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
disinfecting cleaning services Wilmette ...Everything you are or ever will be is completely up... Read More
It has been truly said, and history confirms, that the... Read More
An unexamined life is not worth living ? SocratesAll too... Read More
It is accepted that most people have felt shy at... Read More
Our brain is a marvelous creation. It receive and transmit... Read More
The Great Library of Alexandria once held the wisdom of... Read More
Jim Rohn, noted leader and speaker in the personal development... Read More
The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The... Read More
So you've bought into the idea that you need to... Read More
We're all adults, and most of us probably like to... Read More
The power went out. Again!I looked out my second story... Read More
Knowing when to disconnect, shut it off, unplug, or walk... Read More
To make change effective, you have to BE what you... Read More
I succeeded. I achieved my goal. I am successful. I... Read More
Language constitutes our belief system. What we believe is true... Read More
The present model of business and career motivation, the one... Read More
There are twelve necessary elements involved in achieving success:1. Spend... Read More
Step 1 ? Learn a powerful key to increase financial... Read More
Do You Know You Have the Power to Harness Huge,... Read More
You can achieve whatever you want by incorporating the following... Read More
If you are looking for a surefire strategy to ensure... Read More
Success is not something that only a chosen few can... Read More
(excerpted from the book Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness)Wouldn't... Read More
How can anyone with the brain of a cockroach make... Read More
Whoever first said that knowledge is power was probably selling... Read More
cleaning help near Northbrook ...Why everything has to be so hard? What have I... Read More
Q. My problem is that I have trouble keeping my... Read More
Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance in... Read More
All too often, we push ourselves past the limits of... Read More
The ability to make good decisions is an essential step... Read More
What does success look like to you? Our culture often... Read More
In so many areas of life we must always be... Read More
Looking for a way to make this year your best... Read More
* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important... Read More
Life is not a competition.Not at all. Life itself is... Read More
What is an ANT? An ANT is an acronym for... Read More
All of us could work on our skills in influencing... Read More
Remove these words from your vocabulary!The words "If only ?"... Read More
On a raw, cold day in the European Alps, Lance... Read More
Temp your way to the top Want to take the... Read More
When you hear the words "abundance" and "prosperity", what immediately... Read More
Thoughts are very powerful. An intention held long and hard... Read More
1. Clearly define what you want and what is most... Read More
Think how often you see a friend or an acquaintance... Read More
It is accepted that most people have felt shy at... Read More
Bill is a man for the people, of the people... Read More
Picture this scene: Little Johnny's mother places a large piece... Read More
Get your act together Make sure that you have all... Read More
Walt Disney coined a special phrase for persistence and determination;... Read More
By popular request, I thought I would put together this... Read More
Success |