Today, we would like to discuss déjà vu, a phenomenon experienced by about 60% of people. Déjà vu occurs when individuals feel they have already experienced a current moment, even though it is happening for the first time. This sensation often manifests as a brief flashback, creating a sense of familiarity.

Psychologists suggest that déjà vu may stem from memory glitches in the brain, where it mistakenly interprets a new experience as familiar. This can happen due to split-second misfires in processing or partial recall of similar past events.

Interestingly, déjà vu is sometimes linked to dreams. People often encounter déjà vu during moments that resemble past dreams, blurring the line between memory and imagination. This overlap may occur because our brains store dreams and real memories in a similar manner, enhancing the feeling of familiarity. While déjà vu is not predictive, it can provoke curiosity and reflection, leading individuals to wonder if their dreams foreshadow real events, thus adding an element of mystery to everyday life.

Journaling is a mindful practice of self-discovery that involves writing to ourselves. Setting aside a few minutes each day to explore our thoughts, reactions to the world, and emotions is beneficial.

Journaling is a great way to improve our self-awareness. Writing down our thoughts and feelings helps us reflect on them and gain mental clarity. Additionally, journaling can be a helpful tool for maintaining emotional well-being. It allows us to release negative experiences and move forward with a positive attitude. Through consistent writing, we can also improve our communication skills by articulating our thoughts and refining our expression to the world.

We can group journals into three categories: thoughts journal, capturing things that come to our mind; experiences journal, recording learning and various activities in life; and self-management journal, which organizes life for better planning and time management. 

• Thought journals include diaries, blogs, and commonplace books, where we fill the pages with reflections, quotes, and ideas. 
• Experience journals are a gateway to personal growth, expanding into exciting areas such as travel journals that inspire us to explore new places, reading or story journals that enlighten us with wisdom from the past, people journals that help us understand and appreciate those we meet, gratitude journals that foster a deeper sense of appreciation, handwriting journals that teach us new fonts, shopping journals that celebrate healthy and delightful product encounters, cooking journals that encourage us to experiment with new dishes, zen journals that record our spiritual growth, and more. We also use sketching journals and nature journals to record our observations of the world around us. Life is a journey of growth and discovery, and we use journals to remember and appreciate the experiences that shape us.

• Self-management journals are journals that give guidance. Bulletin journals fall into this category. 

The key to a helpful journal is consistency, honesty with oneself, and offloading our minds. We use journaling for high-level task tracking, such as what we stand for (core values), how we feel each day, topics we have an interest in or are inspired to know more about, what hurts us, what we wish to do, and lessons learned.

​Managing personal finances wisely is crucial for achieving long-term stability and success. Here's a concise guide to becoming financially competent:

• Budgeting: Start by tracking your income and expenses. A well-maintained budget helps plan spending, save money, and avoid debt.
• Emergency Fund: Build a fund to cover 3-6 months of expenses. This financial safety net is essential for unexpected emergencies.
• Debt Management: Tackle high-interest debts aggressively. Understanding and reducing your debts is key to financial health. Listen to Dave Ramsey if you want to be “ Debt free!”
• Savings Goals: Set clear short and long-term financial targets. Goals can range from saving for vacations to retirement.
• Investing: Diversify your portfolio across stocks, bonds, and real estate. Knowledge of investments enhances your wealth growth potential.
• Credit Score: Maintain a good credit score to improve your borrowing terms and reduce interest costs.
• Insurance: Protect yourself against significant financial losses with appropriate insurance coverage.​
• Retirement Planning: Invest early in retirement plans to benefit from compound interest over time.
• Tax Planning: Understand how to manage your taxes effectively to keep more of your earnings.
• Mindful Spending: Distinguish between wants and needs to avoid impulsive buys and save more.​

Enhancing your financial literacy continuously is the cornerstone of managing your finances effectively and achieving your financial goals.