Journaling

Journaling is such a simple way to accelerate your personal development. Often times journaling will begin as a vent for people. They just simply want to release to frustrations of the day or the week. It doesn’t take long for most to realize the power they have in their hands. Journaling can be a tool to explore deep inside, to plum the depths of a being, to uncover lost dreams and create a path to the future. Through journaling we can identify our thought streams. We can see literally how we get off track or how we are stuck in a cycle of self destructive thoughts, which become our reality.

People think sequentially, one thought triggers the next which triggers the next. At times our thoughts will travel down a new branch which will of course take our mind in a different direction. Our thoughts have a beginning, a middle, and an end. While we are in the midst of them, it can be very tricky to navigate to a more positive ending. That is where journaling comes in. When we take the time to review our writings, we will see our thoughts from a different perspective. Often our most terrifying thoughts are much less powerful on paper. Emotions that may be very upsetting to experience in real time, may be much less intense on paper. Sometimes the reverse is true, seeing your reality in a new light, may jolt you into a new direction. While journaling gives most people the power and permission to express themselves, it also gives the writer the power to stop writing when the emotions are too powerful.

It is important to recognize the emotions that one is reacting to. In my own journaling I have recognized that I have reacted to emotions I wasn’t even feeling in the moment. In one situation I was clearly having a knee jerk reaction to a family secret that still influences who I am. Journaling helped me to see how those secrets and myths are still attached to me in day to day life. The writing helped me to identify what I was feeling in my body, and what those emotions are and what they make me believe about me. Those emotions weren’t congruent to my reaction. That experience helped me to understand that you can’t change what you don’t know, and you don’t know what you don’t know.

Journaling can open the quiet, private space inside that you never knew existed. Having this introspection can provide clarity to a situation you may have been mired in. Journaling also provides a record of your progress that you may not have noticed, or a long forgotten pattern rearing its ugly head. Self expression is so important. It is the first step towards self acceptance. We are so willing to believe the negative about ourselves, with journaling we can learn to believe the truth about ourselves. With truth comes power. Understanding the truth of who you are gives you the power to change what you don’t like and move towards what you truly want in life. Take a few minutes each day to reflect on YOU.