Life Resume
Personal document that reminds you of just how badass you are when you forget ;)
What is a Life Resume?
Think of this as a buffet of your life stories. Throughout life, you can return to this buffet and pick any story that resonates with you. This may come up in conversation or reflection. In other words, they are data to add to who you are
This is designed to be a grab-and-go of your experience. The act of sitting in reflection alone is valuable - the act of distilling key lessons learned is immeasurable and offers a translatable set of learning you can bring to any role. By having a Life Resume, you not only have accessible stories to pick from, but also a reminder of what you have experienced and accomplished in your life thus far.
It is a rolodex of your experiences. While it might take the shape of a life story (which is great), it is often more staccato and focused on learning. The Life Resume exercise is written for you, by you.
Experience + Reflection = Growth
What types of things do I put in it?
Who did I work with?
What did I learn?
What were the results? What did I support them in creating?
What stories speak to my results? What stories speak to my learning?
Where do I start?
A great place to start initially is your formal resume (which is written for external parties) and LinkedIn (also written for others).
How do I format all of that stuff?
The format (as you may expect) is whatever works for you! I have found it helpful to organize it based on things related to our identity & values, things related to our process & habits, and then things related to our goals & outcomes. It could be in sections based on personal importance, topical relevance, or what you’d need to see or hear first if you were going to reference your Life Resume. However you choose to format it is the right way, as long as it makes sense to you.
What happens after I create it?
Usually, your Life Resume will be a work-in-progress document that you maintain as you learn, discover, and create new experiences and actions in life. It will constantly change and grow with you, but when you get lost, it will always be there as a reminder of who you are, what you have experienced and accomplished in your life thus far. Add what has given you value, and reflect on past stories. The simple act of staying present to your Life Resume by adding in new things is enough.
Seb’s Sample Life Resume
