Journaling can be a difficult habit to build. However, this article discusses 5 ways to kick-start your journal writing and build the habit simply!
It's human nature to want to be happy. We believe that we should pursue happiness. Who wants to be negative, depressed, gloomy, or grouchy? Who wants tragedy, sorrow, or disaster to happen to them?
Many people go after drafting morning pages to indicate their sentiment level in the mood of high consciousness to relieve stress and anxiety. It’s a great way to record ideas anytime and anywhere. Isn’t it? After all, a journal is an excellent place to write down your career goals, ambitions, aspirations, and resolutions. Also, it helps you to train your writing.
Wouldn't it be fabulous to remember all the enduring details of our lives? It can be hard to remember details after a year or two have gone by - when we had that huge snowstorm, what month it was when we went on that amazing vacation, or when the cousins last came to visit. Sometimes it's even hard to recall what we did last week.
Write in a journal only a few minutes a day, and you can create a record of your life...
Keeping a five-year journal is a simple solution. It's the ideal life record for people who don't have the time or motivation to write long entries in a diary or don't want to go back and wade through volumes and volumes of journals to find out when something happened. Keeping a five-year diary is fun, and sometimes quite enlightening, as you see on the same page what you did last year or three years ago on this date.
As much as I am a fan of journaling, I can't say I was ever very successful at it in the past. I am inspired by beautiful blank books. I buy them, but I don't want to start writing to them. Beginning a journal and then neglecting it would spoil it. I am reluctant to write in it because if I don't fill it up, the beautiful, pristine book would be wasted. You have to admit that six pages of writing in a 120-page book are not a success story.
One thing is sure - journaling doesn't have to be boring!!
There are no edicts that suppose you have to write in a notebook, day after day, and seek for something to say. Journals are a portal to your creativity, awareness, and joy. You can have just one, full of chaos and creativity, pictures, lyrics, quotes, daily entries, passions, and sorrows. You can have two, ten, twenty, and separate each subject into its own cozy little paper home. I hope that this page inspires you to create some of your journals and gives you some ideas to get you started on your adventure of self-discovery. Any subject you have a passion for is worthy of a Journal. Allow its scope to thrive well.
Get Started!
Find yourself a base
There is one thing every journal has in common; a single need that connects all manifestations of your creativity.
A book
This book can take any form you want it to - store-bought, homemade, lined, unlined, colored, white, made of leaves, made of fabric, bound, or created one page at a time. There are endless possibilities for the base of your journal writing. Choose one that speaks to you, one you have lying around, or something fits the theme of what you are doing.
I'm particularly fond of journals that have art on the cover, three-ring binders, or journals made of unique materials.
Pick a Subject or Don't
Decide what you want your journal to be. Does a rich mess of gratitude, art, reflection, and nature call to you? How about a neat, organized place to not only store recipes, but annotate them? Or perhaps a place to write a list upon glorious list? Whatever you feel like creating, it's yours to treasure and builds.
There are no rules. Get messy, Get inspired, Get into it.
Here's a list (by no means exhaustive) of possible subjects to get you started.
- Nature - Birdwatching - Herb Diary - Cloud Patterns
- Dreams - Meditations - Positivity - Quotes
- Love - Reflection - Body Image - Self Esteem
- Exercise - Yoga - Tai Chi - Weight Loss
- Pregnancy - Motherhood - Fatherhood - Family
- Success - Goals - Achievement - School
- Hobbies - Hunting - Shooting - Gaming
- Cooking - Knitting -Sewing - Crochet
- Paper Crafts - Brewing - Art - Music
- Lists - Daily Entry - Faith - Spirituality
- Letters - Cards - Travel – Relationships
Create
Add things to your journal. All at once, once a day, whenever you happen to remember. Write down ideas, thoughts, victories, failures. Make it completely yours. Keep it neat, or don't. Decorate it - the pages, the cover, the binding.
Make it beautiful. Give it texture when you hold it. Use glue, marker, crayon, glitter, leaves, bark, flowers, whatever comes to mind. Get oil and spices on the pages. Use tears and perfume if you want to.
Give it the essence of your subject.
Create an ever-changing work of art that makes it a joy to add to it, rather than a chore.
Quotes
In my personal opinion, quotes are one of the most important building blocks to any journal. Reflect on them, store them for safekeeping, read them when you need inspiration, embellish on them, create your own, collect them, and treasure them. Although many wonderful quotes have unknown origins, here is a shortlist of names to search if you're looking for some good material.
- Rumi - Einstein - Mark Twain
- C.S. Lewis - Steve Jobs - Carl Sagan
- Stephen Hawking - Eckhart Tolle - Dr. Seuss
- Proverb - (Either cultural or associated with religious text)
- Betty White - Thomas Jefferson - Eleanor Roosevelt
- The Dali Lama - Nelson Mandela - Mother Theresa
- Da Vinci - Ghandi - Buddha - Confucious
- Tolkein - WIlliam Blake - Abraham Lincoln
Start your Journey
Journaling is truly an uncomplicated and organic art. I hope these pointers have helped fuel a desire in you to create something of your own. Please feel free to leave questions and suggestions in the comments. I would love to have your help and feedback in building this post into something even more helpful and inspiring!
