If you are like me you feel like you are pulled in a million different directions every day. My morning routine allows me to start my day feeling centred – but damn the world is a noisy, energy sucking machine isn’t it?
Reflection at the end of the day lets me check in with myself – its not enough for me to just slump down at the end of the day and say fuck Im tired. Im so glad that day is over. Is that any way to live?
I am a rebel – so I don’t make rules for myself. I don’t need to tell myself that I HAVE to do something every day (because its likely I will do the complete opposite) so because of that I don’t journal every night. BUT when my head is spinning too fast and I can feel that Im physically tense – my jaw is tight, my shoulders are somewhere up around my ears – I take a few minutes to sit down and write the answers to two simple questions. Before I share what those journaling questions are – lets make one thing verrrry clear : Actually putting pen to paper when you are reflecting or trying to clear your mind is SO important – it slows you down. You cant write as fast as you think. So when your monkey mind Is going bananas and your thoughts and feelings are bouncing all over the place and throwing shit at the walls – sitting down and writing will help regulate that. It will slow you down ever so slightly. Sometimes when we are caught up in a whirlwind of thoughts, replaying conversations, having arguments with ourselves – being forced to just slow it all down is exactly what we need to help us change our state.
So here are my two journaling questions to help me explore why I am in a funk at the end of the day.
The first question is simple: Write 3 good things that happened today.
It’s a simple question and only needs a simple answer. I don’t write an essay. Its literally 3 dot points.
Its important to not overthink it.
Its important not to judge yourself in the moment you are writing.
Its so easy to edit yourself isn’t it? If the first thing that comes to your mind seems materialistic or superficial – we quickly stop ourselves and think ‘damn it – no! You are supposed to have more depth! Think again, think better’. Its important to allow yourself to write unapologetically. Give yourself the freedom to just be honest. We can get so used to presenting a version of ourselves that we think is the most acceptable to the world for so long that we can fall into the trap of trying to convince ourselves that’s who we are too. So when you ask yourself the question – what were 3 good things that happened today – write about the delicious sushi you had at lunch if that’s what pops into your mind. The important thing in any reflection exercise is that you are honest.
Question number one was pretty easy right? Takes less than a minute to get it down on paper.
Question Two requires a little more from you.
The second question is: What did I do today that was meaningful ?
The word meaningful is what makes this a game changer. Its not how productive was I ? Its not how efficient was I? Its not did I move the needle forward in my business? Its not did I complete my to do list? The question is – what did I do today that was meaningful?
That question is open to interpretation. What is meaningful more me might not resonate with you – the importance lies in understanding what is actually meaningful for you. Would you agree that most people have pretty high standards for their external world – they bust their ass in business, they want a certain car, their house has to be on trend, they need to travel to places that are Instagram worthy, they need to buy the right clothes and look a certain way – but they don’t spend nearly the same amount of effort and energy mastering their internal world.
Most people will give everything that they have in trying to b
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