And so the adventure begins...

It's not very often in the adventure that is family history that we reach a point in which we can actively do something right now to make a monumental difference. 
Oh yeah. You read that correctly.
There is something you can do RIGHT NOW that will make a make waves in the world of your family history hunt. 
So strap in. Get ready. Get set...

Keep a journal. 

Yep, you read that right. Keep a journal. 

So now your asking yourself, "what?" And then probably, "um, how will this help?"

Well, dear hunter, this is how...
As we hunt for information about our ancestors, we are ultimately limited by what information is out there. It's not the happiest of truths but there is it. We can (and need to) index - which does bring about new information, but we also need to be proactive in paving the for future generations. 
How many times have you wished you could find the journal of an ancestor? Wouldn't it be perfect to find that missing piece of information? 
This is part of the benefit of keeping a journal now. In writing down our daily ventures, we can preserve our lives for future generations rather than become a mystery to be puzzled out. 

For myself, whenever I start a new journal, I make sure to include some kind of survey question portion. My thinking behind this is that if that particular journal is the only one found I want my descendants to know what I think is the important stuff about me. The benefit to this controlled "me survey" is that I can choose the questions to ask and answer. 
I always include my full name, my birthdate, address, family members and their birthdates. (Seriously now. This is the info I'd want about my ancestors so I try to make it as easy as possible for whoever gets a hold of my journals in the future.) 
From there I might include my current job, hobbies, goals, favorite color- all that stuff. 
Keeping a daily (or every other day) record of our lives will be beneficial not only to the people who will come after us but there's also something calming and centering about being able to write out how we feel. 
It seems like the art of journal keeping has been largely lost but I so appreciate the books and tv shows out there that encourage people today to write, like "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "Dork Diaries", and "The Vampire Diaries". 

Journals and diaries are available all over the place. I personally love to browse my local Barnes and Noble for the right journal, but even a composition notebook will work. 

Get excited! 

Go pick out a beautiful journal, get some awesome pens, and go to town! I love including stickers, movie ticket stubs, photos, those paper bracelets from dances...
On days when I want to write in my journal but might not have a lot of time to vent or get in touch with my inner-heart I'll bullet-point "Ten Good Things That Happened Today." It's a great way to record what transpired during the day but also helps me focus on the good things from my day. 

Still unsure? Well, consider this....

I love Nightvale and their deep thoughts but this one felt chilling. How sad! I know that I certainly have more people I'm related to than I'll be able to learn about because of lack of records but I can do something about me. I can help my future family know me. 

Journals. Diaries. They are miracles of human communication. With merely a piece of paper and a writing utensil I can record my thoughts, feelings, jokes, insights etc for people who are not yet born. 

Happy journaling Hunters!