Think about how much you think. Those long, directionless streams of thought you have while you’re in the shower, or the fragmented ideas that run through your head as you fail to fall asleep. Thinking is just something we do. Our thoughts are personal by nature; they’re unique, intimate, and are constantly changing.
This is why the practice of journaling is so important. Recording these thoughts, no matter how irrational or irrelevant they may seem is key to self-development. Any outlet where you can transcribe your thoughts (whether journaling, diary entries, poetry, whatever) gives you the opportunity to really reflect on who you are and how you’ve grown as a person.
Journaling offers the opportunity to develop unique and authentic ideas surrounding the important things. For example, What do you value? What are your opinions? What do you believe in?
Although you may be tempted to give an immediate response, I’ll bet that with some more thought your opinions will change. Just taking a moment once in a while to simply let out your thoughts is an extremely effective method to learn more about yourself and develop genuine opinions. When you physically write down your thoughts, you’re provided with the opportunity to analyze who you were, who you are, and who you may become.
So pick up a pen and let your ideas flow; write your thoughts so that you can look back on them one day and relive the past versions of you.
