How long have you been a journaler? Are you just getting started in your first few months, or have you been journal writing for years? Wherever you are in your journaling journey, it is always a good idea to look back at the progress you’ve made and the changes you’ve experienced since you began writing.
Revisiting old journal entries is like opening a time capsule from different periods of your life – you may be surprised by what you discover!
A Journaling Walk Down Memory Lane
1. Gather old journals, along with any letters, vision collages, goal lists or other materials that are meaningful to you. If you are relatively new to journal writing, you may be able to go through everything in one sitting; if you have stacks of old journals, you may want to pick one particular time period to focus on.
2. Before you start reading an old journal entry, try to remember where you were at that point in your life. Where were you living? What were you doing? Who were the most important people to you? What were your goals, dreams and fears? Spend five minutes jotting down these thoughts in your current journal. For example:
In 2000, I was living in Philadelphia, working at a job I didn’t like very much and trying to figure out what my next step was going to be. I had a great group of friends and wasn’t dating anyone seriously. I dreamed of quitting my job to travel the world or start my own consulting business, but I was scared to leave a stable paycheck.
3. Now open your old journal and read different entries for at least 30 minutes. Keep these questions in mind as you revisit your past journal writing:
• How have I changed since I wrote this? How have I remained the same? How are my goals, priorities and concerns different? How are they similar?
• How is my memory of this period different than what I wrote at the time? Do I remember it accurately, or have I put a more negative or positive spin on it?
• Have I accomplished what my past self hoped to do? Did my goals change along the way? What surprises or challenges did I encounter?
4. Return to your current journal, and write down your observations from rereading your old entries. What did you learn, remember or rediscover?
What have you found on your journaling trips down memory lane? Share your observations in the comments. Maybe there's a guest blog post there. We'd love to publish it. Contact me.
Based on your progress report, maybe you need to spend more journaling time on self-discovery? Coming write up: Create Write Now’s 27 Days Self Discovery Journaling Challenge begins April 2.
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