Breadcrumbs for a Life Well Spent

Journaling helps me live with intention. From food to finances to bird calls in the woods, here’s how I track what matters and leave breadcrumbs worth following.

Lou LaMedica

Apr 18, 2025

Habits

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Breadcrumbs for a Life Well Spent

Weight Loss & Food Choices

Cooking & Building a Family Cookbook

Nature Walks with New Eyes

Investing with a Personal Lens

In the End

Breadcrumbs for a Life Well Spent

I’ve always been someone who thinks a lot. But too often, I’d look back on a great season in life and wonder: What was I thinking during that time? Especially when everything felt like it was in a good groove. When, as Pink Floyd put it, “everything under the sun is in tune.”

I’ve been consistently journaling for about a year now. What I love most is the daily reflection: what went well, what I want to improve on, and what I’m aiming for tomorrow. I also try to capture the fun stuff—the little moments that made the day feel alive and special. I learned the value of capturing the “story of the day” from Matthew Dicks, who encourages people to find and record the one moment worth remembering.

Lately, I’ve taken that mindset into new areas of my life. I now keep separate digital journals for investing, weight loss, nature, and cooking. The point is to record anything I find interesting. Sometimes a small note turns into something that, when revisited, becomes a little nugget of wisdom.

Weight Loss & Food Choices

When it comes to losing weight, my main struggles are snacking late at night and the occasional fast food pit stop. But logging what I eat every day keeps me honest. It makes me care more about what I’m putting into my body because at the end of the day, it’s all there in black and white. That small act of tracking is how I hold myself accountable to my future self.

I’ve just started this, but I believe that I will lose 10 pounds over the next six months by staying consistent with it.

Cooking & Building a Family Cookbook

I also journal what I cook. Every tasty dish gets a photo and a few notes—if the kids liked it, how long it took, and most importantly, whether it’s worth making again. I love Italian and Southwest food, especially soups and bean dishes. But I used to never make the same thing twice because I wasn’t tracking. Now, I’m building a breadcrumb trail.

My goal is to keep meals healthy, simple, flavorful, and kid-approved. Over time, I want to build a personal cookbook jokingly called "Sit Down, Shut Up and Eat! Stories From the Front Line of the LaMedica Dinner Table with Two Young Kids." One day, I hope it’s something future generations in my family might cook from, laugh over, and add to.

Nature Walks with New Eyes

I’ve always loved walking in the woods, but journaling has made it richer. I take photos of plants I don’t recognize and look them up later. I track bird calls with the Merlin Bird ID app. Now I can say things like, “There’s the beautiful call of a Carolina Wren,” and know it will be my walking companion for the day. That kind of awareness adds depth to even a simple stroll.

Investing with a Personal Lens

My investing journal is all about tracking the story of a company over time. I jot down what drew me to a stock, what I’m watching for, and how my thinking evolves. It’s buy and homework. I want to be able to talk about any stock I own the way a diehard sports fan talks about their team. Where they shine, where they fall short, and what it will take to get better. That’s how I stay sharp with investments like Budweiser.

In the End

Journaling, for me, is about living with more intention. It adds texture to the everyday. I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to pay attention. And that, to me, feels like a life well spent.

If you’ve been meaning to start journaling, maybe let today be the breadcrumb. Just write one thing down. It doesn’t have to be deep. Just true.

"Know what’s enough. Build what matters.”

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Lou LaMedica