant surgery, Jon would now need to go through intense physical therapy. These therapy sessions, as important as they were, could be difficult and frustrating — and it began to take a toll on Jon mentally. But he knew he had to push through. At times, he needed support and encouragement from his team, while other times he needed to be pushed like he was in the Army, with his medical care team acting like his drill sergeants.

Jon and Keeley Collins, DPT during a physical therapy session.

A major requirement for Jon to receive a lung transplant was walking regularly, which he said could feel “like you just took a marathon run when all you did was take 20 or 30 steps.”

Miller and Keely Collins, DPT, Jon’s lead physical therapist, set goals for Jon. He needed to walk at least three to five laps around the unit, a baseline that would ensure he was healthy enough to go on the operating table.

Over the weeks and months that followed, the nurses and staff at EUH became like family to Jon and Natalie. They celebrated holidays and even Natalie’s birthday together, with Jon coordinating efforts with the care team to make Natalie feel appreciated beyond the four hospital walls.  

The team ensured that Jon had a chance to get fresh air from time to time, even while hooked up on ECMO, and arranged special visits for their daughters, who weren’t quite old enough to be regular hospital fixtures at the time.  

Dave often engaged Jon in conversations about basketball, Pokémon and anime. They would watch movies together to make Jon feel as comfortable and normal as possible. These shared moments of warmth provided a sense of belonging and support during the most challenging period of his hospital stay.  

Because Jon and Natalie’s wedding had been postponed, and because the future was uncertain until Jon could get a transplant, the two decided to go ahead and get married right there in the hospital. And the team at EUH was more than happy to assist. 

Natalie acquired the marriage license while Miller and Sarrah Pitman, another APP in the ICU, dove into planning the party, from picking out decorations and a cake to finding the perfect location where Jon, who was still hooked up ECMO, could comfortably say his vows.  

On July 1, 2023, overlooking the Atlanta skyline on a fifth-floor balcony of the EUH Tower, surrounded by the providers who had become chosen family over the last few months, Jon and Natalie said, “I do.” 

Jon and Natalie on their wedding day

As the sun sank on what had been such a happy celebration, Dave remembers how quickly the mood shifted when the overnight ICU shift began. Jon still had a long way to go before he and Natalie would be able to start their married life together.   

On Aug. 28, Jon had officially been added to the lung transplant list, but he was still struggling to get his oxygen levels up to where they needed to be for an operation — so his surgery was once more put on hold. Natalie remembers thinking that “the world ended right then and there.” 

It was time for Jon to once again walk the laps he had been practicing and to demonstrate the strength necessary to make it through the transplant safely.  

As further motivation, Dave struck a deal with Jon. Dave would get Jon, ever the avid Pokémon player and collector, a pack of Pokémon cards for each additional lap he walked beyond his usual routine.

What a difference a year makes: Jon and Natalie return to the exact spot where they wed a year prior.

By Sept. 6, about six and a half months since his health ordeal began, Jon had a successful lung transplant. This triumph was more than just a medical win but a testament to the collective strength and unwavering hope that buoyed him along the way. 

Fast forward to today, and Jon continues to enjoy a strong and steady recovery. Best of all, he and Natalie have been able to observe milestones they never would have without the ECMO care and transplantation expertise of their care team at Emory.

Finding bliss in the once overlooked simplicity of everyday moments, Jon said, he now loves simply being bored. As a reminder of where he was a year ago, a beautiful hand-crafted sign gifted to them by the ICU nurses now hangs proudly in their living room. The sign features their names, their wedding date, and the names of their children, all intertwined with a braided cross. Beneath that are the words, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” 

• Emory University Hospital

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