In thinking about ways to journal for the purpose of self-discovery, we shouldn't overlook the
fact that we can learn a great deal about ourselves by finding out where and who we came from.
How many readers here have had the fascinating experience of reading a journal from one of your forebears? Did a parent or grandparent have the wondrous foresight to keep a journal and leave it for future generations? If you are one of the lucky ones who have inherited such a treasure, you know its worth is beyond measure.
Such an heirloom shows us what life was like back then, but it also provides glimpses into our own personalities, attractions, fears and loves. It's documentary that inspires on an intensely personal level.
Perhaps your grandmother talked in her journal about tending a garden, something you also adore doing. Maybe your father made notes about his interrelationships at the office, and you begin to understand why he was often moody at home and why you are also moody at times. Or maybe your great-aunt loved parties and being the center of attention, and you realize that you are a mirror reflection of this relative that you did not know well.
If you have had this experience, you know how very important it is to chronicle your days or otherwise make note of your life, as a service to those who will succeed you. It's the only way they will know who they are and why they are the way they are. The inherited journal allows its reader to understand the full weight of his own life as a process that creates the lives that are to come.
Have I convinced you yet? Terrific. Time to get started.
1. Find a good notebook that's easy for you to hold or that works well for you on your desk. Get a kind that you can easily purchase anytime, because you'll need many of them as the years roll on.
2. Decide on a schedule for writing. You might want to journal daily or less, but make it at least once a week. Whatever you decide, dedicate the time and be faithful to it.
3. First spend some time writing to your own future self. From your perspective of today, have a conversation with the person you will be in the future. Tell about your present needs and hopes. Let your future self reassure you that all will work out well.
4. There are an infinite number of ways to create a useful legacy, none better than the others. You might:
• make lists of things that happen;
• simply describe your reactions to things, or your feelings;
• focus on just one area of your life;
• plan upcoming projects or events; you might doodle and scrapbook much of the time;
• actually create the journal as a dialog with your as yet unborn descendants.
5. Be sure to store these journaling notebooks safely. Keep them in a cool and dark place, carefully packed in boxes. Do all you can to ensure that those who come after will be able to access the pages and discover their own selves through them.
It would be very exciting to hear about readers' experiences with handed-down journals. Please comment!
If you like the idea of journaling for the future but are struggling with how to begin, we offer a Journaling Jumpstarter Kit in JJ's new store that's sure to get you going!
Do you find yourself dwelling on missed opportunities? Or perhaps you're having trouble making sense of it all? Please download our free ebook, CreateWriteNow's Expert Guide to Therapeutic Journaling, shows you journaling can provide the tools you need to achieve the happiness we all deserve.
image from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/some_work_of_my/5291309461/
(lhotrien)
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