Sometimes you forget about the things you've thought. Or you don't realize how powerful the thoughts were until you've read them again. It's kind of like looking through old photos, and being reminded of the perspective that you had about the landscape around you, the memories you were making.
There's huge value in re-reading what you've written, especially when it's been months since you wrote. My offering to you today is a single piece of advice: Re-read what you've written. You could get by skipping the rest of this and walking away right now, but you might miss some key reasons why the act of re-reading is so important.
5 reasons why you should re-read your personal journal
1. You will remind yourself of the things that you love and might have let fall to the way sideRe-reading a passage that I wrote back in February while traveling for a wedding, I forgot that I had written about wanting to not live in a city.
"...living in a rural area, or at least less dense than Minneapolis, is definitely in the cards"
2. You will rediscover your core values, which can help provide direction for your future
In the margins of my notes from class some time in April or May, I justified why it's okay not to be 'in the know' all the time--core value: personal health
"Being connected and informed about what's going on all the time is not conducive to allowing me to do my best work, be present, and focus on bringing my best self to the table--recognize this when being hard on myself for not keeping up with the news"
3. You will smile at the person you used to be, but are no longer
Phrasing from my Cutco sales days made it into one of my passages...
"He can always say no. And a no gets me that much closer to a yes"
4. You will wonder what would actually happen if you followed through on the things you said you would do.
I really enjoyed reading about how I described how my own wedding, and how it would be different than any I had attended previously, either as a guest or as catering staff:
"First of all, there would be considerable thought put into the venue. We would convince one of our farmer friends to let us borrow their barn. And we'd get Liz and Uschi and Jo and Leah to do the flowers. We'd have a cooking party with all of our friends in the few days leading up to the event. A lot of stuff would have been preserved and/or contributed by homesteading and farming friends. Our invitations would be made on seed paper. We'd have a big hog roast. The highest quality food and the highest quality people. The toasts would be thoughtful. Meaningful. The ceremony would be short and sweet and filled with unique twists on the normal language. Totally original. Totally ours. We'd play a song for our guests, jam with our friends, do a choreographed dance, get silly with our parents, and have a very juicy kiss at the words 'I do'. We'd make people uncomfortable with our absolute adoration of each other.
Our budget would be incredibly low due to our thriftiness and creativity. We'd have an audience from all over the world, with languages of all kinds swirling in the air. People wouldn't give us gifts but instead contribute to our travel fund for our honeymoon. We'd spend two weeks abroad, visiting a place neither of us had experienced before but had on both of our bucket lists."
5. You will realize what you're still afraid of
Re-reading this passage from around February or March of this year made me see how fearful I still am of imperfection. I've got some work to do.
"I'm always concerned about getting things right. But what would my future look like if I disregarded that altogether and simply pursued the things that brought me joy?
- I would spontaneously jam with Estelle
- I would have more faith that the money will come in time
- I would dance in the hallways and on the street as if no one were watching
- I would take a drawing class for credit and justify it as part of my career trajectory in planning
- I would stop caring about other people's approval
- I would stop worrying about sounding good when I play viola
- I would prioritize sleep and exercise and meditation, every single day over school and work obligations
- I would take classes that I felt were relevant to my future and not that of my classmates
- I would have confidence in my abilities and trajectory into an unknown but rewarding future of love, family, and meaningful relationships
- I would be uncompromising in the way I value my time and expertise
- I would forget that grades exist and focus on learning for learning's sake
- I would forgive myself for not doing it perfectly or up to my own standards
- I would actively surround myself with inspiring and inspired people
- I would keep my sister close by at all times
- I would get paid to write
- I would continue to build networks of incredible people
Every day is an opportunity to make your mark. To do better. To give thanks. To build your brand. To be more true to who you are than you were yesterday. To be bold. Daring. Unapologetically."
I hope that by taking a look at some of the snapshots of my own journal you feel encouraged to revisit your own! I'm curious to know what you find.
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