Everything You NEED to Know About: Journaling. Beginners Guide to growing your secret superpower!

"A word after a word after a word is power."

--Margaret Atwood

As mentioned in my first blog, I aim to talk about fashion and LIFESTYLE. I should have you know that the word lifestyle is a very broad word to me. It means many things and represents pretty much everything that we do on a daily basis. My goal for this post is to leave you feeling motivated, inspired and ready to seize the day. You ready? Okay, let’s go!

Before we start, I need to ask you a question. What does life mean to you? Are you where you want to be, right now? Are there goals that you’ve achieved yet? What are traits and attitudes that you love about yourself? What are some habits that you KNOW you need to let go of? It’s very important to always REFLECT on your life, your decisions and your path. It’s not everyday we bump into a wise man who will ask us a soul searching question about ourselves. We have to take on the responsibility of doing this for ourselves. It’s OUR job, not anyone else’s. So, with that being said, let’s move on to the power of writing or more specifically journaling!

"I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in."

--Robert Louis Stevenson

As a little girl, I would always buy journals and notebooks. I LOVED to write and clearly I still do, being that I’m sitting here writing words as fast as my fingers will allow. Writing is my superpower. My words make people laugh, some of them make people cry, others make people motivated and some give people chills. All in all, writing is a powerful tool that every single human being should acknowledge. A lot of the successful people today wrote! Writing isn’t just for the passionate poets and talented best selling authors. Writing is for EVERYBODY! If I didn’t write, I would have forgotten about all of my goals. I would have forgotten the lyrics to a song that randomly popped in my head out of nowhere. I would have lost sight of my achievements and where I wanted to be. I normally use a journal to write down my experiences in a more encouraging way as if I’m talking to someone else. That way, when I read it again, it’s like someone else is talking to me. It’s like I’m being encouraged and inspired all over again. Words have power.

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."

--Anne Frank

As a girl, I’ve had my share of diaries too. It never lasted long though. I would always slack off and I could never figure out how to stay constant on writing in it every single day. I felt like what was the use of writing in it daily when nothing exciting has happened. If I didn’t feel passion, then I didn’t feel like writing. If nothing inspired me, then I had no idea what to write about. (But that’s besides the point!) My thing is this:

No one is going to hold me accountable for my dreams. In fact, there’s probably a lot of people who’d wish I (or YOU) would just forget about my dreams and waste my life away doing nothing. There’s someone, somewhere, trying to figure out their life. There’s someone out there struggling to get their LLC, there’s someone out there frustrated with their 9-5 job and doesn’t know what to do. There is someone out there waiting for a call, an email… a letter. Even with me writing now, it’s so hard to describe how I feel. To me, writing is more than just a pen and paper. Or in other cases, my fingers and a keyboard. Bits of my soul are flashing around in the letters as they are being typed and my passion won’t stop bothering me until I get every single word down. There is always someone wanting or wishing that they could be at a different stage in their life. Wishing they had a new car, better house, better job, more money in their account, a happier life and the list goes on. What we should have been taught is that wishing won’t get us anywhere. Neither will talking about your dreams and goals.

"Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart;

― Rainer Maria Rilke

This is what you need to do.

Step 1. Get a Journal

I personally love buying journals that have a nice hard cover design on the front. I like big journals so anything smaller than 8x10 inches won’t do for me. Not all journals are expensive. There are some really good ones at Home Goods and Five Below. Places like Walmart can sometimes be a hit and miss but there's always the option of ordering online. I highly recommend that when purchasing a journal, you do it in person. Doing this, you'll be able to feel, see and inspect it to tell if it's right for you. Some journals are amazing while others don't really hit all the five stars.

Step 2. Find a Reason

If you’ve got your journal, then now is the time to figure out what you are willing to write about. You don’t need to write about your day every night before you go to bed. You don’t have to feel obligated to write ridiculous nonsense just to fill the pages. Make sure that what you’re writing has a purpose and meaning to it. I have two journals currently right now. The first one is a journal that I like to write in during the day or early in the morning during my morning routine. I like to write down different topics for each day that will keep me motivated and leave me feeling my absolute best. (I will leave some journal prompts down for you below to get you started!) My second journal is a GOAL MANIFESTATION book. This is where I list every single dream I have. No matter how small or big it is, I WRITE IT DOWN! Everything that has to do with my achievements, goals, habits, behaviors and so on are written in this book.

Step 3. Be Consistent

As I mentioned in the second step, I have a goal book. It’s very important for me to be reminded of my top 10 dreams and goals. If I’m not reading or writing in this book on the daily then WE HAVE A PROBLEM. It’s not always about writing to get it over and done with. Sometimes, you just need to make yourself a hot cup of tea, sit back and read what you’ve written. You’ll be surprised at what you’ve expressed and shared in the past! It might even leave you feeling extremely inspired and could possibly motivate you to write something else down. Just like anything else though, being consistent is very important if we want to get anywhere. It’s like filling up your car half way with gas and then expecting it to keep going after it’s run out of gas! Sis, put some more gas in your car and keep going! We are human. We get doubtful or uninspired sometimes and that’s okay. But think of a journal as your lifestyle handbook. Whenever something goes south or you seem to be a little lost, open that baby up and remind yourself of who you are and what you are working so hard to achieve.

Step 4: Respect Yourself

Life is a rollercoaster. Jonathan McReynolds put it best when he described it as going in “cyyycccllleesssss…” Even in your lowest point, show yourself love. There are times when we don’t get love and support from the people we thought we would and that’s when your words of encouragement come into play. I remember so many times I’ve felt overwhelmed, doubtful and just down right frustrated! I would go into my journal and read. I’ve even written letters to myself in the past. I still have them! And every single time I read them, I still get the chills. I feel back on the top of the world, on my feet, ready to do great things. I want this for you. I want you to find the beauty of becoming the best version of you. It’s okay to change. Changing is a beautiful thing.

As promised, I have included some journal prompts to get you started on your journal. Make sure to make this an enjoyable and relaxing process. Something that you look forward to doing instead of feeling it’s like a chore. Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.

Self Love Journal Prompts:

• What are my favorite personality traits about myself?

• What makes me feel the happiest?

• What am I most grateful for?

• When do I feel most confident?

• What are some toxic traits I need to get rid of? What are some healthy habits I need to start?

Goal/Dream Journal Prompts:

• My top 10 dreams are… (be as specific as possible!!!!)

• List every single dream and goal you have.

• What is my greatest achievement thus far?

• What are my greatest strengths? What are some weaknesses?

• Write 10 positive affirmations for reaching your goals and dreams.

• Name things in your life that give you joy.

• In ten years, what life do you see for yourself? (be as specific as possible!!!!)

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this post and REALLY hope you consider my advice in getting a journal if you don’t already have one. I will continue to post journal prompts and thought provokers for you all as the days go on. Make sure you subscribe to my website so that you can receive emails and reminders pertaining to B E I G E.

I know that life can be hard and sometimes we feel overwhelmed and just flat out tired, but KEEP GOING. I’m trying to encourage myself as I write this to you all because I have tons of goals and dreams that I still have yet to achieve. While I try my best to stay focused and take it one day at a time, remember that your words have power.

"As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand."

― Ernest Hemingway