Journaling (noun): the practice of keeping a journal or diary, especially to express one's thoughts.
Over many years I have prompted myself to develop a journaling habit, by getting a notebook (paper or digital) and writing down words. Often it would be a list of the day's activities, without little or no expression of feeling or emotion. After a few days, I would lose interest and stop writing. I wouldn't necessarily see this as a failing, as I would rationalise my thinking to say that it was just not for me.
On reflection, it appears I was going about it the wrong way.
When I started writing a daily post almost 12 months ago, I never thought of it as a journal. I wanted to write, and with no set goal or agenda, I was motivated by a desire to create a writing habit. On reading through the 300 plus posts from the last year, some, but not all of what I have written has become my journal. Some of the writing is based on a random subject, with no relevance to a point in time. Other words reflect my feelings or emotions and provide a snapshot of personal history about what happened on a particular day.
When I look back at this body of work, I have achieved something that I thought wasn't for me, journaling.
Over many years I have prompted myself to develop a journaling habit, by getting a notebook (paper or digital) and writing down words. Often it would be a list of the day's activities, without little or no expression of feeling or emotion. After a few days, I would lose interest and stop writing. I wouldn't necessarily see this as a failing, as I would rationalise my thinking to say that it was just not for me.
On reflection, it appears I was going about it the wrong way.
When I started writing a daily post almost 12 months ago, I never thought of it as a journal. I wanted to write, and with no set goal or agenda, I was motivated by a desire to create a writing habit. On reading through the 300 plus posts from the last year, some, but not all of what I have written has become my journal. Some of the writing is based on a random subject, with no relevance to a point in time. Other words reflect my feelings or emotions and provide a snapshot of personal history about what happened on a particular day.
When I look back at this body of work, I have achieved something that I thought wasn't for me, journaling.
