As I had extra time for myself since the pandemic, I have started to record my daily life naturally. I started writing journal and blog. Through the articles from them, I am able to reflect on many things. I have thoughts such as ‘Oh, at this time last year, I was like this’, ‘ I am better than back then’, etc. And the thought that comes to mind most of all is ‘It was good to record it’.
I have no desire to hold on to the passing time. However, the most attractive thing about writing journal is that I can look back on myself and become a better me. I still continue to keep writing diary at least a little bit every day.
Actually, there is nothing really great about what you write every day. So what I do is, take a look back on the day, and write down a little bit of gratitude, what I felt and realized, and what I promise myself for tomorrow. As I have been writing this diary, I have seen changes in me and my life so I want to share what are the benefits of writing in journal or diary.
1. Self-reflection
The most important part of writing my diary is the self-reflection. I look back on my day and honestly write down all of my feelings and thoughts. As I spit out my feelings like that, I can observe what needs to be emptied from my mind and how it is changing daily. Journaling the mind itself feels like meditation. Once you unpack it in writing, you realize that this is also a process of emptying mind. It takes a lot of courage to honestly look back on myself. So, a daily diary is helpful as a way to build up courage little by little every day.
2. Get to know me
The more I practice self-reflection, the more I get to know who I am. There is nothing more fascinating than getting to know who I am, rather than how others perceive me or what they say about me. Knowing yourself is the beginning of everything. When you find what you like and what makes you happy, you will find the path to happiness.
3. Gain confidence
When you get to know yourself like that, you gain confidence no matter what you do. Through journaling and writing, I have regained a lot of my inner self-confidence. The confused thoughts in my head had vanished, and I was beginning to understand exactly what I was supposed to do. I was able to confidently do what I had to do and say what I had to say without doubts. It was because my head was organized. Even now, when I need to give a presentation at an important meeting or express my opinion, I simply sit down and write in a journal what I want to say. I read it objectively again and complete it by removing things that I shouldn’t say and things that are not fully acknowledged in my mind. Then I can express myself much better and that gives me a lot of confidence!
4. Be the basis for self-branding
Although it may seem small, the daily records are accumulating and I am becoming who I am. It is now the era of self-branding. Success comes from knowing yourself and branding yourself in the most natural way. I think the basis of it is writing a diary. Today is all we have; my whole life will be shaped by today.
Of course, it is not easy to keep a diary. Meditation helped me a lot to develop my self-discipline. If you meditate every day and keep a journal, you will find yourself changing from day to day!
