Where I Keep My Secrets
The New Year is here! If you’re like most people in the world, you’ve thought about what you’d like to change in 2017: what you’d like to learn, to do better, to stop doing, to discover, or simply great habits you’ve already cultivated that you want to keep up. Resolutions don’t have to start with the cheer of the ball drop in Times Square, but regardless of when you make them, committing to changing your life for the better is never easy. If it was, self-improvement books wouldn’t be the thriving business it is today. One of the best ways for young adults to stay connected with their goals is to start a journal.
No matter what you’ve resolved, putting them on the front page of a fresh journal and reading them every morning will help enforce the goals you’ve set for this next beautiful year of your life. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Journaling is hard to maintain. (Raise your hand if your room contains at least two journals you’ve excitedly begun, then deserted as, well, life happened.)
@SoulPancake’s New-Age Creator SoSonia shares some tips for helping you along your journey.
Here are a few practical tips:
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Get a journal and a pen, one that feels good in your hand. It’s important that you enjoy the look and feel of these items, as that will inspire you to want to use them.
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Be honest with yourself. (It’s harder than it looks.) Many young adults get “white-page” phobia. Allow yourself to write without judgement or editing, and you’ll discover the tangled web of your mind will start to pour out in a surprisingly poignant way. Writing slows and unwinds our rampant thoughts, allowing us to process things that we haven’t been able to resolve in our heads. Being honest gives you permission to be a work-in-progress, and creates a valuable sneak-peek for future you to remember just how far you’ve come. As SoSonia says, “Help the person that you will become remember who they once were.”
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Bring your journal with you. Take it out whenever you take out your phone or laptop. By making this commitment, you’ll be sure to use your journal. And when you flip open that first page and see the goals you’ve written, you’ll be reinvigorated with purpose, making those resolutions more likely to stick.
What goals have you set for yourself this year?
“Journaling is my front door into this little world that is the madness of my mind.” -SoSonia
