I just finished writing in my journal and that was the main reason why I decided to share with you my experience so far with having it. You know, it’s different if you’re seeing than remembering what have you done in the first few days and months of the year. I used to do journaling for the past years but this year is the only time that I became more consistent with it. Maybe because instead of urging myself to write on it every end of the day, I shifted it to once every end of the month. I find it easier and it gives me more time to reflect and highlight the most important and positive things that had happened in my life.
Apart from writing reflections, I also write my goals in terms of fitness, finances, relationship, friendship, digital and skincare. My career isn’t included in that YET because I feel pressured when I can’t write anything on it. I feel like a failure when I can’t see any growth however, I worry about it as well all the time.
When writing my goals in each category, I make sure to be more precise. It’s easier for me to see what I should concentrate on than be broad, see it as a difficult goal to reach, and end up giving up doing it. For instance, I wrote on my January fitness goals were:
- lose belly fat
- get toned legs/butt/abs
- stick with my routine
For my financial goals:
- pay my monthly bills
- save money every end of the month
- come up with another source of income
My January entries weren’t as clear as I planned. I got overwhelmed to write so many things in my notebook. There was a section where I put ‘What To Do’ which stated what were the things I should do to meet each goal I wrote on top of it. I realized that I don’t need to be reminded about it anymore since I always set my mind the night before about what I have to do the next day. I know it sounds magic but I can do it. I even had a section called ‘Things To Avoid Doing.’ I’m shaking my head right now as I type it.
In February, I decided to just focus on four goals instead of 6. Fitness, financial, skincare, and digital aspects. I realized that I have to work on myself first before I fix my interaction and relationships with other people. I also removed the ‘What To Do’ and ‘Things to Avoid Doing’ and altered them to ‘Reflection.’ My notebook looks neater and more organized than the January entry. The same goes for my March and April entries.
As I read my February to May reflections, I’m amazed by how consistent I am with the mindset I have in meeting my goals. Some details are not that good but I can tell that I’m being more mature in handling the ups and mostly my downs in my journey. I always managed to write encouraging words and have a positive outlook on life.
I also have a book goals section in my journal too. I list down the books I have read each month. Adding more books to this page makes me feel happy knowing that I spend most of my time reading and learning. This helps me forget about having a phone. Haha.
Journaling is changing the way I express myself. I’m becoming more aware of my habits, actions, and mindset and slowly learning to overcome my anxiety. It’s helping me to appreciate little things in life more. I’m like the lettuce in my garden, slowly growing as long as it will be given the right amount of water and sunlight. Same with positive thoughts, prayers and kind words.
Thank you so much for reading!
Danielle's Online Diary 