Tag Archive for: journals

The Book of Life

I was asked recently, “๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ž ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐š๐ฒ?”
Did you know that some of the most important historical records are the diaries and other personal writings of individuals from all different walks of life?
Living in the Netherlands, I am often reminded of one the most significant diaries of our time – that of Anne Frank, the 13-year-old Jewish girl living here, who, at the age of 16, died in a German concentration camp.
Her diary, written whilst she was confined in an Amsterdam apartment house, shares her story of how she and her family went into hiding for two years to avoid Nazi persecution. Since her death, the words from her diary have inspired millions. And because of her diary the world has known all about the terrors of growing up during the Holocaust.
My journaling journey began early when I was a young 12-year-old.
It has been the first thing Iโ€™ve done every morning for as long as I can remember.
๐๐ž๐ซ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐›๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ง?
You do not have to write every day, even though this would be good. It could be weekly. It could even be as and when there is something that is memorable or moving or meaningful.
Remembering is an important part of life and journals help us to do that. They also help me to slow down!

๐‘ณ๐’Š๐’‡๐’† ๐’Š๐’” ๐’‚ ๐‘ฉ๐’๐’๐’Œ – by Zelda Davis Howard

Life is a book made up of days
Each one of us writes one,
Itโ€™s opened when we come to earth
And closed when life is done.
No pen but ours ere touches it
In our own way we write,
Whether we fail or succeed
Turns with the page at night.
And there is no erasing it
To add or take away,
The yesterdayโ€™s account is closed,
Sealed within white or grey.
The morning gives another sheet
Thatโ€™s broad and very white,
And oh, how glorious to have
Another chance to write!
No bad is there too small to show
No good thatโ€™s ever lost,
All that we do goes into Lifeโ€™s book
In black and white embossed.
  • Every life is a tale worth telling.
  • Why not begin yours today?

Growth Rings

Every human being is also a human ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ.
A careful study of the growth rings of a tree, always tell an interesting story.
Look carefully, it requires some close inspection.
Discovering whether any particular year provided a favourable or unfavourable period of growth, is easy to identify.
Some years, there is quite a bit of new wood added.
In other years when growth was unfavourable, only a small fraction of that amount was added.
Similarly – stop for a moment, reflect back and consider how your own life, is like the history of a tree.
There may have been years of great spurts of new growth where favourable conditions allowed you to flourish and develop.
In other years, unfavourable conditions, and experiences, may have reduced the amount of development and growth.
Wouldnโ€™t it be fascinating if we could see our personal growth records as we are making them in our own lives, just like trees do?!
If we could see that record, perhaps weโ€™d be much more motivated in our daily choices and decision making to make our growing conditions more favourable year on year, thus producing a fair amount of new wood.
I may be prone to say, โ€œYep, 1983 I was at my bestโ€ or โ€œ1992 was a challenging year.โ€
How can we keep our lives under better control?
For me, keeping a regular journal, maintaining regular study habits & routines, plus setting stretching goals, really helps to maintain a growth trajectory.
As a human ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ, what do your yearly growth rings look like?

What will I write about today?

Picking up my new journal for 2022 this morning, โ€œWhat will I write about today?โ€ I thought….
How will be different because of what we have heard, seen and felt in 2021?
I have written about the importance of daily journaling, on many, many occasions.
Since Christmas Day 1977, journaling has been a huge part of my life. It has been a constant daily habit for 16,000 days +
There are 101 reasons to write a journal โ€“ here are my top 10 favourites:

Why Write a Journal?

โ€ข It improves memory function and helps you remember things.
โ€ข It helps you to set and achieve your goals.
โ€ข It strengthens self-discipline
โ€ข It helps boost your creativity
โ€ข It allows you to self-reflect and enhances your self-awareness
โ€ข It helps to improve your writing and discover your own voice
โ€ข It keeps your thoughts organised
โ€ข It helps me to remember who I really am – a child of God.
โ€ข It helps you to become aware of what really matters most
โ€ข It is always fun to relive the many entries recorded.
Finally, I loved President Russell M. Nelsonโ€™s encouragement yesterday to write down some resolutions for the year ahead. He shared three resolutionโ€™s, โ€œFirstly strengthen your spiritual foundationโ€ฆ.. Second, resolve to be kind to othersโ€ฆ.. Third, resolve to be resolute. The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help us to โ€œwax strong in the Spiritโ€ (Mosiah 18:26).โ€
Why not record those resolutions in your own new journal today?
Why not resolve to start today?
I promise you, that you will never regret it.
My top tips, always write first thing in the morning, be radically honest with yourself and always write with a good pen!!
Are you keeping a journal?
What benefits do you get from journaling?

Reflective learning

“So, what have you been learning about yourself through this last year…? I’ve asked that question so many times recently in coaching sessions. So, how about you……?
Consciously I make time for self reflection daily. Although it’s been a practice for a while, it has become much more meaningful during the last 12 months of the pandemic. Reflection has been described as a process that helps turn experience into knowledge. So, what are you learning?
Paradoxically, looking inwards, helps me to look outwards.
As you look in the mirror of self reflection, consider these questions:
…Am I using my time wisely?
…Am I living true to myself?
…What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life? …What do I need to change about myself?
…Have I made someone smile today?
It is so easy to get caught up in the daily vicissitudes of life.
Self-reflection is the key to help you understand what you stand for, what your values are, and in essence what matters most.
It’s a time to consider your behaviour, your goals and whether you are on track. The more self-reflective you are, the easier it becomes to make choices in line with your values which will impact all of your decisions now and in the future.
Our learning in life comes from our daily experiences, so take time to self-reflect, daily!