5 Ways Journaling Can Change Your Life
A personal journal is an ideal environment in which to “become”. It is a perfect place for you to think, feel, discover, expand, remember and dream -Brad Wilcox
When I think of journaling, at first it makes me think of when I was young and wrote all my secrets in a locked diary! That is not the kind of journaling that I do today though! Having a place to write down your thoughts each day is invaluable. It’s another tool to learn about ourselves and to see where we want to change and improve. It gives us a place to envision, and to create.
I have a big notebook style monthly calendar that has additional daily pages for notes and journaling. This is where I write down so many ideas, struggles, things I’m working on and goals. For me, writing in this space is my next step in creating. First I envision and create ideas in my mind, and the next step is writing it down. There’s something about writing down an idea that solidifies it. It creates something real and tangible, a goal to start working on and attain. I’ve done this since I was 16 and was in a very different place. I wrote down a simple list of goals, and that’s when I first realized the power of this journaling concept. Are you looking to change any areas of your life? Or simply looking to become a better version of yourself? Let’s go then!
Rest & Reflection
I love having a few minutes in the morning and/or evening to write down some thoughts for the day, week, month, etc. It’s a time to think about what has been bothering me lately and how I can do something to prevent or fix that, I also notice what I’ve been doing that’s been helping me in any way. Whether I’ve been sleeping better, calmer, less reactive, eating healthier, etc; I reflect on why those changes are happening and how I can continue to grow the good. This simple time of restful reflection helps you to see which areas of your life are helping you vs hindering you. It makes it possible to see the big picture clearly.
Forming a Habit
A small daily habit can affect many areas of your life! If you change your diet to eat cleaner and healthier, you may notice that you have more energy and feel better. This may lead you to start exercising, which makes you happier about your appearance and so on and so on. Don’t underestimate the power of changing one small thing about your day. This small thing can be the change needed to attain your goals and change your life. The habit of taking time to journal each day can help you to show up and be better in each area of your life. Increase your self-awareness and potential by creating the habit of daily introspection and journaling.
Creativity
I’m not necessarily talking about the creativity needed to paint a beautiful picture here. I am referring to the creativity that comes when we take time to actually think and reflect, and write down inspiring thoughts. If you’re constantly engaged in “doing and going” then there isn’t time to nurture your own thoughts and ideas. If all of your time is spent working, checking your phone, taking kids to activities, etc, then you may be helping others create and not yourself. Are you using all of your time to help your boss create their goals and dreams, or your kids, significant other, parents, friends and not yourself? Writing down your own dreams and goals, shortcomings and failures each day helps you create your world and who you want to be. Instead of getting lost in whatever everyone else is doing, get lost in creating your own dreams and plans.
Manifesting
What does it take for you to really make something happen? The process of envisioning your goal or plan, to actually attaining it, obviously takes some work! It is one thing to first envision and think about a change or a goal that you want to attain, that is just the first step. The next important step is writing down those ideas and dreams.
Solidify your goals into an actionable plan in your daily note-taking. Write down your plans for that day, if you want to become more fit, write down to workout. Then check it off at the end of the day. There is something very satisfying about being accountable to yourself. Eventually, these small steps help you to reach your long-term endpoint. You may write down a list of long-term goals, and then a list per goal that you need to work on daily to get you there. Each day is a new opportunity to explore how you can respond to life and create your own goals and dreams.
Clarity
Do you struggle with detaching from the outside world? There’s so much going on all the time, it can be difficult to find a moment to focus on ourselves and think clearly. In journaling, it’s super easy to see a clear picture of your life, and where you want to improve or make changes. It is also helpful in making decisions for your life. You have this clear picture of the path that you’re on, and know what you need to be doing to stay on track. Journaling also goes hand in hand with benefiting other personal growth areas of your life, such as meditation and prayer. You deserve to find clarity and attain your personal goals, start journaling daily to help get you there!
