Aspiring Leadership developing the leader from within

Journaling: A Tool for Developing the Leader from Within

Journaling is an individual activity that has great power. It is one of the most meaningful behaviors you can learn to accelerate your personal growth and development. Journaling can help you reduce stress, capture your thoughts, set personal goals and record your daily experiences. Your journal is a compilation of your unique ideas, thoughts, quires, actions and reactions. It is a tool to aid you in capturing your conscious and subconscious thoughts and emotions. There is no right or wrong to journaling. It is an instrument to aid you in nurturing your heart, soul and mind as you discover the wisdom you posses within.

There are many options for journaling. Some people like to journal free hand and others like to do it electronically. The method is not important. The act and process of journaling is the key to enabling you to gain insights into yourself. As you journal you are encouraged to write about: (a) what is important to you, (b) what is real to you, what you believe in and what you value, (c) question your long-held beliefs, (d) make connections between events and ideas, and (e) define and solve problems.

The art of journaling is unique for each person. Here are a few tips to help aid your process.

• Write or type quickly, allowing the words and thoughts to pour freely from your subconscious.
• Do not analyze your words or thoughts, just let them flow.
• Keep writing or typing. Do not erase or delete words. Write for fifteen or more minutes at a time.
• Date each entry and document the time, place and any details regarding your emotional and physical state.
• After you have finished, before you reread your entry, take time for a glass of water, a brief stretch, or mediation. If you feel compelled to, write an insight line.