I have always loved writing. As a child, I would write short stories about various people I knew and about certain toys I had. I loved coming up with ideas and then writing them down so I would never forget them. As I grew up, I began to write to capture my emotions and what would happen to me on a daily basis. I began to journal consistently when I was in the 5th grade. I pretty much journaled every day or a few times a week until I started college. I loved journaling. To me, journaling was a way I dealt with my emotions and I would literally write down whatever was bothering me to get it out of my head. I still enjoy journaling (whenever I make the time to do it) but I also write for different purposes now. Here are a couple of reasons why I write and why you should try it too.
1. To capture the days you might miss later.
Journaling is one of the best things you can do to capture a fun day you had. Being able to open a journal and relive a memory you had long since forgotten about is one of the best feelings. It's like you went back in time for a few minutes to remember every feeling and experience from one day. When I first started journaling I didn't even think about this. I just wanted to write down how I was feeling and release whatever emotions I felt that day. This is also one of the best parts about journaling. Every word and sentence is so real and raw, something you can't relive or have a do-over. So, I encourage you to try journaling, you might thank yourself later.
2. To be creative.
Writing is one of the best tools to fuel your creativity. You can say so much in one piece of writing. I have always found that I am more creative when I am writing. You can craft certain messages with writing that might be hard for others to understand if you told them verbally. Writing is such a powerful thing. People have made writing their careers by allowing their creativity to take over and come up with amazing stories, both fiction and nonfiction. Their is truly something special when it comes to writing that can't be found in anything else. Next time you're feeling creative or inspired, try writing it down and you might surprise yourself with what you end up with.
3. To inspire others.
You would be amazed what inspires people. Every since I started writing for the Odyssey, multiple people have told me online or in person that they enjoy reading my writings. One person even called me "a true inspiration", I will always remember that. That comment stuck out to me because I never thought something I wrote would make a person feel that way, to be inspired by me. I just started writing for the Odyssey for fun and to try something new and then someone told me I inspired them. That meant so much to me. It also taught me that many people are like myself, always looking for inspiration and really care about what other people think. I believe we all have the power to inspire one another, everyone has a story that someone else would appreciate hearing. You have the power to inspire people.
4. To stay organized.
Writing things down helps you stay more organized in life. I always tell people if I didn't write things down in my planner in college there's now way I would have been successful. If you write down something you know you have to do, it serves as a constant reminder. This only works however if you write down your important thoughts on something you will look at later. Keeping a planner or journal with you and looking at it frequently makes forgetting about things impossible. Writing can organize your thoughts in a way that's useful to you. You can also use technology to keep your life and responsibilities in order. Typing notes on your phone or putting important dates in your calendar is very helpful. Whether you use an actual planner, journal, or prefer using your phone, writing things down will only help you in life.
Writing is such a powerful tool. It is something so simple but can have huge impacts. It is easy to never make time to journal or write down any of your thoughts, but being able to look back at them is so special. People change as they get older and their thoughts change along with them. I have found being able to look back and reread some of my old journals as refreshing. You will most likely never experience or think the same way for the rest of your life so you may as well write it down while it's fresh in your mind now.
