Journaling
I began journaling in high school. Through my 20s and early 30s, it was an on and off practice. At some point during my late 30s, I began journaling on a daily basis.
Journaling has become an essential part of my life. It helps me get focused in the morning and allows me to relax at night by getting what has happened during the day out of my mind and into my journal. This is a great stress reliever. Things just seem more manageable when you write them down.
Journaling is a discipline that I teach to all of my clients. It keeps them outcome focused and gives them a record of their journey. When you are making a change, it is sometimes difficult to notice your progress. This is easiest to illustrate when it comes to losing weight.
When humans begin a weight loss plan, they don’t notice the changing shape of their body as much as others do. When you’re losing weight, you look at yourself in the mirror on a daily basis. By seeing only a small change every day, it doesn’t seem significant. Then you run into someone who hasn’t seen you for a few months, and they say, “Oh my gosh, you look great!” This is because they see one significant change while you hardly notice the smaller daily changes.
When I was younger, I used to get little books at the store whenever I would go shopping with my grandmother. I looked for the books that had an animated image in the top corner... a flip book. When you thumbed through the book, you could watch an entire cartoon play out from beginning to end. What would it be like, however, if you looked at one page each day until you looked at every frame of the cartoon?
It’s not the same, right? Even though you see every frame of the cartoon by thumbing through the pages fast or by taking one page each day, the experience of each method is much different. Flipping through the book is how your mind notices change... not by one page a day.
By requiring my clients to journal on a daily basis while we are working together, they can better see how significant the progress has been over time. This keeps them focused on what they want as well as motivates them to do even more.
It’s the little things we do each day that make a big difference over time.
If you haven’t ever journaled before or you dipped your toe in but didn’t commit to it, I urge you to jump in and journal on a daily basis. You will learn a lot about yourself.
I also encourage you to implement journaling with every client. I believe you will find it to be a valuable tool to keep your clients moving in the right direction.
I don’t simply sit down and start journaling on a blank page. I’ve designed a format that I use that keeps me focused on what’s important and moves me in the direction of being a better human. I use the same journaling format with my clients.
Below is my journaling format. Feel free to copy it and use it for yourself and your clients.
Monday, December 28, 2020
Morning
I am grateful for…
What would make today great?
What’s ONE thing I must accomplish today?
Evening
What did I do today that was effective, significant, and made a difference in someone’s life?
What did I learn, and what action (if any) will I take on what I learned?
What am I thankful for right now?
How am I feeling right now?
What did I read today?
What are three things that made me stop for a moment today?
How could I have made today better?
Where am I today?
Things I’m struggling with…
My #1 challenge…
Three possible actions I can take to solve my challenge…
