Journaling: A Transformational Journey
13 years.
13 years of journaling.
Dozens of journals, hundreds of entries, thousands of words, countless lessons, poems, reflections, and meditations.
I was 19 when I first discovered the powerful clarity, reflection and wisdom journaling nurtures into our lives. I still remember the beginning of my first journal entry: “Here goes nothing.”
Little did I know after I wrote that sentence my whole life was about to transpire.
It was 2008. After buying books for my college courses, I had some extra FAFSA grant money to use at the bookstore. It was an awkward amount. Not enough to buy anything cool like a backpack or hoodie, but more than enough for a pencil or keychain.
I pursued the bookstore aimlessly before finding myself at the ‘FINAL SALE’ table. Under the university branded pens, flags, and koozies, something caught my eye.
A leather-bound journal.
I picked it up and held it to eye level. It carried this unspoken, electrifying energy. My fingers riffled through its stiff, blank pages. The smell of fresh leather - of ash, birch tar, and patchouli - wafted towards me.
At that moment, I knew exactly what to do with my extra cash.
I flipped the journal 360 degrees, looking for a paper price tag. There wasn’t any. I brought it up to the cash register, holding my breath in anticipation. As the young woman behind the register scanned the journal, I told myself, “If it is meant to be, it will be.”
Click. Price came up. It was exactly a few cents cheaper than my available balance. At that moment, I knew journaling would be part of my life.
But journaling wasn’t always natural to me. Quite the contrary.
When I began journaling it felt like a tedious task. Something that I was forcing myself to do versus something that was calling me forward. A chore, not an activity.
Initially, it preoccupied me. Why did it feel so strange to write? Was I doing this correctly? Is there even a correct way to journal? When I wasn’t worried about how I felt towards journaling, I was worried about journaling itself. Oh God, I have to journal today...when will I ever find the time…
Yet as time elapsed, the practice of journaling cemented into a habit that could not be missed. After overcoming the seemingly insurmountable anxiety of having to write, not writing was now anxiety-inducing. It’s funny how that works out.
The first few years of journaling were an open-ended adventure. I would scribble about my day, my emotions, conversations, and musings. But then, something peculiar happened. My habit became a practice.
You might wonder, what’s the difference? Practice is an elevated habit. It has intent, purpose, and passion behind it. A habit in itself is an indirect daily action. A habit is kicking your shoes off the second you get home from work. A practice is putting on running shoes to go on a run.
When I treated journaling as a practice, my days began to crystalize with clarity, defined by ambitions and goal points. Journaling was a vehicle with my inner world. It rewarded me with awareness, stability, and deepened my relationship with myself, my faith, and consequently, the world.
Today, journaling has evolved from a chore into a daily ritual. It’s how I greet myself and my soul. It’s how I’ve strengthened my relationship with faith, spirituality, and life. It’s what I do within minutes of waking up after I’ve meditated.
After 13 years, I’ve learned quite a lot from this practice. But the greatest strengths behind journaling are as follow:
The 3 Reasons Behind The importance of Journaling
Clarity
Our minds play tricks on us. The reality we interact with is only a sliver of what is actually occurring. When we sit down and describe a situation in writing, we force ourselves to become factual, objective, and in touch with our truth. Journaling is the gateway to nurturing clarity in your life. The more you write, the more clarity you’ll have.Problem-Solving
Similar to clarity, the more we sit down to journal, the easier it is to solve problems. The more I write about my emotions, social interactions, and the way I interact with the world the more solutions I find. I make subconscious connections and spot new opportunities. Whether the problems are metaphysical or physical, journaling nurtures problem solving.
Communication
A byproduct of journaling is becoming a better communicator. As you become better at describing life to yourself, you will find through daily practice you become better at describing yourself to life. In this light, the better you become at saying what you really want and how you really feel to yourself, you will, in turn, be able to better engage with the world.
Time machine: Guiding Light and Wisdom Speaking into the Future
My favorite part of journaling revealed itself 5 years into my ritual.
One day, I found myself in a very similar situation to one I had encountered years prior. I had an “ah-ha” moment when I realized I had written about this very moment years ago.
I went back into my bookshelves, picking up journals from previous years the way an assembly line does: one by one, meticulously fast. As I skimmed through old journal entries, I found exactly what I was looking for.
As I reread the pages, I observed how I had behaved in this scenario from years ago. My past self had even articulated what to do in case I’d ever come across this type of situation again. It felt like I had time traveled and met my past self, who delivered incredibly poignant guidance before carrying on.
I took my past self’s advice. Without hesitation, I acted on his guidance; and it worked out perfectly.
When done over the course of months and years, journaling is much more than reflecting. It is a time machine. A time machine filled with a guiding light that is sparked by you, and no one else.
It is wisdom speaking into the future that is engineered to save you time, energy, and effort. The intelligence in your journal is created for you through the spark of your unique existence.
When I became a coach in 2020, journaling naturally became a part of the coaching process. I had seen what it could do for me, and wanted to bestow it to others. The results were nothing short of impressive. As clients began to gain awareness through writing about who they are and how they approached life, the trajectory of their destiny shifted. People were realizing their reality is crafted through their thoughts - and what they write down is what they live out.
Clients began making major transitions in their lives. One person quit their job to pursue becoming a solopreneur. Another rekindled their strained relationship with their mother. A CEO began owning their story and scaled to 100 MRR.
I felt called to introduce to others the power of journaling as a daily ritual. It changed everything in my life, and my duty is to continue this chain of reaction onto others. To not only show people the power of the written word, but the power of asking the right questions. For people to feel guided towards understanding, expansion, and creativity through inquisitive critical thinking.
13 years later, it led me to launch my very own journal, “Transformation: A 30-Day Journal to Establish Inner Trust, Release Limiting Beliefs, and Develop Habits to Create a Meaningful Life.”
It’s the culmination of all I’ve learned about this practice over the last few years. It’s a labor of love, imagination, introspection, and humility. I wouldn’t be who I am today without this practice.
After 13 years of journaling, it’s part of my calling to help others own their story.
Sign up here to be the first to know when we launch Transformation.
If any of this resonates with you and you are ready to make the epic and powerful decision to move forward, to focus on your future, and to create the life you desire I am here to support you. Sign up for a Free Discovery Call Today!
