Remembering

On October 22, 1837, the 20 year old Henry David Thoreau began a habit that changed his life.  Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is known as one of the most brilliant writers and philosophers of the 19^th century.  He was a close friend to and mentored by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Thoreau had a great deal of respect for Emerson and his life was greatly influenced by him.  While spending time with Emerson, Thoreau found his friend entering his thought in a blank book.  “What are you doing?” Thoreau asked.  Emerson replied, “Don’t you keep a journal?” 

This account was written on the first page of Thoreau’s personal journal along with the remark, “So today I began this.”  That was on October 22, 1837 and Thoreau kept a journal till 1861, a year before his death.  History offers us the thoughts and dreams of many famous people all the way up to the present day through the gifts of personal journals.  People like Di Vinci, Franklin, Jefferson, Edison, Twain all kept journals.  Add to this the more modern names of Hemingway, Chaplin, Cobain, Morrison and Jobs.  These books are beyond price since they are the writings intended for the author only and never meant to be used for profit.

A journal is more than a diary.  In a diary you record the events of your day, people you talked to and things you did.  In a journal you record your thoughts and dreams.  It is what Thoreau referred to a “having a conversation with yourself.”  Since a journal is meant as a tool to the writer, you can be honest and straight forward.  There is no need to flower things up of add to the truth.  This is first for your eyes only.  It is only after the writer passes on that these books become the possessions of others.

I began the habit of keeping a personal journal when I was 18 years old.  I have followed this habit to this day (I am now 65).  I still have all my journals for the past 47 years.  They hold two main purposes for me.  One is a record of the struggles and victories I have faced in life.  Many times when I am going through a challenge I can remember that I have been here before.  I go back in my journals and find out what I did then to conquer the challenges I faced.  This has been a great help to me.  I can also review the past year or so and see just how far I have come in achieving my goals and dreams.

The second use is that these are part of the inheritance for my children and grandchildren.  I would have loved to have the thought of my father and grandfather written in their own hand.  I am not proud of all that had went on in my life.  I was a 60’s child with all the foolishness that went along with that.  However, it was my life and it did play into who I am today.  Perhaps they will not make my mistakes if they see them as a warning and learn from them.  They can also see the good decisions I made and the joys of my life.

Above all, journaling is a time for us to think out loud on paper.  Lawyer and author, Robin S. Sharma said, “Writing in a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.”  Journaling is a wonderful way to work through a problem or develop an idea.  You will find as you begin to write you will ignite the fires of imagination.

If you have not journaled to this point may I encourage you to start.  Don’t see it as something else to do.  You do not have to write every day nor do you have to do it at any special time.  Just keep a note book and pen handy so that when you want to think, remember or plan, you can do it all in the same book.  Once it becomes a habit, it will be one you not only protect and build on but one that will pay you dividends over and over again.  Start yours the same way that Thoreau started his.  Get a notebook and put the day and date on the top of the page; then write, “So today I begin this.”

To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible for too long, read On The Journey To Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.  You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/.  Now available on Kindle, Oops! Did I Really Post That? Online Etiquette in the Digital Age by John Patrick Hickey.

© 2016 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.