An Investment: Writing Your Truth

Just begin. Getting your thoughts and ideas down on paper starts the process of knowing your own truth. A time investment of just five minutes can help you “dump” immediate stresses. Writing it down is part of your natural ability that can be nurturing, even indulgent when you can move beyond the fear of the inner critic. There are no certain skills required beforehand to write your life-map seasoned with your own unique twists and turns.

Don’t subscribe to the preconceived idea and the stigmas associated with personal writing. It is not necessary to write every day or tell every detail. But if you prefer to log only the facts of your daily agenda, you will miss out on some of the journaling magic. The journey to goal setting and self-discovery will be overlooked. You will get better results when you write because your moods and thoughts guide you to action, knowing that the time invested will pay off when you strive to write more often for longer periods of time.

Most people find great satisfaction when it comes to finding solutions for their lifestyle with diet and exercise. You pay attention to what is good for you and may even join a gym. Yet, when it comes to the core of who you really are with thoughts and feelings, you often minimize or distract yourself. Start today and challenge yourself by writing for just five minutes. Don’t worry about what you don’t say or the perfect way to phrase it; just write the words as they come naturally. It will be an investment you may never regret.

What you think has value.

Many times, expectations are placed on what you think you “should” write when it is really about being comfortable with your own truth. This is your story the way you see it. Allow it to be that. The way you felt yesterday about your boss, your mother or your spouse may be different today because time lessened the anger. That’s okay. Whatever you think and feel is about giving yourself permission to just be you.

By picking up a pen and allowing the words to flow freely just as you think them is known as stream of consciousness. This is the most common form of personal writing. The actual act of writing slows down the brain process in order to provide the subconscious thoughts to come forward. This is a great reason to start writing. Most likely, you will discover the thoughts you began with turn into something else entirely. This is an added bonus for writing it down.

When I offer the opportunity for someone to learn seventeen targeted writing techniques for overall life management, people often look bewildered. A common response is, “Isn’t all you have to do is just sit down and write?” The truth is when you write only stream of consciousness, you only have one avenue available to you with problem solving. Many times, you may find the same questions asked repeatedly without solutions or you may be writing the same mistakes over and over without getting anywhere.

Stream of consciousness, or free writing, is a great start when you have the urge to just “get it out.” Many wonderful unexpected thoughts find their way to paper. At one time or another, there has been a time or event in your life that needed exactly what stream of consciousness has to offer.

Think of other benefits that could be gained by learning several targeted writing skills. Your possibilities are limitless. By investing the time to learn specific problem solving solutions with yourself, your relationships, your dreams and life’s dilemmas, you will soon discover options available to you and never find yourself stuck. It’s the difference between doing your best without determining the outcome and having a detailed road map to get you there.