I’m a huge believer in having a daily journaling practice. Before you resist this idea with the response, “But, I’m not a writer,” hear me out. Journaling isn’t writing for communication or writing to a reader. It’s writing for you. It’s writing to reveal yourself to yourself more fully. You don’t need a fancy journal notebook with a pretty cover. It doesn’t have any rules. I do mine in the morning and use a spiral notebook until its gone. I then label it on the front Month, Year to Month, Year and put them in a drawer. The other thing I do with the journal is read it before I file it away.
Why read your own journal?
To gain some insight about yourself from a distance. When you are writing each day you are writing about your thoughts, feelings, struggles and joys of the day. Some days are better than others. Sometimes we really struggle hard against certain areas of life. Reading your own journal shows you themes that show up for you repeatedly. From there you can decide to take action or not. The key is knowing what messages are trying to come through for you. Those messages don’t just happen the minute you sit down to write, but they do come out over time of daily pouring out your thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears. It’s like a road map back to YOU.
So, I just finished another notebook and about three months worth of journaling. I sit down at the beginning and read it. This takes me a couple sittings. Then I extract from it how the last few months were for me, not in terms of good vs. bad, but more in terms of what themes were showing up for me. What needs to be dealt with or paid attention to? What did I learn about the world or myself? Can I take something from this to grow forward?
The investment in a daily writing practice is twofold. One you have a release and some clearer understanding on the day you do the writing. Secondly, it is also a tool for reflection and growth from a distance as well.
To show you how this works for me and what valuable lessons you can gain from this practice I’m sharing below a few of my big themes from my last few months. Sharing on this personal of a level is also me taking action to show up authentically in my life for anyone to see without apology. This unapologetic authenticity is one of my life themes I’m committed to practicing. So, here are my latest lessons that came from within, brought to the surface by journaling:
Co-creation is 100% real. Some call it manifestation. I call it co-creation because you most definitely have a partner in this process. Co-creation is simply creating your life with God. You may also insert other letters for God and I will not take offense at your own personal choice on what feels right for you. You may call it the universe, light, love, energy, spirit, the ~ing. What shows up for me to describe that essence is God. I would compare how co-creation works to how your heartbeat works or your breath keeps going. I don’t have to fully understand it to fully believe it to exist. If you believe God to exist in every living thing, including yourself, nature, and every element of our living world, you may also believe like me that essence is connected. So it’s not that huge of a leap to have faith that the connectedness can be directed. I believe we co-create our lives with God. I have had some weird and wonderful experiences that have proved this to be true for me without a doubt. If you believe in the power of prayer it’s no different really.
Your signs are not necessarily His signs. Co-creation is not your creation. The signs you are looking for and hoping for may not be what His contribution to your path will be. Remain open to a plan that is even better than your own design. When you set your intentions for your future, what actually occurs for you is often even better than what you planned for yourself once you apply hindsight. When you ask for something in your life, literally follow it up with the words “……this or something even better.” You are declaring your intention that a design is in play for you, and you are 100% open to it.
Writing is magic. There is something about the physical act of feelings being physically witnessed on paper that is healing. Writing as a craft to share with others is a transcendent experience. As a reader you can connect with the writer across the world, across hundreds of years, across gender and birthplace and still feel them touch you on a human level. It’s one human being willing to share their experience on a soul level to let another human know you are not alone and it’s all going to be OK. I feel it too. We are together. It’s magic. Most of the time when I write a piece that clearly resonates with people I honestly feel like I didn’t even write it at all. It comes from somewhere else magical, not of me acting alone at all. A very humbling experience.
My introversion is a fickle beast. I can range from feelings of loneliness to utter suffocation in a matter of hours. If I can’t predict this range of feelings coming to me as fast as a freight train, it’s unfair to expect anyone else to predict this either. Being conscious and true to my own needs is key. I am responsible for the boundaries I set. No one else.
FEAR is a big, fat liar with a squirrel brain. We all have fear. If you fear nothing I’d venture to say your not being truthful with yourself. But, FEAR really is of no help to us at all. So, we can acknowledge it’s existence without giving it any power. It’s not going to simply go away. I think of FEAR like an annoying child throwing a temper tantrum for attention. Usually in my head I speak to it “Yes, I hear you. Yes, I see you. Now, go sit in the corner over there and be quiet. I have dreams to chase and things to do.” In other words, you acknowledge it’s existence without caving to what it wants. Any fear I have ever journaled about either hasn’t come true, or sometimes even the exact opposite has happened. Time spent with fear is time wasted.
I’m really just so dang happy to be here. My close friends will recognize this as my line. When someone is trying to make a decision on when to leave, or where to go for dinner my noncommittal answer is often “You know me, I’m really just so dang happy to be here.” It’s said with sarcasm, but it’s honestly how I feel nearly every day of life. I am full of gratitude to be part of this beautiful, painful, colorful adventure and honored God choose me to be here. And in case you didn’t realize it – He Choose YOU too!
I hope this sharing will encourage you to give journaling a try. It’s a practice that takes some time to develop, but the results are second to none.
Knowing yourself more fully is one of the best gifts you can give to those you love.
Living, loving, sharing, growing. We are literally together hand in hand on this journey. Helping each other. Know that how you feel is how I feel. You are not alone here.