Ever since I was little I kept a diary. When I was about 8 years old I had a big pink fluffy diary with a padlock where I used to write the silliest occurrences from primary school and complain about how I hated history class and wanted to be lead in the school nativity play ( I subsequently ended up playing Mary!).
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| The Typical 90's girly diary |
Now it doesn't mean I've consistently written since then, in fact I'm pretty sure I didn't even finish that pink one. A few years later when I found it during a spring clean I was so embarrassed by my infantile writing I ripped up the pages and threw it away, in true drama queen style.
During my teens I kept a diary irregularly on my computer but only ever wrote when something was troubling me - helpful advice given to me from a soul sister of mine.
Recently however I've been reflecting upon my future goals and things I want to see and do, and I realised I should restart my journal - but this time the proper way. Even if its not writing everyday - writing in it when something makes me happy, excited, low, anxious. What's been on my mind? People who are positively influencing me and how they impact my life. Experiences I've enjoyed/ learnt from. Private thoughts. Places and people I'm loving. Events I've attended and delicious food I've devoured. These are things that I want to write about and I'll tell you why...
1. Make sense of your thoughts
There are times when you are so busy with work or family plans and so on that you don't even have time to really ponder the events taking place or decisions that have to be made. Nor do you appreciate the beauty in the little things that make you smile. Sometimes we're just on autopilot and when this happens things usually get messy in your mind, there's a blur of the time that has passed. By writing you can keep a record of what is actually happening in your life, journaling gives you the power to be the architect of your memories. When it comes to decision making, you can write down all the reasons you have for coming to that conclusion. Then, after time passes, if you doubt your choice somehow, you have a way to remind yourself of why you made that decision and feel reassured.
2. Encourages positive thinking
Whatever state of mind you're in, when you have a written account of things that have made you happy in black and white, it is bound to encourage your inner sun to shine. Reflecting on good times can serve as a motivation or even simply put a smile on your face.
3. One day my grandkids can read it
Now I know I'm getting ahead of myself but I personally didn't get to see much of my grandparents growing up due to distance and when I did see them, it was never for very long. On top of that, the little time I did manage to spend with them was when I was a child and I didn't care much for asking them questions about their life and experiences. So I never got to learn valuable life lessons from them nor hear them recount stories of their youth. That's why I want to pass on my journals for my future grandkids to read, this way even if I can't personally tell them about my escapades, they'll have a piece of me and we can stay connected.
4. Gift to your future self
As each year passes pixels of our memories burn out and haze. By the time you're retired and chilling on your beach cabana in Cuba, you'll likely be remembering the faintest outlines of the big things that happened to you. Keep a journal, "taste life twice" (Anais Nin).
