It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Yet, most people I know never pick up pen and paper to record any of the things that happen to them. It seems I rarely meet someone in today’s world who keeps a journal, and yet, it is so critical.
Here’s the rub. No matter how exciting or rewarding the event, it’s highly unlikely you’ll remember that accomplishment ten years from now. When it’s happening, you believe you will. After all, at the moment you experience it, you’re at the height of emotion. No way you’ll ever forget it, right? Wrong!
Here’s a test. Imagine the last time you were around one of your aunts or uncles after a long separation. Most likely they said something like, “Oh little Becky, do you remember when you made me those snowflakes out of aluminum foil? They were so sparkly.”
Did you remember making those snowflakes? Probably not, and yet at the moment, they were such an incredible artistic accomplishment.
In your life today, days are zipping by at breakneck speed. There’s no way you can take it all in, then recall it at the precise moment you’re searching for something that will encourage you. And, at that instant, being able to pull up the memory could mean the difference between success and failure.
That’s why you really must write it down. Every accomplishment, no matter how big or small, should get into your journal. I promise you, there will be a day when you’ll desperately need to thumb through its pages.
When I recommend journaling, the most frequently asked question is whether it has to be a physical one. I used to say yes. Today, although I still believe the act of sitting and writing by hand is the most beneficial, whatever method that will actually result in your journaling is what I recommend.
Your entry doesn’t have to be long and drawn out. You’re not writing a novel, but you will want to capture enough of the event to place you back in that day when you read the entry.
As writers, we feel emotion on a deeper level. In the moment when you’re feeling discouraged, depressed, you need something that will bring you out of it. Reading through your accomplishments in your journal is a perfect way to self-medicate when life is overwhelming.
Please do yourself, your friends and family, and your readers a favor and memorialize your accomplishments by writing it down! The world will be a better place and you’ll be a much happier person.
Do you journal? Why or why not? Share it here!
Reba J. Hoffman, PhD, is the Member Care Coach at My Book Therapy. She holds a PhD in Clinical Counseling and is the Founder of Magellan Life Coaching. She is the author of Dare to Dream, A Writer’s Journal, published by MBT. Her inspirational writing appears in Running for the Woman’s Soul by Road Runner Sports, and The Good Fight by Donna Hicken. You can connect with her at www.rebajhoffman.com.