In episode 44 of the GUIDE Culture podcast, Macy, Loy and Kathryn answer your questions about journaling. They share how, when and why they do it. More importantly, they share how you can use your thoughts about yourself and become the person that you want to be! 

Here’s a quick recap:

One of the most commonly asked questions is WHY do you journal? What does it do for you?

Kathryn started journaling when someone told her that her thoughts were OUT OF WHACK and they weren’t getting her where she wanted to be.

Did you know you can actually control your thoughts? You can literally tell your brain what to believe and who you are.

Macy started journaling to improve her writing skills and found that more than anything it helps her organize her thoughts.

When Loy started journaling, he wasn’t really sure what to do. He has found that it forces him to dig deep and actually discover his thoughts. He has also found that it sparks creativity. You have to create space in order to be creative and journaling helps do that.

The next question that was hot in the DM’s was HOW do you journal? What is the formula? What are the guidelines?

Our answer might surprise you because… well, we don’t follow any guidelines. ????‍♀️ If you buckle yourself down to the guidelines, you’re actually killing the whole point. The point is to enjoy the process and let yourself be.

It’s a time for you to be alone and make movement in your life.

Although none of us follow set guidelines, the flow of our process is pretty consistent. It involves gratitude, thankfulness, visualization, prayer, etc.

Journaling is one of the most intentional ways for you take control of your thoughts and emotions and decide what you want to filter into your life.

It can be as simple as writing down what your thought is and fighting against it by telling yourself what the truth is.

Another great thing to do is write letters to yourself. There are multiple ways to do this and it will help you visualize where your future self will be. Brooke Castillo teaches this in her Life Coach School Podcast, Episode 281: Gifts to My Future Self.

In your journaling, focus on both short term and long term vision. For example, if you have a business where you have to meet specific, numbered goals, that is short term. Kathryn shares her personal experience with this in the episode!

Journaling is also so valuable if you are a content creator. One thing you can do is reflect on the day before and see what content comes out of it.

Lastly, you all want to know WHEN and how often to journal.

Loy tries to journal every morning after his daily reading.

It’s also a part of Kathryn’s morning routine, but it hasn’t always been. She used to do it during Lucy’s nap time. Either way, she has found that it’s absolutely necessary to journal before diving deep into her work day in order to get her thoughts on track.

Macy works out, gets ready and drives to the office before she journals. She sometimes spends 1-1.5 hours getting her mind right before moving on to other things. She has not always journaled this long. It used to be 10 minutes. Start small, start slow.

The whole point is that you are working towards thought freedom. Find what works for you and capitalize on that!