Unleashing the Clues to Our Authentic Career
The clients I work with are asked to keep a journal of thoughts, feelings and emotions on anything and everything of relevance as they move through the Your Passion to Career Program.
So why is it important to keep a journal during this time or in general?
“Confusion”,” chaos”, “roller coaster” are often terms I hear when clients are at the starting point of career defining and developing an authentic career with passion. Journal writing , Meditation and Breathing (to be addressed in the next post), are the most significant stabilizing, clarifying and calming activities that allow one to move through the process, particularly when the proverbial s___ hits the fan. This is an exciting time indeed.
Stick with me here. The simple act of writing down what is REALLY going on in your mind at the time, when we recognize our feelings (the knot in the stomach, the exuberant feeling of joy), can be rejuvenating and reassuring. For anyone in the process of making a significant shift from “chaos to hope” by developing an authentic career or business direction, it’s time to pull out the big guns. That would be a journal.
Here are some reasons to find something blank, with lots of pages and write:
- The act of free flowing or stream of consciousness writing can be cathartic – in other words, it allows the expression of what is not always said or conscious at any other time
- It can relieve anxiety over the “future”
- It can clarify ideas that have been stalled in the subconscious for years
- It is often easier to write than speak or verbalize a “feeling,” and allows greater expression
- It can help us go from anxiety to calmness to clarity in the space of just a few minutes
- No one is judging what we write, so we can be real and speak our mind and rejoice in our own words and language
- We can be nonsensical and it does not matter
- Writing can help us capture ideas and inspirations that might have been lost
- Our ideas and inspirations can take shape and help lead us toward a new career path
- Writing can provide confirmation that we are on the right track toward an authentic career direction
So grab a notebook and get those thoughts down. You have no doubt heard of many great leaders, business owners and talk show hosts (think Oprah), who have used a journal to express thoughts for years and now have an archived history of how they have evolved over the years.
Get busy and use this incredible tool – a few short minutes as a start or ending of your day. Most of all, ENJOY.