Be Great - Keep a Journal (Part 2)

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR JOURNAL
Even seasoned journal writers encounter writing blocks from time to time. To keep from getting discouraged, remember that there are several approaches to expressing yourself in writing. Keeping your method fresh, is a good deterrent to becoming blocked.

Keep these techniques in mind:
- Use a springboard to focus your attention. Choose a topic, statement, or quotation, and start writing about it. Consider that the summarized points I mentioned you should start with, towards the end of Part 1 can also serve as a type of Table of Contents for you to look back on and expound upon when trying to record all the little nuances of your day.
Other examples of useful springboards:
- "Why am I feeling so angry?"
- "What I want most in life is ______."
- "What's the most important thing that I need to do tomorrow?" (Don't be afraid to list several things and then question your prioritizing.)
The springboard approach is just one way to break your writer's block. Once your writing and thinking become fluid (your flowjo is engaged), concentrate on expressing how you feel about people and/or experiences.

- Write an unsent letter. Probably one of the most helpful, simple, and under-used tactics in terms of getting out and working through frustrations, is the unsent letter. I personally have at least one email saved in my draft folder that I'll never send. I've written about this technique before in How to Let Go of a Grudge. Make believe you're writing a letter to someone outlining what you like, or dislike, about them. The safety of your journal makes it possible to write things that you could never say in person. This process provides a catharsis, as you can release hostile feelings that are too painful to bottle up, yet could wreck a relationship if they were expressed aloud. The undelivered letter clarifies your feelings, particularly if your thoughts are very complex. It offers an opportunity to resolve unfinished business, allowing you to tell the truth to someone without actually stating it in person.

- Create dialogues. Another way to express deep feelings is to write about them, and THEN write in the imagined voice of the other person. Dialoguing promotes two precious faculties: empathy and creativity. Most people make surprising or exciting discoveries when they let their imaginations roam this way. Try it out for yourself and see what comes up!

- Freeze-frame happy moments. Write a description of an experience that was truly intense and memorable. Immerse yourself in recollection, filling the page with physical and emotional detail. Doing this, recreates your body's physiological response to that lovely event, and therefore, promotes the healing effects of being happy. Most people report they fell refreshed and energized after expressing their favorite moments in writing.

- Explore the roads not taken in your life. Imagine that you had actually married your high school sweetheart, or taken an overseas job, or gone to art school. Write from that perspective. What would your life be like right now? This technique is an extremely powerful tool for developing decision-making skills about your future.

- Future-eyes (futurize) yourself. Imagine yourself one month from now, then one year from now. Where are you? Where do you want to be? What are some of the things you can do to get there? Write it all down as a confession to yourself. The words will awaken your intuitive and creative wisdom, which in turn, will help you make better decisions.

- Create a topical list for the day. Number a separate sheet of paper to 31. Next to each number, place a topic of personal or professional interest.
Examples:
-health
-old friends
-frustrations
-successes
-accounts receivable
-new relationships
-goals
-recent dreams
-million dollar ideas
Each day of the month, use the corresponding topic as a springboard for writing down your thoughts. This process will remind you to regularly monitor and reassess the important areas of your life.

Your journal will make you aware of how life and dreams change, even though some stay the same. Best of all, it will teach you how to think clearly about everything you do!

Congratulations! You're well on your way to becoming a better you! ;-) Feel free to share ideas/tips/tricks that have helped you, in the comments below.

Be Great - Keep a Journal (Part 1)

Most great people in history have kept journals. Take a step towards being just like them, with the following information as your guide.

The exercise of writing down reflections about events experienced each day is an invaluable way to evaluate your performance, allowing you to set higher standards of excellence for yourself, and it can also help you find new ways to solve difficult problems.

WHAT CAN A JOURNAL DO?
Many people resist keeping a journal because they think:
- They aren't good enough writers,
- Someone will read their innermost thoughts (heaven forbid!), or
- They have much more important things to do.
These reasons are just excuses, and you can't succeed in anything if you let worthless excuses stop you.

= A journal is for your own benefit, so your writing ability is only being judged by you. Practice makes perfect, and as long as you can read it, it's good enough for you to get started!
= In order to succeed, many people will need any number of other people to help them along their paths. Coaches, mentors, or even just confidants, can all help you better if you have a more complete understanding of your own self. You may find yourself actually asking others to read your journal (or at least parts of it), in order to help them help you. Crazy, I know!
= You need a way to evaluate your feelings and abilities, and also accept self-criticism in order to improve your weaknesses or build on your strengths. When is becoming a more effective and efficient human being, friend, relative, worker, etc... not on your priority list??

Instead of thinking of a journal as a list, in which you merely relate the day's events ad nauseum, relate it the diary you imagined (or even started) as a child - fill it with self-reflection, self-expression, and self-exploration. Emotions and opinions are paramount, meaning adjectives are your premium ingredient! The more descriptive you are, the easier it will be for you to recall your exact state of mind when you are looking back over your collective works.

A powerful benefit of thinking about your emotions, is that when you become consciously aware of them, you are more capable of shaping them. Woo woooooo (train noise)! Next stop: Emotional Stability.

Other powerful benefits of keeping a journal:
* Improve Self Expression. In a journal, or writing in general, you are able to express what you feel in ways that may be too difficult or even impossible at work, home, or especially out with friends. Getting drunk and spilling your proverbial guts, doesn't count as real self expression.

* Stress reduction. Expressing your anger in writing releases the emotional pressure that builds up when you hold feelings inside. Is it any wonder that many people say they feel calmer and spiritually at ease after a journal-writing session? Think of it as venting to your best friend.

* Stronger relationships. Writing about people you know will help you understand them better and put you in touch with your own feelings about them. When you're furious with someone close to you, discharging raw emotion in the privacy of the page enables you to work out solutions in advance, rather than face to face in an irrational outburst. Also consider that the other benefits discussed, will lead to a healthier individual en-total, meaning relationships in general will be easier for you to sustain.

* Better organizational skills. By structuring yourself to write regularly, you automatically develop stronger organization skills, such as list-making and time management. Needs and goals are also easier to clarify and prioritize once they are written out.

RULES OF JOURNALING
Oh great, now there are rules?!?
Keeping a journal is first and foremost and exercise in creative freedom.
Some people are inspired by an elegant bound notebook with fine paper, while others feel more comfortable letting the words flow onto loose-leaf sheets that can be clipped into a binder. As easy and convenient as it may be for you to keep your journal in a digital format, studies have shown that the "archaic" form of actually writing, for whatever reason, is much more powerful. You can always scan the documents into digital copies later.

Do your best to write something every single day. You can schedule 15-30 minutes at the same time each evening, or just pick up a pen when the mood hits you. If you're more of the latter style, try to make sure you keep the utensils (pen and paper) handy at all times, so you'll be ready when your fancy strikes.

Easy ways to get started:
- Put yourself in the mood. Close your eyes and take five deep breaths, in through your nose, out through your mouth. This focuses your vision inward, clears a space in your mind, and eases the transition from workday reality to contemplation. Simply begin by asking yourself "What am I feeling at this moment?"

- Jot down a few lines to summarize the major high or low points of your day. This exercise is equivalent to stretching before working out or playing scales before jumping into Mozart's greatest hits on the piano.

Great job so far, you're well on your way!

Stay tuned for the next installment where I'll talk more about what to include in your writings, and how to get your flowjo kicking.