Recently I was asked to recommend a book. A book that I learned from, a book that taught me something, and a book that I walked away feeling moved by.
If you ask this question (which I, myself have asked before) you get some pretty great answers! Some book titles you may have never thought to pick up before and some book titles that really are impossible to put down.
Besides the last novel I read (What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey) there was a ‘book’ I recently started ‘reading’ that taught me more than any book I’ve read and made me reflect more than I’ve ever done before….
The thing is, it’s not a ‘book’ per say, and it’s something I know for certainty NOBODY has ever read before…
What I’m talking about is my diary!
I’ve been keeping one since as long as I can remember. Although, sadly, I don’t keep up with anymore.
In high school I would write weekly, in college I would write monthly, and now, well I write only when I think of it (maybe once every 2-4 months!)
Well, I recently decided to pick up that ol’ book and read something from a more familiar ‘author’.
In high school I used to write about the silliest things!! The problems I thought I had seem so miniscule now!!
This is when I realized how much I’ve grown, how much I’ve changed, and how far I’ve come.
In life, it’s easy to compare yourself to others. To feel like you might not be good enough, feel like you aren’t far ahead enough in your career. Or feel like your life isn’t quite on course.
They say life is about the journey, not the destination. So I think we never really do feel settled, because we shouldn’t! We are meant to keep pushing our boundaries, learning new things, and setting and achieving new goals. If you were exactly where you were supposed to be, then what’s next? What is there to look forward to?
Sometimes I think I’m not where I should be, but in the grand scheme, I’m 26 (27 in wayyy less months than I would like) and (although I don’t sometimes feel it) I am young and still have time!
And so do you!
So if you had a diary, I can almost guarantee you, if you take the time to read some of the pages you wrote, you’ll be surprised with yourself, or at least it will be good for a laugh (or, in my case, a lot of them!)
But, whether you kept a diary or not, I’m sure you can reflect on the person you were, and the person you are now. I once read a quote that read ‘It’s funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything’s changed.’
Isn’t that so true?!?
Last week I was the same, last year I was the same, maybe even two or three years ago I was the same. But the college version of myself and the present version of myself are two totally different people.
Although I loved the college version of myself, and although sometimes I feel like I have some catching up to do, I love the version of myself I am today. I’m built based on past experiences and people, and I continue to grow and shapen as the more experiences pass me by.
“Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think you've lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.”
― Asha Tyson