How journaling changed my view on life
By: Tyson Pham
Tags: Experience, Diary, Journaling, Blog

I’ve been journaling for 3 years now and for me by now it’s like brushing my teeth: I can’t live without it.

For me, journaling is a very powerful tool to reflect on oneself and express gratitude. Many people have asked me since then, whether and how I write my journals.

In this article, I share with you what journaling means for me today, how I started it and how I developed my technique over time. At the end, I give you some simple tips for starting your own journal today.

What it means for me today

For me, journaling is a way to calm down my mind before I go to sleep. It’s kind of a meditation.

It is a method for sorting out and recording the best moments of the day. Now, I can jump back to each and every day and review it in my mind. I get the chance to re-live it.

This gives me the feeling that life doesn’t pass by too quickly. Those moments are kept now forever as a treasure, which becomes bigger and bigger from day to day. Looking back to those 3 years (since the beginning of 2018) I’ve collected a lot of precious moments of my life. Full of memories and names of people I’ve met and spent time with.

Journaling is also a great tool to reflect about myself. I write down remarkable emotions and situations in life, which touched me in a way that I don’t want to forget. Positive and negative emotions, both shaped me to who I am today.

It is a good opportunity to release stress, as well. My journal is like a very good conversation partner, who is amazingly patient and a very good listener. I just can write down everything on my mind. Especially, questions to myself, questions about life and myself.

Through journaling life becomes so precious to me. All people and tiny situations matter to me. Everything plays a role in the grand scheme. I became proud of my life, I became so deeply grateful for this one life on earth.

How I write my journal

I’m a big fan of digital tools, that’s why I use the app Evernote. I started with it and I still write with it today. At the end of each year, I transfer the entries from this year into Google Docs (or Word document). The files have about 90 to 115 pages (font size 12). The advantage of having your journal in digital form is that you can quickly call up the events from any day in the past. I just use the search function and search for dates, events, names, places etc.

First, I note the weekday and date: Mon, 01.01.2021

Then, I use gratitude sentences about the best moments of the day. Any situation, which seems worthy, I write down. When I did something cool or accomplished something, when I felt great about something, when I received something, when I spent time with someone etc. I even want to express gratitude, when something “negative” happened, because these are the things I learn and grow from. At least I try to write all the names of the people I interacted with on that specific day. In my opinion, the best experiences are with other people.

Examples:

I am grateful for spending time with my parents. We ate pancakes for breakfast. I am grateful for having time to read the book Awareness by Anthony De Mello. I am grateful for getting to know XY in this XY-Meetup. I am grateful for receiving good feedback from XY.

After those gratitude sentences, I write down three so-called lofty questions (inspired by Vishen Lhakiani, founder of Mindvalley), which resonate with me most during that day.

Examples:

Why is the universe (or God) showing introducing me so amazing people into my life? Why is the universe giving me so much energy to do all the things I want to do? Why is the universe giving me this opportunity in life?

How you can start today

Sign up to Evernote (free version is sufficient) and start a new note. Write down today’s weekday and date. Write down one thing that you are grateful for today. Let it be the simplest thing: that you are alive!

Have fun gathering the best moments in your life and look forward to retrospecting on them in the future.

Approach me for any further questions. ;)

Tyson