Journaling- How to Make the Most of Our Journals

Life is so worth recording.

This week, after moving my bookshelf into my bedroom, I flipped through my journals and thought, "What more can I do with my journals to memorialize my memories, cherish them in a way and live the lessons I've learned?"  Below are just a few thoughts, but I would love, yep, I would L-O-V-E to hear what others do or what you might recommend to make the most of recording life.

WHILE JOURNALING:

• Find a journal that is "you": Yep, one that you like the cover of, the design, the lines inside, etc. If you're going to be sharing some of your most real self with this, it kinda needs to feel like a best friend in a way. Mine tend to be kinda girlie: pink, sage green, swirly designs, sometimes flowers, etc. I also love it when the pages inside have beautiful watermarked background images.
• Record lessons learned and what you're grateful for: When I was in Junior high, I started jotting 3 things down at the end of every entry. By an asterisk I'd write down a good thought or quote. Next to a drumstick (like a turkey drumstick - representing Thanksgiving) I'd jot down something that I was thankful for and by the letter "P" I'd write down a "parental note" something written down as a kid that I wanted to remember or do when I was a parent. I think the good quote and gratitude writing helped developed a pattern of positive thinking, or at least I hope so. 

AFTER THE JOURNAL IS FULL:

• Decorate with the record of your life: Since I chose/was fortunate enough to find journals that I like the covers of, they're not just books on a shelf, but they have at times been turned sideways - facing forward - and have been like decorations on my shelves. I loved a trio set that I found years ago at Barnes & Noble. The Sunshine journal I took with me to the Jerusalem Center when I started college. The shamrock one was my sophomore year of college and the butterfly was my junior year. These large journals were great in college and lasted part of my mission. I used them as a life journal as well as a gospel-study journal in my personal study. These red journals were good, but I personally love the spines of others that lay flat and are easier to write in, as well as journals that have a little more personal-personality to them.
• Mark significant lessons learned or memories made: Some pages that have important lessons learned have post-it notes like flagging bookmarks so I can quickly turn to or reference something that I might want to refer back to later: memories with my family, important insights or feelings that were expressed, the occurrences surrounding life decisions, etc. There is nothing like your conscience on paper, there as a reminder of how things really were through your perspective at a given time. Being able to refer back to that is an incredible gift you can give yourself later in life. 
• Read "today" from past years: When I thumbed through my journals this week for the first time in a long time, I found that day's date in each journal and read each entry. Looking year by year at what I was up to "today" was fascinating. Reading "today" from the past can help us determine how to live "today" in the present.

What else can we do during and after journaling to memorialize our memories and live the lessons we have learned? What do you do to make the most of recording your life?