What I think happens though is we keep finding convenient shortcuts to life to neatly package our experience into a story, without thinking about what we are actually doing at a practical level.
Very true. In the very fast-paced society we currently live in, introspection isn't a reality for most of us.
If there should be one lesson taught at school and reinforced through life - it is reflecting on experience and private journaling.
I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately we live in a society where the preference is always looking on the outside rather than on the inside.