I do not think I will ever find the appropriate words to express how much journaling has benefited me and my life. I began journaling as a way to help my writing process many years ago. I figured if I started keeping a journal of my progress, and jot down ideas for stories, it would be a great help. And it was, but also it became so much more.
It took a few years, but once I started expanding my journaling to all parts of my life (not just as a writing tool), I really began to reap major benefits from it. I started to understand myself on a much deeper level, and it caused me to expand the way I thought about myself and life in general.
Journaling has helped me experiment and work through ideas in my writing and personal life. It opened a door to repeating destructive habits I had not allowed myself to see before, and catapulted me toward living a far more satisfying and empowering life.
With all this in mind, I have decided to start doing a lot more blog posts focused on journaling. I will talk about what journaling can do, many ways in how to journal, and any other journaling topics I can come up with. In fact, I will be beginning a new blog series called Journaling Discoveries.
This series will be where I will take one of my past journal entries and talk about how that entry persuaded me to make certain choices, or helped to change my perspective to understand something better. In doing this, I am hoping to show just how empowering journaling has been for me, and can be to others.
I have already talked to several of my artistic friends and they too want to share their journaling experience, so October will be showcasing how other people journal, and different ways it can be applied.
Oh but wait, there’s more! I have felt so strongly about the power of journaling that earlier this year I took one of my most transformative journals and had it published. I did this to show the gradual progress in a real life example of how I used journaling to make some major changes in my life. A Writer’s Wings: A Personal Journey of Discovery and Transformation is available as a paperback and on kindle.
I then decided that I needed to further break down the process to show the active steps I took toward more success and empowerment through journaling. It is presented as a 21 day course called Journaling Your Way to Success. I decided on 21 days, because that’s typically how long it takes to build a habit, but ultimately the course can be done however each person chooses.
My ultimate goal is to inform and empower others, while also continuing to broaden my own horizons. If there’s one thing I know for certain is that the best way to a better life is to know yourself better, and I have yet to find a more powerful tool than journaling to do just that.
My hope is that as I make these journaling posts that the right people will find them in the right time, and it be what they are looking for to help encourage them on their journaling journey. Many people begin journaling and stop not long after, or just amble through journaling with no real goal in mind, and while this is absolutely okay, journaling can also be used to bring major growth and transformation.
Transformative journaling takes time though. It can be slow and difficult to move through, especially if you don’t see immediate results and have no support system. Well, I just want you to know you aren’t alone. And I can guarantee this, if you want to truly see the change in your life, you will. One journal entry at a time.
Cynthia D. Griffin 