Journaling is a journey...

What I wish I had known sooner

Nov 07, 2022

I found journaling when I was an angsty teenager.

I was having an especially hard day and none of my friends were able to come to the phone.

I didn’t know what to do with all of those feelings.

So I picked up a notebook and a mechanical pencil and started to write.
I don’t remember what I wrote, but I remember that I wrote for a really long time.

And when I was done writing, I felt better.
Lighter.

I liked the feeling so much that I picked up my pencil the next night and the next, and before long I had developed a journaling practice that served me really well for a long time.

I wrote everything in that journal - each entry was a detailed replay of my day, starting with what time I woke up, what I ate for breakfast, what I wore to school, who I talked with in the hallway, who looked at me in the cafeteria, how much homework I had, and so forth.

I kept this up through my early 20s and it’s amazing to have such a vivid record of my life.

Unfortunately writing this way had its drawbacks:

Because I wrote in such vivid detail and was concerned about capturing everything in chronological order, I was in trouble when I missed a day.

Seriously. Let’s say I missed writing on Monday night. On Tuesday before I could write about Tuesday, I felt like I had to write about Monday.

But what if I was tired on Tuesday? Too tired to capture two days in my journal?

I could put it off until Wednesday.
But before I could write about Wednesday, I’d have to write about Monday and then Tuesday.

Eventually one missed day led to a week and then to several.

And I found myself guiltily coming back to my journal and starting entries by saying:

“It’s been six weeks and four days since the last time I journaled.”
Like it was confession! And I was so guilty!

Can you imagine how motivated I was to journal when I knew I’d get to start that way?

(Yes, not very!)

There was a pretty long stretch of my life when I didn’t journal much. I was a mother of three small children. I was busy and tired and I honestly thought I’d remember all the cute and wonderful things they did.

It’s my only regret in life.

Because not only do I not remember all the cute and wonderful things my kids did

(I know, Mom. You told me and I didn’t listen!)

I also missed out on getting to know myself.
Who I was becoming. What I liked. What I wanted. What I hoped for myself.

Know what brought me back to journaling?

Finally realizing I didn’t have to be a chronological journaler!

I just jumped right back in with no apologies.
I started where I was.
I went back to capture stories as they came up, recording them so I wouldn’t lose them again.

What a difference this made!

Gone was the pressure to do it perfectly!

The door of opportunity opened to me as I started to play with journaling - Finding new ways to use journaling to make my life better.

And I stopped judging myself for what I wrote in my journal, how often I wrote, or how beautiful my penmanship was. I realized my journal wasn’t judging me. How unfair it was to judge myself.

I’m back to journaling every day and it’s the best thing I do for myself every morning. I find clarity and direction, set my intentions for the day, problem solve, record stories I want to remember, brainstorm ideas, and so much more.

If you have not yet started journaling, I invite you to pick up your pen. Start by introducing yourself to your journal as if it’s your new best friend. (It soon can be!)

If you’ve journaled before but not recently, I invite you to pick up your pen. Start by capturing something from today that you want to remember. As thoughts and stories from the past come up, record them in your journal.

If you journal on the regular, I invite you to find a new way to journal to keep it fresh and fun - and to learn other ways it can help you. Try writing some letters to yourself, creating a list of things you love about your life, setting a goal and holding yourself accountable to reaching it, visualize the life you want.

Play. Explore. Find what feels good as you write.

As you do, I promise you’ll learn and discover things about yourself. And develop the tools to make your life exactly what you want it to be!

And, as always, if you have questions, I’m always here.

Happy Journaling!

Journaling Can Look Like That?!?

There are so many wonderful ways to journal - more than you probably expect! Join me on Tuesday, November 15 at 7pm to explore some new ideas you may not have thought of yet. I’ll share some of my favorite journaling tips, lots of journal prompts, and leave you inspired to see what you can create with your journaling. Register for this free webinar HERE.

Weekly Journal Prompts:

Use these prompts as written or as inspiration to uncover what you need in your life this week.

Write about a journey that you’ve taken. It could be a trip that you took or it could be an inner journey. What was it like? Where did you go? What did you discover?
What piece of advice would you go back and tell your teenage self?
What’s the advice someone gave you that you wish you had taken?
What’s the advice someone gave you that you’re glad you took?
Write about something that you’ve procrastinated doing for too long. What can you do to get in motion and get it done?

One Journaling Idea I Love:

Remember that time…

As you go about your life and memories surface, take time to record them in your journal.

Capture the story about that time you did that thing.

The time you:

Did something brave
Went on that vacation
Got hurt
Threw that big party
Tried something new

Writing them in your journal helps you remember these experiences more vividly - and can help you find good fodder for storytelling!

Better Me in 2023

Better Me in 2023 is a journaling adventure for busy go-getters - the givers, the figure-it-outers, the all-the-things-doers.

From the outside, it looks like a facilitated journaling group.

On the inside it's a program that brings intention, introspection, and connection to participants.

Better Me is designed to help participants:

Identify opportunities for growth and change
Build habits to help us succeed
Set goals and create plans for taking action
Overcome obstacles and limiting beliefs
Recognize and celebrate our accomplishments
Become our own accountability partners so our growth is lasting and sustainable

And along the way, we'll find clarity, decrease anxiety, forge connections with fellow travelers, and use journaling to become the versions of ourselves we've always wanted to be.

New themes every month!

Pick the months you want to join us,
Or you can sign on for 6 months or the whole 12 month journey!*

Download a copy of this PDF.
Register for the adventure. (Registration links are at the bottom of the PDF and also underneath the flyer image below.)
Share the information with a friend!

*You can hop on for the full-year option at any time. Even though the schedule is mapped out for the next 12 months, we’ll be continuing this journey into 2024.

I can’t wait to journal with you! 💛

Happy Journaling!

Good Things Come to Those Who Journal

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