Why I or We need a “Storyworthy” shift after a tough year 📚

Hey Friends…!!

Happy New Year…!🎆

Yeah yeah,I know…it’s January 20th….A bit late for New Year wishes😅 But you know what? Better late than never, right?Plus, most people have already broken their resolutions by now…so this might actually be the PERFECT time to wish you a happy new year without all that pressure…

So…Happy New Year Friends…!Hope 2026 is treating you well so far.

The First Book of 2026 📚

So I just finished my first book of the year….

And honestly..?It hit different

I picked it up again this January. And wow…I needed this book more than I realised…

2026 Was…Rough😔

I’m not going to lie to you friends…

2026 was tough…Like, really tough.

Been to a new place….left behind a lot of things that were with me throughout the year…Things I thought would stay…People I thought would be around. Plans I thought would work out…

And stepping into 2026? It felt…heavy

Like I was carrying all this weight from last year into the new one…

I needed something…Some kind of shift. Some way to see things differently.

And then I read this book again…

Who Is Matthew Dix? 🎤

So Matthew Dix is a world champion Storyteller…Like literally….He’s won storytelling competitions…The guy knows how to tell a story

And in his book “Storyworthy” he shares all these techniques and strategies for becoming a better storyteller…

But there’s one exercise he talks about that completely changed how I see my days…

It’s called “Homework for Life”

What Is Homework for Life? 📝

The idea is stupidly simple

At the end of every day…you ask yourself one question:

You’re basically asking: “If I had to tell a 5-minute story about something that happened today, what would it be”?

Not a whole journal entry…Not a detailed reflection…Just…what was worth remembering?

“But Nothing Interesting Happens to Me…” 🤷🏻‍♂️

I know what you’re thinking…

“Jayesh, I’m not a world champion storyteller. My days are boring. I go to class, I study, I eat mess food, I sleep….Where’s the story in that?”

And honestly..?I thought the same thing…

Read that again.

The more you LOOK for storyworthy moments, the more you FIND them.

It’s like…your brain starts noticing things it would have otherwise ignored

What I’ve Noticed (When I Actually Do This) 👀

Okay, full transparency…

I’ve been fairly on and off with this since 2022 when I first read the book…

Some months I’m consistent…Other months? I completely forget about it😅

But in the months where I’ve actually stuck to this? Where I’ve done my “homework for life” every single day?

It increased my appreciation for life.

Like, genuinely…

Because now I remember the small details.

That funny thing my friend said at lunch that made me laugh. That moment during a cycle ride when the weather was perfect. That random conversation that actually meant something.

All these tiny moments that would have just…disappeared into the blur of “just another day.”

But because I was looking for them? Because I was asking “what’s today’s story?”

I found them. And I remembered them.

Why This Matters More Than You Think 💭

Here’s the thing about life…

Most of our days are not going to be extraordinary. They’re just not.

You’re not going to have a movie worthy adventure every single day….You’re not going to achieve something massive every 24 hours

Most days are just…regular days.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t have moments worth remembering…

And here’s what I realized after the rough year I had:

THAT’S what makes life feel lived

The Difference Between This and Journaling 📖

You might be thinking: “Isn’t this just journaling with extra steps?”

And yeah…kind of. But also not really.

Journaling can feel overwhelming…You sit down with a blank page and think “okay, what do I write? How do I feel? What happened today?”

And suddenly it’s homework…It’s a chore

But “Homework for Life” is different because you’re asking a very specific question:

“What’s the story?”

Not “what happened?” Not “how do I feel?”

Just…what was worth telling someone about?

And somehow, that question is easier to answer. It’s more fun. It feels less like homework and more like…collecting moments.

Wait…Doesn’t This Sound Familiar? 🤔

If you read my last blog post about the One Line Diary…you’re probably thinking:

“Jayesh…isn’t this basically the same thing?”

And YES. Kind of. But also…this makes it even BETTER.

You’re actively looking for that one moment worth remembering. That one thing worth telling someone about.

And THAT becomes your one line for the day.

See what I mean? They work together perfectly.

What I’m Doing This Year 🎯

So here’s my plan for 2026.

I’m combining both of these.

Every night, before I sleep, I’m asking myself: “What was today’s story?”

And THAT becomes my one line in my diary. Two sentences max.

Because after the year I had…after leaving behind so much from 2026…

I want to make sure I’m actually LIVING 2026. Not just surviving it.

I want to notice the moments…I want to collect the stories

I want to look back at December 2026 and have proof that this year mattered….That these days weren’t just a blur.

Maybe You Want to Try This Too? 🌟

Look…I’m not saying this will solve all your problems.

I’m not saying it’ll make 2026 perfect.

But what if it makes you more present? More aware? More appreciative of the small things?

What if, at the end of 2026 you have 365 storyworthy moments written down?

What if you can actually remember this year instead of it just…disappearing?

The question is simple:

“What was the most storyworthy thing that happened to me today?”

Two sentences. That’s it.

Maybe give it a shot?

The Book 📕

If you’re interested in reading “Storyworthy” by Matthew Dics, I highly recommend it.

It’s not just about this exercise. The whole book is about storytelling, which is honestly such an underrated skill.

Whether you’re giving presentations, having conversations, or just trying to make your life more interesting…knowing how to tell a good story matters.

And Matthew Dix? The guy KNOWS storytelling.

So Here We Are… ✨

A few days into 2026.

Maybe your resolutions are already broken. Maybe you’re already feeling behind.

But here’s the thing…

You don’t need to change everything. You don’t need a massive transformation.

Maybe you just need to start noticing the stories in your everyday life.

Maybe you just need to ask: “What was today’s story?”

And maybe, by the end of this year, you’ll realize…

Every day had one.

You just needed to look.