Journaling to Understand Yourself
How Journaling Can Help You Become More Self-Aware
Are you interested in living a life that you designed? Are you ready to be in control of all of your decisions and be accountable for your life? A self-aware life is a life that requires you to know who you are and what you want. You need to know your preferences, your personality, and how you want to live.
Different people have different motivations and goals. You have your own personality and approach to life. If you’re not tuned in to who you are and what you want then it’s quite difficult to live a life that makes you happy and leaves you feeling excited, motivated, fulfilled, and challenged.
It’s not always easy to live a self-aware life. Denial, fear, and other emotions can get in the way. One habit that can support you to stay self-aware and to improve your personal awareness is to journal.
What Is Journaling?
Journaling gets a bad rap. People feel like they are back in junior high school keeping a diary that they have to hide from their siblings. However, you’re an adult now and writing down your feelings, thoughts, and plans is cathartic and clarifying.
There are different approaches to journaling. You might sit down every morning and write for five minutes or three pages. A better approach might be to pose specific questions for you to answer. For example, “what are my strengths?” You can then journal to answer that question. As a result, you can focus on that question for one journaling session or twenty. You get to make the rules.
When you write down your answers to your questions and get your thoughts on paper, it is easier to get clear. Some people prefer to meditate on questions and that can work very well if you’re able to focus. However, if you’re like many others, your thoughts become muddled and a bit chaotic when you try to meditate. You start off thinking about your strengths and before you know it you’re making a grocery list or thinking about that attractive co-worker. When you have to write down the answers it can be easier to stay focused.
How to Get Started Journaling
Choose the tool that’s best for you. You’re going to have to think a bit about your preferences and personality type. Would you prefer to journal on a laptop, smartphone or mobile device, or would you prefer to journal longhand on paper? Would you prefer to journal first thing in the morning or at night before you go to bed? (These are the most reflective times of day for most people.)
Gather your materials, choose the best time to journal and start making it a habit. Journal once a day and begin answering the questions that will help you learn who you are, what you want, and where you’re taking your life.
