He sniffed apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.

He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered jungle. They glistened red in sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first.

A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along forest trails.

The apples became heavier, and poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go?

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Keeping a journal has many advantages and benefits. Whether you write a few lines or pages, through journaling, you can record and track a lot of information that can be easily retained for future reference. You can actually see what you were thinking because your thoughts and experiences are in a journal. When you commit to writing them down, you have put your thoughts and experiences into a solid form. Below are some examples of benefits of keeping a journal.

Reduces stress - Journaling has a proven benefit of reducing stress. Once you've journaled, you don't carry as much of what you have written about within you. It is on paper or in computer. By journaling, you give yourself a powerful form of self-expression, and through that expression you can gain clarity, release, and relief.

Setting goals and resolutions - You can actually see and better understand what you want, what is important to you, and how you feel, through journaling. Then you can create goals and resolutions to support what you are thinking and writing about.

Organizes - Journaling your goals and what you want to accomplish for day, month, year, or a lifetime, is an excellent tool to help you get those things done. You can create a personal checklist of "things to do."

Helps focus - Writing in a journal creates more personal awareness, and therefore more focus on issues that are important to you.

The routine and habit of journaling means making time for you - When you set aside time for yourself, you can feel benefit and gain from doing something specifically for yourself. It can show up in other areas of your life as you carry that time you have spent on yourself within you, and everywhere you go.

Start your journal on any day of year - Journaling is something you can start today, stop tomorrow, and pick up again next year. You can start and stop as you want. You can skip a day. It is your journal.