If you're staring at a blank page not knowing where to start, you're not alone. Legacy letters feel enormous because they are—you're trying to capture everything that matters in words. The solution is not to capture everything. The solution is to use prompts: sentence starters that guide you toward what's true. Below are 30 prompts organized by category. Read through them. Some will resonate. Start there. Your legacy letter is built one sentence at a time.
Values & Beliefs (Prompts 1-6)
1. The value that shaped my life more than any other is...
2. I've always believed that the most important thing is...
3. If I had to describe my philosophy of life in one sentence, it would be...
4. What I wish I'd understood earlier is...
5. I'm proud that I always...
6. Even when it was hard, I never compromised on...
Memories & Gratitude (Prompts 7-12)
7. I'll never forget the day when...
8. One of my favorite memories with you is...
9. I'm most grateful to you for...
10. Thank you for the time you...
11. I want you to know that I noticed when you...
12. One ordinary moment I want to preserve is...
Lessons & Wisdom (Prompts 13-18)
13. I learned the hard way that...
14. If you only remember one thing about how I lived, remember this...
15. The mistake I'm most glad I made was...
16. Looking back, I wish I had...
17. Don't make the mistake of...
18. The hardest thing I ever did taught me...
Love & Relationships (Prompts 19-24)
19. What you mean to me is...
20. I'm most proud of you for...
21. You are stronger than you know because...
22. I see in you a capacity for...
23. One thing I hope you never doubt about yourself is...
24. The kind of person you are matters to the world because...
Forgiveness & Healing (Prompts 25-27)
25. I forgive myself for...
26. I hope you'll forgive me for...
27. It took me years to understand that...
Hope & Future (Prompts 28-30)
28. I hope you will...
29. Don't be afraid to...
30. My greatest wish for you is...
How to Use These Prompts
Don't feel obligated to answer all of them. Read the list and notice which ones make your heart catch, which ones feel urgent. Answer those. Your legacy letter doesn't need to be comprehensive. It needs to be honest. And it needs to be yours. Some people answer five prompts. Some answer all thirty. Some expand each prompt into paragraphs, others into single sentences. All of that is right.
"I thought I had to write some grand statement about my whole life. Instead, I just let the prompts guide me toward the truth—one sentence at a time. Before I knew it, I had written a letter that felt completely like me. Not because it was fancy, but because it was honest."
Start with one prompt. Just one. Write the first thing that comes to mind, without editing. Then move to the next one that calls to you. Your legacy letter is not a test. It's a gift. And it starts with exactly one honest sentence. Begin writing your legacy letter now.