The One Ritual That Changed My Life
Is there a routine in your life that has impacted you in such a way that you know you would be a different person today if you didn’t regularly perform that ritual?
Perhaps it’s your daily walk outside or your commitment to wake an hour or so before your kids. Maybe you wish you had a routine that inspired you in some way.
Today I’d love to share with you something I’ve been doing since I was a young girl, and it’s had such an impact on my life I continue to make it a part of my daily routine.
I started journaling when I was in elementary school. It began with an old school diary complete with lock and key. Do you remember those?
I recorded the young longings of my heart upon the pages—making sure no one could get in. It may or may not have included thoughts about the boy I currently had a crush on (wink).
I journaled all throughout my high school years. My sweetest joys, deepest fears, and broken heart found its way etched upon those lines. The journals kept piling up—evidence of a life lived full of stories.
I look back now and I am so glad I took the time to write out my thoughts.
Perhaps journaling seems a bit intimidating to you. Maybe it’s enough to brush your teeth before you walk out the door each morning. Journaling? Who has time for that?
Or, maybe you don’t consider yourself a writer. Why would I take the time to do something I’m not good at, you might ask.
But sometimes, when we take the time for one small act, it can change the trajectory of our life. Even if we think it’s “not our thing”.
Journaling has been shown to have tremendous benefits. Did you know that you can increase your chance of success at a goal by 44% just by writing it down? Journaling also helps increase clarity, improve mood, and decrease stress. These are just a few of the benefits of journaling.
Research actually shows that writing is good for your brain. Studies indicate our retention of information increases when we write something down because we are actively engaging with it. We are able to better process our thoughts and feelings.
I believe the sacred art of journaling is one of the best investments of our time. Through the ages, prominent and productive people have kept journals.
Charlotte Mason, a homeschool legend, promoted the practice of commonplace journaling. In The Living Page, Laurie Bestvater remarks of her,
“Mason had shown me that the notebooks can be forms of vitality, literally the shape and outline, the liturgy of the attentive life. They nurture the science of relations and the art of mindfulness. They teach us to see the very brief beauty of now, to know the landscape of here, to be present in all our pleasures and pains. Through them, we haltingly, dwell in a world of ideas and connections with an ever-higher opinion of God and his works and as truer students of Divinity.”
Journaling helps us to see the brief beauty of now.
Our days are full of rushing from one activity to the next. We don’t always take the time to slow down and ponder the life we are actually living. Journaling helps us to do this. It helps us to be present in the here and now.
Journaling makes us aware of the kind of life we are living.
Jim Rohn rightfully remarked,
“A life worth living is a life worth recording.”
I find that when I journal, I am actually writing in the direction I want my life to go. It’s almost like a book mapping for the trajectory of my life.
Every morning I grab my journal, a pen, and the Word, and make my way either to the front porch or to my leather chair nestled next to the window. My coffee steams as I anticipate how God will speak in my time alone with Him.
It never fails. A verse, a line, a quote will prick my heart and I find myself writing back to God my own thoughts. I discover that as I write the words down, His Word becomes alive and active in my own heart.
I notice the trajectory of my life changing as I write out my thoughts.
This one routine has changed my life.
Will we choose to see the brief beauty of now? Will we dare to live a life worth recording? Will we pick up our pen and practice the art of mindfulness?
Forage the recesses of your mind today and grab a pen and journal. Be present in your pleasures and your pains. Shape your feelings onto the page before you.
You can start small. Grab a one line a day journal. You may find that you actually love recounting the days events as you go to bed each night. It may provide you with a proper perspective of how you spent your time or remind you of a lesson you learned.
It is never too late to begin a routine that may change the direction of your life.
If you are interested in going deeper into this concept of journaling, I’m excited to announce my new online course, Foraged Beauty, in which I share more on the sacred art of journaling. We will work through a unique two-page worksheet I have created just for you to download, reflecting on several different aspects of journaling including:
How do I get started with journaling?
What do I want to accomplish in journaling?
What Ideas do I want to keep?
Which type of journal should I use?
We will discuss writing in the direction you want your life to go, commonplace journaling, and I’ll even share some of my favorite journaling practices and the specific journals I currently use.
Would love to have you join us! My friend, Daune Pitman, will also help you create your own mixed media journal. Tomorrow is the last day to get the early registration price!
I hope to see you there!
May this routine that has found such an impact in my own life, find it’s way into yours.
Much love,
~Chris