<p style="text-align: justify">I must admit that since childhood, I have always been fascinated with the thought of writing my personal diary. My inspiration being- the book that touches a million hearts even today-‘The Diary of Anne Frank.’ However, when I go back to the diaries I wrote as a child, I wish that, along with what I had written, I could have also added photographs to make my memoirs more interesting.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>The Problem of Writing without Visuals</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">Surprisingly, it is the same feeling that I get when flicking through the photos in my set of albums. While turning the pages of my photo albums, I somehow cannot remember the year or location, when some of my favourite pictures were taken. Nor can I recall the names of places or those of acquaintances and friends, made years back, when these photos had been clicked. At these times, I wish that photo albums of the time- when I was much younger, came with a comments page and slots for souveniers, like they do today.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Combining Dairies and Photo Albums to Record Memoirs</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">Recently of course, I found the perfect solution to writing diaries that were not just ‘all text;’ and maintaining photo albums, that were not totally, ‘without text.’ My diaries now, are a rich blend of written and visual memories! The idea came from a group of friends, who were facing a similar dilemma. I have made my novel and innovative photo albums, the home for my textual and visual combined recollections.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify">I love writing and since, the comments segments that come in ready-made albums did not provide enough space for my elaborate descriptions of photographs or ‘my day,’ I approached customized photo album makers to realize my out-of-the-box vision! Following my instructions, they inserted high quality durable pages, besides every slotted page meant for photographs, in a very professional manner.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Why Sticking Photos in Your Diary May Not Work </strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">There were reasons why I could not do it the other way round. It would not have made sense in the long run, to attach related photographs on the diary pages that I had penned my memories on. The reason for this was that photographs have a higher chance of spoiling without the essential plastic sheet casing, given in photo albums. In fact, the albums that I got designed, have good quality plastic slots even for the detachable pages, I write my reminiscences on.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: justify"><strong>Ten Benefits of Keeping a Personal Diary</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: justify">I firmly believe that keeping a diary is an excellent idea! I could give you not one but probably one million reasons for this. However in this post, I’ll stick with giving you my top ten observations for doing so.</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify">
<li>Diaries are like a treasury filled with memories, mostly sweet, some sour and a few bitter one’s too, for most of us!</li>
<li>Keeping diaries, even if it is inside photo albums like mine, help you reflect on the past, live in the present and plan better for the future.</li>
<li>Writing your heart out in a diary is cathartic and healing. Many things that you may not want to share with your closest friends and relatives can be written down here. There is something soothing and comforting about getting things off your chest and into a piece of paper!</li>
<li>Maintaining a diary, improves your writing abilities and your communication skills. The habit of writing on a daily or regular basis, allows you to express yourself better.</li>
<li>Pouring out your emotions in a diary also makes you more self-aware. You begin to understand your deepest feelings, likes, dislikes and philosophies on life, not just when writing them but reading them as well years later. Most importantly they help you evolve and recognize the changes that have taken place in you.</li>
<li>Photo albums that double up as diaries can change your mood and build your self-confidence. These help you go back in time more effectively, given the visual cues that exist in the form of photographs here.</li>
<li>You could also someday, give a thought to converting your diary into a published book, where you share learnings and moments from your life with the world.</li>
<li>On a grimmer note, a diary is also considered evidence in court. Whether it is a case of domestic violence, abuse, witnessing something unpleasant or even testifying against someone, a diary is a recognized record of facts once verified.</li>
<li>Your diary could make you famous, if it records incidents of history. Journalists, bloggers and publishers may like to borrow references from your memoirs or even interview you for the purpose.</li>
<li>Finally, keeping a diary can give your life a new purpose and passion to turn to every day. It can also make you more persistent and committed as a person.</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify">This article was written by Augustine. H. Jacobiestra, a writer who believes that, converting photo albums into personal diaries is a trend that will soon catch on.</p>

Ten Reasons To Start Keeping A Personal Diary
