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The Romantic Idea versus Reality

I like to journal.

It’s not something I do regularly enough, but I love reading about the day-to-day lives of the past. So I would imagine that what I’m writing and documenting might be interesting to someone in the future.

Initially, I journaled in a nice notebook, one that was carefully chosen. I had dreams of seeing my grandkids find this notebook, dusty and worn, in an old trunk of family heirlooms resting in an attic.

Because, you know, that stuff happens all the time.

But in practice, I found it difficult. I don’t have great handwriting, and while that adds character to writing, I always abbreviated my entries because my hand grows weary really quickly.

So besides writing shorter entries, I was never all that motivated to write. So that defeats the purpose of having it, right?

Since, I’ve migrated to Evernote. Now that it’s all online, I can add entries whenever I please, wherever I am. I can document things with photos and video. It’s all backed up, and it has the potential to last forever.

A little less romantic? Sure. But reality sometimes has to step in and you have to make a pivot.

We all have grand ideas about how things should be. We think about what we want and how it will play out. But things happen: plans fail, hands get tired, people get sick, people die, the girl says “no”, and you strike out at the plate.

It happens. Sometimes you have to change your plans. Sometimes you have to switch your point of view. And that’s okay.

The worst thing you can do in those situations is plow ahead because you want to force things to go the way you imagined. We can’t predict the future. The smart, successful people will pivot. They’ll alter that “romantic” initial idea and adapt their plans to the reality of life.

Next time things don’t go according to plan, it’s okay to change. It doesn’t mean you are a failure. It just means you’re learning. And smart people? They learn all the time.

failure, journaling, plans, success