The Practice of Journaling
Journaling has been a part of my life in some format or another for as long as I can remember.
I have a small book shelf with journals going back to my early teens. I have poetry manuscripts. Notebooks of prose. I have scrapbooks of favorite quotes and passages from books. I even have autobiographical collections - journals of spiritual experiences, of dreams, of pregnancy and my son's first year of life.
The point is, journaling can take on all different kinds of forms depending on your needs at the time. You can even have several journals running concurrently!
A few months ago, as the year was drawing to a close, I decided that I would write as often as possible in my main journal, which is the one in the middle in the picture below. But I also found a need to establish two others.
The one on the left is my "health" journal so to speak. I just simply jot down the things I did that day that contributed to greater health of mind, spirit, and body - not to judge myself, but to record my efforts and note where I could perhaps improve.
The one on the far right contains a list of ten affirmations I write down every day. They have evolved from about 15 - they have been honed, and whittled down to their lowest common denominator. Sometimes I get hits on simplifying one - or combining two. Every day I try them on so to speak, and see how they "feel" to me, and then I might decide whether or not they need to be edited.
Most of these affirmations consist of attributes or characteristics I wish to embody. Only a couple of them actually deal with material things.
When I turned 50, I composed a short list of such affirmations which I said daily and a year or so later, I realized that all of them had come into being.
Never underestimate the power of your thoughts and of stating affirmations. The trick is to state them in the present tense, as if you have already embodied the desired quality or are in possession of what you are affirming.
I remember hearing Oprah tell the story about how she envisioned having a property with a specific number of oak tress. Then one day, years later, she looked out the kitchen window of her favorite place, and she noticed that the exact number of those trees where there!
Journaling has the power to transform us - yield sacred insights - and document where we are and where we have been. It can help us chart the road before us as well. Even if you never go back and review your writings, they serve a purpose and contribute to your growth.
If you've never done any journaling, consider starting one. It can be something as easy as recording inspirational quotes - or interspersing those quotes with other things such a gratitude list, or the acknowledgment of those things that bring you joy.
Resolve to change your life and enhance your experiences by starting a journal, or writing in one more often! Then at the end of the year, review where you've been and see how far you've come!
I have a small book shelf with journals going back to my early teens. I have poetry manuscripts. Notebooks of prose. I have scrapbooks of favorite quotes and passages from books. I even have autobiographical collections - journals of spiritual experiences, of dreams, of pregnancy and my son's first year of life.
The point is, journaling can take on all different kinds of forms depending on your needs at the time. You can even have several journals running concurrently!
A few months ago, as the year was drawing to a close, I decided that I would write as often as possible in my main journal, which is the one in the middle in the picture below. But I also found a need to establish two others.
The one on the left is my "health" journal so to speak. I just simply jot down the things I did that day that contributed to greater health of mind, spirit, and body - not to judge myself, but to record my efforts and note where I could perhaps improve.
The one on the far right contains a list of ten affirmations I write down every day. They have evolved from about 15 - they have been honed, and whittled down to their lowest common denominator. Sometimes I get hits on simplifying one - or combining two. Every day I try them on so to speak, and see how they "feel" to me, and then I might decide whether or not they need to be edited.
Most of these affirmations consist of attributes or characteristics I wish to embody. Only a couple of them actually deal with material things.
When I turned 50, I composed a short list of such affirmations which I said daily and a year or so later, I realized that all of them had come into being.
Never underestimate the power of your thoughts and of stating affirmations. The trick is to state them in the present tense, as if you have already embodied the desired quality or are in possession of what you are affirming.
I remember hearing Oprah tell the story about how she envisioned having a property with a specific number of oak tress. Then one day, years later, she looked out the kitchen window of her favorite place, and she noticed that the exact number of those trees where there!
Journaling has the power to transform us - yield sacred insights - and document where we are and where we have been. It can help us chart the road before us as well. Even if you never go back and review your writings, they serve a purpose and contribute to your growth.
If you've never done any journaling, consider starting one. It can be something as easy as recording inspirational quotes - or interspersing those quotes with other things such a gratitude list, or the acknowledgment of those things that bring you joy.
Resolve to change your life and enhance your experiences by starting a journal, or writing in one more often! Then at the end of the year, review where you've been and see how far you've come!
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