I have written a journal, of one type or another, for 40 years. To say my
journal is my best friend is almost true. To say it is the friend with whom I
have had the longest, most intimate relationship is decidedly true.
As recently as a few months ago, I realized that every journal I've kept
still contributes to my spiritual discovery and growth, from the stiff
cardboard covered composition book my freshman year in college to the leather
bound notebook I am filling now. The effort of writing, the follow-on reading
and reflecting, and the seamless connection of one journal to the next (no
matter how many months or years intervened) and of all journals to each
other--all these have impact.
I offer you these reasons to consider keeping a journal. I see
these reasons as benefits of journal writing. Journaling may give you
- A quiet, uninterrupted place to express thoughts you don't want to make public.
- An opportunity to ask questions of special importance to you.
- An opportunity to sample answers to those questions and not worry that the answers aren't
"right" (yet).
- A place to look simultaneously at past, present, and future and consider how they may be
connected (or not).
- A way to play with ideas that may not make sense right now (or ever) but that you wish to play with anyway.
- A chance to look at and listen to your Self without any judgment or criticism or fear.
- A repository for your consciousness: the connector between your thoughts and your actions.
When I invite people invited to my workshop, Journal Trek: 108 Steps on Your Journey to
Journaling, I hear many excuses. These are most common:
- "I'm a terrible writer."
- "I wouldn't be able to think of anything to write."
- "Having to write makes me remember how much I hated Language Arts in school!"
They may choose not to become journal writers. You may not
either. Still, I offer these counterpoints:
- No one grades your journal; you shouldn't either.
- Difficulty thinking of anything to write is a perfect topic to write about.
- You do not have to fill your journal with Big Topics or Great Ideas or Major Themes. You can do lots of meaningful writing about very, very simple subjects.
- Allowing yourself to put pen to paper just may release negative energy you've held onto for a long time.
Since I don't want logistics to stand in your way, here are some recommendations about materials, time and place that may help your journal writing:
- Select a notebook that makes you completely comfortable. If lined make careful selection between normal and college-ruled. Do you want a journal you can fold open to one page-side only (like a spiral notebook), for convenience? Should it fit in your purse or briefcase easily? Would you prefer brightly colored and designed or subtle and demure?
- Equip yourself with a pen or pencil that you really like using. For me, a large part of my enjoyment is the physical act of writing. So the more I like holding and maneuvering my pen, the better.
- Determine if you will be happier writing at the same time every day or if you want your journal
writing to be more spontaneous.
- Consider the same about space: want to always write in your study or your favorite coffee spot? Or can you sit and write wherever the spirit moves you?
- Write without thinking about how "good" (or "bad") your writing is. Your journal writing does not have to produce a poem or story, a report or article. Your purpose is to explore and express, not to excel.
Finally, here are three books I recommend you take a look at. You will not need any of these books to get you started. That only requires pen and paper! But once you're rolling as a journal writer, these books may interest you:
- Baldwin, Christina; Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Practice
- Budd, Luann; Journal Keeping: Writing for Spiritual Growth
- Cameron, Julia; The Artist's Way
Write on!
