The Joy of Journaling

Keeping a diary always seemed to be a natural part of my life. I simply needed a place of my own, a secret friend, that I could trust to safe-keep all of my life experiences, as if without it, I could not know (or remember) who I was. The first one- that has survived until today, is from 1993!!! Since then I probably missed just one year of not having a separate calendar for writing in, but then- some years I had more than one for a year… Everything I`ve experienced, every important person I`ve met has been mentioned somewhere down the lines… in the many pages of my Book of Life. Sure, the content and the purpose have changed over the years. However, this Reference Book has served me for all those years, as a “go to” for finding important dates, whether for filling in forms, remembering birthdays and anniversaries, or recalling important events. Most importantly- I`ve recorded how I have changed over those past 27 years of journaling. I am able to travel in time to revisit distant memories and see myself grow and change, yet somehow remaining the same at my very core. Journaling is a powerful tool! I always encourage my clients to start writing as soon as they embark on their healing journey (we often actively use it during the course of therapy). Every word, dream, empowering thought or idea, or some creative doodles have their place there. Once recorded- it will never disappear, can always be rediscovered, worked on and revisited even a decade later. After all- a dream not recorded remains just a dream, but write it down and it becomes a goal that started to materialize itself. Writing has its place in recovery or personal development, and it is an important ritual for many successful people. As I would like to encourage every Woman to start journaling (buying a notebook as a gift to my friends is always the number one choice for me!!!), I am sharing other people`s thoughts on the subject: Hal Elrod “The Miracle Morning”- Journaling (…) enables you to document your insights, ideas, breakthroughs, realizations, successes and lessons learnt, as well as any areas of opportunity, personal growth, or improvement” Lucy H. Pearce “The Medicine Woman”- Lucy points out the benefits of keeping the daily journal as: gaining clarity, capturing ideas, reviewing lessons, and acknowledging your progress Ann Murphy- Hiscock “The Green Witch”- “Recording what you learn and do means that your information will probably be organized by date. You will thus remember and understand what you did when and why; the journal provides a context for your evolution.” Renee Peterson Trudeau “Nurturing the Soul of Your Family”- “This process of inquiry helps us tune in and honor our needs, and the more you do it, the easier it gets. It is an easy way to begin cultivating your inner world- which is as important as, or more important than, your outer world”. Happy Journaling