You Did Something For The First Time Ever Today!

I bet you don't even know what it was.

In case nobody told you this, it’s IMPORTANT!

New parents do it when their babies are born. They prepare for their child's arrival by buying a baby book. Then, they diligently keep track of every minuscule milestone as their babies grow and change because they don’t want to forget a single moment.

Why should we stop keeping track as adults?

We’re still growing and changing every day, and we have plenty more to keep track of than just a new tooth or a first word.

Are you aware that you probably do something for the very first time, nearly every day? It could be something so tiny that you’d never recognize it. It may not even consciously impact your day at all, but it still happens.

One small, barely noticeable occurrence could be the beginning of a much bigger, more incredible end result, which is why it’s important to keep track.

The problem is that if we’re not mindfully watching out for these firsts, we’ll either forget they happened or miss them altogether.

I used to keep a journal of firsts.

This practice began as a project without purpose several years ago. On the morning of January 1st, 2018, the very first “happy new year” text I received was from a long-lost acquaintance I’d forgotten all about. It was someone I had met years earlier while travelling.

Needless to say, the text message made my day. It was a welcome surprise and marked my first engagement with a human that year. So I wrote it into a brand new journal book (because we all have eighteen Dollarama journal books lying around).

That single text message transformed into a ritual I looked forward to every day in 2018.

My first nail polish color was red.

The first meal I ate was scrambled eggs.

The first trip I took was to Toronto.

Those are all random, useless bits of information in the grand scheme of life, but the project was still a lot of fun while it lasted.

Now, imagine if we took an enjoyable project like that and began recording our real stepping stones and accomplishments.

You know what you’re working toward and where you want to be, but how are you taking the necessary steps to get there? Who is holding you accountable if not yourself? And how are you tracking your progress?

I once stumbled onto an article that caught my eye because the subtitle mentioned a “Good Shit Board.” Curiosity piqued!!

I absolutely LOVED her idea of writing down every compliment you get. What a worthwhile and encouraging practice to get into!

On my 47th birthday in 2019, I celebrated my highest month of earnings writing on Medium. That achievement prompted me to pull out yet another blank journal book and write it down, for posterity.

Then, I was inspired to take things one step further and create a brand new Medium publication called The Journal of Firsts.

I became accountable.

My online journal didn’t include small things like baking cupcakes. Although if I had baked cupcakes with Denzel Washington, that could’ve turned into a juicy “first” story 😁 And I can’t believe I just said that because Denzel is now SEVEN-ZERO years old!!! Am I the only one shocked by this?

Create your own Journal of Firsts

Pick up one of those lonely journal books lying around your house or office right now and call it your journal of firsts. If you don’t have one, run to Dollarama and get one.

Better yet…start a Substack called The Journal of Firsts. Nobody else is doing it…YET 😉

By journaling your firsts, you will never run out of things to write about. And by mindfully attempting to recall your firsts each day, you’ll be surprised at what comes up.

You may add an entry tomorrow, and in six months, it could reveal its purpose. Trust me, I’ve experienced many of these karmic moments in life—the ones that have made me think back and say, “AHA! So that’s why that happened!”

When we mindfully track our thoughts, accomplishments, and experiences, we’re offering ourselves a pathway to connect the dots later on.

Every adventure begins with a first step.

What’s the most unique type of journal you’ve ever started? How long did you stick with the ritual?

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