My Life at a Glance

Why this story is important

My Life at a Glance encourages you to step back and look at your life in broad strokes—highlights, milestones, turning points. This structure helps you remember and capture things you might otherwise overlook. It provides a guided framework, which can reduce the overwhelm of “where do I start?” when writing your life story.

Writing this summary helps preserve your life narrative in a form that others (family, friends, future generations) can access and appreciate. It becomes part of your legacy — a way for others to understand who you are, where you’ve been, and what shaped you.

Preparation checklist

• Gather your thoughts and materials. Review your journals and notes that might help you remember details.
• Browse your photo albums to stimulate memories and choose the photos you might want to use in the story.
• Decide who you’ll share the finished story with. Just yourself? Family? Friends? Public post? Thinking about your audience in advance will help guide what memories and details to include and which ones to leave out.

How to use the Times of My Life App to capture your story:

*The Virtual Biographer has instant access to similar stories written and shared by millions of other people. It knows what questions to ask and in what order. It can help you relive events, thoughts and feelings. It can help illuminate the essence of your experience and then craft a story that is uniquely yours. If a question doesn’t seem relevant to your experience, just skip it. Answer at least five questions. Tap “Next” and tap “Additional Details” to speak or type from memory.

Add media, save and publish as a printed piece, audiocast, and/or video

Insert photos and video clips wherever you want them to appear in the story narrative. Add voice narration and background music if you want to create an audiocast or video, in addition to a printed piece.

Share and revise as desired

After the story is written by you or your virtual biographer, you can “share” it through he app with friends and loved ones. Their feedback can provide valuable perspective and help you improve your story. After you get their feedback you can go back and edit the story as desired — or ask the Virtual Biographer to rewrite it with the feedback!

Related Stories

• Childhood Retrospective
• Teen Retrospective
• Early Adult Retrospective
• Midlife Retrospective
• Senior Retrospective

Write the Story Yourself: Suggested Outline

🌅 1. Opening Snapshot

• Begin with a short introduction of who you are today.
• One or two sentences that set the tone: your perspective on your life overall (grateful, adventurous, resilient, blessed, etc.).

👶 2. Early Years & Childhood

• Where and when you were born.
• Key memories of growing up, family influences, early friends, school, or traditions.
• Any defining moment that shaped who you were as a child.

🎓 3. Teen Years & Coming of Age

• Highlights from adolescence: school, friendships, first jobs, activities.
• Moments of independence or lessons learned.
• Early goals, dreams, or influences.

💕 4. Love & Relationships

• Meeting a partner, falling in love, engagements, marriage, or meaningful relationships.
• Family life and raising children (if applicable).
• Relationships with friends, mentors, or people who deeply shaped your journey.

🧭 5. Work & Purpose

• Career path, major jobs, callings, or ventures.
• Accomplishments and challenges that defined your professional life.
• What you learned about yourself through work and purpose.

🌍 6. Adventures & Milestones

• Travel, big moves, adventures, or once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
• Personal milestones (graduations, service, achievements, health battles, etc.).
• Historical events you lived through or participated in.

💡 7. Lessons & Reflections

• Values, philosophies, or beliefs that carried you through life.
• Hard-won lessons you’d like others to know.
• What gives you joy, strength, or peace.

🍃 8. Closing Glance

• End with a summary thought: How you see your life when you look back at it all.
• A sentence or two of gratitude, pride, or hope for future generations.

👉 This outline keeps things broad but meaningful, so your “Life at a Glance” reads like a warm overview rather than a detailed biography. Later, you (or your family) can dive deeper into any section with separate story topics inside the app.

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