| Last year, we gifted my mom a StoryWorth subscription, a service helping people reflect on their lives and capture their stories.
Each week, StoryWorth emailed her a question: What was it like growing up? What was your first job? Who were your friends in high school? My mom then answered the questions with an anecdote or recollection and submitted those to StoryWorth. At the end of the year, StoryWorth compiled her memories into a beautiful hard-cover book. One of my favorite questions, “What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?” prompted my mom to deliver the following wisdom: “Slow down. Be more creative. Put on your best outfit and dance down the street. Find your next adventure. Travel to every place you possibly can. Study hard. Work hard. Play hard. Don’t take yourself too seriously.” She had written us a legacy letter! A 3,500-year-old tradition, the legacy letter is a way to pass on life lessons that inform and transform the next generation. A barometer of the past, legacy letters strengthen the future. According to research by Dr. Marshall Duke, a psychologist from Emory University, the more children know about their family’s history, the more resilient they are – they moderate stress better, have a stronger sense of control over their lives, and exhibit higher self-confidence. Researchers also concluded that when families share stories about bouncing back from difficult moments, it increases the odds the family will thrive in the future. The leaders of the Baptist Health South Florida nurse residency program get it! At the end of each program, new nurse residents reflect on their journey and write letters to future residents titled “RN Residency Legacy Letters.” Deemed the residents’ first official act of mentoring, their legacy letters, brimming with insights and advice, are compiled and shared with incoming residents. But legacy letters do more than help the Wisdom Receivers; they strengthen the Wisdom Givers. Research shows that recounting our experiences and reflecting on our learnings reinforces those learnings, improves our productivity, increases our happiness, and fosters our well-being. Reflection fuels our insight, and insight promotes our growth. In other words, sharing wisdom in a legacy letter fortifies the Wisdom Givers too! What advice would you give your younger self? © 2023. Ann Tardy and MentorLead. www.mentorlead.com. All Rights Reserved. |