5 - How Journalling Leads to Clarity and Building your Dream Life

Step 1 - Audit

We are often so busy in our daily lives that we forget to check in with ourselves. It is even less often that we zoom out and review all aspects of our lives (if ever!).

I have spent my entire career in the aerospace industry where audit is fundamental and necessary. It is not always nice, or easy, but it is crucial to keep people safe. It is a way of ensuring you are doing what you should be doing. Journalling is one of the many tools we can use to audit our personal lives.

Over the course of my life, I like to think that I have made good choices. Yes, I have made some mistakes along the way, but I wouldn’t be me today without them. I have learned so much about my past self, my current self, and my desires for my future through reflection and journalling.

A lot of people I speak to are sceptical, however Journalling has some really positive benefits such as:

1. Stress Relief: It provides a way to release pent-up emotions and reduce stress by putting thoughts and feelings on paper. 
2. Self-Discovery: Regular journalling helps you to understand yourself better, uncovering patterns, desires, and goals, leading to personal growth and clarity.
3. Problem Solving: Writing about challenges and setbacks can lead to creative problem-solving, as it encourages reflection and exploration of different perspectives.

Life can feel overwhelming, or even underwhelming sometimes and if you feel this way, maybe even lost or stuck in your life, then I recommend you prioritise your self-reflection for a while. Stage 1 of my Three Step System is not about forward progress, it is about acknowledging that we need to slow down and reflect on what is working, and what is not. Are you still on track with your life plans, if not why not? 

Over the years of coaching and mentoring people, I have found the repetitive theme that many people are scared to slow down and listen to what their minds are telling them. Would you be scared to go deep into your mind and innermost thoughts? Or is it just easier to keep distracting yourself with “too much work to do” and “I am so busy, I just can’t stop” (yet we scroll on social media mindlessly for hours or binge on the latest Netflix series?). 

Only you will know, but when I started to prioritise my journalling time, and started to “Dig Deep” into each aspect of my life, only then did things start to make sense. It was hard to make the time to start with, but now I wouldn’t be without my journal on my bedside. Now I have clarity on my Life Strategy, my thoughts are often more forward focused on what next steps I need to take as I build my dream life. 

If I am learning something new, I put it in there! If I have a crazy new idea, I put it in there! I can always come back to it and break it down later. 

You may not be here yet, but the only way you will get there is by starting. And start today. Don’t put it off another day. 

Dr Stephen Covey the author of the bestselling book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People said “Begin with the end in mind”. The habit is based on the principle that all things are created twice: once in your mind and once in the physical world. How can you build your dream life, if you don’t know what your dream life looks like? You need to get clarity in your mind and the physical world will follow. This is why Step 1 - Audit, is crucial.

Take a look at my free resource HERE which guides you into journalling step by step, and to help I have included 50 amazing questions to ask yourself. This is 50 days worth of prompts! And if you want to unpick a question further, then make the time to. 

There are so many questions that we can ask ourselves. We can learn from our past, and we can get clear on what is important to us in the future. If you feel stuck in some aspect of your life, break it down by putting pen to paper. Only from here can we start to build your dream life.

Always with love, 

Elsa x