Writing
Journaling on Days When You Don’t Know How to Start
40 facts and thoughts I have learned about myself on my 40th birthday
I try to do journaling every day. It can be anything. Short. Long. A quote. A picture. A thought. A letter. A chapter.
And on the day of my birthday, I really wanted to write down my thoughts.
And I really struggled.
I wasn’t able to build proper sentences and didn’t see how I could start or finish my journal message on that day.
It was not any birthday but my 40th. And it was almost as if the pressure was too high to come up with something meaningful.
And then I read two wonderful articles. One from Berthran Benaiah about how to generate ideas to write daily.
And the other from Alina Avdyukova with the title “Journaling 101: How To Start, Benefits, Techniques, and Prompts”
Thanks to those two articles, I took the approach of writing down 40 things about myself and random thoughts. Here it is:
This is 40 🎈
1. I am grateful for being able to write this post
2. I am 40 — how did that happen?!
3. I am grateful for the fact that my children make me feel younger
4. 40 is the new 30 (strong believer)
5. Growing up in East Germany is something that I am finally proud of
6. When I was in my mid 20s, I was dreaming of this life
7. I am lucky that I am living my happy life with the man of my dreams
8. England is the most wonderful place to be when it’s sunny
9. The last 2 years have been the most intense years of my life
10. I miss being with friends
11. I miss my sister but I am grateful to be able to say hi over the phone whenever I can
12. I also miss concerts and live music and I am so glad they are coming back in 2022
13. I love my husband more than ever
14. I love spending time outdoors
15. I am happiest on top of a mountain and near water, but I don’t have to go into the water
16. My favourite flowers are tulips
17. I love waking up to bird songs and cuddles
18. I am proud of myself
19. French music makes me happy
20. This year I want to focus on being more in the present
21. This year I will do more 10km runs
22. This year I want to be able to play one ukulele song
23. I wish I were good at playing ukulele, but I am actually rubbish at it
24. I am looking forward to starting this next decade
25. This decade will be the one where I start a new hobby
26. I have new project ideas for this year that I love to test and try
27. Friends are more important than ever
28. I want to be a friend, mother, sister, daughter and wife that helps to create happy memories
29. Never be scared to say what you think
30. I hate the sound of scratching balloons but tolerate it when my kids are around
31. I love paragliding
32. I am struggling to express how I feel and want to work on that
33. I get energy from helping others
34. I want to leave an impact
35. Who would have thought that writing down 40 thoughts could be difficult
36. I don’t like material presents
37. I want my children to be happy and kind human beings
38. I do believe that sharing things with someone is the golden rule for all areas of life
39. Every day is a new beginning for anything you want
40. I am happy to be 40
So this was my journal note on my 40th birthday, which surprisingly felt like a relief and ended up being a wonderful list of things I am grateful for and value.
It inspired me to pick a few of these thoughts each month to review and plan and make sure I don’t forget.
