Why I Am Documenting My Life More
And why you should too
Tragedy will change you. One morning you wake up with the people you love at least a phone call or FaceTime away, and then the next day they’re gone. Forever.
One day I’ll be the person that’s gone. So will you. It’s one of the few irrefutable truths of life.
Death.
Everyone handles that inevitability differently. Some turn to religion, others maybe to philosophy, while many simply throw up their hands as if to say, “What can you do?”
You can celebrate every single day that you have.
One of the best ways to be mindful in celebrating life is to document it. Here’s how I’ve started documenting my life more, including my future plans, and why you should try it too.
The power of consistently documenting your life
Documenting your life doesn’t mean always broadcasting it on social media. On the contrary, it’s personal. It’s primarily for your own benefit and secondarily for anyone who might find it one day. Whether that’s your children or future family.
The primary goal of documenting your life is to celebrate and be mindful of it. It’s a source for reflection. It’s a record you can return to if you want to remember or enjoy the past.
This video does a masterful job of describing what I’m trying to say:
By documenting our lives we can make better sense of them. We can also leave a record for future generations. Something I wish my Dad and Grandpa had done more.
I miss them both dearly. If I had more of a record of their lives, it would not only help celebrate them better, it would help ease the pain.
How I’ve started documenting my life
Not everyone has the same way of documenting. Some prefer journaling. Others may want to take pictures or videos.
There are many forms of expression, but the point is to find one that works for you.
Be consistent. Even if it’s just one sentence per day. One picture. One short video clip.
Save it. Categorize it. Buy external hard drives if you have to.
Like with many things in life, I can’t commit to one form of expression. If you look at my Medium page, you’ll find articles dating back to 2018 that cover everything from law and politics, to finance and philosophy.
I guess I’m too curious and interested in everything.
The same is true regarding how I’ve started documenting my life.
I write in a journal. I take pictures. I make videos. About the only thing I don’t do is paint. At least not yet!
Journaling is a bedtime ritual. Before I sit and read - anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes per night - I write. Some nights it’s one sentence. Other nights it’s 5 pages.
The discipline of this ritual keeps me grounded. It’s a way to reflect and practice gratitude. But it’s also a record. How I felt each day. What was happening in life.
It’s a resource that will always be there waiting for my return or for someone else to discover.
The daily pictures and videos are more of a recent phenomena for me. I’ve always been a writer. It’s a big reason I went to law school all those years ago. I simply love writing.
I never knew I loved photography and cinematography until I tried them. When I realized they’re simply different mediums for telling a story - something I love doing anyway on the page - I was hooked.
I was even more convinced when I discovered that photos and videos don’t even need to be good. If they’re primarily for me, who cares? Later on, if I want to use them for public consumption, they’re building blocks for constructing a story.
Storytelling is always king. But you can’t piece together a story if you can’t remember, or if you don’t have the pictures or videos to build it.
What I plan to do more in the future
Consistent documenting. Consistent publishing.
I’ve consistently written at night for years. Those thoughts are generally private, but at times they are the seeds for future articles.
For the past year, I’ve published YouTube videos like this most recent one:
I’ve tried to publish at least once per week, but I need to be better. It’s been a great way for me to remember and celebrate the adventures I’ve had.
I plan to create more videos on life and philosophy: handling grief, the conception of the good life, happiness, etc.
My new goal is to publish one video every Saturday morning. So if you’re interested, consider subscribing.
Together with this newsletter that comes out every Monday, along with the Medium articles I write during the week, there’s a comprehensive record for anyone interested.
And while I try to write about interesting and thought-provoking topics, and make videos about the same, I wouldn’t hit publish if I wasn’t happy with the work myself.
For me. For my record and future recollection.
It’s been surprisingly hard to give myself permission to be creative.
If you don’t consistently document your life, I encourage you to try
It might make you more mindful of life’s moments. Or more thankful and gracious for the great moments you had. Especially if you get to experience those again through your own records.
Just don’t do it for social media. Do it first and foremost for yourself. Only if you think it could help or inspire others should you decide to share.
But that should be a secondary concern. If it’s the primary, then you’ll never be truly mindful and live in the present. You’ll live for algorithms and likes instead.
Give documenting life a try. We only get one chance to live, and while the days may sometimes feel long, the years pass quickly.
You might just want to remember them one day.