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    You are here Home » leadership

    How to Journal

    Last updated on Jul 16, 2020 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest post
    from Michaela Renee Johnson:
    I have always
    loved writing, especially as a way to process the depth of my emotions through
    difficult times. I still have my first journal, which I got in the third grade.
    It was included in a gift bag at a birthday party I attended. The notebook was
    tiny, maybe only three inches wide by four inches long, with multicolored paper
    and hearts on the cover. But I quickly understood that it could make a big
    impact on my life. It was a safe place to share my struggles with making
    friends at my new school and dealing with the woes of being an 8-year-old. My
    first journal became a friend in whom I could confide.
    My journals,
    over the years, haven’t been just a place to share frustrations and worry, but
    also a place where I could share dreams, especially the ones I didn’t think
    others would understand. During challenging times, reading a great quote and
    writing in my journal became one of the most important ways to safely explore
    the change I needed, without the influence of others. My journals have always
    been a place where I could speak my truth freely, just having written it down
    allowed space for me to let it go and process things in a new way.
    I started to
    realize that by journaling my goals and dreams, I could even change the
    direction of my life. Journaling became a tool to launch ideas and manifest my
    hopes. I eventually started an online journal, which became my memoir,
    Teetering on Disaster.
    Needless to
    say, I was overjoyed at the opportunity to write Empowered, A Motivational
    Journal for Women when the publisher reached out to me I didn't hesitate to say
    YES!
    So many people
    say they want to journal, but have many reasons why it hasn't made its way into
    their life.
    "I don't
    have the time."
    "I don't
    know how."
    "I'm kind
    of afraid to sit and write."
    "I don't
    write well."
    "I don't
    know what to say."
    "I'm not
    sure where to start."
    1. Find a
    journal with prompts to start, Empowered is a great example of that, but you
    can find some others here. If you are new to journaling it can be helpful to
    have guidance. Also the prompts can be exciting, for example, in Empowered,
    many of the prompts are creative and outside of the box. Law of Attraction
    Daily Journal, Gratitude Journal
    2. If you want
    to start with a plain lined paper journal, that's okay too. I recommend
    beginning by filling the pages with quotes that you absolutely love across the
    top. This puts "you" in your journal, and my experience is that when
    I finally go to fill a certain page, the quote that I'd already written was
    just the message I needed. Kind of like a blast from the past (or future).
    Then, start by
    writing the weather...what was the weather like today? How do your emotions
    feel similar, or different? You'd be surprised how words can start to flow from
    there.
    3. Get a great
    pen! There is nothing worse than a pen that cramps your hand instantly, or
    writes terribly, or leaks through the pages. I absolutely love LePen and Micron
    -Sakura of America.
    4. Don't hold
    yourself to a schedule. It can be lovely to do a daily gratitude journal in the
    morning, with an evening reflection. And while I highly recommend connecting
    with your journal daily, it's more important that your journal be available for
    you when you need it, and less important that you judge yourself for whether or
    not you use it.
    5. Don't worry
    about the grammar, or the spelling, or even the way it looks. It can be helpful
    and fun to do a few journal entries with the lights down, simply for the
    experience of letting go of "how" it looks. We are taught all through
    school that we need to stay in the lines, and have proper grammar, those rules
    don't apply in journaling. Think of it as an extension of your mind. Your mind
    allows thoughts to roll without censorship, allow your pen to do the same.
    6. It can be
    helpful to start by writing a story. If you were to run into an old friend at a
    coffee shop 5 years from now what would the ideal story of your life be, what
    would it look like? Share that with your journal.
    7. Ask
    yourself, if nothing changed today, would I be happy - share why or why not.
    Sure?
    8. Lastly, go
    easy. Sometimes painful realizations come up when we have a safe space to
    process and discover our inner thoughts.
    Sometimes the
    process to achieve our dreams may not feel comfortable. But I believe our greatest
    growth comes during times when we are uncomfortable—especially because humans
    are biologically programmed to notice when something doesn’t feel right and fix
    perceived problems. As you go through this journal, be aware that your mind is
    detecting these shifts, and will help you gather insight into what needs to
    change. Sometimes we can find ourselves being more aware of people and
    situations or processing things days after an activity. Give yourself grace to
    process, and practice good self-care, like getting enough sleep, drinking
    plenty of water, and taking care of yourself. And remember you are exactly
    where you are supposed to be in this moment.
    Lastly, if
    after reading this, you're inspired to begin journaling, consider Empowered,
    a Motivational Journal for Women.
    Michaela
    Renee Johnson
    is an award-winning author, licensed psychotherapist and
    host of the top iTunes podcast, Be You Find Happy, which encourages people to
    speak their truth with grace and live a courageous life of authenticity.
    Her initiative, Be You Find Happy, holds workshops and conversations on finding
    happiness in spite of life's setbacks and has landed her speaking opportunities
    across the nation. She is an avid adventurer, having traveled to more than 20
    countries, and self-proclaimed "Boho Mom" who loves all things
    metaphysical as well as poetic quotes. She is a Sagittarius and an ocean-lover
    who lives in Northern California with her husband and young son, and a
    homestead full of animals. In her spare time, she's often hiking, doing yoga,
    gardening, golfing or reading.
    Connect with her at www.MichaelaRenee.com or on Instagram @MichaelaReneeJ.

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