It’s Easier Than You Think. Why Not Tell Your Story.

Everyone has a story.?

We live our life’s journey in chapters of time.

When these chapters are combined, the aggregate inherently weaves a unique story --- your story.?

When viewed closely, this collection of chapters paints a portrait of why you are the person you are today, where your journey has taken you, the victories you have won, and the challenges you have encountered along the way.

Some of the chapters of your story may not only include people, places and events that are warmly etched in your mind, but may also plant invaluable nuggets of hope, encouragement and pride in the minds of family and friends. These are special nuggets that family, friends and others will benefit from, treasure, and use to guide their journey as well as frame fond memories of you for generations.

Even as a writer, and an author who has written hundreds of articles and who has published over a dozen books, I was amazed at a recent storytelling experience that allowed me to combine and share a few chapters of my life’s journey in an unexpectedly but thoroughly enjoyable fashion.

To not bore you with all of the details, here is a summation of events encompassing this experience.?

? As a 1977 graduate of the Arizona State University Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, I was asked last month to participate in an Oral History Project. My participation would involve me agreeing to an interview. My interview would be recorded and included with other alumni in a 2023 Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering Oral History Project’s global publication.

? A few weeks ago, I called the phone number provided to me to simply say “Yes, I will participate,” and to schedule the Oral History Project interview.

? During this call, I had a delightful 30-minute, extempore conversation with a curious but charming personality armed with questions about my experiences at Arizona State and my time in the Tempe and Phoenix area. Of course, at the time, I did not know or realize that the person I was speaking with, named Jamie, was a Professional Interview Consultant hired by the University.

? After ending the conversation and agreeing during the call to participate in the Project, I received an email the next day. In the email I was provided with an audio file containing a copy of my 24-minute Oral Project interview, which was recorded during my phone call with Jamie.

Needless to say, the copy of the interview that was extracted from the spontaneous conversation with Jamie was a huge surprise. However, I was amazed at how effective this approach was in capturing my experiences at Arizona State and how these experiences helped to shape my life.

Below is a hyperlink to a short video I produced last weekend. The video is an augmentation of my spontaneous Oral History Project interview and dozens of memorable and supportive photographs. Together, the audio of the extempore conversation and the pictures I added, entertainingly tells a story that I have wanted for years to tell but felt that it would take too much time and effort.

When you have some leisure time, please return to this email message, and just click the photograph or follow the hyperlink below. You might be as amazed as I am as to how it all turned out. If you were a part of these chapters of my life, you might find a photo or two that may bring back memories.

https://vimeo.com/821385705

What I learned from this recent experience, and the moral of this article is:

“It’s easier than you think…why not consider telling a few chapters of your story in this fashion.”

Have a safe and enjoyable summer…and think about digitally archiving a few chapters of your story for future generations.