Using a Journal – Making the most of your time

By Rebecca Pall

Ferris Beuller’s Day off , the iconic film of looking around and smelling the roses

“Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”  

This quote from the 1986 movie, Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, rings true in today’s day and age more than ever.  People have so much going on in their lives that it’s sometimes hard to sit down and really appreciate the time or good experiences that we have in life.  

One of the best ways to keep track of memories is through a journal.  It doesn’t have to be a long entry but, having a journal to keep track of the specifics of a couple special memories, can be meaningful in the future.  Best selling author, podcaster, traveler and self-proclaimed “multi-creative,” Peggy Nolan, offers her reasoning for bringing a journal on a once-in-a-lifetime journey in this article published in the Huffington Post.

“I have one small leather-bound journal that I bought in Venice, Italy. It was bought for the specific purpose of documenting a 10-day trip through Tuscany,” Peggy said. “I made sure to write down at least three things that I did each day…  Now, when I miss the experience, I look back at the journal. I remember everything that I did and am filled with an immense joy.  Journals can be kept for either small segments, or a large portion of one’s life and can be used to document time and memories along the way.”

Savor the moment

The thought of living in the moment may be a bittersweet issue for some. Professional and author, Jeff Goins, shares tips for other aspiring professional writers in his blog. He offers insight to why people have a hard time savoring the moment in this post:

“[Life] comes with all kinds of twists and turns, moments when we don’t know what the point of it all is,” Jeff said. “During those times, it may be tempting to live in the past or want to push ahead to the future. But those are the times we must cherish the most.”

No matter what the hands of time bring us, we can still stop to appreciate the moment.

Oftentimes, when we are sad, we either cling to the past because it’s familiar, or long for the future because it could be better than the present moment.  Living in the moment offers a great opportunity to gain knowledge on how to deal with hard times, and to bring tools into one’s toolbox on how to handle life situations.  

Be where you are, even though it may not be optimal

When I was going through a hard time my sophomore year of high school, there were moments when I didn’t want to get out of bed. Moments when I wanted to go back to the summer before, when I was traveling and making memories that I wanted to hold on to.  There was also a part of me that wanted to hop forward to the end of the school year. The time when I planned to decompress and get ready to travel again.  However, as I look back on that time on my life, I’m happy that I didn’t actually hop backward or forward in time. I was able to learn valuable life lessons. They have taught me to enjoy the good times and reminded me that the hard times don’t last forever.

Life has the ability to either slip away from us or to drag on an eternity.  It’s important to learn to not take any moment for granted.  Logging time helps us recognize that non-ideal situations make us stronger for the sometimes challenging times ahead. Especially with the beginning of a new year rolling around, its a good thing to remember.