create your own time capsule
As much as we love time travel and enjoy it in movies and shows, it’s not going to be a reality for us any time soon. But a good alternative, at least in my opinion, is to create your own personal time capsule. What I mean is: start journaling.
Our memories become distorted and distant over time. We can’t rely on them as the lose their accuracy and sometimes their impact over time. But we can always trust our daily journal. It’s a time capsule in true sense. It tells the true story of what was actually going on in our life at a particular juncture of time to our future selves and maybe even to our kids, grandkids and future generations.
Seneca, the Stoic philosopher, enjoyed writing in his journal in the evenings. He once explained to a friend, “ [As the day comes to a close,] I examine my entire day and go back over what I’ve done and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing nothing by.” He would then go to bed, discovering that “the sleep which follows this self-examination” was particularly sweet. Marcus Aurelius too recorded his thoughts and the tenets of philosophy that he learned in his journal. His writings not only helped him but also ended up guiding countless men and women in their own personal journeys, and still continue to do so after thousands of years.
Derek Sivers, a versatile creative, entrepreneur and author, has also kept a journaling habit for two decades now. Like Seneca, he too takes out a tiny chunk of time every evening to write down a few sentences to recap his day, and record the thoughts, feelings and experiences he had during the day. With regard to this habit and its impact in his life, he explains, “We so often make big decisions in life based on predictions of how we think we’ll feel in the future, or what we’ll want. Your past self is your best indicator of how you actually felt in similar situations. So it helps to have an accurate picture of your past.”
He further adds, “If you’re feeling you don’t have the time or it’s not interesting enough, remember: You’re doing this for your future self. Future you will want to look back at this time in your life, and find out what you were actually doing, day-to-day, and how you really felt back then. It will help you make better decisions.”
Whether you maintain a physical journal or a digital one, it is your precious time capsule — your archive, your own black book and your reference guide. Our journal is the best way to consult our past selves so that we empower and equip ourselves with the right knowledge and wisdom to make decisions that serve us and others best.
In simple words, journaling helps us become a better and much wiser version of ourselves. As Sandra Marinella says, “Journal writing gives us insights into who we are, who we were, and who we can become.”
Our journal preserves our thoughts, emotions, feelings and the memorable moments of our lives. It’s an external hard drive with unlimited storage capacity. So, if you haven’t started journaling yet, why not do it today? Start working on your own personalized reference manual. It’s a gift that you give every day to your future self.