A Solution To The Problem

A few year ago, my husband and I were hiking through a jungle in Belize with some of our friends, and our tour guide pointed out a tree I had never heard of. It's called the Black Poison Tree. This tree has a very powerful defense mechanism against people. It's a very potent sap that oozes from the tree that looks like black tar. The sap is poisonous and if it comes in contact with your skin it will cause a bad rash that can be very miserable and painful and difficult to treat and get rid of. If not treated quickly it can even develop into a 2nd degree burn. It can also spread to other parts of your body easily and soap and water helps but doesn't take it away.

My favorite part of this story is that the #1 best way to treat the affected skin is by rubbing oil from the Gumbo Limbo tree on the infected areas. And guess what? The tour guide told us (and I looked it up to verify) that wherever their is a Black Poisonwood Tree, there is a Gumbo Limbo tree growing close by. Where there is a problem, the solution is close by. As we continued our hike, I saw several Black Poisonwood Trees and sure enough, there was always a Gumbo Limbo Tree very close by. I saw it with my own eyes. 😳

I want to relate this story to writing your Personal History. where there is a problem, the solution is close by. Let me explain...when I start talking about the importance of writing Personal Histories, people are interested BUT they come up with lots of reasons why they can't do it...time, effort, confusion, overwhelm, too hard, etc.

Well, I am here to tell you that where there is a problem, there is a solution that can take away the challenges.

The process is a "short story format". Which means your personal history can be written story-by-story. Each with their own title. You can write 100 different stories or 5 stories - anything is better than nothing. Start with the stories that are the most fun to write about. They don't even need to be in order.

And not only is it easy to write, but it will be so much more fun to read. People love reading short stories and most people would prefer a short story over a long one.

I challenge you to write just ONE short story this week and see how it goes. And if you do, I would love for you to share your experience with me. I want to know if it's working for you and if not, how I can help.

Writing you Personal History doesn't need to be difficult - where there is a problem, there is a solution! I hope you give it a try.

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