Journaling: The missing piece in your success puzzle?

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

A term introduced by my friend when I was too stressed and started having anxiety because I was thinking too negatively and thought I was worthless — Journaling. I learned about journaling a while ago but was not ready to try these things, and I always pushed it until later. At the beginning of summer, I decided to start it and try to continue it for a while. I have been journaling for a month now and feel the changes in me.

Why You Should Start Journaling.

If you are reading this, I am sure that you have a deep drive to be successful in your life. I realized it can have multiple benefits; I will explain them as much as possible.

1. Success may be about money, love, or anything else. And this journey will be full of ups and downs. Your journey is unique and wonderful, and if you want to reflect on your life when you reach that successful point, you will have something with you if you write a journal. You may get inspired to write a book or a movie about your life someday, which will motivate many people.
2. We always talk about learning new things and learning from our mistakes, but when the time comes, we don’t remember that last time and repeat the same mistakes. We need to see where we went wrong and improve on it. Writing in a journal frequently will help you see where you are going wrong and write down what you learn from it.
3. If you ever feel like it’s the end of the world and you can’t do anything, jotting down your issues is the best thing that you can do. It will subconsciously take those negative feelings out of you. And when you read it back again, sometimes, you will realize that it was nothing but a minor issue. If you zoom out and see, you are just a tiny particle in this universe, and your success or failure that day wouldn’t have made much of a difference.
4. Most of the time, we never appreciate what we have with us. If you have a journal and take a page from two years back, you will find you were fighting hard for what you have today. So, you learn to appreciate what you have and be proud of yourself.

Consistency is important.

Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come — Dwayne Johnson.

If you decide to start journaling, make sure that you are consistent. If writing a journal every day is cumbersome, consider writing it every other day or twice a week. You need to make it a habit to see its benefits, just as if you want to get in shape, you work consistently. If you are not consistent and someday you want to reflect back, you won’t have any material.

How to write a journal?

There are multiple ways to write a journal, such as a plain notebook or a modern-day application. Here are some of my favorite applications.

1. Journal is a new app on iOS/iPhone that is an easy way to start journaling. It intelligently suggests group outings, photos, workouts, and more to help you remember and reflect on your experiences.
2. You can choose Stoic if you want more from your app.

I started with the Journal, but I am using the Stoic now.

What to write in your Journal?

Everyone has a different style of writing. I will tell you what works best for me. You can either use the same structure or modify it.

Title: The title can be your feeling at the end of the day — Anxious, Happy, Sad, Overwhelming, etc.

Body: The body can talk about your entire day and all the experiences.

Conclusion: In conclusion, you can write about your day’s three highlights. Make sure you search for positive things and write about them. It can be learnings or what was good during the day. This way, no matter what happens during the day, you will always go to bed positively.

I recommend starting a journaling habit for anyone who wants to succeed. Not only does it help you reflect on your journey when you reach your goals, but it allows you to learn from your mistakes, appreciate what you have, and subconsciously release negative feelings. Consistency is critical, and finding an application that works for you can make journaling more accessible and enjoyable. So why not try it and see how it can positively impact your life? I would love to hear your thoughts and experience with journaling in the comments below.