I don’t think I knew the power of paper and pen when I was a young girl.
I don’t think I understood the transformation that was taking place in me each time I wrote the details of my life in my brown journal with the gold trimmed pages.
See back then as an 8th grader dealing with liking a certain boy, friends and the ups and downs of becoming a teenager, I just knew there was some sort of solace that took place in the pages of my diary. All I knew was I needed to put down what happened each and every day of my young life.
I did not know that diary writing would turn to journal writing.
I did not know that my writing would change from the day to day recording of my life to the pouring out of my soul. The deepest parts of me, my thoughts and feelings expressed in a way that I am not always able to communicate with my spoken voice.
I did not know that years later; every success and setback, every heartbreak, every moment of sadness and happiness, the periods of feeling lost and confused would find its way into my journals.
The lesson I learned from keeping a diary and later a journal was the same; there was a solace to be found in the pages.
When anxiety wanted to rule. When sadness wanted to take up permanent residence in my life. When my heart was broken and it felt like the wounds would never heal. When the unexpected gifts in life found their way to me. It was all poured out on the page.
Healing took place when I wrote.
Direction was found when I wrote.
Worry went away when I wrote.
Tears turned to statements of power when I wrote.
I wrote because I needed to. I wrote because sometimes it was all I could do when options seemed not like options at all. Sometimes I wrote as if my survival was tied to the words that flowed from the hollow empty feeling spaces in my soul.
And while I still write about the hard things in life, I also write about the possibilities.
The possibilities that lay in the dreams I have held since I was that young girl who first began to express herself through writing. And the other dreams that have shown up and taken a place in my heart as I journeyed through the years of adulthood.
My dreams are ones I am not able to let go off, no matter how life tries to shake me up. No matter how many times I try to ignore the dreams of my heart. No matter how many times fear pushed me to abandon what I always knew was mine to have. My dreams have remained a constant companion in my life partnering with my journal and pen.
In my journal, those dreams have found a home. I can write about what I want to do. I can write about I plan to do. I can write about falling down and getting back up as I step out in pursuit of my dreams. I can write about what happens on any given day and then take the time to pause and reflect on my Dream Maker experiences.
In my journal, I can look for the lessons learned, answers to the questions asked and solutions to the problems that arose.
In my journal, I can look for the lessons learned, answers to the questions asked and solutions to the problems that arose.
My journal is a place of solace and refuge for the trying times, but it also a place where hope and possibility are allowed to spread across the pages. Clarity about my dreams and the path I am to take are revealed in my writing. Doubt, fear, and procrastination are confronted on the page strengthening me to face them head on and not be deterred from my path.
When I write down my dreams, I remain deeply connected to them. The more connected I am to my dreams, the more I am inspired to continue to pursue them. The more I pursue them, the more aligned I become with who I am and the purpose of my life.
If you are not writing down your dreams, try it today and watch how over time journal writing transforms not only you but also the way in which you pursue your dreams.
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Are you a journal writer? I would love to hear about your experiences. Send me an email.