How Journaling For 30 Days Straight Created More Questions Than Answers…
If I lived more consciously, freely, and courageously, I would…
For an entire month, I tried to answer that question each day. At the beginning of June, based on some encouragement from an Ali Abdaal video I watched some time in May, I decided to journal twice a day for an entire month. Through various writing prompts, I spent time trying to be more present with my thoughts, forming them into sentences that I could refer back to whenever my mind need a reminder of what it once contained. I’ve tried off and on for years to be consistent with journaling. Most of the time, I would buy a new physical journal and try my best to make it happen. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t make it stick (I honestly know the reasons, but I’m just going to be okay making an excuse here since I’ve found a way to stick with it).
Finally, I landed on a method that worked for me and helped me be consistent - Notion. I am on my computer (or around it) at least 5 days a week, all day long. And since I am in the process of learning Notion and using it as my life management system, I figured there’d be no better place to store my thoughts than in that cloud-based program. Wherever I go, my journal is with me - because it lives in my phone as well as any computer where I can log in to the app.
While I could go on about my 30-day challenge and the pros and cons of journaling, I don’t want this blog to be about that. Instead, I want to return to the prompt above.
If I lived more consciously, freely, and courageously, I would…
Here are a few ways I answered that question throughout the month of June:
Write it out more. I would focus on what is happening around me, being more intentional to write and document what is going on in my life.
Be more open and honest about my feelings and emotions.
Be more laid back.
Share more of what I am working on. Not in a boastful way, but in a way that is hoping to help others be confident to do the same.
Give more. When you talk about things with people, be willing to give.
Remember to take moments in the day to regather, regroup, and refocus. Build in those moments of mindfulness to just be still and reconnect with your thoughts.
Remember to be more thankful throughout the day, not just in the morning when I express my gratitude.
Remember to give thanks more often. Write more thank you cards. Don't procrastinate on that!
Note: The benefit of having a journal is that you can access your thoughts from any given day at any given time. Pretty solid benefit if you ask me.
Reading back through these thoughts, they’re all completely valid. All were what was most present on my mind at that time. While some have yet to be accomplished, they’re there and waiting for me to take action instead of living inside the tangled web of thoughts in my brain. Some were short. Some were more thorough. But looking back through them, there was one thing I never once focused on but was hidden in my very first entry from June 1st - being more intentional.
Being. More. Intentional.
Not that this is the ONLY answer to that prompt, but this is THE answer that I believe will help me live more consciously, freely, and courageously. And it wasn’t until last week during my and Caitlin’s Marriage Thrive group coaching call. During our time in Marriage Thrive, we’ve been asked to set up quarterly vision statements. Last week on the call, there were just a few of us, and so I got the fortunate opportunity to be put on the hot seat with Julia and hash this vision out. I came into the conversation struggling to try to come up with my Q3 vision and left with a whole host of thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
My Vision - I am intentional.
Now, there’s clearly way more to this and while in regards to Marriage Thrive, this vision is intended to be a focus to help within my marriage, but these visions are also very much a part of daily life.
And for me, I believe that this vision is fundamental to me accomplishing and becoming who I want to be.
I want to be more open. How am I being intentional with my emotions and thoughts so I can be more open?
I want to be more laid back. How am I being intentional to make sure that I am easily worked up by things?
I want to share more. How am I being intentional with my work - is it work that is well thought out, and adding value to others?
I want to give more. How am I being intentional with my time so that I CAN give more?
I want to be more consistent with all of the above and beyond. Well… How am I being intentional?
If you lived more consciously, freely, and courageously, you would…
What would it look like if you asked yourself this question every day?
How would your life change?
How would your relationships change?
How would your mental health change?
Give it a shot. Ask yourself this question once a day for the next 7 days.
Write it down. Type it out. Use dry erase on your bathroom mirror.
7 days may not lead to any significant breakthroughs, but it just might be a start.
Added Value:
