My no. 1 inner work tool
Do you remember Harriet the Spy? It was a book made into a movie starring Michelle Trachtenberg — I remember reading it when I was a kid. I’m not sure if that was the catalyst for my journaling obsession or whether it just added fuel to the fire. I’ve been journaling as long as I remember. Not by spying on other people like Harriet, but all about my own experiences.
I’m sure if I went back through my childhood journals - I think they’re still at my parents’ house somewhere — I’d feel a mix of sadness and pride for the lonely, yet creative little girl who poured her heart out into the pages of notebook after notebook. Sometimes it was a creative process, but more often than not it was documentation.
A lot of the early content was very Dear Diary. I had conversations with myself via this non-judgemental entity that just listened and allowed me to work out whatever problems I was having in the schoolyard, or at home, and venting or documenting the unravelling of life.
As I got older I started to do more than talk to myself within the pages. My practice evolved into basic self-coaching and free writing, which enabled me to clear my mind of clutter, sift through the mud to find the gold, and work through challenges and decisions without an outside influence. Very handy for a chronic people pleaser! One of the more significant practices that I took on board was Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Mapping. Identifying my core desired feelings was a game-changer (although at the time I hadn’t quite figured out how to actually feel them).
Alongside working with a coach, my journaling practice enabled me to self-coach through a traumatic marriage breakdown. I reflected on the signs that it was coming, supporting myself through all the feelings, and ultimately coming to peace with the inevitable. This allowed me to focus my energy toward forming a new, solo identity and forging a path ahead that was authentic and nourishing for my soul.
It allowed me call in my dream partner and cast a vision for a life that I then made a reality. Being intentionally aware of what had and hadn’t worked in my single time, and what I was looking for in a relationship helped me to be clear and ready when the person came along who ticked all of the boxes (and then some). Call it manifesting if you like, but I know the recipe for our successful partnership is within the pages of my journal.
In a more practical sense, I've kept myself accountable and rewritten my beliefs to become the best version of myself in a daily realignment to my goals and living in line with my values. Sitting down each morning to connect with my vision, releasing mind made stories into the page, and calling myself into inspired action has resulted in the kind of momentum I find completely unparalleled in any other personal development practice.
Learning how to use journaling to support the deepest of healing, transformation, and self-awareness is powerful. In a world that continually makes us question and second-guess ourselves while seeking external validation, cultivating self-trust is the most badass thing we can do for ourselves. It’s the pathway to creating a life filled with peace and joy.
My laptop’s hard drive is filled with files and files of different journaling prompts, and my office drawers have dozens of journals and notebooks from over the years, all evidence of my commitment to this practice that has become a non-negotiable daily inner work tool for me… and now I want to share it with you.
I created a 21 Day Journaling Challenge that was a free email program, and I was so proud of the content I pulled together for it. However, digging into the kinds of journaling practices I shared was pretty intense for just 3 weeks! It definitely was ambitious.
I’ve now converted it into a very affordable program called Journal to Joy, with 21 video lessons giving context to the journaling prompts, and some extra content as well, that can be taken at your own pace and returned to anytime.
Read more about Journal to Joy today and enrol to start cultivating this powerful practice for yourself.
Want to get started with a FREE intro guide? Download Journal to Joy: Cultivating the Practice today!