The Legacy Letter: Journaling for the Next Generation

Every weekday for the last 15 years, I've written in an 'open letter' to my kids. Here's how to start your own.

Like many things in my life, it started with agitation and festered into action.

I wanted to know where I came from. Not literally, because I understand biology pretty well, but contextually.

What were my parents thinking before I was born? Why did they try for a third child? What happened when I was young to make me who I am? What similarities do I share with my parents and grandparents when they were my age?

I wanted to go back in time and talk with them when they were in my stage of life. When they were raising kids, and dealing with social strife, and trying to build their future.

I just had to know. So I asked. And there was not much there. And I was disappointed.

Were they holding things back? No. That’s just how life is. It’s hard to remember. It’s impossible to remember. So I vowed my kids would never have to wonder.

So I started writing.

Fifteen Years Later

My legacy letter to my kids is now more than 3,000 entries. It’s filled with assorted snapshots of the life of my family. The depths of despair, the elation of success, the wonder of raising kids, the heartache of death, the fear of failure, the resentment of hurt, the hope for a better future.

And each day, I add to it. One entry at a time.

My kids will never have to wonder what we were like. I write the letter as if I am talking to them as young adults. And when they are 18, they will receive a bound copy. They may just put it on a shelf somewhere because at 18, we sometimes lack perspective. But one day, they will open it. And they will turn to their birth date. And they will read of a father’s love. And they will treasure it.

How To Build a Legacy Letter

Step 1 — Decide who to write to

Choose an audience. It could be your children, grandchildren, niece, nephew, heir to your business, young leader in your non-profit, children of your church/synagogue/mosque, or future leaders in your city. Anyone who you think might benefit from your story.

After determining the recipient, decide when you will give it to them. Pick a time in the next 5–20 years when you think they would most benefit from your words. Then picture this future person as you write. Write to them as if you are telling them a story on that future date. Become a storyteller to the future.

Step 2 — Decide when to write

A task like this requires discipline. Choose a time each day (or week) to write. Make it consistent. Make it a time to focus. Make it short.

For me, I write the first time I open my laptop for the day. It takes me about 10 minutes to complete an entry. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending, on current events.

Step 3 — Decide where to write

Pick a favorite spot where you can relax and be at peace. Try to remove yourself from temporal distractions. After all, it’s hard to think of the future when you are immersed in the present.

Step 4 — Decide how to write

Some of us are pen-and-a-journal folks; others can type faster than we think. (Which leads to apologizing over hastily-authored emails…) No matter the medium, choose a writing method in which you think clearly and can tap into your deepest thoughts and feelings.

Step 5 — Decide what to write

Your audience will determine the depth and complexity of your legacy letter. Things we might write to our children surely differ from things we would write to acquaintances.

I suggest writing about whatever is on your mind at the time. After all, you are trying to convey who you are and what your life is like.

I write about an assortment of topics: family, politics, goals, news events, tough decisions, etc. I try to capture a mini-theme each entry depending on my mood.

Unexpected Benefits

Building my legacy letter has had unexpected benefits.

From time to time, I peruse past entries. I’ve gotten great joy in looking back and remembering the good times. Goals met and dreams come true, relationships healed, and lives changed.

It’s also become a form of accountability for me. My entries are sacred, and I fear compromising them by not living up to my entries. If I write about a step I need to take in my life, I feel obligated to follow through. I can’t stand the thought of letting my children down. I know, they do not even understand the letter exists yet. But I still feel a sense of purpose in living my words.

What about you? How are you passing on your knowledge and experiences to the next generation? Certainly, there are many methods, and this is but one. I’d love to hear your story, as would the future…

Books of Note: As a happy little accident, I just finished Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX on the exact same day SpaceX launched Starship (and nearly blue Texas apart). What a fascinating read. Say what you want about Musk, but I’m convinced there’s never been a more bold risk-taker in the history of industry.

If this post brought you value, I’d be honored if you’d subscribe to my newsletter. I’d also love a follow over on Twitter and Linkedin, as I post things there that are either too brief for the newsletter or are just entertaining things I come up with over a responsibly-sized serving of Blanton’s.