800 Consecutive Journal Entries
What I’ve learned writing for 800 days in a row
This is a huge personal milestone for me. My previous best record was about 2 years straight, so to get past that again and be way more solid about it is really refreshing.
Everyday isn’t perfect, sometimes I only write one sentence, or just post a picture, but each and everyday I’ve been sure to get words, emotions, feelings or thoughts on a page, as a recap for the day in how I’m feeling.
I’ve learned a thing or two about myself in this process, and it coincides with my public writings here as well, so I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned that are true for most who journal everyday.
#1 Good things happen each and everyday
I’d be willing to bet that 80% of my journal entries start with, “Today was good” or “Today went really well.” I believe that.
Everyday a million different things happen. We do a lot of stuff, and we spend our time in a lot of different areas, playing and working and serving and spending time with family. It’s split covering a lot of things, but the one thing that is constant is the fact that good things happen every single day.
We are encouraged to believe the world, that bad things are happening all around us, and while that might be true we often forget how many awesome little things happen in each one of our live each day.
Journaling helped me find that, and more importantly capture those feelings.
#2 There is a TON for which we should be grateful
I have a separate journal for daily gratitude, it’s one of my most important practices, but in my journal at the end of each day I find myself being grateful about a lot of things.
All those good things that happen everyday I mentioned above, yeah, you should be grateful for those as they happen and as you recap your day.
I found it easier to be centered, less self-focused and an overall feeling of greater happiness when I focus a recap on a lot of the things for which I am grateful that day.
#3 When you’re frustrated, simply writing about it will take away 90% of the pain
I’d be lying to you if I told you everyday was rosy happy fun and amazing. Some days are terrible. They just really suck, and that’s ok. It happens.
When I find myself at the end of one of those days, I use my journal to vent, to express frustration and anger, if present. When I wake up, most of that pain and frustration is gone.
The practice of writing about it, allows you to clear your brain, erase your RAM if you will and reset for the next day. It doesn’t do us any good to hold onto frustrations for long periods of time, the journal is a good place to let those go.
#4 I love having a personal history
The fact that I can look up any day in the past 2 years and a little bit is awesome to me, I can scroll to the date and read what happened and what was going on.
I don’t often go back and read them, though on multiple occasions I have been speaking of a specific experience with someone, and I’ve been able to go back to my journal and get more of the details that were happening that day.
Then all the clarity of details come rushing back.
I will admit, I feel bad for future posterity, they will have a lot to read, and a lot to read about all my little daily details and happenings.
#5 Pictures make it better
Not much else to add to this subhead other than that it’s true. I specifically picked a digital format for my journal so I could easily search, have backups, and be able to add pictures.
A picture is worth 1000 words, and often times it’s the best way to illustrate just what happened that day. It helps complete the story.
#6 You don’t have to write a lot for it to be meaningful
The biggest inhibitor to writing in a journal daily is finding worth in the practice. I’ve found that whether you write 1000 words or 15 words, there is a lot of meaning in the thought of recording your efforts, wins and losses.
Some days I will only post a picture, or only write two sentences about how rough of a day it was, regardless I get that same refreshing feeling having written.
#7 Daily habits executed make me feel accomplished
This is one daily habit I’m sure never to miss. It’s super important to me, and whether I do nothing all day but I at least write in my journal and capture my thoughts for that day I feel instantaneously better.
You’ve already conquered the day when you do something that is hard to do.
