3 ways to start journaling more effectively
Listen. No one is ‘up’ all day, every day.
Well… not unless they truly DECIDE to be. But a decision, as I’m sure you know, isn’t just you flicking a switch in your brain and hoping for the best of course. It’s actually aligned ACTION which follows the decision.
Yesterday I didn’t feel great. The truth is, today I’m not 100% either, but definitely better than yesterday. Yesterday I DECIDED that I’d do basically zero work, stay in bed, not put on any make up, and generally just rest. It was good.
Today, I DECIDED to get up, shower, put on my makeup, finish my new free gift (stay tuned) and write my blog for the week. That’s good too.
A couple of weeks ago, a popular author and speaker I follow was pretty unwell. She’s personally committed to making every day the best and so, despite feeling awful, she was still waking up at 5am, downing green smoothies and showing up on Facebook live. That is also good.
The thing is – there isn’t a ‘right’ decision when it comes to how you get to show up for your work or your life. But the truth is- you ARE responsible for that. You. Not your emotions, your feelings, your circumstances. Just you in spite of and because of all of them.
So if you’re not ‘up’ right now and also don’t really want to be (like I didn’t yesterday), DECIDE that that’s what’s happening rather than this weird limbo in-betweeny situation where you make excuses about not showing up because you’re feeling guilty about it. You’ll feel so much better when you just own what’s happening.
If you’re not up right now, but you want to be (even if your body or mind tells you otherwise) then DECIDE that you’re going to push through and do the work. Don’t moan and complain about it. Just know that this is aligned action for you right now and you’re ready for it.
Do you see how much easier that sort of way of being actually is? Just owning what’s happening and how you’re feeling?
Now, perhaps you’re in the camp where you’re done with being subject to every emotion which comes your way. I know I’ve been in that place. Sometimes, we have no choice but to make stuff happen and move things forward no matter what.
The KEY principle which has helped me move forward in circumstances like this has been mindset work and journaling. Now before you click off or doubt that this will actually ‘work’ for you, I suggest you keep an open mind and hear where I’m coming from on this. Because if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.
Affirmations and journaling have honestly been some of the most powerful ways I’ve taken aligned action in moving forward in the direction I’ve wanted to go. If you’re not even sure how to get started with it, that’s what we’re going through today.
Journaling is about going within and understanding how you are TRULY feeling without judgement or barriers or fear of anyone else’s opinion. This is about you being real with you.
You can journal around a specific area such as your business, your health, your relationships etc and you can do this in a number of ways.
3 Tips to Start Journaling Effectively
1. Free Flow Journaling
If you don’t have a particular prompt to follow or a certain aspect of that area which you especially want to focus on, then literally start just flowing with how you’re feeling about things in that area of your life. You’ll be so surprised at what the simple art of just writing it down rather than storing it in your mind can do for you. Once you’ve got some thoughts and feelings down, you can start to look at these things a little more clearly, perhaps even using one of the other journaling methods I’ll outline here.
2. Guided Journaling
I often give my clients and Academy members journal prompts which will guide them through what they’re facing whether that’s making a decision, or working through a difficult time. Answering questions can open yourself up to the realities of what’s possible. For example, you could journal on the question ‘When I picture my ideal outcome (in business, health, relationships or whatever area is relevant to you), what would things look like in 30 days? (or whichever time frame feels most comfortable to you.) Once you’ve asked yourself a question like this, you can begin to explore what you feel is stopping you from experiencing that now. Sometimes even having a tangible desire at the forefront of your mind can help you more clearly take steps to seeing that become a reality.
3. Affirmations
Affirmations were the most difficult thing for me to initially get on board with because I thought they were a bit ‘woo woo’, until I recognised that actually, I could root and ground the affirmations I journalled on within scripture. Affirmations are about writing out what you want to be true for you, as if it already is. For example ‘I am always fully provided for.’ You might write this feeling overwhelmed and anxious (I know I’ve written it in that place before) but the truth is, this affirmation is actually backed up by Philippians 4:19 (“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”) and we KNOW that all of God’s promises are yes and amen in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20) so we don’t actually need to doubt whether declaring such an affirmation over ourselves is too ‘woo’ or anything else. It’s simply re-affirming God’s promises for us – which can never be a bad thing!
With this third and final point of ‘affirmations’ in mind, I actually decided to create a free gift for you. I’ve written a BRAND NEW 5-day mini-course called ‘Mindset Matters’ and each day is based on 5 affirmations I’ve written out for you to download and keep. Each day of the course, you’ll receive an email directly to your inbox which will take you through my journey with that particular affirmation in business, as well as the Biblical breakdown of where it’s rooted from. If you know that this downloadable and mini-course are for you, all you have to do is click the link below for FREE access right now. Happy journaling!
The world is waiting for your work.
By the way… If you know you’re ready to finally draw a line in the sand as far as hanging out at hobby status or side hustle goes, I have just the thing. My ‘What’s in Your Hand’ live workshop has been created to empower you with the skillset and mindset you need in order to bring your God-given mission to life using the very gifts, skills & talents you already possess. You’ll walk away with a 4-week action plan and will be ready to get going immediately. To learn more and to register for next week’s workshop, click HERE.