Keep that positive mind set.
How often have you started a new year full of positiveness only to see it wane by mid January?
Here’s a way to maintain it day after day….month after month.
Small daily rituals can prime you for success if they are life enhancing and put you in a positive mind set.
Your mind is constantly monitoring where you are. Unhappiness, frustration, disappointment and too much stress can overwhelm, take you into a negative mind set and down the rabbit hole. A positive mindset is open to opportunity, growth, risks, new ventures and even criticism and is able to roll with all the ups and downs.
Journaling at the beginning of the day is one way to establish a mind set that is positive, able to sustain and withstand the challenges of the day.
Now before you say…been there done that…..there are many ways you can approach ‘journaling’. Here’s 2 that have worked for me.
The Purge
This is one that Julia Cameron author of The Artists Way made popular in the 1990’s. I remember doing it at a time in my life when it was exactly what I needed. I had stacks of notebooks full of purged thoughts, emotions and inner demons to prove it. Then I hit a point where the flow stopped. The purge complete. I was freed and able to move on in a positive, ready to take on the world way.
Here’s how you do it.
Put aside 10 minutes every morning to write your Morning Pages’. Open a notebook to a blank page, put pen to paper and write. Whatever is on your mind…just get it all down. These pages are not meant to be reread. Think of it more as a purge, using a flow of consciousness to clear the mind and heart. When 10 minutes is up. Close the book. Put it away. Get on with your day. Sitting down and capturing thoughts as they flow unedited is a way to clear yourself of all negativity.
Tapping Inner Wisdom
Journaling is a great way to tap your inner wisdom or intuition.
Sit down. Open notebook to blank page.
Ask yourself, “what do I need to know?”
Then (here’s the important part) turn off the mind and see what flows onto the page. To be honest sometimes nothing much it remains a blank page and other times watch out. What shows up is very interesting to say the least. The voice recorded on the page is unlike how you normally sound. It has a profound quality and contains wisdom beyond that of your rational mind. You’ll find yourself saying, “did I write that??” Let me say again… this voice doesn’t always show up so don’t be disappointed if your first few tries leaves you with a blank page. Often the inner voice needs some coaxing and several tries before it knows to trust.
Action
Give both journaling styles a try and see how they feel.
A small daily ritual like this can be deeply transforming over time and in more ways than you ever thought possible.
Coming up tomorrow…..
One more way to journal – this one promotes refection and opens the door to the soul.
Leave a Comment