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
Culver prom limo ..Give back Once you've achieved success, use your skills, talents,... Read More
Asking questions is one of the most basic ways that... Read More
Along with time and money, energy is one of your... Read More
I would like to use this medium to introduce my... Read More
Trying to keep up with the Jones only drags good,... Read More
In a recent article (What is The Ultimate Lifestyle), I... Read More
My life is a bubble; but how much solid cash... Read More
(excerpted from The Challenge to Succeed audio series)It is a... Read More
"And when it rains on your parade, look up rather... Read More
Successful people do not achieve success on their own, they... Read More
I've been coaching for a few years now, and the... Read More
About a month ago, I was hit by a car... Read More
Each and every day, there are people all around the... Read More
It sounds simple- right? You are where you THINK you... Read More
Noted author and self-worth teacher Eric Butterworth* says, "Poverty is... Read More
In Part Three, I promised we would get into the... Read More
Skills or beliefs; this may well be another example of... Read More
Does your life feel less than fulfilling? Are you waiting... Read More
Once you've made it...throw a Success Shindig! Of course you... Read More
One of the inevitabilities of University life is the examination.... Read More
Greatness is all around us. From Oprah to Bill Gates... Read More
They say that if you really want to stretch yourself... Read More
Jobs are heating up. We're all feeling the pinch of... Read More
Visualize success, and what you'll do to reward yourself A... Read More
Napoleon Hill, the famous inspirational writer, once met a reader... Read More
Wood Dale limo ..No matter what goals and dreams you desire, there's a... Read More
An old fable tells about a religious man and a... Read More
In the film 'The Rock', Sean Connery takes a dim... Read More
Today I am going to tell you the #1 secret... Read More
In his audio e-book, 10 Habits to Swell Your Bank... Read More
Don't talk to me about how to succeed! I've read... Read More
Do you know that there is a formula for attaining... Read More
Make a game out of reaching your goals Go to... Read More
All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy... Read More
Have a therapeutic meltdown It's crunch time: you're two days... Read More
Do you ever stop to consider how much we change... Read More
Success is a journey and along the way we need... Read More
Think back to a time in your life when you... Read More
Please repeat these four words out loud: "Maximum Impact....Minimal Touch"... Read More
Ok, let me tell you what I mean.As some of... Read More
Believe it or not, there is a special 3-step formula... Read More
There is no substitute for direct personal application. Information or... Read More
Why do so many of us lack belief in ourselves?... Read More
One of the greatest challenges people face when trying to... Read More
"See, I told you so," she emailed me, "it turned... Read More
Driven by cultural imperatives and inner promptings, we drive ourselves... Read More
So many of us want success, but how many of... Read More
Bring in the big guns People love to be needed,... Read More
If we are involved in a project, how hard should... Read More
How many times do we fail at something, then attemp... Read More
Success |