Finding Motivation through Journaling and Self-Reflection
We all have days where it feels like nothing goes the way that we hoped. We can’t concentrate, we don’t want to do anything but sit and think about whatever is making us upset or angry, and nothing around us seems enjoyable or worth putting in any effort for. In these times, it can be really hard to find motivation or a reason to continue on through the day. Self-reflection and journaling are two ways to help get back on track and find your balance again. In this blog post, I decided to talk about my own struggles with motivation and how I use journaling and self-reflection to stay motivated.
Writing It All Down
For anyone who has ever tried journaling or self-reflection, you know how important it is to be able to write down what you’re feeling and thinking. When we don’t have the ability to express these feelings, they can turn into intense emotions that hinder our ability to think clearly. Writing helps us take time out of a busy day and reflect on our thoughts, clearing out much of the emotional turmoil in the process. As we write down our emotions, they can also help us to see the progress that we’ve made and the things that we have accomplished.
Seeing Progress and Accomplishments Make Motivation Easy
Once you start writing out your goals, daily activities, actions towards achieving them, and thoughts about your day, you may notice that these concepts seem to follow naturally as you reflect on them. Reading over this journal entry from yesterday's journaling session can be just as helpful as writing it down yourself. By reading about and reflecting on how you did last week and how you’re doing so far this week, you see how your actions are directly responsible for what has been accomplished thus far. This is a huge motivator for most people, and can help to keep you on track.
Making Time for Self-Reflection
Sometimes it seems like there’s nothing that we can do to have a break in our busy lives to reflect on what’s happening in our mind and body. It can take us an hour or more to shower, eat lunch, get dressed, and make it out the door before work each morning. We feel like we don’t have enough time after all this laborious effort of getting out of bed for the day. However, reflecting often is very important to our motivation levels. Studies show that people who are mindful spend about 40 minutes per day reflecting on their thoughts and actions. It’s important to take a few minutes each day to evaluate what you have accomplished, how you feel about where you are in your life and the universe, and your motivations.
We must make time for what is important to us if we want to really take advantage of it. Set aside some time each day to reflect on your goals, accomplishments, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. If this is something that you enjoy doing or believe that it will help improve how you think about yourself and your life, than take the time out of your day for it! It might not seem possible when we’re already working so hard in our lives. However, by reflecting on ourselves and our actions often, we’ll be able to take advantage of the lessons that we learn while we are making ourselves better.
Enjoying Journaling and Self-Reflection
Sometimes it can seem like these moments of reflection and self-evaluation are taking so much time that we don’t have to spare. However, after a little practice of journaling or self-reflection, you will find that they can be enjoyed just as much as parts of your busy day. Even if you only have a few minutes to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and goals, you will start feeling like it’s a productive way that you can grow as a person. The most important thing is to set aside some time each day that you can use to reflect on your life and find motivation. It may take some getting used to, but after a couple weeks of weighing how your actions have brought about positive change in your life, you will feel much more confident in the path that you’re walking.
Motivation is something that everyone struggles with sometimes. However, we can find motivation by taking the time to reflect on what we’ve achieved and how we are improving our lives and the world around us. By taking a moment to evaluate our actions, thoughts, and feelings in these moments of reflection, we’ll be able to see why all of these things matter so much.
-Ryan Newman
"If some quest or duty should engage you for the most part of a year, never stray from it unless there is inveterate need of your presence elsewhere." Author Unknown- Source: http://www.hipcricket.com/articles/real-life-self-reflection-and-motivational-reading/
http://www.mindfulelements.com/blog/2008/12/28/an-easy-way-to-increase-your-motivation/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/motivation-matters/201603/writing-inwardly
http://www.selfgrowth.com/library_articles_003_17_22_motivation.html
http://principlesofmotivation.net/?p=539
Printable worksheets are available on my blog for journaling and self reflection http://selfgrowthblog.blogspot.com in the form of an article about motivation , journaling , writing in a journal , writing focused goals and resolutions . You can find it all in one place under this link. http://selfgrowthblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/printable-worksheets-for-journaling-and.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-happiness-project/201403/why-self-reflection
http://www.ehow.com/list_6343937_benefits-self-reflection_.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/?p=3879
http://lifehacker.
Conclusion
We are all unique and we may react different to the same situation. We are raised with beliefs, ideals and culture that make us think in particular ways. But it's a fallacy to think that you cannot change the way you think or believe. You can choose what you want to believe and how you want to react in any situation including negative situations such as bullying.
It is great when you can find some motivation from something, even if it's just writing about it. When you can start thinking about your goals and what you want accomplish this will help push you through any challanges along the way. Finding motivation is up to each individual because everyone has different types of motivation factors which vary from one person to anothers.