Do you journal? With the world being very noisy it is important to take some quiet time, so writing in a journal is a way for me to connect back.

We live in such a noisy world today that we no longer notice all the noise around us. The beeps, dings, buzz and chatter that are constantly part of our lives has actually taken over our ability to be quiet, to go within and find solitude. We do not take the time to discover what might lie within us that we are called to pay attention to.

When going on a trip or holiday people are scrambling to find free WiFi or hotels that have WiFi in their vacation rooms. We have this constant sense that we must all ways be connected, see what our friends are posting on FB, answer each email as they come in, pick up every call, listen to every voice mail, catch every drama going on in the world, and totally distract ourselves with our gadgets.

 QUIET PLEASE!!!  I need to think!  I need to go within and discover what awaits to be learned. I do that best when I take a few moments to sit in silence, then pick up my Pen and my Journal and begin to ask myself questions that lead me to discovery.

I ask questions that force me to keep looking deeper in a situation, a stumbling block or an idea.

I ask questions that trigger my creative process and push me to explore where my real limits are.

I ask questions that help me to formalize a thought process that can then be taken and put in action.

I am alway questioning myself,

1. Where are the places that there is the possibility for me to grow?
2. What and who am I grateful for?
3. What did I learn this week that is important for me to remember?
4. What needs to be said that has not been said?
5. What guilt or anger am I holding on to that I need to release?
6. Am I happy?
7. What are the things that stop me and why?

Most people think of Journaling as a diary where they write what they ate, who they talked to and what their day was like. But journaling is really more about externalizing some of your internal dialog.

I find that if I am in the midst of a problem and I can take it out of my head where it is in a state of perpetual looping and I write it out in my journal, it stops the looping and I can come up with a clear solution. When the problem stays in my head it becomes nothing more than constant chatter that stops the flow of creativeness. I cannot find a solution until I stop, go quiet and give the problem space to unravel and then I can see the solution.

I encourage all of my clients to do two things every year,

1. Create a vision board of your goals.
2. Pick up a new journal and start the year off with the following,

What did I learn last year?
What and who am I grateful for?
What is the word that will define my year coming up?

I encourage them to keep asking themselves hard question and seek out the answers that come from the act of letting yourself be quiet and write.

Consider the benefits of regular journaling.

Quiet thinking time.
Clearer thought processes.
Uncluttering the mind.
Greater personal growth.
Greater professional growth.
Clarity around your creative ideas.

Consider making journaling a regular healthy habit in your life.  Even if you decide to journal using technology you will get great results. You will find answers to problems, and clarity in your thought process when you journal weekly or daily.