Why to keep a journal really?

It's not about changing your life. It's about dealing with contradictions.

I’ve been writing since I was 10.

I’ve written more than 300 blog posts, about 100 poems, and a short novel. I know how to write a lengthy expert guide about software development, a press release about a product launch, an interview with a business owner, a social media post about a controversial topic, a poem about love, and even a story on how to write a story.

But what I could never do is daily journaling. I tried though. Several times.

I remember at the age of 13 I read a book “The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer.” I wanted start my diary ASAP! My intention disappeared as quickly as it came up.

I tried journaling as a student after one of my relationships broke up. I wrote one page about what an asshole that guy was. This made me feel a little better, but didn’t get me into the practice of daily journaling.

I tried writing dream journals at the end of the year when everybody makes New Year resolutions. This didn't work. And I never kept the resolutions.

Journaling has never worked for me. Why? I guess I didn’t know why I needed it. While putting negative emotions on paper definitely helped me get rid of them, I couldn't find any sense in regular journaling.

A lot of articles on the internet say that journaling changes your life.

Here is my favorite quote by Tim Ferriss talking about this:

“Could bitching and moaning on paper for five minutes each morning change your life? As crazy as it might seem, I believe the answer is yes.”

But why do I need to change my life? I mean it’s not that shitty. I think Tim Ferriss’ life and the lives of other writers who blog about the power of journaling aren’t shitty either.

So why are we so drawn to this perspective of changing our lives? What is it all about?

Why to change your life at all?

Have you ever wondered what harmony is? Harmony is when there are no contradictions. In other words, it is when what you do, what you think, and what you value don’t contradict each other.

For example, imagine a person whose greatest value in life is creativity. But she works as a project manager and thinks she should earn money and have a family. She certainly feels bad. Her actions, thoughts, and values contradict each other. This is how people get depressed, become anxious, less productive, unhappy, and unsatisfied with their lives overall.

When you feel happy, what you do, think, and value are in piece. When all your actions in life are built around your inner values, you can consider yourself a happy person.

You see what I’m getting at. Happiness equals harmony.

To change your life means to find a way how to live a life with no contradictions.

The only way to do it is to be mindful about what's going on, what you’re doing, what you’re thinking, how you’re feeling, and where you’re moving with your life. But it's not that easy.

Have you ever noticed how people can be never be fully satisfied with their lives? This happens because at times we lose the sense of harmony.

Our mind is not at a standstill. It’s always on the move. You can’t just sit and figure it all out on one Saturday morning. You need to regularly explore who you are.

Do I want to live in this country? Is this the right job for me? Why am I feeling this way? These are the questions you never stop asking yourself. To answer them you need to get into your head and explore your mind.

Journaling is a perfect tool for that. It gives you a pause to understand what’s going on and have a conversation with your own mind. Believe me, it's one of the most exciting ways to your spend time!

When you know what you really want it gets easier to live. And once you understand who you really are you can find a deep sense and meaning in your life.

Journaling is about exploring your mind

I used to think journaling wasn’t a thing for me. And then I learned about the Morning Pages practice from Nastya, my friend who decided to develop a mobile app for journaling. She came up with this idea after reading a book by Julia Cameron "The Artist's Way."

According to the author, you need to write three pages of longhand stream of consciousness every morning. This is supposed to bring you lots of benefits. Since I didn't read the book then, I didn't know what to expect exactly.

But I tried doing Morning Pages using my notebook for a few days. This felt a bit like meditation in that it turns you off from the external world and gets you to focus on your mind.

After writing I felt relaxed, comfortable, and at piece. It gave me this great feeling of clarity of thought. And because I like writing, journaling was also very enjoyable.

I became curious about journaling, so I started reading articles about other people's experiences. Everyone was saying "journaling changes your life."

I also read the books "The Artist's Way" and "Expressive Writing" by James W. Pennebaker who tells about how expressive writing helps people cope with upheavals based on the results of his research.

And then it understood why I needed journaling. It helps me gain wisdom about who I am and what I want in life.

I must admit, I don’t do Morning Pages strictly in the morning. I write when I feel like it. I am using the MorningPages app for journaling, because it helps me maintain a good habit. It has this interesting analysis of the text that shows me my mood, emotions, and topics I write about.

Grab the MorningPages app on the App Store, it’s completely free!