If you're like me, you've always struggled with keeping a consistent, detailed journal of what's going on in your life. There are lots of reasons for this, mostly because there always seems to be something more pressing or immediate that needs to be done. In spite of this, it's important to keep a journal for several reasons. Here are a few I've identified in my life, maybe you'll agree with me. I've also included some suggestions of little things you're probably already doing that actually are journaling, and how to put them to good use.
First, writing can be cathartic and helpful in working through feelings, good and bad. Through many of life's ups and downs, journaling can be a healthy outlet and a way to get in touch with what's really going on in your heart. Many mental health experts recommend it as a great way to release stress, anger, sadness, worry and grief. As you express those feelings on paper, you're essentially experiencing the same sense of release you would if you "vented" to someone, only writing them down privately may help save some stress in a few of your relationships. On the flip side, journaling feelings of happiness, hope and love not only increases those feelings, but records in a permanent record the circumstances surrounding them, making them available to be re-experienced anytime you want to read through your journal.
Second, I've found that journaling is a great way to look back and measure progress and growth throughout your life, big or small. Keeping as detailed a record as possible will help you to better remember exactly how far you've come, which is always helpful in providing the incentive that's sometimes needed to keep focused on your goals. And it's just plain fun to be able to look back and remember the days of driving that old clunker or living on ramen noodles and be grateful for just how far you've come. If you're currently driving a clunker and living on ramen noodles, take heart. Things will get better, so make sure you're writing things down so that some day you can look back on it all with nostalgia!
The third reason I think journaling is important is that you're leaving a record for your kids. For some reason when I think about the word "posterity" it conjures images of dusty attic boxes and ancient books being cracked open after years of sitting untouched. Well, I suppose this can be true, and what a treasure to stumble onto if you were so lucky! But in my family, I appreciated my mom's high school journals & scrapbooks while I was in high school. It helped me to feel closer to my mom that I could see the things that she enjoyed, the boys she dated and the conflicts or concerns she felt over teenage life. As we enjoyed these things together, we shared priceless moments that helped us to connect, at a time when you usually don't do much connecting with parents.
Have you ever seen or read your mom's journal? Your grandma's? What did it mean to you? If you haven't had that opportunity, what would it mean to you if you could? What do think? Is it worth it to try to do this? I think it is, and even if you don't have a formal-bound book with J-O-U-R-N-A-L on the cover, there's still plenty you can do to be journaling.
My three biggest short-cut tricks to journaling are these:
1. Keep copies of any emails or letters you send to friends or family, especially ones that detail events or circumstances in your life. I always write WAAYYYYY more about what's going on in my life when I'm writing an email (or way back in the day, a handwritten letter) to my friends or family, and while it may not happen often, it's a quick & easy way to keep a history of major events. Do you do a holiday or Christmas letter every year? This would be something to include, for sure! I have several white binders with sheet protectors in them, where I keep the copies of these emails. On rare occasions, I have the opportunity to look at these, and it's hilarious to remember all the crazy things that have gone on in my life, and how I described them to my favorite people. This is a particularly valuable option if you have friends or loved ones in the armed services stationed abroad, or living far away for any reason. Take advantage of something you're already doing. And don't be afraid to raid your "sent" box to see if there's anything you can print out right now to get started on your email/letter journal. Keep in mind: Experts recommend keeping hard copies of all your important e-documents since technology tends to change and upgrade every 10 years or so. That means that you should print out hard copies of any letters or other items you'd like to keep, and so I don't forget or get too far behind, I like to do this on a regular basis.
2. Today's Cyber-journal, the Blog!! If you're not already blogging, you should get started! Chances are many of your friends are doing it, and since you're reading a blog, you probably already appreciate the value of blogging. Turns out in the way of keeping your personal history, blogging can be extremely worthwhile. You may not want to blog about extremely personal subjects, but it's a great way to keep a history. A lot of us use blogs as a way to keep our friends and family up on what's going on in our lives, so why not use the same stuff as a little time capsule to be enjoyed in the future, too? Since most of the time pictures are included, and each entry is date stamped, blogs are more complete, organized and detailed than any kind of journal we might hope to keep. You can also have a private blog that's only accessible by you or anyone you approve as an author, if that's something that sounds appealing. The best part about a blog, is that there are several options out there allow you to actually have your blog produced as a professionally bound book, but more about that in another post. You can also do the old-fashioned cut, paste & print into your trusty white notebook...you've already done the hard part by writing things down. Good job, YOU!
3. OK, this suggestion may be a little over-the-top, but I do it, and I'm going to share, in the interest of full disclosure. Sometimes I like to chat online with my friends and family, and quite awhile ago, as I was chatting with my sister-in-law, I realized that I wanted to save our conversation for posterity, literally. I had just met a guy, and had told her all about it, and she had shared some fun memories of meeting my brother for the first time. So that night, I created a word document and copied and pasted our chat conversation that evening. As I got to know that guy, and we chatted online, I also saved our chat conversations. Since we ended up getting married, it's really fun to be able to read back through the conversations that we had when we were first getting to know each other. I have a word document for my husband, and another for my close friends that I chat with on a regular basis. Again, you probably talk about daily life in much more detail when you're chatting with a friend than what you might write in a journal. Take advantage of it. A WORD OF CAUTION: amidst my copying and pasting, just as in real life conversations, there have been topics discussed that may be hurtful or even harmful to certain individuals if repeated. There is no need to include those in your history. It may be good to let your friends & family know that you keep the conversations for your journal. This may help them to be more selective of what they chat about, and it's the courteous thing to do.
There are probably other things that you're doing every day that can double as personal history and journaling. Be creative and take advantage of all your efforts. A little extra effort and a plan will go a long way to providing yourself and your family a rich and rewarding record that will be cherished for years to come.
Now Go Make History!
