In earlier generations it was common to keep a diary or personal journal. Today few people do it, and very few recognize the value and astonishing power of keeping a journal. If you can read and write, you have access to the most amazing source of personal power and magic! Try it for 30 days and watch it transform your life! Clients periodically tell me they couldn't possibly find the time. I ask them to try it for 30 days. Then clients often tell me they couldn't possibly live without the power of their journals. The following are my list of the top 10 reasons to keep a journal.
1. A journal will clarify your goals. As you write a few thoughts each day, your ideas about what is important, what is worthy of your life and your time will become much clearer. You'll automatically discover what you really want in life.
2. A journal will simplify your life. Spending as little as 10 minutes with pen and paper describing your values, noting your achievements and giving thanks for the joys of life, will make you less tolerant of life's distractions. Things become much simpler when you write them down.
3. A journal will strengthen your relationships. It will give you time and the words to express your feelings, it will help you understand and be patient with your loved one's peccadilloes, and it will teach you to love more powerfully.
4. A journal will make you more attractive. Socrates said, "Know thyself." Keeping a journal will help you know yourself and express yourself more clearly, and that is amazingly attractive!
5. A journal will empower you. Thinking with pen and paper forces you to eliminate fuzzy or confusing images and "laser" in on precisely the right word, the most powerful image to express yourself. Keeping a journal will make you more a better communicator, and that can make you rich!
6. A journal will eliminate temptation. Some ideas sounds great in our imagination, but when written on paper they just aren't the same! It's easy to blurt out "I hate my job!", but writing about what it means to quit, change careers and start over will quickly result in one of two things: The temptation will go away, or you'll start generating actual plans to make your life better. Either way, you win!
7. A journal affirms the reality of your life. Writing about life adds meaning and power. Journal your child's first steps or first tooth, starting school, her first date and high school graduation adds substance to these things. A friend of mine just became a grandfather for the first time and gave his son, the proud father, a fat 3-ring binder of notes he'd written as he'd watched his baby boy grow 25 years ago. Together they cried and laughed at the reality that life is a sacred, wonderful thing.
8. A journal helps you be quiet. Journalizing has been called a form of meditation. It has a similar power to quiet the mind and focus your thoughts. It even has the power to turn off the TV! It can heal anxiety, change your breathing and make you smile. What more could you ask?
9. A journal helps you speak out. Many of my articles, letters to the local paper, and letters to friends began as notes in my journal. A journal helps ideas become words, and it provides a nursery for words to grow into sentences and paragraphs, until finally they need a stage on which to express themselves. Sometimes that "stage" is a candle-lit dinner, other times it's a protest sign or a letter to an old friend. Whatever form it takes, many of those messages would never have been born without the safety of a journal in which to grow.
10. Finally, a journal just feels good! Using quality paper and a fountain pen or other beautiful instrument with just the right "heft" and feel is a wonderfully sensuous, delightful experience. It will cheer you up, reduce your stress, make you smile and add to your life. Who knows, it may even improve your sex life or make you more patient with the kids! (Well, it might!)
? Copyright 2003 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved. This article may be copied and used in your own newsletter or on your website as long as you include the following information: "Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, writer, speaker and success coach. Dr. Humbert has over 300 free articles, tools and resources for your success, including a great newsletter! It's all on his website at: http://www.philiphumbert.com
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy... Read More
Not only do we communicate with ourselves, but our cells... Read More
Why do diets end up in gained weight? Why do... Read More
Why is true success so rare?Why does research show that... Read More
We all want success in life. We want success in... Read More
When traveling down the road it is always good to... Read More
An unexamined life is not worth living ? SocratesAll too... Read More
Have you ever thought about how you want to live,... Read More
1. Clearly define what you want and what is most... Read More
"Write checks on a regular basis to those who you... Read More
With topics in personal development ranging from goal setting to... Read More
In the Greek tale of creation, a Titan (Greek god)... Read More
"See, I told you so," she emailed me, "it turned... Read More
What is an ANT? An ANT is an acronym for... Read More
Opportunity is all around us and has many facets, but... Read More
Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More
Freedom is the deeper meaning, the foundation behind all of... Read More
To be clear about what success is must be the... Read More
Do you ever wonder how some people consistently get what... Read More
Many people ask me how they can be more successful.The... Read More
Too often we wait for the 'right time' or 'the... Read More
A few weeks ago I took my boy on a... Read More
Picture this scene: Little Johnny's mother places a large piece... Read More
Many UK citizens want to settle or retire in Spain... Read More
It is high time you know the truth about yourselves.... Read More
on demand house cleaning Arlington Heights ..The fastest way to succeeding in anything, be it online... Read More
Everything you will ever have and accomplish in life will... Read More
In Latin the word means 'to dare'.This word is so... Read More
Fear.Everything in this world has its opposite.Good has bad.Optimism has... Read More
Becoming successful is not easy. We all get tossed around... Read More
The problem with writing about success is that almost everything... Read More
"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather... Read More
No matter what goals and dreams you desire, there's a... Read More
Since belief always precedes action, simply changing your beliefs can... Read More
With the long-term trend of protecting employees' individual self esteem... Read More
When you are in business every person you hire gets... Read More
Success isn't all that it's cracked up to be... I'm... Read More
You teach others how to treat you by how you... Read More
This summer (2005) huge crowds in England and Australia have... Read More
Most of my clients had a vision of the contribution... Read More
Multi-task goal-completion work with everyday, "have to" activities If you... Read More
When you are working over time but yet you do... Read More
Jim Rohn, noted leader and speaker in the personal development... Read More
Are you successful? What does that word mean to you?... Read More
Get your act together Make sure that you have all... Read More
The most under rated method to achieve success is: The... Read More
What would happen if you lived your life by design... Read More
Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More
When my neighbor's child was about 8, he decided that... Read More
Friendly competition Get together with a group of like-minded friends... Read More
Success |