Mindful Journaling: Why I Focus on Moments in My Life
The story behind our publication: Tiny Life Moments
Everything in life happens in a moment.
It takes a moment to fall in love, get excited, feel lost, become elated, feel despair. The journey to a moment may differ. For some, it takes days, for others, minutes. But realisation dawns in the moment.
I often wonder, “How long is a moment?”
When someone says,
“I’ll only be a moment”
“Stay with me for a moment”
“Give me a moment”
How much time are they asking for? A minute, a day?
A moment is not a measure of time, it transcends a two dimensional reality into eternity. So don’t measure your life by time spent. Instead note the moments you experience and live forever. Keno Ogbo
In this article, I outline my thinking behind Tiny Life Moments and why ‘being in the moment’ is fundamental to the way I live. Here are the key points (in no particular order).
First an introduction.
Tiny Life Moments —brief history
My first ‘tiny’ was about a funeral I attended in January 2020. I experienced a sense of loss and realised the memories of my departed friend had faded. I wrote about this in ‘Where Memories Fade.’
Writing my story in less than 120 words, helped me delve into what I felt and why. Removing excess words was like removing fluff around my feelings. Removing the lies I told myself, the comfort blanket that kept me bound.
I started a mini blog series within my personal blog and modelled it around the New York Times, Tiny Love Stories which I love. ‘Tiny’ moved to its own website with 30 other writers.
Now the points
1. My journaling focuses on the moment
Focusing on a single story or event can encompass so many moments. A moment of regret and pain can be wrapped in a single event. Identifying the moment, and writing around it, seeing the story and events from the perspective of the moment. That brings a deeper understanding of my motivations, desires or fears.
2. It’s easy to miss a moment
In today’s chaotic world, where the future is lived in the present, it’s easy to miss the moment right before us, as we reach for imagined moments ahead. Before I started journaling, I’ll go through several moments in the day without taking note. But since I starting writing my tiny life moments, I am more aware. Every second, could be a moment -that realisation inspires me to live life in the present and notice what is going on around me and how I react to it.
3. Sanity in the moments
In our upside-down generation filled with the noise of loneliness, depression, stress and frustrations. Where do we go to find peace from our inner demons, the anger, cravings, indulgences, anxiety, restlessness or our driving ambitions? We all have an “insanity” to escape from. The sanity is found in the moments, as you breathe in hope and exhale despair. As you find your centre, in the moment.
4. It’s authentic writing
We are multi-faceted complex unpredictable human beings, and my tiny life moments are just that. No covering up, no excusing away, no explaining. Stripped bare so healing can take place. Revealed, so the joy and light can shine through.
Sharing my moments
I decided I would share my moments as part of my writing journey. It keeps me accountable to the present. I wake up knowing that my day will be filled with moments that I can share with others. Sometimes nothing significant happens, and that is fine. Other days are filled with an array of moments -joy, tears, regret, fear, memories. I recognise them all.
I share my moments because:
- I learn from my own experience.
- It’s my way of living a transparent open life.
- They are carriers for the energy I bring to the universe.
Telling a Moment — the structure for our Medium Platform
I decided to start a Tiny Life Moments publication on Medium to invite other writers along with me, to go beyond the story and reflect on the experience. It’s a moment of bravery to open our lives for inspection, knowing that we all face the same challenges of life.
The format for our Medium Publication (free to use for your personal journaling) is:
Story, Reflection, Takeaways
- The moment: Tell the story of what happened in less than 120 words. This helps you focus on the specific events that led you to the moment. It’s a story, so show not tell. Bring the reader into your world, colour your words and dig deep.
- Reflection: Write a reflective piece that outlines your thoughts behind the story. Allow your soul unravel the moment. What brought your there? Does it stretch back to childhood, to another event. Our reflection is an opportunity to understand what really happened in the moment. For this you have an unlimited word count. You could reflect in 100 words or in 1,000 words.
- Takeaways: Writing a tip or advice is optional. This is a gift from the writer to the reader. Is there something in your story that can help someone else? Summarise the lesson learnt in numbered or bulleted sentences. You can add as many takeaways as you want, but keep them to a sentence each.
This is the first Tiny Life Moment I had:
And I have developed a list of 120 writing prompts to help us recognise a moment.
“Experience is a master teacher, even when it’s not our own.” ― Gina Greenlee,
Would you like to join us?
You do not have to be a professional or experienced writer to join us. We welcome interest from writers who are just beginning their writing journey. We only ask that you submit content that is true and transparent. And you reflect on your writing and help us learn from your experience.
We would love you to join us.
