Six-Word Memoir

Try this: Write a six-word memoir about yourself. It must be exactly six words. I'll give you a minute or two.

Was that difficult? Did you start several times only to realize you were crafting a sentence with either five or seven words? Did you play with contractions and grammar to grow or shrink your initial thoughts?

In preparation for a meeting on Monday, everyone on my team at work has to write a six-word memoir describing themselves. I think I wrote twenty or so before settling on one:

There's always time for an adventure.

In the scribbles that I discarded, I tried to list my personal qualities, or force environmental or personal beliefs about the world into six little words. No wonder the first nineteen attempts ended in failure. Ultimately, the one that worked and the one that I feel proud to carry with me (as these will stick, I'm sure) describes my attitude from my own perspective and is ultimately bigger than one sentence.

There is no way, in six words, one can sum up their entire life. The term "memoir" is misleading in this sense. Perhaps it should be called a six-word "memoira" just as a short story is often called a novella. Terminology aside, however, the exercise is important, as it encapsulates so many important intellectual and emotional processes that I will now be applying to my life on a regular basis.

First, it was surprisingly difficult to capture something about myself that I can wear like a nametag. As we all do, I like to think about myself as a complicated and multi-layered person; I like art, music, reading, sports, academia, technology, travel, fashion, science, food, politics, and of course, nature. That is far more than six words.

Second, it was difficult to come up with words that would hold far more meaning than their direct definitions. I am sure most of us see ourselves as people with a lot of depth, so why settle for six small, flat words? Most of us have more than six outfits, and we generally accept that we express ourselves through our wardrobes, so how can we live within six words? A word doesn't even cover as much as an outfit does. One word is more like a t-shirt - it does its job of covering your torso but is inadequate to go out in public with only a t-shirt on.

As I stared at my list of discarded memoirs, my thoughts turned to inward focus instead of outward focus. What did I live by at every moment? What ideas follow me into my kitchen, into the mountains, and also into my art and reading? Eventually, I realized I always have a thirst for exploration and learning new things. I love exploring new food and recipes, new hiking trails and powder lines, and new drawing techniques and reading subjects. This felt like a good start.

Then, I searched for words that reflected the way I feel about the vastness of all that is unexplored. I thought about how I feel when I get to try anything new. Usually, I feel exhilaration, wonder, and joy. I needed to capture my excessive enthusiasm for this exploration and learning.

Now, the hard part. How to capture the way I explore. I am always excited to explore and learn and I try to do so relatively constantly. However, I also embrace the stillness and the routine of life. I love silence, I love days when plans are canceled and I have to come up with something to do alone or indoors. My love of exploration comes from a place of appreciation and respect for the knowledge or environment I have the privilege to soak up and experience. On the other hand, there is also the "should" part of the world we are all constantly battling with - I should do chores, I should work, I should go to the gym. How in the world can thirst for exploring, contentment with quiet routine, and observance of societal norms all fit together in six words?

There's always time for an adventure. Adventures are magical journeys meant to be savored. Knowing there is always time for one alludes to the existence of all the other noisy responsibilities out there, anchoring the whole memoir in reality. And also, because of the way the words come together, it shows it is a choice and a perspective, even a way of life. I choose to make life an adventure, but I don't desperately seek adventure in every single moment. I have adventures every day because I know I can make one out of anything if I choose.

So, the question is. Can you look inward and write a six-word memoir about yourself? It is an irresistible challenge, yet a challenge it is. A ten minute (or longer) activity that will change the next ten days, ten weeks, or ten years. If you are unable to let go of one that is close but not quite right, or if you are unable to think of one that you feel in your core, what does that say about you? Do you know yourself? Are you forcing yourself into a box? If your memoir comes to you immediately and you feel the words wrap themselves around you without fuss, perhaps that means you already have deep insight into yourself. Regardless of the level of challenge, it is impossible not to come away having learned something about yourself by writing your own six-word memoir. Good luck.