When we sit quietly and pour our hearts out to our journals, we're digging into the very core of ourselves; what moves us and rattles us. After so many years of putting it all down on paper you may wonder what the point is. Aren't you just chewing old dirt, after all? For example, I've been journaling about the need to eat better and get more exercise since I was 11 years old! How funny is that? Perhaps you are chewing old dirt, but before you dismiss that as a useless waste of time I'm suggesting that old dirt may have gold in it! Chances are, whatever is stuck in your crawl - and finding itself covering the pages of your journal - is bothering other people, too. Switch the focus from yourself to others, and you just may have some thoughts worth sharing; thoughts that may bring comfort or clarity to other people who feel like you do.
When I find myself writing furiously or filling multiple pages, multiple days on a particular topic I know I've found that 'gold in the dirt'. So I switch my focus from my personal journaling and start thinking how to get those words out into the world, where they clearly yearn to be.
Such journal musings are a great fit for a blog if you write one. If you don't, guest blog*** on someone else's site that fits well with your topic. This is a great, easy way to share with others without the hassle of maintaining your own blog. Or share your thoughts in an email to a friend or family member.
You can also use something you've been pondering to post a question or a poll on Facebook. For example, while journaling about the holidays this year I realized how guilty bell ringers make me feel and I dread running into them in front of stores while I do holiday shopping. After sharing that feeling on a forum I was pleasantly surprised to find that others felt the same way. There was no reason for me to feel bad about it anymore! Or for anyone else to feel guilty.
I used to love to observe my cats and then write little essays about their behavior and personality quirks. Realizing I had filled page after page of a notebook with these stories, I turned them into My Blog at www.mausinthehouse.com.
So, if you journal a lot but wonder what good it's doing anyone, turn the story around. I'm not saying expose you're entire journal, just those nuggets of gold. Lift them out of the pages and let them meet the world. You never know who you might touch. And wouldn't that be worth it?
*** We'd love to publish your journal nuggets of gold as a Guest Blog here. Please Contact Mari and we'll make it happen!
About the Author
Kim White lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where she enjoys the outdoors, drawing, and reading. She is the owner of Web Design for Writers. You can enjoy Kim's other articles here: If You Read Between My Lines and Journaling Night Notes: In Praise of Evening (Not Morning) Pages