I saw a video suggesting preparing an empty jar and writing down amazing or good things that are happening to me throughout the year – to be read at the end of the year (or in my case, at the beginning of the following year).
In the spirit of I’m such a sucker for writing things down, I’m convinced – immediately. I bought this plastic tube and decorated it with stickers (to put some personalities in it – as it should!). Well, it’s mostly just BTS and Seventeen-related stuff🥰.
Implementation: the writing part
To be completely honest, many times, I forget that I actually have this jar to fill. Hahaha. But I don’t want to make it feel forced, so I keep it as natural as possible. When I experience something so exciting, I will remember to write it down on the post-its and put it in the jar. That’s why I didn’t really have any pattern or set amount of time for when I would add. I saw a video that suggests once a week, but I think I’ll keep it more natural.
I realise, I am the type of person who usually wants to tell stories as elaborately as possible – from the background, introduction, main, to the ending. And with this type of format, I get to write down something quick and short – allowing me to just write down the essentials.
I tried my best to separate this from my journal, which is less likely for me to read when I finish it or at the end of the year. Journal for me is more like a channel for me to process my feelings and thoughts so that I wouldn’t explode.
Reflection: the reading part
Now that we’re in 2026, I have read the notes I made in 2025. Not much, but reading it def put a smile on my face.
And I categorised some patterns of things that I’ve written down:
- I am being brave
- I am being appreciated
- I am experiencing new things
- The book I was reading
- I am being content with myself and what I’m doing
- Grateful moments by God’s blessing in my life
Believe me, it’s the little stuff. Not really major experiences or something big. Just the moment when I feel genuinely happy. For example, I read the book ‘Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookstore’ back in February 2025. And it was such a comforting book for me at that exact moment in my life. So it was worth being written down.
Reset: Lessons learnt and moving on
After reading them, I wrapped them up like this:
I kept the notes from previous years in the same jar but categorised them by year. This way, the notes won’t get mixed up and I’m ready for 2026!
Small things in life keep us going, as I wrote in my previous post. And keeping this jar is one of them. One year can go past in a blink of an eye, and yet by documenting some of the moments that are meaningful to my life, I get to ‘extract’ the good ones to be my ‘fuel’ this year.
I experienced moments of great despair in 2025. It was an internal battle that was sometimes too abstract to even describe. On some days, it’s just numb – I have no reason to get out of bed. There are so many things going on in my life, and on a bigger scale, in the world that bring despair.
But I get to experience hope in all that. Last year was the year of jubilee, the year of Hope. On some days, I get to be reminded to have hope in my life, in my thoughts, and in my heart. I went on two pilgrimage trips last year, which brought me great peace of mind. I’m bringing hope and peace to this year.
Let’s welcome 2026 with this spirit!
Small realisation – note for myself: With my journaling, I get to talk and sit with my own mind. I thought that conquering myself was the way to go. However, I realise that too much of a good thing can be bad. I spent too long with myself and my mind, but didn’t put myself out there, and just tried to do stuff. I encourage you to go outside and look at the world. Going inside makes you understand yourself better, but actually doing the work, interacting with others, and with the world will make you feel better.
VERONICAKUDO 
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