Journaling has always been my #1 method of coming back to myself. When I journal, it calms the swirling thoughts in my head and grounds them on paper. I am able to problem solve and inspire myself in ways that I have never been able to access purely through thought alone. I came across this photo a few days ago and loved how accurately it depicted how I feel about journaling (when I found it, it was not credited, if you know who created it, please send the details to me!).

I have one rule with journals, I don’t keep them. Sure, it would be so interesting to look back into the thoughts of past versions of myself, but to let my journals live on would cloud my process of writing.

I write my most raw feelings. Sometimes my mind can only produce a scribble, sometimes my mind needs to dump frustration and anger. Whatever that day brings, I let it be exactly what it needs to be. Because I discard my journals I don’t worry about the judgement that might occur if someone one day finds them. I am unapologetically myself on paper, which helps me to come back to my true self.

When I devote time to journaling every day, I am at my happiest. When in a low chapter in life, it can be really hard to pull myself to journal. Sometimes life can feel too heavy to write about. Over the years I have learned that even giving myself 5 minutes in a day creates more peace in my mind and days. Sometimes I journal in my car before picking up my daughter from school, sometimes in the morning with my red light, sometimes sitting outside in the sunshine. The setting is always different, but the benefit is the same.

My Favorite Prompt: Who Do I Want To Be?

For the majority of my life, I have journaled without prompt. My entries look more like a diary, working through my emotions of the moment, which I still love to do. Over the last few months, I have given my journaling a new focus with the question: Who do I want to be? There is no timeline and no restrictions to the answer, it is only simply a question asking how I want to show up in the world.

It feels elementary, but the result has been profound.

This prompt pushes me to define pieces of myself. Some days Who do I want to be? gets answered with dreams of creating a career in helping others, or dancing through my days a little more. Other days I find myself defining a character trait,  like I want to be patient, a good friend, a loving spouse, forgiving, or trustworthy. After identifying my answer for the day, I give myself space to define a little bit of what this trait, characteristic, or action means to me. In defining pieces of myself, I create a loose roadmap for myself of what it means to operate in alignment, something I’ve never had in a tangible way.

Since incorporating this prompt into my life almost daily, I have felt a significant shift. Once defined, it is easier for me to become who I want to be or even more, who I am. I am able to go through my day more aligned, giving me more ease and lightness. This ease has created a space for creativity that I haven’t been able to harness in a long time. Creative thought, infinite dreams, and a more joyful state of being. More than any other journaling I have done, it has grounded me, pouring a strong foundation of self for me to create the life I want to be living.

This prompt helps me to get to the end of my day feeling good about the energy I put into the world that day. Instead of going through a list of incomplete tasks, or moments where I could have been better, I find myself focusing on the moments where I am proud of myself for showing up as I did. Is every day perfectly in alignment? Absolutely not. It takes time to become who you are and to have the strength to show up as that person. My 5-10 minutes a day allows me to give myself grace as I get there because even though the day may be riddled with imperfections, I know I am getting closer to becoming who I want to be.