As a kid you may have tried to catch fireflies in a jar. Running around all night just to get one. Maybe you succeeded or maybe you didn’t. Capturing your life, the moments and memories of everyday can be the same way. Chasing something we want to hold on to. A jar is not the right tool for life. However, homework for life can be. This idea brought to you by author Matthew Dicks.
In his best selling book Storyworthy, Matt introduces an idea to catch the fireflies of life. Some of you might already journal. For those of you that don’t and feel having a journal is not for you, homework for life can work. It’s a tool that has many benefits for anyone. The idea is, at the end of each day, you take 5 minutes to think of a moment in the day that you want to capture or record. You can write anything you want. The key here is that you do it. Matt uses his computer to write the date a line or two. I use this book here:
Don’t write out the whole story of the day. Just a few key words so that you can instantly remember. There are so many moments that can be captured in a day. Lunch with a friend. Making a new friend. Your three year old doing or saying something hilarious they haven’t done before. Moments when you connect with someone new or in an unexpected way. Sad moments and joyful ones. Times when you learn something about yourself. Or the time you tried that new Italian restaurant. Something you never want to forget. And the thing a friend said that you never want to remember.
Here is an example of my homework for life:
April 7, 2023
Met Matthew Dicks at A.C. Peterson over Cokes. Live close by to me. Talked writing and parenting. He signed my book Storyworthy.
In a short amount of time you’ll discover changes in your life by doing homework for life. You are more present each day, as you are now looking to capture a story in your mind, so that you can write it down later. The presence you exhibit leads to being more at peace and happy. As we interact with life, capturing moments that stand out is a great way to spot trends of yourself. In addition, it allows us to slow down in our fast paced lives. When busy and chaotic are the norms.
Take five minutes, each night, and reflect on the day. If you feel a Storyworthy moment does not come to you, this is okay. Use that, so that the next day, you can engage with life better.
Thought Provoking Question 1 : What is a moment/story from yesterday that you can record in a few words?
Dan Roman is a Husband, Father, and writer that releases a daily blog. A quick read on sharing wisdom and asking though-provoking questions.
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