Creating a personal timeline
We love to listen to stories and watch stories. Understanding our own story can help you further enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.
What is a Personal Timeline:
A personal timeline is created when you put together a chronological order of events, people, and experiences in your life down on paper. The purpose is to reflect back upon your life in order to understand what has shaped you so you can take stronger steps forward.
Preparing stage
· Purchase or have ready a pen, notepad (or word processor), and three different colours of sticky notes.
· Set aside 20-30 minutes in order to give a thoughtful reflection on the course of your life.
The exercise – part one
· Break your life down into chapters. For example, you could take a sheet of lined paper for each chapter(10 years). You could, on a wall, place titles for the chapter sections (10-year sections).
· Now using one color of your sticky notes list out people who have had a significant impact on your life. Place them in the correct chapter. This is both negative and positive impact.
· Using another colour of your sticky paper put in circumstances of significance (celebrations, challenges, crises, jobs change, painful moments, events, mission opportunities, ministry etc.)
· Using the third colour of sticky notes, mark out God markers in your life. Significant moments of growth in your spiritual life or understanding God.
The exercise – Part A
This is a moment to step back and look from a bird’s eye view. There are a number of things you could do. If it is on the wall perhaps put it down on paper to help reflect later and remember.
During this time use these questions below to help reflect.
Questions to ask after creating a life timeline:
1. What jumps out at you from your life’s journey?
2. What are the threads woven (themes) through your story?
3. What lessons have you learned over the years?
4. How have the painful points directed your life? What have you gained or learned from them? Is there any redemptive value from the painful points that has contributed value to your life?
5. Looking at key decisions, were they fruitful or not? How do you define this? What made it a good or bad choice. How did you respond?
6. What do you have to be thankful for? Is there anyone you need to thank?
7. Where, or what, are the turning points in your life timeline?
8. What was the most pressing emotion in each season?
9. What has God been teaching you along the way?
10. How does your life reflect the mission-heart of God?
11. When were you most fulfilled in ministry? What factors contributed to it?
12. How has this experience helped you better understand who you are in Christ?
13. What has your thought life been like through each of the chapters of your life? How has that directed your life?
The exercise – Part three
Look into the future. Where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years? What do you expect the future to look like?
In order to get there, what habits do you need to start?
Have you consider writing out a life plan? [sh_callout callouttype=”standard” title=”” bordercolor=”rgba(0,0,0,0.15)” bordersize=”1px” borderradius=”4px” backgroundcolor=”#fff” fontcolor=”rgb(24, 15, 221)” buttonenable=”enable” buttonbgcolor=”#DD4040″ buttonfontcolor=”#fff” btnbordercolor=”rgba(0,0,0,0.15)” btnborderwidth=”1px” btnborderradius=”4px” buttontext=”How a life plan can Help” buttonlink = “http://matthewlaker.com/how-a-life-plan-can-help/” buttonTarget=”_blank” fliptext=”” flipcolor=”#555″ flipbgcolor=”#fff” flipbordercolor=”rgba(0,0,0,0.15)” iconenable=”image” iconfontcolor=”#fff” iconbgcolor=”#DD4040″ iconset=”fontawesome” iconfa=” fa fa-glass” iconspin=”disable” image=”http://matthewlaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/how-life-plan-can-help.jpg” imageheight=”100px” imagewidth=”250px”][/sh_callout]
Understanding our story can help us further enter, engage and experience the life we were created for.
Creating a personal life timeline can be one tool to help you enter, engage and experience the life you were created for.
Let me know how you do!