“Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation.” (Srila Prabhupada, purport to Bhagavad Gita 2.15)

‘I am not comfortable writing’

As kids some of us had teachers who forced us to write essays and we hated writing exams. And you may even assume you are not a writer and have no plan to author a novel or a non-fiction best-selling book. So you may profess you have no need for writing, and as a child you hated it.

As older, free thinking individuals, many of us still carry the same dislike for writing. I guess it brings back old memories.

But be assured that this time it is different.

When you wrote exams you expressed on paper what you had learnt or known. When an expert psychologist writes about human brain he’s sharing with the world his realizations. However, when you write journals you are writing to discover what you know.

There’s a difference between writing to share and writing to discover.

Exploring our own mind and heart is an adventurous and exciting journey. When you see journaling as a tool to enter the beautiful landscape of your heart, you’d fall in love with it!

Besides, you don’t have to worry about your handwriting or perfect grammar. Your teacher may have admonished you often for mistakes in writing but journaling is not for the world’s consumption; it’s your time in the heart space. Nobody in this world is going to grade you for your journals and you could write in different languages or use slangs and you need no one else’s approval. It’s your private attempt to connect with the self, and therefore no one else is judging you for it.

What prevents us from tapping the joy of Journaling?

You may write one day and discover no earth shattering realizations descending upon you. You get discouraged.

You try another day and the same thing happens.

When you heat water in a kettle, the electric supply is consistent. If it were to heat up the water for two seconds and then if the electric supply is switched off, only to turn on again after thirty seconds, you’d never get the warm water. It is the constant flow of current that helps the water boil. Similarly, you can’t expect miracles from journaling if you cut the flow.

The secret to tap the power of journal is: consistency.

Writing daily for a short time – even three to five minutes, would help you access its power. A daily commitment, albeit a small one, would help you enter your inner world.

“Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted.” – Jules Renard (French author 1864-1910)

To be continued….

Source: https://yogaformodernage.com/practical-benefits-and-techniques-of-journaling-part-3/