Establishing Your Own "Enough" In Memory Keeping
One of the discussions that has come up during recent workshops is the concept of "enough."
It's a word that has gained traction over the last few years in conversations and blog posts about how we feel about ourselves with the mantra "I am enough" resonating with so many of us for deep and valid reasons. For some people this is an easy concept to embrace and for some people it's really, really challenging - often because of the expectations we live with for ourselves or the stories we are telling ourselves about who we are supposed to be in this moment in time. Add in a hearty dose of Facebook + YouTube + Instagram + Pinterest "perfection" and finding your own enough can be a challenge.
"Enough" is a concept that can also easily be applied to memory keeping. It's a very personal, "one-size-does-not-fit-all" idea that can actually lead you towards a more meaningful relationship with this lifestyle/hobby. My enough might look totally different than your enough and that is a good thing.
Your own personal memory keeping "enough" is a fluid continuum. Seasons of life come into play here as they so often do in so many things. My "enough" right now might be "too much" or "not enough" next month or next year. It's okay to change your mind and adjust your level of enough. The key is to have it in mind in the first place and give yourself permission to let go of some of the extreme expectations you might be placing on yourself in this current season.
Knowing can your enough can open the doors to more joy in the process and more focused storytelling.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about your own memory keeping "enough" right now:
There are so many choices in memory keeping these days - which is awesome because it gives you choices (which can sometimes also not be awesome if you get overwhelmed with too many choices).
Maybe traditional sized layouts are just enough for you. Maybe monthly Project Life® documentation is enough for you. Maybe weekly Project Life® storytelling is enough for you (even if you aren't completing it weekly). Maybe just participating in Week In The Life™ and/or December Daily® is enough for you for the entire year. Maybe just typing up your stories and saving them in a folder or writing in a journal is enough for you right now. Maybe just participating in One Little Word® and focusing on your personal stories is enough for you. Maybe you want to do a little bit of everything and that makes you feel most satisfied. Or maybe you are simply in a dormant season where stories are being written in other ways (via the way you are living your life and the choices you are making for yourself) and a season will come again when it's time to document. There is simply no specific prescription for what you "should" be doing to get your stories told.
Own what is enough for you right now and know that you can change your mind.
Maybe you get one kit every month and use that to focus on a few specific stories and that is enough for you. Maybe you print all your own supplies from digital products and you're totally happy with that. Maybe you purchase new stuff regularly and simply love having access to lots of cool stuff. Maybe you are working through your hoarded stash of many years and enjoying it every step of the way. Maybe you don't buy products at all and just use words + photos.
Again, there isn't a right or a wrong, there's simply your own level of enough stuff.
Yeah, I know, I sell products. But I also absolutely believe that selling you a product that is just going to sit on a shelf or in a drawer is counter productive to my personal memory keeping values. I actually care that you use the stuff that you purchase from me because I know the absolute positive things that can come from telling your stories.
Remember that having more products at your disposal doesn't equate to getting more stories told or necessarily increase your creativity. In fact, I argue in many of my classes that having access to less products actually promotes more storytelling because the focus is less on the products you have to choose from and more on getting the stories told.
Own what is enough for you right now and know that you can change your mind.
Maybe you are choosing the super simple route of words + photos. Maybe you want to layer and layer and play and mix a whole bunch of things together and add a little paint on top. Maybe you are focusing on your photography skills and everything else is taking a backseat. Maybe you are practicing your writing skills and that's your current focus. Maybe you are super regimented in your documentation or maybe you fly by the seat of your pants and sometimes choose a super artsy path and other times keep it as simple as possible to just get the story told.
Figuring out what parts of memory keeping are most meaningful to you is an excellent place to begin on your journey to establishing your own enough. Maybe it's the photos, maybe it's the stories, maybe it's the combination of the two, maybe it's a finished project, maybe it's the opportunity to get messy & creative, etc.
Own what is enough for you right now and know that you can change your mind.
Maybe it's enough for you to focus on telling the everyday stories at this time in your life. Maybe it's enough for you to just focus on telling your own story right now vs. anyone else in your household. Maybe it's enough for you to focus on limited duration stories (think Week In The Life™ or December Daily® or Day In The Life™) vs. an open-ended album that collects stories here and there. Maybe it's enough for you to focus on your kids or your pets or your parents or your partner's stories.
To establish what stories are enough, think about the things you wish you knew about the people in your life who are important to you. What do you wish you knew about your Grandma? Consider telling those kinds of stories about yourself.
Own what is enough for you right now and know that you can change your mind.
Maybe it's enough for you to take a couple photos a month. Maybe everyday is more your style. Maybe your iPhone has become your absolute go-to or maybe you miss your DSLR camera. Maybe you take 100 photos of the same situation or maybe just two. Maybe you, like me, want to enlarge every photo you use in a layout or maybe you want to crop them all to 2 inch x 2 inch. Maybe the photos are your focus right now and you are in a season of practicing.
For me, memory keeping is a lifestyle - a way that I live in and experience the world. Maintaining and sustaining a lifestyle means being open to the ebb and flow of what is enough at any given time. It's something that you are going to have to figure out for yourself - trust me, it's worth it.
What's your own enough right now?
