Why should I keep a journal? Keeping a journal is a great idea for everyone, regardless of age. The benefits gained from taking a few minutes each day to record your thoughts in a journal are numerous. The costs are minimal, but the payback is huge.
A journal is a great idea for you, your children, and yes, even the elderly. Did you know that many life coaches require that clients keep journals as part of their success program?
You might be surprised to learn that many successful and famous people kept journals. Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Mark Twain, Lewis and Clark to name a few.
Discover 5 great reasons to keep a journal:
1. Keep a record of your life for yourself. Have you ever tried to remember when some specific event in your past actually happened? Do you remember the facts differently from others that were involved?
- If you keep a journal, you will have all the dates and facts right there. Even more important, you will be given the opportunity to see how your life has evolved.
- As we get older, every day seems to merge into the next. We get up, go to work, go home, eat dinner, watch TV, and repeat for 40 years.
- What may result by writing down the day-to-day aspects of your life? Your life will become more interesting. Think about it, journaling might encourage you to live a life you believe worthy of recording. You might find yourself adding more fun and adventure to your life, just so you can write about it.
- Consider how much your children might like reading your journals later in life. Wouldn’t you like to read about the thoughts and dreams or significant events of your parents or grandparents?
2. You can record the lives of your children. How great it would be to keep a journal as your child is growing up and then give it to them later in life?
- You will record everything that happened during the years when they are too young to keep a journal themselves. How meaningful would that be to them, and also be a great reminder for you.
3. Journals are great for processing feelings. It is very therapeutic! Things become a little clearer when we get them out of our heads and down on paper.
- Everything becomes a little more objective and realistic.
- You might be amazed at what you discover about yourself if you take the time to keep a journal.
4. Work towards your goals with a journal. A significant part of reaching goals is recording progress and prioritization. When you write about your goals each day, you reaffirm they are worth achieving. You might find the goal needs to be altered.
- Have you ever set a goal and then forgot all about it after a few days or a couple of weeks? If you write it down in a journal, there will be less chance that will happen.
- Record the progress you are making towards your goals. Make notes about new ideas to move closer to your goals. Make notes of what worked and what did not work to help you with future goals.
- Once you achieve a goal, you will be able to look back and remember how great it felt to accomplish it. Your next goal will be even easier.
5. A journal will reduce the amount of stress in your life. Journaling forces you to disconnect and focus your mind. Sometimes the best thing for a stressed mind is to turn off the computer, remove all distractions and sit quietly with your thoughts.
- When you record your trials, your brain starts looking for solutions. Finding a solution to a challenge relieves stress!
Consider keeping a journal for yourself and your children. The benefits are significant. You do not have to spend more than a few minutes per day. Encourage your children to keep journals as well. Journaling is a great tool with many possibilities. A pen and notebook are the only items required.
