Writing has become a big part of my journey. It has allowed me to get the thoughts, ideas and goals out of my head and into a journal. By writing down my thoughts, as sort of a brain dump, it clears out those thoughts and ideas and makes room for new thoughts and ideas to come in. Most of the time the new thoughts reinforce what action(s) I need to take next in order to move the original idea forward.
We were told as kids our brains are like sponges. Well, when it continues to absorb all this new information combined with old outdated information, our brains are eventually unable to collect and retain new information.
This new information that comes in is overwhelming because you haven’t done anything with the old information, whether by acting on it or writing it down. Since we have no place to put it at times, we end up forgetting it all together. Who knows it could have potentially been a great idea.
I have found by writing every day, I end up expanding or actioning the previous day’s thought or idea and ultimately find myself getting more things done by doing this exercise.
In a way, it sets the framework for my day, as what I write down tends to be what I think about and begin taking steps towards or plan for the following day and so on. I try to carry my journal wherever I go in case an idea comes to me or I hear about a book I should look up or a video I need to watch.
Of course some might say, why not use your iPhone or laptop to collect this information. There are a lot of great apps I’m sure. But did you know in the English alphabet there are thousands of different movements that you do when you’re writing letters and words. Those thousands of different movements create thousands of different neural pathways in the brain. The same can not be said for when you type. When you type there are actually only eight neural pathways developed.
This is why if you type your notes and another person sitting right next to you writes the notes and the speaker says, “Put your papers away we’re going to come back to them in an hour.” When the speaker asks you some questions, the person who typed their notes recalls much less if any information he captured versus the person who wrote them. The person who wrote their notes will have an infinitely better recall of that information. It may not be perfect but it’s going to be much better than the person who typed them.
Here are some more benefits of writing:
1. You gain a sense of accomplishment.
As well as offering a space to store our thoughts and ideas, writing our goals and ambitions down makes it more likely that we’ll achieve them.
I have found writing down my goals is the first step towards making them a reality. One of my first journal entries on Jan 9, 2018 I wrote how I will create a blog to share my experience and techniques that I’ve used to help my battle with anxiety and depression through the loss of my father. That journal entry was 9 months ago and here you are reading this article based on a thought I wrote in my journal. Which by the way I want to thank you for as I am so very grateful that you found interest in this article.
2. It gives you a doorway into the past.
By keeping a journal regularly I have a record of thoughts and ideas that may have never seen the light of day. I could have easily thought about creating a blog and let the thought or idea pass. I can look back now at how I took the original thought and followed the next step and the next until achieving the goal of actually launching the site and sharing my story. Ultimately it gives me more confidence that I can achieve the other goals I have already set for myself.
3. It helps you dream BIG.
As mentioned above, the more you write things down the more things you accomplish and the more confidence you get as a result. You can start visualizing yourself accomplishing the task before you do it.
Doing this has not only helped me stay motivated, it has me exploring dreams and ambitions I had when I was younger, like acting, playing the guitar and more recently creating a YouTube Channel which I hope to expand into an interview podcast of some kind. I’ve been taking acting lessons for a few months now and currently in the process of putting together an acting reel. I can’t tell you how exhilarating it truly feels to be so far out of your comfort zone, yet know that I get better incrementally with each class.
By writing it down, I can see myself as an actor in a movie. Now I have to action the steps in between my initial written idea and a part in my first movie. The first step for this goal was writing, sign up for acting lessons. This led me to working with my teacher to create an acting reel. We will see where it takes me. Not knowing all the steps or the how is the exciting part.
4. It makes you more accountable.
There is a sense of commitment to when I write something in my journal. By writing down I want to be an actor, it was like a challenge to myself. I know I will reflect back on my journal(s) and don’t want to look back with any regrets for not following through, no matter how impossible they may seem.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said it best,
“It’s you versus you. It’s always you versus you”
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Part 7 of my Optimum Balance Series will be focused on the benefits of “Planning”.
How do you use writing to change your life? Leave a comment and let me know.
