Welcome back for Part 2 of our journaling journey! It’s fun for me to write, but without a reader—well, what would be the point?  Ha-ha.  For anyone who is just hopping on to see what I have been up to, or wants a little refresher, please take a few minutes and read my last blog post, The Best Gift Ever!—Part 1.  Then you will be in the loop and up to speed.

As you already know, I have been journaling for a long time, pretty much a lifetime.  It has been an evolution for me, through all the stages, from a pre-teen, young girl, to the grown woman I am today, and ongoing.   Everything that I am writing about, in terms of my journaling style, is self-taught.  I made it up as I went along.  As I choose to share bits and pieces, I hope that you will find something that resonates with you.  

So, without delay, let’s get to it!  Under each of my journal topics, I will give a little synopsis of what I write about, and yes, those secrets!  The secrets that I now trust as my guide and will share with you as tips for your journaling. 

TOPIC: Self Growth, Personal Insights, Reflections, Gratitude

This is without a doubt where most of my journaling takes place!  Whether it be a life change, a period of transition and adjustment, an exciting new beginning, a wonderful experience, a sad event, a trauma, or a drama, whatever it is—this is where it will be!

• Tip:  Develop self-awareness.  Are you curious like me?  I have an unwavering curiosity to identify my triggers, negative patterns, ego, fears, and insecurities, and uncover where these things stem from.  (This is not about blame; I do not go there!)  This is about non-judgemental awareness of myself.  Once I am aware, I can work toward managing, or best-case scenario releasing, over time and with practice, things that do not serve me, or those around me, well. 

• Tip: Make appreciation and gratitude a habit.  Yes, I know how cliché that sounds!  But nothing can lift my spirits and lighten my mood as quickly as acknowledging what I am thankful for in my life.  There is so much!

TOPIC: Ideas, Dreams, Plans

I have a continuum of ideas of things I want to do now, and plans for the future.  This is where I prioritize and organize my thoughts. I am talking about the big picture, of how I want to contribute, to spend my years, my life.

• Tip:  Start with a vision.  Don’t look at the hurdles or the how-to, that will come later.  Think about your plan or idea as if you are already there.  I get butterflies in my stomach just writing about it!  Not only is this process necessary for me, but it’s also so much fun!       

• Tip:  What’s holding you back?  Maybe it’s a belief that you carry—too old, too young, too thick, too thin, too many people already doing that, etc., etc. Find evidence of the falseness of those beliefs and work toward releasing them.

TOPIC: Reinvention Between the Chapters

I love this part of journaling!  It’s where I take time to pause and reflect.  This is the time to look at different interests and try new things.  It represents a fresh start full of new opportunities.  With each chapter comes more wisdom.

• Tip: (“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” Lao Tzu.) Allow yourself time to heal if your closing chapter had a painful ending.  There is no time frame or deadline for healing, it’s a process.  Sometimes it’s quick, sometimes it takes years.  Acknowledge your pain through writing, and coach yourself with gentleness as you would your very best friend.

• Tip:  Consider what you enjoy doing, not necessarily what you are good at.  Just because I am great at problem-solving doesn’t mean I want to spend my days solving problems!  This is an opportunity to immerse yourself into what you love doing and develop that skill for moving forward. 

TOPIC: Work-Related—Problem Solving, Decision Making, Boredom

For many years I kept this journal in my car.  I chose not to bring things work-related to my house.  It seemed that I was always fortunate in having an hour for lunch, and journaling, when needed, happened during that time.  Maybe in my car or maybe a drive to a park. This was very effective for me and guided me through many situations and decisions.  Once again—that time to quiet the chaos and hear myself think.

• Tip:  Give no time or energy attempting to sort out someone else, analyzing their faults and how they should fix them.  Everyone is on their journey and making their way.  Stay in your own lane!

• Tip:  Journaling has a magical way of diffusing the emotion and energy surrounding a problem.  The very act gives time to step out of the fire and assess the situation more calmly.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself right now, “Wow, Teresa is one hardcore journaler!”, ha-ha. I completely understand why you might think that!  No, I have not turned journaling into a full-time job!  For ease of sharing with my reader, I have compiled decades of journaling into a few hundred words. It took countless hours and experience to master my journaling practice!

No, I do not have a storage locker full of all the journals of my lifetime!  Once a journal is full, and I have squeezed out of it all that I want, I let it go!  Yup, all that writing and work, shredded!  I have no intention of going back over the past.  By writing, I journaled my way through and grew for all the experiences.  It’s part of who I am now, not something I will read about again.  

LET’S WALK and TALK!

As promised in my previous post, I am about to share a secret, never before revealed! Also, this is for anyone who doesn’t enjoy writing, but does enjoy walking and talking!  That’s walking fast and talking lots!  Ha-ha. Thank goodness times of extreme stress and overwhelm have been far and few in between for me, but this one proved to be quite enlightening.

It was a beautiful day in July, I was off work, and had the whole day to myself with no one else at home.  Normally, I would not bring a work project home, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get moving on something that I was far behind on. 

I had every intention to sit down with my coffee, collect my thoughts, and make a checklist of what I needed to accomplish.  Pretty simple huh?  Except, I had a problem. I couldn’t sit still!  I would sit down, then stand up and pace around.  Sit back down, stand up, and pace around again. 

So being the logical person that I am, I decided to give in to my restlessness and take a walk.  I would utilize my walk time to organize the steps involved in the project.  Ok, that should do it, right?  Problem solved! 

I put a small recorder in my breast pocket so that I could record myself and my plan during my walk.  I got my running shoes on and headed out.  Oh ya, one more thing—I turned my recorder on so that it would be at the ready.  I was feeling proud of my efficiency!

Now I admit, that once I left my house, things sort of become a blur.  I remember walking very fast, and talking non-stop!   If any neighbors were watching me, I can’t imagine what they were thinking!  I was having a full-blown conversation with myself, out loud!  Ha-ha.  I just walked—and talked—for about 45 minutes straight. 

After I got back home, I did some routine things before I decided to listen to my recording!  Turns out there was nothing on that recording about the work project!  Instead, I had a huge surprise!  In my flurry, while I speed-walked, I completely interrogated myself!  I asked very deep, probing questions.  So many questions!!  Then I got to listen to my answers.  I answered every one of my questions without so much as a pause!  Answers that were so clear and exactly what I needed.  I could hear where I had given over my power and lost control of myself.  

That day was life-changing for me.  The confidence I gained was astounding!  After that, I started a practice that I call my walk and talk series.  I use this practice, even if I just want to take a walk, a slow walk, and work through something.  Although more than ten years have passed since that first recording, I just recently deleted it from my recorder.  It was so impactful for me!     

This is the message I want you to hear—We all have an inner guidance system!  We don’t have to wait for a near break down to tap into it.  Whether you journal, walk and talk, or choose a different method, find your place to quiet the noise and listen to yourself!