Documenting your journey is often a method many people know they should do, but don’t. It’s something most people tell themselves they’re going to start soon but sure enough, never get it going. That’s why i’m writing this blog, to help you get started on documenting your unique journey!
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Documenting examples
There are plenty of methods of documenting your journey a few include:
- Taking Pictures
- Video journals and brain dumps
- Journaling on paper
- Typing a journal on google docs
- Writing a blog (like i’m doing!)
- Posting youtube video articles
Some of these intertwine with others but they all serve a different purpose. Whether you like to write or record videos for yourself only or for other people, you can do so. Documenting can be as private or public as you wish. You can write all your fears, thoughts, things that make you laugh out loud, things that make you cry, dreams, goals, and anything else on paper only for you to see. Likewise, you can keep a video journal of all your thoughts.
Things you were happy about, things that made you angry, what’s going on in your life, where you wish to go, there are so many options that you really have no limits. And the best part is, if you keep them in a folder somewhere, they’re exclusive to you. But if you want to make things more public, then you can either write a blog or start a youtube channel or vlog. The purpose of this is it might give you accountability towards bettering yourself.
Everyone loves to see a story of someone’s progression through life. So how cool would it be to show people exactly what you did to get to where you’re at now? Just imagine posting a video and looking at it down the road remembering all the things that happened between that video and now. I bet a feeling of nostalgia will rush through your head. Therefore, it’s a fantastic idea to start documenting today!
Ways to make documenting easy
If you have a few excuses, no worries. The main thing is getting started. Think back to all the times you had doubts but did it anyway, you figured it out just fine. That said, the hardest part is picking up the pen and starting to write.
James Clear in his amazing best selling book Atomic Habits mentions to “make it easy”
This comes in many forms. In order to remind yourself to journal every day, but your journal right next to your toothbrush in the morning so it’s easy to write something simple down. We’re not looking for a novel, just a few words of anything you want to write about. Make it perfectly imperfect. Another example might be putting a reminder on your phone to take a quick video of your thoughts before you eat breakfast. One other example of easy documenting might be to have the google docs form as the first thing you see when you open your computer. Whatever easy looks like to you, do it. The easier the better.
Decent over perfect
To pair with making it easy, please do not strive for perfection. The more you try to make every detail perfect, the more likely you are to never get started. Tim Ferriss, Author of multiple bestsellers including the 4 Hour Workweek, 4 Hour Body, 4 Hour Chef, Tools of Titans, and Tribe of Mentors says “the decent method you follow is better than the perfect method you quit.” That couldn’t be more true.
By trying to be this absurd version of perfect, you take away the secret weapon that humans have (not opposable thumbs) Willpower! The more you resist the ability to just DO something, the less likely you are to put it out into the world. If writing or taking a video of yourself seems too daunting, “break it down to the ridiculous” as Bob Proctor says. Don’t try to do too much, just write one sentence, record 30 seconds. Just. Do. Something. Your future self with thank you.
Documenting for future you
One of my favorite things about documenting is the long term benefit I get thinking about the future of what my efforts today will result in down the road. 5 years down the road, I envision sitting at a campfire with my kids and they’ll ask me how I got to where i’m at now, and I’ll have a track record of the steps I took to get there.
I have videos of me crying wishing I was out of my soul crushing job, screaming with excitement over closing a deal, the day my wife and I got our pregnancy results back, the awesome job offer which I talk about here, the day my crypto portfolio skyrocketed which I wrote about here, the first day in our first house.
Everything that has been big for us, I’ve done my best to document. Therefore, it will serve you very well down the road to look out for future you and do the same. Wether you want to start documenting in video and see your facial expressions, or on paper and feel your heart being poured out on paper, it’s your choice. But you have to start somewhere.
Don’t overthink it
The main point is no matter what route you like the most, just get something down. It could be the worst video or journal ever, but it’s yours. Noone has to see it if you don’t want to. So start documenting the things in your life that you absolutely love. Amazing things happen to those that do. I hope to hear how much more inspired this makes you. Leave a comment below which documenting method you like the most and let’s stay in touch!
- Eric