Benefits of Journaling

Bottles at Sea

One thing that is really cool about the internet, is you can send your bottle out to sea.  Maybe nobody cares at all right now, but someday they may.

Benefits of Writing

Journaling is not about remembering the past, but making
sure you change the things that don't work in the future. 

I have kept a journal for most of my life.  It helps me to organize my thoughts and sort out how I feel.  My opinion always changes with new input, and I reserve the right to change my opinion at any time.

Sometimes I write shit that makes no sense at all.  We are our own worst critic so we must not let it scare us when we embarrass ourselves.

What if my journal somehow found its way online? Some hacker thought it was a funny read so he uploads it to Reddit and half the world knew my deepest "secrets" before I woke up.

I certainly have not done anything that has not already been done in human history.  We all go about doing things in a different way, yet do so many of the same things. I suppose that if someone found my writings I would hope it might help them understand whatever perplexes them in their own lives. I would hope it would bring them strength to know that they are not alone in their struggles. I would hope it gives them a good nights sleep knowing they are not the only one that feels as they do.

Clearer Hindsight

The black boxes of the old days were written
 by a human responsible for the ship and crew.

I started writing in my journal when I was in my early 20's on the advise of a psychologist, and inspired by Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise.

A captains log contained the story of a ship.  It was the earliest black box.  By it you could discern human behaviors and the overall state of a ships moral, as well as the captains integrity and sanity. Only if the log was ever recovered of course.

Whats the Purpose?

My journal remains mostly unedited ramblings of thoughts and opinions mixed with documented events and people from specific times of my life. Life gets busy as we navigate through it. Sometimes things move so quickly we forget times of events such as losing a job, losing a loved one, or starting a new job.  The reality is that I have no reason to read what I have written very often.  Life is continuously moving forward and I have little time to wonder how I can change what I can't.  Your journal helps you over time to put into words what you think you are feeling.  Sorting things out will help you to move forward gracefully and steady.  Your emotions will be more calm, your integrity protected, your alibi documented, and your troubles written to paper and out of your memory.  Your sleep will be calmer and your memory will be free to take in new inputs.  You will pay attention to details more, smell the roses more often, and see the lanes more clearly.

We Lose Nothing.. Only Gain

Flamingos hanging out together at the San Diego Zoo.

I used to think I was afraid of losing love.  It seemed like something that was possible, but now I realize a greater truth than what was originally not apparent to me.  You lose nothing at all.

I think about friends I have had often.  They become a part of you.  Somewhere deep inside their memory still lives. Life is short and it is silly to think that anything will last forever, much less any given time. One thing does last forever though, one thing stands out among all the other character attributes of any individual.  That is how they made you feel.  You cannot get away from this, being around people is something we all have to do.  

From time to time you will disagree, be hurt, betrayed, and neglected by everyone you will ever meet. Everyone will hurt you, it is just the way it is.  Unless you can rise above the hurt.  The hurt happens because they hurt themselves, or have been hurt by others. Hurt people - hurt people.  

I was alone that day :|

How can you fight hurt?  You certainly cannot fight it by hurting others, this just causes a deteriorating atmosphere for all involved. You repay hurt with kindness.  Not the take it on the other cheek sorta thing at all. You do more than turn the other cheek.  You do something that shows your love. It doesn't have to be toward the one that hurt you, and there is such a thing as tough love. You have to put out what you want to get back. Just as negative feelings are contagious so are positive.  

Remember, your mind is like a computer.  You put garbage into it and you will produce more of the same. You cannot make things better by talking about how bad they are.  You can only do what you can in your day. 

Take an extra moment when you are feeling down, depressed, or tormented to stretch your heart.  Do something you would not do naturally, until it becomes the norm.  Give positivity and the negative people will respond surprisingly positive. The ones that are stuck in their ways will find you a party pooper and leave. 

I have loved many negative people in my life.  This is because the average person is less than positive, and love does not discriminate. With some of my friends I have developed some very quality relationships where we do not spend lots of time together.  We spend instead - Quality time. 

This is the amount of time I can share with these individuals before their radiant personalities begin to cause a negative response.  Or the company has outstayed my patience.  This is when the best thing to do is leave.  It does not mean that I love that person less, but different.  

In fact, when you can establish a quality relationship with someone you will love them more. 

Deutsch: Yin Yang (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Symptoms of Balance

• More honesty
• Self realization
• Positive feelings
• Desire
• Challenge
• Interest
• Content
• Trust
• Passion

It is silly to think you can get rid of people by deleting them from your contact list, or your social media. They are still there, you just won't know who is calling when they decide to contact you. 

People do not go away, even in death they live through those that remember them and the mark they made on the earth.

Every moment you experience is one more added to your life.  Never subtracted, count your blessings. Don't devalue or blame anyone for your hurt, adjust yourself, you can think more positively than that.