An Attempt at Journaling
I have never had lasting relationships with journals. More often than not, procrastination and laziness will take over, innuendo would set in, and I would feel tired at the mere thought of having to record what has already passed. But given my nature, I tend to think of the past alot. And also given my nature, I tend to forget what happened in the past alot.
In recent weeks, much has happened. The good, the bad, the ugly. I’ve been caught in compromising situations of which I would elaborate on, and neither am I proud of. I’ve been caught in the middle of sagas that have changed quite vastly my outlook on things. And I’ve made bad choices, taken unwise steps, and lost my centre. And it’s not something I want to repeat again.
I realise that I haven’t had time for reflection, to think about what has happened, and to breathe so I can make the best decision moving forward. I realise I haven’t had time to relax, and that is why I’ve lost my centre so easily. Here’s an attempt at journaling again. Here’s an attempt at regaining my centre again. Here’s once again a commitment to my initial and abiding intent to rest and reassess. And hopefully, in this way, I can finally regain some inner peace.
Here are some steps I will take in assessing my life:
1. an hour a day to list down what I have accomplished, spotlight thoughts / epiphanies, feelings I’ve had (and the reasons behind them), and summaries of conversations I’ve had with people
- what have I accomplished for today?
- what are some major / spotlight thoughts and epiphanies / insights I’ve gained?
- what are some conversations I’ve had with people
- what are my thoughts about some people?
- what have I been feeling today and why?
- what are some interesting things I’ve read today and what are some interesting things I can note?
2. an hour a week, every end of the week to gather 1;
- how do my thoughts translate into actions
- is there a pattern between my thoughts? is there a pattern between my actions?
- how do my thoughts lead into actions? what are some recurring thoughts or feelings I’ve had and why?
- what are some insights that I can gain and how will they affect my future and direction moving forward?
3. an hour at the end of the month, every month, to gather 2:
- are my actions yielding results?
- how are my actions affecting my relationships with others
- what are some common patterns I see in my actions and thoughts?
- what are some insights I can gain and how will they affect my future and direction moving forward? how does it affect my goals and do I need to realign them?
With every reflection: an observation and subsequent insight. Here’s to keeping better field notes, and here’s to being better.
