Brighter Life’s It Matters™ Webinar on 1/11/18 gave me a lot to think about. (Imagine that!) As executive/entrepreneurial coach Maikel Bailey, taught us about “Getting Your Brain to Work Smarter Through Journaling,” I wrote down a few personal takeaways:
- The brain is designed to move forward.
- Journaling helps us get our power, direction and focus working together.
- While it may be time consuming, journaling is something I don’t have time NOT to do.
While there have been times when I faithfully kept a journal, it’s been awhile. Years, actually. And that’s sad! Lately, I’ve been using the rather lame excuse that because I chronicle highlights of my life on Facebook and could print them any time, I don’t need a journal. At the same time, I know I’m not currently keeping a record of my thoughts, feelings and experiences that has any depth.
Part of the reason I’m not writing is because I noticed several years ago that my journal had become a pretty forlorn place where much of what I recorded reflected heartbreak, self-doubt and discouragement. I didn’t want my posterity to read these volumes and think they characterized the totality of my existence, but I didn’t know what else to say. I guess I quit writing because I didn’t feel like my words had much value. Am I alone in this feeling?
What I liked ab
out Maikel’s presentation was how he provided me with a new perspective. I don’t have to feel that way anymore! Journaling is much more than an account of our past, he said. Instead, it’s a tool to help us create our future. Maikel invited us to think of journaling in three steps–a morning “brain dump” and plan for the day, a daytime handbook of sorts to carry us through and an evening opportunity for reflection. I really liked what he said, and I’d definitely like to earn the advantages/blessings he spoke of. I guess it’s time to pour some hot cocoa and pick up my pen…