Life’s a Journey, not a Destination

An extraordinary life will bring you extraordinary memories, and this chapter shows you how to make the most of them. There are creative ideas for recording your happiest moments, and questionnaires to help you reflect on what you’ve learned and achieved. And – since life’s a journey, not a destination – you won’t be left high and dry feeling that your adventure is at an end. In the following pages, there are more ideas for ensuring that every day feels special and that you always have an adventure or two on the horizon.

The best souvenirs from a trip are always memories, so don’t forget to document your life experiences as you go – the small changes as well as the bigger adventures. If you haven’t already got a journal, it’s probably time to get one now! You don’t need to write down everything you’ve done each day, just use it as a tool to keep a note of your thoughts whenever you like.

There are so many different types you can choose from, including those with prompts to help you reflect, but there’s no need to spend big. You can easily pick a simple notebook and write down whatever you need. There are lots of other ways to record your experiences too (see pages 138–139), but journals are great for scribbling down ideas and making lists, and they’re a safe place to share your feelings.

It’s so rewarding to celebrate your successes and relive your favourite moments by keeping a record of your adventures. How you choose to do it is up to you – it’s a great chance for you to get creative – but you could start with one of the following ideas:

Put up a pinboard and decorate it with photos, tickets and other keepsakes from your activities. Add quotes or words that sum up your achievements too.

Document your extraordinary days with photos. Make sure each picture is a memory-jogger and either print to display, share on social media or make a collage for your desktop.

If numbers are your thing, get technical and record your achievements as stats. There are dozens of life-logging apps to help you track everything from your exercise achievements to your travel destinations. You’ll soon have charts aplenty to show how far you’ve come.

Bullet-journaling is a creative way of organizing your plans and recording your experiences in thoughtfully designed pages. Check online for pointers to get started.

If you love art, why not make a visual record of your adventures? You could draw a cartoon to capture your favourite moments from the week or create a poster to record your milestones.

Don’t forget that journal entries can be creative too. You can sum up your week in a poem, or even write events up as a newspaper report or short story.

Write a sentence a day – every day – to sum up your experiences. This really makes you think about your memorable moments and is fun to look back on.

Starting a blog or vlog (video log) to record your experiences can be really rewarding, especially if you’re on a bit of a mission and have a life goal in mind. When you’ve found your niche and you blog about your passion, you’ll attract followers who have the same interests, and a good blog can become a positive place to share knowledge, experiences, enthusiasm and encouragement.

It’s super-easy to start a blog and there is – of course! – plenty of advice online about how to do it. Once you’re up and running, knowing that you’re due to post something will focus your mind and inspire you to make the effort to keep up with your challenges and your followers!

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to try out plenty of the suggestions in this book: you’ve worked out what makes you happy, added fun to each and every day, and have started enjoying some bigger adventures too. But now you’re living your extraordinary life, don’t forget to find time to reflect on everything you’ve achieved.

Check in on your progress regularly – and make your “review” something to look forward to. Settle down in your favourite comfy corner with an indulgent treat, and look back through your journal and this book. Think about your achievements and note down whatever you’d like to work on next. (Remember that taking time out to reflect can be as beneficial for the mind as exercise is for the body, so these sessions are important.)

My happiest moment:

______________________________________________

The things I’m most grateful for:

______________________________________________

My biggest achievement:

______________________________________________

How this made me feel:

______________________________________________

The steps I took toward my dreams:

______________________________________________

What I’ve learned:

______________________________________________

Compliments and kindnesses

______________________________________________

Received:

______________________________________________

Given:

______________________________________________

Every so often it’s useful to look back at the goals you set yourself and see how you’re getting on. It will help to rekindle your passions or show you where new plans or strategies could be put into place. Fill out this table when you’re ready to revisit your goals and compare it to the one you completed on pages 56–57.

This page is a little reminder of the resources you have to help you on your way to greatness. Revisit this list whenever you need to remember what makes your life – and you – wonderful. These are all powerful positives to have on your side.

My strengths (your top three positive qualities):

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My skills (from sketching to negotiating to locating missing socks):

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My team (the friends and loved ones who brighten my day):

______________________________________________

My top three de-stressors (the activities that immediately calm you): 1. 2. 3.

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My personal statement (see page 29):

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There are always more challenges to take on and more experiences to be had, so if you’ve achieved a lifelong dream, don’t feel that the adventure is ending. Make sure that you take time to enjoy your achievement, but keep your eyes open for new opportunities or directions you’d like to explore.

Remember, though, that happiness is all about taking pleasure in your day-to-day activities, not something to be put off until you complete another challenge, so if you suddenly find your life feeling a little empty or without direction, focus back on the little things. Remind yourself of the things you’re grateful for every day, enjoy some mindful moments, and your next big challenge will be waiting round the corner.

AREA	What goal did you set yourself?	What steps have you taken?
Work
Physical health
Emotional well-being
Family
Home
Hobbies
Relationships
Causes that matter to me
Creative
Any others (e.g. spiritual)

How do you feel about this area of your life now? 😊 / 😐 / 😒	What would you like to do next?