The Importance of Journaling and Non-Journaling

It’s been over 1 year since my last blog post!  Looking back, I originally started my blog with monthly posts.  Then quarterly, then annual, and now… this!  Whatever ‘this’ is, looks like 1 year and 4.5 months for good measure.

For once, my comment on delayed blog posts actually directly relates to what I want to describe – the importance of journaling and non-journaling.  (I may have made that second term up).

I have always felt good about keeping a journal, a blog, any written record of events, experiences, or feelings.  Not that I’ve written much, but rather it has always been something I enjoyed, something I felt positive doing, and have always been happy with the result.  Whether it was writing a personal diary entry reflecting on experiences with family, friends, or loved ones, those journals are priceless. Or writing a blog entry where I have really discovered something within myself, which wouldn’t have been possible without putting pen to paper (or keyboard to blog), those instances felt so rewarding.  Unless we write things down, how can we expect to remember everything, our learnings, experiences, observations, and how can we possibly expect to make progress towards goals or whatever it is we are pursuing?  And so I do believe ‘journaling’ is such an important and beneficial habit.

Yet I have found myself having zero interest in blogging this past 1+ year.  I’ve strongly preferred to just live in the moment, not overly reflecting on what may or may not have happened yesterday. To always be moving forward, or even just standing still, but again not ‘wasting’ energy on what has already happened. Part of me feels this is cynical, but a bigger part of me feels this is the right way.  To just be present and let go of everything, knowing that the only moment that matters is right now.  And that’s really what it comes down to with ‘non-journaling’, simply focusing on now, letting go of any thoughts or attachments to outcomes, keeping a clear mind, and ultimately knowing what is important.

It’s also been on my mind that maybe this non-journaling is related to age (hah!).  As I get older (and hopefully more mature, maybe!), I feel it is a weird place to be in terms of ambitions and goals. On one hand, I want to be more aggressive then ever, trying to reach my personal goals (whether it be financial, career, extracurricular or other), as I know so keenly that time is only becoming more and more limited. On the other hand, with age comes the realization (although hard to accept) that there are zero shortcuts. Nothing comes without time and effort, and so that part of me says to be as risk-averse and conservative as possible. To not be overly ambitious in goals and what’s coming next, rather to just focus all my time and energy on the present moment.

I have to say, it did feel good writing this entry, so hey, a good reminder for myself that there are advantages to both journaling and non-journaling, and maybe, perhaps I let things get a bit out of balance.  Or taking a step back, more broadly recognizing that there is a time and place for everything.  And with that said, you can expect another fresh blog post from me in Jan 2027!  Thanks for reading and I hope you were able to gain some insights from this, no matter how small!

Cheers,, ZeroGravityz