I want to build a journaling habit | random thought
It is not easy to be the person you want to be. You want to be curious but you avoid learning when it comes to it. You want to be intentional in what you do but always get distracted. You just want to be kind but get annoyed in some situations.
Being and becoming the person you want to be is a practice we have to engage in every day. We have to remind ourselves over and over again what our values and principles are. We have to reflect regularly, take time to think and act accordingly.
You have to practice who you want to be until it becomes a habit.
At least it feels like this for me.
One way to do this; one way to reflect, think, and act accordingly is through journaling.
“Paper is more patient than people” — Anne Frank
Now you just only have to be more patient with yourself while journaling.
why journaling
Journaling is for yourself. It can help you think and feel clearly. You can take time to think your thoughts through. You can reflect on your emotions and try to understand why you feel however you feel. Whatever is on your mind, whatever is on your heart, journaling can help you process it instead of dwelling on it.
Journal to reflect. Journaling basically means having a conversation with yourself. You can reflect on your day and on your values. You can put your day up for a review. What kind of person have you been? Did you follow your values? What gave you energy? What drained your energy? What do you want to let go off? What do you want to start doing or keep doing? Journaling and reflecting both help you to make a little bit of progress every day. Even if your day didn’t go well. You reflect and start over the next day.
Journal to prepare yourself. You can journal in the morning to start your day with the right mind. Put whatever is lingering in your mind onto paper. Write about what you are grateful for. Write little reminders to yourself. You can even prepare a conversation with yourself for future inner conflicts that might come up again. Prepare for conflicts with which you struggled in the past.
how to journal
Just start simple. Don’t make it too complicated from the beginning. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Don’t have too many expectations. Just start. Even one sentence per day might be enough.
Pick a trigger. Pick a time that works for you. In the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. Which is more comfortable for you. Whenever you need journaling, pausing, and reflecting the most. Maybe even journal flexibly. Instead of a time trigger define a feeling trigger. For example, start journaling once you feel like running on low energy.
Define questions and prompts. Define values to journal about. Collect quotes to prompt journaling. Define 2–4 standard questions you can pick from and ask yourself to reflect on your day.
Your journal is for yourself. You just have a dialog with yourself. It is not supposed to be for others. It is just there to recalibrate your character, perception, thoughts, feelings, and actions. Write freely, simply, and without judgment. Let your mind wander. Don’t censor yourself. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do it right. It is just a conversation you have with yourself.
