I first got asked to start journaling at different personal growth seminars I went to. Facing my fears, crying over past trauma, pushing through fears… easy… journaling was the WORST THING EVER. It was a supreme level of vulnerability that I didn’t let myself go to until I decided to change my life.
It took me a very long time to get into journaling. I inherently had so much resistance to it for all the reasons journaling is so good for you.
1. Everything you write is real.
2. You have to be honest with yourself, and you know if you’re not.
When you have thoughts, ideas, emotions and judgments, they can change, shift, be forgotten or re-wrote. You can justify bad behavior from yourself and others, or even lose a memory entirely. When you write it on the page, it gives it life and makes it 100% real.
There’s a quote by Nelson Mandela often attributed to Marianne Williamson that states, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.”
At the time, my deepest fear was to step out of the shadows, to create something that I would attribute to myself, something that has been waiting for me to say yes to. I just needed to be brave enough to shine a light internally and when I found what I had been searching for, not turn my back.
I got into journaling when I was at a crossroad in my life. Like a lot of people, I was working somewhere I didn’t feel valued or valuable and didn’t know what to do. I took a leap and quit that job so I could work on myself. I started reading a ton, decided who I really was by creating and practicing affirmations and then picked up the pen and got to journaling.
Through journaling, I was able to understand my feelings, my inherent value, and myself. I was able to see the chinks in my armor where I had chosen not to look. I was able to work out feelings and have real conversations with only the judgment or opinions would come from myself. I was able to see why I had been blocking myself for so long and decided that I was worthy; I had value and gifts to share.
One thing I always look back on is my ideal scene for a business. I didn’t know what it was, however, I wrote out attributes of it. That I wanted to be able to work from anywhere from my laptop, that it was a product, that it helped people, that it was accessible to anyone, I felt amazing and expansive doing the business and that it made a difference in peoples’ lives. When I got the idea for sticky notes with a different affirmation on each page, I was able to go over that checklist in my head so quickly I knew that this was exactly what I was looking for, and I didn’t let it go.
I’ve used this ideal scene technique to attract living situations, friends, and business partners. I feel like journaling is the equivalent to a signal box booster to the universe, and if used with love, joy, and heart, you can always manifest the highest and best."
Author Bio
Cheryl Sutherland is a entrepreneur, speaker, optimism coach and lover of cupcakes.
She founded PleaseNotes to give people tools to transform their lives, and the exercises in her guided journal allows people to get connected with themselves so they can make tangible shifts in their lives.
Visit her website to learn more.
If you want to learn how journaling can help you tackle life's challenges and transform your life, please download the free eBook, The Journaling Guide to Manage The Stress and Strains of Life.
Are you ready to start making changes in your life, but not sure how to begin? Our Start Changing Your Life self-paced journaling course can help you begin the process through journaling.
Leave Comment