For over 25 years, Oprah hosted her own talk show and became a billionaire, philanthropist, and respected leader. But there was one thing she did every day that wasn’t in the public eye: journaling. Each day, Oprah would journal one sentence regarding something she was grateful for in her life.
“Journaling is simply the act of thinking about your life and writing it down. That’s it. Nothing more is needed. But despite its simplicity, the daily journal has played a key role in the careers of many prolific people.” – James Clear
Journaling has long been used by many successful writers, musicians, and inventors. So, what can it do for you? Here are the key benefits, as outlined in James Clear’s article:
Provide New Lessons From Old Experiences
Reading your past experiences can allow you to have a second look at what you were really feeling. You pick up on new meanings from your writings. You’re re-reading the story of your life – potentially from a new perspective. Did you really mean that? Were you exaggerating? Should you have been prouder of that achievement?
Sharpens Your Memory
A journal provides you with details that you otherwise would have forgotten, lost in the blur of information and interactions happening in your day-to-day life. Cheryl Strayed wrote her book, Wild, from memories written in her journal. The journal provided her with people, places, experiences, and problems that arose during her journey, that may have eluded her mind otherwise after so many months. She believed it offered her an unvarnished portrait of her life on the trail, and she used those memories to translate her story for us to read. Thoughts will change over time. Reading your journal can show you how you used to think, and bring to light what may have changed within you in the time since.
Motivates You to Have a Fulfilling Day
Knowing that you’ll be journaling something from your day provides you with motivation to be positive. You don’t want to journal something negative (you won’t want to re-live that). The desire to find the best part or experience from your day is enough to change your mindset and focus on the best parts.
Provides You Proof of Progress
When you’re having [or have had] a bad day, you will eagerly look for something positive that happened during the day. Journaling focuses your energy on acknowledging the bad and then seeking the good in every day. You gain a sense of perspective. “Yes that happened, but so did this!” Just glancing at your previous entries will fill you with pride that you’ve found such amazing experiences and thoughts to put into your journal. Why not keep that going?
Yes, journaling every single day can be hard. It’s difficult to follow through every single day when you’re busy. But remember, we have technology now that allows us to write things down or record vocal memos at the drop of a hat. If you incorporate journaling into your nightly routine, it can become almost second nature. When you allow yourself to reflect on the day, you can ultimately find something that brought you joy. What were you grateful for? What would you want to remember in five years? Begin by writing one sentence per day, then expand if you’re willing to do that. You’ll find yourself eager to journal the experiences that happened, the advice you learned, or the triumph you achieved.
Now, go write down something that sparked joy within you today!