A great man once said that a life worth living is a life worth
recording. With this truth in mind, let us examine the time-honoured
method of keeping a Journal as a powerful tool for self-improvement.
Firstly, understand that a Journal is NOT a diary. Although the line
is definitely blurred, a diary largely deals with externals. A Journal is
about your inner being. It is actively used as a tool for
self-improvement, as opposed to passively recording events.
The
benefits of keeping a Journal are that through doing so, you monitor your
own internal processes. It can be used to integrate psychological parts
within yourself that have long remained in conflict. A Journal can help
you see the changing cycles within your life - processes that only become
evident when rigorous self-examination is used. It helps you to remember
your dreams, and begin to understand and gain insight from them. Most
importantly, the keeping of a Journal puts you ever closer in touch with
the Higher Self - the highest part of you responsible for creativity,
wisdom and for orchestrating the events of your life.
In short,
keeping a Journal turns your life from a seemingly random succession of
events into a well-defined school. You begin to see the lessons in your
life and put them into practice.
What is the best procedure? There are
many, and it is really a very in-depth subject. In this short discussion,
we shall examine a few ideas to get you on the road of at least starting a
Journal and thereby experiencing immediate benefits.
The first step is
to physically get yourself a suitable Journal. This should ideally be an
A4 book with either lined or unlined paper. Don't get a diary as you will
not be doing a "day to a page" or anything like that. However, the book
you buy should ideally have section dividers of some sort. Alternatively,
you can buy a file folder, corresponding pad of paper, and a set of
dividers. Use the dividers to create different sections in your Journal.
The first section you should keep is the Daily Log. Here, you make
brief entries during the day, preferably immediately after the event. In
this section, you record any internal events that you deem of importance.
Emotions, reactions, thoughts, realizations, interactions with people or
situations, and the internal effects they had upon you. If there was an
external trigger, you record just enough of it to make sense of the entry.
The key here is brevity.
Even though your outer life may be relatively
uneventful from one day to the next, you will soon find that your inner
life is alive and rich and full of happenings. As you do this over time,
more insights will begin to occur. For instance, you will start to
perceive the triggers that cause your behaviour. You will become
increasingly aware of how you handle yourself and how you could do better.
You will become less "automatic" and more conscious of your choices in
each and every situation.
Another section you should keep is a dream
journal. Here you record ANY impressions, fragments or complete dreams
that you recall. If you do not normally remember dreams, this procedure
will help stimulate recall. Keep the Journal by your bed and record
anything that you remember. Better still, tell yourself before you sleep
that you WILL remember your dreams. If you still don't remember anything,
consider setting an alarm clock at some point in the night, and write down
whatever you recall as soon as you awaken. If the answer is nothing, reset
the alarm clock!
Dreams are one place where your intuitive, creative
self - which can only speak in images - seeks to establish communication
with you. Thus by making this effort, you begin to come into conscious
communion with parts of yourself that transcend your normal conscious
intelligence.
The next section is where you ask questions that you
need answers to. These can relate to any area of your life whatsoever -
relationships, spirituality, work, creativity, and so on. Actually, you
are asking your Higher Self for the answers.
Write your entry here in
the form of a question. Date it and leave it. Then pay attention to your
dreams, the events of the day, and your own internal insights and thought
processes. The various parts of the Journal fit beautifully together to
give you the answers you seek. Expect an answer and it will come. If
nothing happens, simply repeat the process the next day with the same
question! Be insistent. The answer will eventually appear.
The final section of the Journal that we will talk about is the Life
Cycles section. You review your life and try to describe it in terms of
the big cycles that you have experienced. It may have been a relationship
cycle, an employment/career cycle, a cycle of religious affiliation. It
differs for each person. Ponder your life and recognise the major cycles.
For example, it may be your ten-year marriage, your six year career with
XYZ Corp., your troubled teenage years, etc. Within each major cycle,
write the main events that made it up as a series of brief entries. If you
do this properly, you should also be able to identify minor cycles within
the major. Do this also for the current cycle that you are living in right
now.
Of course, many different cycles overlap each other in our lives.
The point is simply to begin to get a perspective on the major movements
within our lives that have brought us to where we are today.
Being
able to see the large cycles and sub-cycles helps you to achieve a much
expanded consciousness and context for your life. You see how the events
of life seem orchestrated - as indeed they are - to lead you to learn many
lessons and gain profound realizations. You begin to realize where you
failed to learn the lesson, and therefore had to experience it all over
again in another time and place until it finally sank in. In short, you
gain perspective. In doing so, you become more empowered to lay out a
grander vision for your future.
There is one final and important
point. Your Journal is PRIVATE. Therefore, say what you wish openly and do
not censor yourself. This is the one place where you can speak freely so
give yourself that blessing. At the same time, keep the Journal in a safe
place where it will not be available to prying eyes!
This has been a
whirlwind introduction to the benefits of the Journal, although a lot has
been covered. Doubtless, other possible sections lend themselves to your
imagination, as indeed should be the case. The Journal is YOUR personal
tool for self-growth and should thus arise out of your needs and
aspirations. If you want to study the subject in greater depth, there are
plenty of resources available on the subject. However, the important thing
is just to get started and experience the benefits NOW. You have enough
ideas here to create a deeply enriching life tool for yourself. May it
bring you many tender insights and blessings.
Dr. Asoka Selvarajah is an active
writer/researcher on personal development and esoteric spirituality.
Asoka's work helps people achieve their full potential, deepen their
understanding of mystical truth, and find joy through discovering their
soul's purpose. He has travelled extensively, visiting the world's major
spiritual centres including India, Israel, Egypt and Peru.
You can
subscribe to his FREE ezine, Aspire To Wisdom, at:
http://www.aksworld.com/AspireToWisdom.htm?LIME Asoka welcomes your
questions/comments on this article at his Discussion Forum:
http://www.aksworld.com/discus?LIME Visit his Mystic Visions website at:
http://www.aksworld.com?LIME
