Journey to Journaling

I've been on this transformative journey in developing my personal growth. I've found that the one thing has helped me in this journey is journaling. Every morning I sit down and journal about anything that comes to my mind - things about what I want to pursue, traits and habits I want to adopt, memories I would like to relive, etc. In this journey to personal growth, I've studied successful people and their habits and one thing that they all share in common is the art of journaling. Every successful person takes time out of their day to journal and write down the things they are thinking about.

I've always enjoyed writing because I've felt that this was my escape. This was a way for me to express myself and my internal thoughts without having to share with anyone but my present and my future self. At first it was hard for me to journal consistently, but after practicing the act of putting pen to paper, it has now become a ritual for me. Now maybe some of you are thinking, "I hate writing", "I've never been a strong writer", or "I don't have time for this", but the truth is that we are just making excuses for ourselves. If you start with a timer, a pen and paper, and an open-mind, anyone can journal. Start by setting a timer for five minutes and writing anything that comes to your mind until the five minutes runs out. Gradually, you can increase the time from five minutes, to ten, to fifteen, to thirty and so on. Eventually this will become a habit that you will not need a timer for.

"Journaling is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time." -Mina Murray

Not only is journaling a source of escape, but journaling can lead to incredible results.

A journal provides us with two remarkable benefits:

(1) It allows us to capture all aspects of the present moment for future review.

(2) The act of writing about our lives helps us to think more objectively about our actions.

Journaling allows us to gain clarity. It also develops our ability to communicate more effectively. The more we practice capturing events and emotions with words, the more clearly we can communicate with the ideas and values that exist within us.

Often times when people think of journaling, they think that it is a long practice that requires extra work and thought. To me, journaling shouldn't feel like a chore, but rather it should feel like an escape. After the hard days, the best days, the stressful days, journaling is my source of escape. It allows me to relive certain moments and reflect on how it made me feel. It allows me to vent about the things that are on my mind. It allows me to write about the type of future I want to visualize for myself. It allows me to express myself. It allows me to be vulnerable and honest with myself.

It's a stress-relief for me and a form of self-care. Journaling doesn't have to have a word limit, a time limit, or even a specific theme. They say that journaling is an art because it can be anything and everything. Journaling can be a 5 minute practice or a 1 hour practice. It can be about a specific moment or simply a brain dump about ones internal thoughts.

When I first started journaling, I felt stuck on what to write about. In the beginning of my journaling practice, I would look up journaling prompts on the internet to help me. For example, if I wanted to learn more about personal growth, I would look up "Personal Growth" writing prompts and a list of different prompts would pop up. These prompts really helped me dive into journaling. Eventually I fell off the pre-made prompts and starting journaling about whatever I wanted to write about.

There are all types of journals as well, ones that have a template to follow or ones that are just empty lines in a notebook. There is a popular journal called The Five Minute Journal. It provides structure and prompts. If you are into the idea of following prompts, I would recommend this journal. It includes gratitude, prioritizing your day, 3 amazing things, inspiring quotes, daily affirmation, and an end of the day self reflection. I personally just like to use a notebook with blank pages. It allows me the chance to be creative with my thoughts and write down simply anything that I am feeling. No boundaries or restrictions. It's just me, myself, and I.

I encourage anyone who wants to start developing their personal growth to start by journaling. To fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. To allow your unaltered voice to speak. To revolutionize your mindset, transform your heart, and influence your life exponentially. This ritual has truly changed my mind and heart in miraculous ways and I know that it has the ability to change yours too.