I've been journaling for over 30 years. When I first started out, my journal was pretty one-dimensional — serving largely as an outlet for expressing and processing my reactions to life's ups and downs.
But over time, journaling has become a sort of swiss army knife for me. I use it for so many different purposes, and the effect has been transformational for me.
Below are 12 different functions that "swiss army knife" fulfills for me — things I've discovered I can offer myself through journaling.
Your journal can serve as a...
Magnet
Calling you back to your truest Self and your highest and best intentions.
Anchor
Helping you to stay mindfully in this moment instead of racing ahead in your thoughts.
Well
Allowing you to go deep within until you reach "the underground stream" — a larger, transcendent source of wisdom and connection. (This Well Metaphor is actually from Ira Progoff, not me.)
Blanket
Wrapping yourself in love, kindness, and compassion — and cultivating those feelings toward others too.
Valve
Constructively releasing pressure that has built up — stress, emotions, a jumble of thoughts, etc.
Mirror
Letting you see your own thoughts, feelings, behaviors — and your own sacred nature — so you can understand more fully who you are.
Thread
Tracing the patterns running through your life's story, so you can find meaning and new possibilities.
Window
Offering new vantage points for looking at yourself, your experiences, the people in your life, and the opportunities and choices before you.
Compass
Pointing you toward what matters most and toward decisions that feel wise and authentic.
Greenhouse
A place where you can plant the seeds of new ideas and nurture their growth.
Roadmap
Allowing you to examine potential paths forward, choose the best route, and chart your course toward a goal.
Treasure Chest
Where you can safeguard gems you want to be able to come back to — important memories, insights, lessons learned, sources of joy, etc.
An important thing to keep in mind is that few of these "tools" are as potent on their own. It's artfully combining them that offers the most potential for personal, professional, and/or spiritual growth.
Stay tuned for a how-to guide to journaling that will show you how to do that — using key ingredients and techniques for reflective writing with true potential for transformation.