Your journal can be one of the best places to go to if you want to deepen your relationship with yourself.
Best of all, it’s such an accessible method!
All you need is pen and paper - and most importantly, the resilience and willingness to sit with yourself and whatever shows up long enough for you to extract what those blank pages are waiting to reveal.
Here’s why...
#1. Know yourself
I believe this first point is THE most important point. After all, the relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship in your life!
Let’s unpack what that means…
Building a successful relationship with someone implies a number of things, for example:
● Showing love, care, and attention
● Knowing who they are at deeper and deeper levels
● Seeing who they are
● Deepening the relationship so it can continue to evolve into its fullest potential
To name just a few.
We know this stuff applies to our relationships with others.
But often, we don’t apply this same knowing to the way we interact with ourselves.
Imagine how your life could change if you could give yourself all the love you needed - rather than relying on external sources. Imagine the confidence that would evoke from inside of you.
Imagine how you’d show up if you knew yourself deeply. If you knew your rough edges, your triggers, your values, your purpose - the multi-dimensions of you.
Imagine if you could see yourself for who you really are - instead of who you think you should be - and own that without fear of judgement or rejection.
Imagine if you remained ever-curious about what else is lurking under the surface.
Imagine the kind of life you could create if you took care of yourself…
This is something your journal can help you do.
Inside your journal, you can explore your wants and needs.
You can work through your triggers in safety.
You can have the no-holds-barred conversations with yourself - so you can transform what’s waiting to shift.
In the process, you’ll know yourself at ever-deeper levels.
And of course, write your way to your best self 💕
#2. Make confident decisions
This deeper knowing of who you are is just the tip of the iceberg.
So much more becomes possible when you can truly meet yourself.
For example, when you know yourself you not only make better decisions, but you make decisions that are aligned with what you really want and what’s most important to you.
In the absence of self-awareness, you risk making decisions based on what other people want of you or expect you to do. When you’re unsure of yourself, it’s easy to be swayed by other people’s logic or arguments.
And that’s dangerous…
There’s a part of you that knows EXACTLY what you want.
There’s a part of you that knows what you don’t want too!
Sometimes, what we do want goes against the grain. It doesn’t make sense! It confuses the people closest to you - to the extent that you might be dissuaded to go in the direction your heart’s calling.
Journaling can help you get the clarity you need to choose what’s right for you.
In turn, you can continue walking along the path of your choice - which is also the path of your best self.
#3. Learn lessons faster
‘You’ are the essence you bring to every aspect of your life - in other words, how something turns out is deeply dependent on you.
This applies to everything…
Your personal relationships
Your work
Your impact
Your confidence etc.
Through journaling, you get to shine the light on who you really are. You get to analyse the way you show up and the way you move through both challenges and triumphs. You get to question your instinctive responses and review the way you react when you’re triggered.
Instead of running on autopilot, journaling brings more and more of who you are to your conscious awareness…
And that’s powerful.
Through analysing your behaviors, fears, feelings, conversations, life experiences etc. you get to see the lessons life wants to teach you - faster and in more detail.
This awareness can help you compress time - because you’re ‘on it!’
In turn, it’s easier to get out of your own way AND uplevel yourself.
#4. Inspire self-expression
I believe one of our greatest desires is to be seen and heard for who we really are.
There’s something empowering about unapologetic, authentic, self-expression. I’m talking about the type of expression where you’re not hiding or playing down parts of your being. The type of self-expression where you’re grounded and confident in who you are.
Showing yourself is incredible for the presence and confidence.
And your journal is a great place to explore and discover more and more things about yourself that you want to reveal to the outside world.
That’s the power of your journal…
It’s a safe place to experiment with your words and actions before you step up to be seen.
#5. Track how you’re growing
While drastic, overnight shifts do happen, most of us grow and evolve gradually.
This is the power of taking consistent daily action in your chosen direction.
You don’t notice the baby steps as you take them.
It’s only when you look back 3 months, 12, months, 5 years down the line that you realise how much things have changed for you…
And not just in the outside world…
But your inside world too.
Journaling is a great way to monitor how things are shifting for you.
As you journal, you’ll notice how your mindset changes.
You’ll notice that certain fears don’t bother you anymore.
You’ll see that certain triggers are now a non-issue.
You’ll notice your confidence and self-esteem shift…
To name just a few…
Being able to track and even measure your own evolution is great inspiration on those days when you’re frustrated or demotivated.
Sometimes we forget that there are TWO gaps in life…
The one in front of you
AND the one behind you.
Your journal helps you see just how far you’ve come - and as you bask in the pleasure of your success, progress, and growth, you’ll feel that little bit more inspired to keep going. 💕
It always amazes me just how powerful journaling can be!
As you’ve read in this article,, there are some profound life-changing benefits to be had from committing to this simple practice.
All that growth is possible just by putting pen to paper in a blank notebook - and committing to evolving your relationship with yourself.
So go there!
Dive in.
And write your way to your best self.
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