Burning journals

In 2015, I burned 14 journals. They collectively spanned four decades, beginning with my first diary in elementary school.

The idea to light them up was sparked while revisiting them during a transitional period in my life. I realized that writing my thoughts had been meaningful through various points of my life, but burning them was an acknowledgement that they held old values. I was ready for a new owner's manual.

Any tactic that helps you live in alignment with your deeper values benefits from actively pondering the eternal mysteries of meaning and human existence. Existential practices sharpen adaptability skills. It’s a dimension of health that explores the meaning in life and the meaning of life:

Who am I as a person? 

What do I believe in? What do I stand for? What matters most to me?

Why am I here?

What am I doing in my life? What do I need to be doing in my life?

What is the point of all things?

Where is it all going? 

Someone who has healthy existential practices knows their life is meaningful because they know their “why.” There’s intrinsic self-worth and a deep value for simply being. Actions are taken towards a larger purpose or ambitions involve the “bigger picture.” This sense of purpose, value, and reason-for-being naturally changes over a lifetime. 

It's energy-sucking to “convince” yourself about what matters. And regret or confusion can sneak into the absence of belief. An owner’s manual is the idea of collecting traces of your real reasons for doing things over time. This helps to understand cause and effect. It empowers being in and of all things on purpose. 

Are you someone who enjoys seeking purpose and thinking about meaningful actions?

Or are you someone who prefers “just the facts” and doesn’t have a lot of time for that nonsense?