“The habit of writing for my eye is good practice. It loosens the ligaments.” – Virginia Woolf
For many years I’ve kept a journal. I’ve had many journals and recently I’ve been journaling on the PC as well. I haven’t made an entry for over two weeks, since I felt my thoughts were being conveyed via my newsletters and blog entries.
Journaling is a great way to keep track of your thoughts and get them out of your head and onto paper. I also use a small digital MP3 recorder when I have an idea I want to get out of my head. Sometimes, this means getting up in the middle of the night or when I awake from a dream. It has become habit forming for me. You may not want to go to such extreme. The basis to this post is to encourage you to journal or express yourself any way which comes naturally to you.
Over the years I found writing in a journal like the one pictured at the top and bottom, to be the most rewarding. One of the rituals I began was reading my journal upon waking up each morning. You see, our minds like to wander and have their own agenda. You know that incessant self talk that goes into automatic pilot as soon as you wake up. Well, I figured writing and reading a journal would help to steer my thoughts in a positive direction.
So how does one journal? Throughout my day, during reading emails, books or online resources and even listening to people, I take note of an idea that resonates with me. How you do you filter the junk and know what is worth noting? There is an inner connection, an internal nod when you come across whatever strikes a chord with you. For me, most of the times, it may be quotes. I can safely admit that I have read thousands of quotes on every topic over the years.
Every now and a again, I will come across a quote that says wow! So I copy and paste it into my online journal or even better, hand write it into my paper journal. They always arrive when I am seeking answers from the universe about something in my life. I may not vocalise it – I merely think or feel whatever I wish to be answered. I usually forget about it, going about my day to day duties. When I hear, see or read something that feels right, I feel an inner guide, a hunch or nod asking me to take note of it. I must confess that it has taken a while to develop this habit.
This is the quote that resonated with me the other day. It is from Mike Dooley’s TUT Adventurer’s club email quotes which I receive on a daily basis. I highly recommend them www.tut.com. I was seeking answers from the universe to my direction in life and prompting to know if I was on the right track. This one arrived in the form of an email. When I read it, my immediate thought was YES! I contemplated it and copied it into my journal.
What if you could choose to live in a world where your ultimate success and happiness were guaranteed, tony, yet during that life, this knowledge would be hidden from you – would you? – The Universe
Having pursued this for some years now, I have found answers to most of my questions using this method. Your perceived troubles at the time may have a theme to them i.e. money, relationship, career etc. When you’ve accumulated a number of thoughts and ideas, you’ll find a cycle unfold. Those same themes will re-emerge throughout your life in different forms. This time, you’ll give them little mental energy, allowing you to transition through the experience and/or lesson with little angst.
These days, when such situations show up in my life, I neither feel resistance, nor worry. I reflect on the situation at hand and ponder the lesson to be learned. You’ll notice that the journaling process takes form in your subconscious mind. It has become such a useful and valuable tool for me that I highly recommend it to anyone currently facing roadblock in their lives. Begin the process when you’re ready and don’t be too fussed if you miss some entries. The idea is to have fun with it and make it a part of your day. You’ll see a positive a shift toward inner freedom arising from the process. It becomes great practice for connecting with yourself and your thoughts.
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