ritual reflection

I turned 36 this week.

And I’ve got a birthday ritual that I’ve really come to enjoy.

(aside from the one that involves tequila ;)

You see, I started journaling regularly 10 years ago.

Typically on Sundays.

But also on my birthday.

And as the years marched on, I began reviewing each past birthday edition before writing the new one.

A reflection ritual that takes me longer with each passing year.

Yet I have to say:

Tracking the arc of my life from one birthday to the next has become supremely satisfying.

It’s such a fascinating unit of time.

I find there’s a very different feel to it vs a calendar year.

(assuming your birthday isn’t in December or January)

The only reason I started journaling in the first place was because I was going through some really dark times.

I felt lost.

Like I was wasting my potential.

I was scraping by as a personal trainer and massage therapist back then…

Making less than $30k a year…

And slowly coming to the realization that the path I was on was never going to lead me to where I ultimately wanted to be.

Thankfully, I managed to bend the curve.

But that’s a story for another day.

However:

One thing that strikes me every time I take this celebratory stroll down memory lane is…

How life almost never unfolds the way you think it will.

No matter how certain I am about the way things are gonna go…

The evidence is clear:

They usually turn out differently yet more beautifully than I ever imagined.

Some food for thought I wanted to share with you…

Especially if you’re looking to bend the curve in your own life.

No matter what things may look like now, chances are the future will involve a few left turns you didn’t see coming.

And, for what it’s worth:

If you don’t keep a journal, I’d recommend giving it a try.

Memory is unreliable.

And journaling offers a way to document your life as well as metabolize difficult thoughts and feelings.

It’s been one of the most useful tools I’ve ever come across.

Anyhow, that’s all I got for ya today.

Happy Friday! 🤘

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

St. Maarten has been pretty sick so far.

The weather has been great.

My luck at the tables?

Not so much.

But it’s nothing a few wobbly pops won’t fix 🤪
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