I’ve spent the better part of my adult life in and out of journaling. You can ask my husband. Journals are all over my house. Each serves a different purpose.
One is for in depth studies that I do. It’s opened for seasons then sits untouched on the shelf for others.
A few are for my kids so I can write out my thoughts about & to them. Sometimes I leave them on their pillow to read. Sometimes I don’t. Just depends
One is specifically for prayer where I write down prayer thoughts for myself and my accountability partner. Admittedly this is the one that sounds the most spiritual yet collects the most dust. hmmm
Another is my BHAG journal. Where I write out my Big Hairy Audacious Goals. This one I pick up only a few times per year. But it’s great for dreaming.
But my most recent is one I’ve adopted from my leadership, Chuck Carringer. One of the first things Chuck challenged me to do is to keep a journal to record phrases & statements that challenge me. He refers to it as a Leadership Journal. I’m gradually adopting this habit. It’s interesting to sit down and review.
One thing I’ve learned about journaling… it’s a discipline. It’s a muscle to be exercised. There was a time when I would say that journaling is really only for those that love to write. But I don’t buy into that anymore. Just like prayer, journaling is a discipline to be exercised on a regular basis. In fact, journaling helps to bring clarity & focus to my prayers. I tend to be more specific in my prayers when I write them out. Less scattered.
As a leader, I think journaling makes me better. It helps me to pull out of the weeds and focus more on the bigger picture.
