If you are someone who doesn't keep a journal, do you wonder sometimes what are the things people write in there? I say that it depends on where you are in life (age and state, mostly. And geographically, yes, that too).
I've been keeping my journals since 18, and for this, I give all the credit to my dad who lay the groundwork for the love of words by making us read and write our diaries at a very young age. It's interesting how in different stages of life can we transform, grow, or even shrink, that sometimes we almost don't have any recollection of the person we were or things we were capable of doing if we didn't read about it in our journals.
At 45 years long and 19 journals on the shelf, there are a lot of words and thoughts that poured and kept on those pages but haven't been extracted for good use other than my own. Here are some of the most asked and revisiting in my journals that I find the most crucial in this time of the transformation to midlife, during the time when I turned thirty-ish.
- Who am I and what am I doing here in this life? Two questions but they always go hand in hand ever since I started asking myself this from my childhood. One keeps me on track with who I think I am and want to be, and the other reminds me of the purpose of my existence at certain stages of life.
- What are my values and have I done all that I can to live up to them?
- How should I live my life?
- What would be the best thing that can happen this year and am I doing everything I can, every day, to make it happen?
- Have I done anything to make myself proud today?
- What inspires and motivates me? And have I tried hard enough to expose myself to those things?
- If I can meet one person right now, dead or alive, who do I want to meet and what do I want to say, or talk to them about?
- What matters to me most right now?
- If I could be truly excellent at one thing, what would that thing be?
- Am I being true to myself doing (or saying) this?
- How do I really feel about this? Does it empower me or deplete me?
- When I don't do the thing I know I should do, have I contemplated the price to pay for my inaction?
- What are my fears? Or my worst fear?
- What is in my way now?
- If I didn't get paid, would I still be doing what I do?
- What do I want more than anything in the world?
- When life gets hard; what supports me, comforts me, and carries me through?
- What brings me joy?
- What kindles hope?
- How do I feel, right now?
And to clarify whether I am on the right path, and doing what I should be doing in walking this path I chose, I locate my Northstar with this question,
What is the one thing I would pursue if I knew I could not fail?
Does the answer align with what I am pouring my heart and soul into right now? If it's a yes, then I rest assured my direction and purpose are fulfilled.
These are the things I often check in with myself to keep the balance and maintain clarity in the direction when navigating life. Most of the answers evolved and changed through time, but some stayed the same. After approaching the time of midlife (around 37-40 years old), I find most answers remain pretty consistent. It's always interesting to go back and see the answers from the past, to see the transformation, and to keep updating them.
Looking through some diary entries or notes that I kept a long time ago I am astonished by all the things that I was convinced or had realized recently are all scribbled in there. They are, and have been the driving theme in my life.
Connecting with who you are and revisiting who you were in the past to compare with who you are today, is crucial to self-development and mental well-being. If you believe in your higher Self don't just look outside, you won't find it– look inside of you, and remember to be true to what you see.
