Many people consider journaling to be something along the lines of a ‘dear diary.’ When I think of this, I can picture a young teenage daughter up in her room writing all of her thoughts and upsets from the day.
I am here to tell you my friends that journaling, at least in an adult form, is far from writing in a book with a little heart lock attached to it.
We Used to Write Often
When I was younger, I used to write all of the time. I would write down poems, songs, things that worried me from the day and of course, all about the boys that I had a crush on.
As I got older, it seemed as though writing became a chore. High school required a great deal of writing, as did grad school and then work. Using writing as a therapeutic tool was something that I lost touch with for a long, long time.
The Struggle With Maintaining Journaling
The life that we live today is one that is constantly challenged by external stimulus. We cannot escape the amount of information being poured into us on a daily basis. This stems from what we see on the television, hear on the radio, see on social media and experience in our daily activities.
This challenges our brains to fire at maximum capacity constantly. How much of this information intake really matters to us? What pieces and parts from the day do we want to hold onto? How can we hold onto this information?
Everyone (Notable) Does it
The secret book that is your personal journal is a book that you should hold yourself accountable to writing in at least once a day.
Many major players in life such as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Mark Twain and Charles Darwin all kept a journal. Without these intimate pieces of their life, so much of their story would be unknown to the world.
The First Step to Having the Life You Want
Countless studies exist that demonstrate the importance of getting your thoughts out into the world. One of the quickest ways to do this is to jot down your thoughts as soon as they come. When you have an idea, writing down that idea will help to put it out into the world. Consider this as step one into creating your brilliance and sharing it with the world.
Mission.org explains that ‘eventually, your dreams and vision will consume your inner world and quickly become your physical reality.’
When you take the time to place your dreams and goals onto paper, these thoughts are no longer just ideas. The ability to start to manifest these ideas into your future reality has already started.
Don’t Make Journaling Complicated
We don’t have to complicate things. Imagine your dream house with all the bells and whistles included. The amount of rooms, design, color, situating…think of exactly how this home would look. Now pretend that you could build your dream home.
You would take your ideas to a contractor and eventually, he would produce blueprints. Those blueprints would be taken from a piece of paper and built over time. Eventually, you would be walking into the home that you only ever dreamed of prior.
This is how dreams are built and it all starts with what we put down on paper. Of course, we cannot simply write all of our wishes down and magically they happen.
Instead, we must practice repetition and consistent focus and ambition on our goals. Our ability to take action in life that aligns with our goals and purpose will eventually pay off.
All those aspirations and desires that were once on paper will eventually sprout up in front of our eyes, just like a contractor building a dream home. The variance here? You are the contractor and it is your job to work diligently day-in and day-out to make the dream become a reality.
How and When to Journal
I want to point out that journaling never has to be set in stone in terms of the time of day. There are many shifts that I have made in my own journaling practice that have now made it routine for me. Just like brushing my teeth, if I fail to journal, something isn’t right all day long.
After Meditation: I journal immediately after I am done meditating. Meditation is a daily practice of mine and I have found that when I journal after, my creativity is spiked. In all honesty, most of the journaling during this time doesn’t make sense to me at the time. When I reflect upon my notes later, that is when I am often hit with a brilliant idea.
First Thing in the Morning: When I journal in the morning, it is to set my intentions for the day. I have found that when I put my tasks on paper, I am able to see what I must get done for the day. This is similar to being in grade school when the teacher would write down minute-for-minute what the class would learn. For the most part, I am able to stay on track and get more done in my day when I spend the five minutes doing this each morning.
Before I go to Sleep: Before going to bed, it is helpful to check in with the morning intentions that you wrote down for the day. This isn’t to point out the things that you didn’t accomplish for the day. Instead, this helps you to reframe your focus and determine where you need to pivot in the day to come.
Anytime That Creativity Strikes: It isn’t just Oprah that experiences those ‘Ah Ha Moments;’ we all experience them. What distinguishes us from being an Oprah or not is our ability to turn that wonderful thought into an action item. As soon as these ideas strike you, I encourage you to write them down.
Starting off slow is an okay way to go about journaling if you are worried about time. I have to admit that journaling doesn’t take much time at all. If you want to carve out 5-10 minutes of your time each day, the results will be immediately seen and it is likely that you will want more time for this as you progress.
LEO Warriors, I think that a primitive warrior exists inside of you that is begging to come out. I can’t wait to meet you and help to uncover this for you. Sign up for our newsletter and click on our coaching link to schedule your first coaching session. Follow us on Instagram and Like us on Facebook @leowarriors1.
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