Create, permanently record, and share a Life Statement to make a difference in your own life and the lives of others.

The real measure of our lives is in what we learn from our life experiences, the ideas we bring into the world, the values we live by, and our hopes for the future. Life stories, memorials, biographies, and even mission statements are often a recitation of facts, events, and goals without the personal meaning behind them. In keeping with the tradition in some cultures of writing an ethical will – which, instead of passing along valuables, passes along values – a Life Statement is an opportunity to share who you are. Not only will it mean something to you and your family – a blueprint for living and a meaningful gift to the next generation – but you are also contributing to a learning community celebrating collective wisdom and action.

Said James Baldwin, "You can write in order to change the world, knowing perfectly well that you probably can't, but also knowing that [the words] we leave are indispensable to the world... The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it." That's the power of a Legacy Project Life Statement.

You can create a Life Statement for yourself or for someone else:

1. Create a Life Statement on behalf of someone (e.g. to honor the memory of a parent, grandparent, or other family member).

2. Give the Life Statement as a gift to a family member or friend.

3. As a personal journey of exploration, a special gift to your family, or to celebrate the birth of a child or grandchild, you can create a Life Statement for yourself that not only becomes a blueprint for living but also leaves a meaningful legacy.

As a gift to yourself, a gift you give your family, or a gift you receive, a Life Statement is an opportunity. It explores who you are, your relationships with others, and your impact on the world.

As the Legacy logo suggests, our lives can be a path along which we ask questions and make choices. The questions we ask and the answers we find determine the kind of life we live, the relationships we have, and the ways we shape our world. Our legacy evolves as we move from childhood through adolescence to young adulthood and older adulthood.

A Life Statement looks at where you've been and where you'd still like to go. It's an opportunity to permanently record and share your most significant life experiences, ideas, values, and hopes. It has personal meaning to you and your family, and will make a difference in the lives of others as part of this online learning community. Learning about real life from real people is one of the best ways to better understand ourselves and the world around us.

Creating a Life Statement

The Life Statement you create appears on your own webpage in the Legacy Project's Life Statement Library. You have a maximum of 1,000 words and can post one significant photograph. You also have the option of including one link to a family or personal website.

You choose the personal information you wish
to appear as part of the Life Statement (e.g. first name, last name, or both; date of birth; etc.). You can use your own writing creativity or, if you need some help creating and focusing your Life Statement, you can follow the easy-to-use template with question prompts we've carefully researched and developed. Our staff are also available to answer questions.

Once you submit your Life Statement, you will be able to review it and make revisions before it is permanently posted.

Your Life Statement webpage becomes a permanent record that you, your family, and others can read. You create a legacy for years to come that captures the core of who you are – your most significant experiences, ideas, values, and hopes.

There is a $170 one-time cost for creating and permanently posting a Life Statement.

Legacy Project Chair Susan V. Bosak has written a sample Life Statement to honor the memory of her grandmother, Eva Krawchuk. Note that a Life Statement can be created to honor the memory of a family member or friend, or you can create a Life Statement for yourself.

For inspiration and contemplation, read the special
What Is Legacy? article by Susan V. Bosak.

A Life Statement is your opportunity to share the most important parts of who you are – a blueprint for living and a gift to others as part of a meaningful online learning community.

For more information about creating a Life Statement, contact the Legacy Project at 1-800-772-7765. Or, if you'd like to get the process started without obligation, complete the form below.