How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

Take the time to write down some of your best-loved memories and hard-won lessons. Write letters to loved ones and send them now. Keep a journal to share later—there are many journaling tools to help you get started, from physical books to digital options.

Make videos of yourself talking about the things that have given your life meaning and purpose. Save them to a private YouTube account, forward them to a family member or load them to the cloud.

Record silly sentiments, private messages or words of wisdom with an audio recorder or app on your phone. Most smartphones come with an app preinstalled, including Voice Memos on iPhones or Voice Recorder on Android devices.

Gather your photos and caption them, noting not just when and where they were taken but also the names and ages of people in the photos or something else you can remember about the moment they were taken. It's fine to just stash them in a shoebox, but if you're crafty, consider making a scrapbook or digital photo album. You can create memory books to give to family around the holidays or share photos on social media with a story.

Create a playlist of favorite songs on your smartphone, especially those tied to memories like your wedding day, the birth of a child, the year you learned to drive a car. Include everything from religious hymns to rock ballads. Free apps like Spotify, Pandora and even YouTube make it easy.

Employ a storytelling service to help you compile memories and create a bound book to give to family members.

Create a family tree. A visual record of your ancestry, a family tree lets you see how the people in your life fit together. You can simply start with the family tree template in Microsoft Excel or you can get a little more sophisticated (and have a little more fun) with a family tree app. Many of the big genealogy sites have free apps with an easy-to-use family tree function. To get started, you'll want to reach out to your relatives—the older the better.

Draft your obituary. It doesn't have to be a morbid exercise. In fact, it can be rewarding to think about the funny details for which you'd like to be remembered and weave them into a short story of your life. An outline can help you get started.

Get our Personal Planning Guide. Having plans in order means gaining peace of mind. Our guide was designed to help you record and organize important information, personal thoughts and your final wishes. Making final plans now is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give your family. And, when you plan ahead, your Dignity Memorial^® professionals can help you coordinate every detail to create a personal, meaningful tribute.