“Writing in a journal reminds you of your goals and of your learning in life. It offers a place where you can hold a deliberate, thoughtful conversation with yourself.” Robin Sharma
I can honestly say I have kept a journal since I was 8 years old. Looking at my box of colorful, sticker-laden and hard-covered notebooks, I see my hopes, dreams, memories, fears and day to day life within the pages.
A journal can be taken in so many ways as a diary, a goal tracker, a list maker, a prayer sayer and so much more. Here are a few of my best kept secrets for starting and keeping a daily journal.
Start with a Notebook.
This is seriously the first step. Go buy a notebook. It can be as simple or as pretty as you want. I started out with a simple spiral-bound notebook and evolved into Leuchtturm hardcover notebooks. Find whatever makes you excited to write and open the first page.
Don't worry about writing every single day.
I was guilty of this when I started. Do not feel bad if you don't write every day. Your journal is yours and yours alone so you get to make up your own rules! How wonderful it is to live in your own writing world!
Write at the same time of day
I like to write in my journal at the end of my day. Others prefer the morning or something more spontaneous and in the moment. Write based on your preferences.
Write whatever you are feeling.
This is basically how I have lived my journaling experience. I am very much an internalizer when it comes to my emotions so writing them on paper just makes me feel better when I have a lot to process. But, there are also days where I just bullet point my day or write about one specific amazing event that happened. It is the beautiful thing about a journal. It can be whatever you want it to be.
Or, try using prompts.
If you don't even know where to start, try some of these journal prompts to get you thinking about your goals or your day.
What was one amazing thing that happened to you today?
Highs and lows of the day?
Where do you see yourself in a year, 5 years, 10 years?
Where are you planning on traveling this year?
What is one thing you want to do better in your life?
Who is someone who made your day better today?
Journaling can be a truly uplifting and healing experience. It is a creative outlet for your emotions and also it can be something to look back on to reflect on how much you have grown. You won't regret it.