Keeping a Journal

The point of keeping a journal is to allow you the opportunity to take stock, to see where you are going and where you want to go. Essentially the journal will help you re-learn how to get in touch with the real you. With this I am asking you to learn about yourself, to read your own reaction and come to understand your own power.

Your journal doesn’t have to be elaborate; it doesn’t even have to be grammatical! It is a record for your eyes only. Here are a few tips:

1. Allow it to be enjoyable, if it is a chore you won’t do it. If, because of where you are at this moment in time, it feels like a chore, make sure every time you do write something that you congratulate yourself for an accomplishment. Shrug off the days you add nothing. Every day gives you a new opportunity for a new start.
2. If you like working with a computer, you will find a journal on computer will make it even less of a chore.
3. It is important that for the duration you write something in your journal every time you do something related to self help or self development. If that is a meditation don’t try to analysis it during the meditation but write down your experience immediately after you finish.
4. Although you don’t need to fill it in every day put a date on each entry.
5. Be completely honest here. To do that you have to REALLY listen to yourself and your reactions.
6. Put down everything, even the things you don’t like to admit.
7. Write down the negatives as well as the positives.
8. Having written them down, go back and read them often and see if your reactions are any different as the weeks go by.
9. Remember you are not writing the “great” work of the century so don’t be too picky about what and how you write. Sometime a single word can say everything you want so don’t knock it. On the other hand you may be like me – writing things down is one of the ways in which I deal with life and my issues – so go for it.
10. Include all dreams and meditation insights that you have, a notebook by your bedside is always handy. Just note down key words which will spark your memory later when you have time to write it all in your journal.