39. How to journal more impactfully
Some ways of journaling don’t go deep enough. They aren’t bad or wrong, they just aren’t well equipped for this kind of inner work. That’s why in this episode, we are talking how to journal more impact-fully! Because journaling can be so much more than merely recording life events and emotions or asking “why” over and over again.
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Transcription
Welcome to Episode 39 of the Money Mindset Shift! And Happy Early Halloween! In this episode, we are talking how to journal more impactfully! Because journaling can be so much more than merely recording life events and emotions or asking “why” over and over again.
Some ways of journaling don’t go deep enough. They aren’t bad or wrong, they just aren’t well equipped for this kind of journaling, and for this purpose. Bullet pointing is great for getting stuff out, but sometimes can only scratch the surface. And asking “why” over and over can help with going deeper, but not everything can be answered with “why.” Also, it can be quite annoying to be asked the same question over and over again. lol.
So how do you journal more impactfully?
Evaluate, Shift, Heal are the core pieces of my framework for freeing yourself from the rules you’ve been given – you can learn more about the framework in the previous episode, 38, on how to deal with impulse spending.
But, when applying each piece of the framework in your journal, how do you do it? How do you actually journal?
Firstly, let me say that my journaling is influenced by my background in social work and as a therapist. So it has come out of therapeutic conversations. But not everyone is trained to be a therapist. However, most people have conversations.
When you have a conversation, most times, “why” isn’t being asked a million times. (I say most times because we have all either been on the receiving end of this conversation with a child, or the child themselves lol)
Let’s expand that. Let’s go beyond “why”.
I think the easiest way to do this is to think of the 5 W’s and 1 H – Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
And let’s put these into context.
Who taught me this? What other things are attached to this? Where did it come from? When does this come up for me? Why does it elicit that response? How does this impact my experiences?
If you’ve been working through The Limitless Money Mindset Journal, which is available on Amazon, you may have noticed some of these prompts.
For example: Prompt 61 says “Is there a sum that feels very uncomfortable or that I push away when I imagine someone handing it to me? $10? $100? $1,000? $10,000? $100,000? $1,000,000?”
Prompt 62 is one of these going deeper questions. So after you answer what they sum is, prompt 62 asks “Why does that sum feel uncomfortable?”
Figuring out the number alone gives you information. Maybe it’s $10,000, maybe it’s $100,000. Maybe it’s $10. That number gives you information. But there is more to be discovered when you ask why it makes you feel uncomfortable. Prompts 63 and 64 continue the dive into this by asking if there is a situation in which you could imagine receiving that money? So somebody randomly handing you that money might feel very uncomfortable, but receiving it as an inheritance or a graduation gift or something might feel a little bit more ordinary. And then 64, “what would need to shift in order for you to receive that sum through your business right now?”
So it gets you picking up the number and looking at it from different angles. Turning it around. Seeing what is underneath it.
There are more of these in the Journal – more than prompts 62 63 and 64. And if you don’t have it already, you can get it at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WZ7YPXD
But I want look at another example from my own journal just to give you further context and to see what it’s like as it becomes more of a natural conversation for you.
Example from my own journal –
The prompt – ”On a scale from 1-10, how close do I feel to my goal relationship with spending? (1 being not close at all, and 10 being living it)”
“Hmm. I think I would also give this a 4,“ I wrote. And I could end it there. But Why a four? What does that 4 mean to me?
I continued to write – “I know that # is influenced by the lack of funds in my account currently, but also the person I am now and the Shelby at a 10, feel very different. That Shelby isn’t as meek. She stands straight. She feels more powerful. And overall, just more sure of herself.”
Now we have more context. You can see what I think a 10 is. What it feels like. Who I think I would be. And the 4 shows that I really don’t feel like that person.
I can then follow it up with, more questions using “Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.”
Go ahead and take a moment to think of one yourself. If you were talking with me, and we were having a conversation, what would you ask next?
There is no wrong answer. I want to highlight that.
But I do want to share what I might ask myself, and that is – “So the Shelby now is more meek. What other opportunities for growth does she have?”
And then following up that list, “How can she grow in these areas? What can she do to develop her skills, etc. in these areas more?”
So if we go back real quick, “She stands straight. She feels more powerful. And overall, just more sure of herself.” So one of those areas would be feeling more sure of herself. Then I would look at, what can I do to develop myself that way? How can I feel more sure of myself?
Do you see how this follows a more conversational pattern? But yet, there is curiosity. You remain inquisitive yet somewhat detached. There are no judgements, just seeking to understand (Evaluate) while giving compassion (Heal).
So you can see how this really comes together.
It is a bit like acting as a guide for yourself. You aren’t seeking any specific answer, but guiding yourself inwards and to whatever answers come.
Eventually this does become second nature, and you aren’t searching for the questions, or writing out each question as you are working through them, but you naturally begin to elaborate and the questions flow like talking with your own inner guide.
At this point for me, I am writing as I am having the conversation with my inner guide in my head. But I still write because if I were not doing that, my brain gets easily distracted and will shift focus onto something else. The act of writing at this point helps to keep me focused and when I do find myself distracted, it gives me a point to easily come back to, rather than having to search my brain for the thread that I was on.
So, it is having that sort of flow of consciousness. But, with questions. With being inquisitive. With curiosity and care and compassion.
And that voice is developed through consistent practice.
If you don’t have the Limitless Money Mindset Journal, pick it up – it will help. You can get it as an ebook or physical book, so you don’t have to limit yourself. You can pick whatever form works best for you. But also, you can start using the 5 W’s and 1 H – “Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.”
Because as you’re using them, as you’re consciously making those connections, and you write something and you’re like, “okay, what can I ask myself now? How can I go deeper on this?… Why did I write a four? Why is this a four for me? What would make it a six? Why do I feel this way about it? Where did that experience of a four come from?”
You may develop other questions. You may be writing on other things just as we went over the examples.
So as you practice using more than just why – as you practice going deeper, not just merely jotting down “4” and moving on – you start to develop that inner voice and over time it does become stronger. It does become more natural. You don’t have to sit there and consciously think, “okay, how can I go deeper on this?” It just starts to come. It starts to flow.
And yes, the Limitless: Money Mindset Journal will help with that. I obviously highly recommend it. But also, if that’s not available to you, and/or you’re wanting to go deeper on it – creating your own sorts of questions (which would naturally come abo
ut from the journal as well), you can also do that with “Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.” So incorporating more of those inquiries into your mind and into the things.
And of course, keep listening to The Money Mindset Shift! That’ll definitely help develop that inner guide voice that creates that conversation.
So keep listening! Consciously think about the 5 W’s and 1 H, and use the Limitless: Money Mindset Journal, and you will journal more impact fully as a result. And you will really start to discover those nuggets within you – those pieces and the way they connect and tangle together, and you will be able to shift them. You will be able to heal from it. You will be able to move forward more empowered and freer from the rules and the constraints that you’ve been given. Which is what this is all about.
So keep listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode!
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