Could It Be Magic? (Power of the Pen)
Cheryl thought it was like magic - "Is that all you did?" she asked incredulously. "Just wrote down what you ate and you lost fifteen pounds?"
Yes, keeping track of what I ate (Weight Watchers points) helped me change my eating habits and lose weight - not just go on a diet.
Likewise, when I began to keep a gratitude journal, I began to change my way of thinking and looking at the world.
When I can't go to sleep or when I wake up at 2 a.m. with a problem on my mind, I get up, jot down my thoughts and amazingly, I'm able to go right back to sleep!
How does this happen? First of all, when we write it down - whether we're talking about changing habits of exercise, food or it's our desire to save money - it becomes real. We can't forget what we did because we have notes and details; it keeps us honest.
Secondly, I know from counseling experiences that when we put troublesome thoughts on paper, immediately they lose some of their power to control us. If we keep them spinning around inside our heads, they just keep on spinning our world.
The other thing I've noticed at 2 a.m: you wake up with an idea or a solution to a problem - have you ever experienced that? That's great; however, sometimes it starts a chain reaction of thoughts and there's no way you're going back to sleep. It's kind of like your brain is saying, "Now, you can't foget this!" When you get up and write it down, your brain can relax - "OK, it's covered, you won't forget. Now go back to sleep."
You're familiar with "The Bucket List," I'm sure, or the concept of "100 Things I want To Have, Be, and Do In My Life." Just the process of deciding what you want is powerful, but when you get those goals written down, your mind is then very aware of them and goes to work on achieving them.
I recently had the experience of enjoying an awe-inspiring trip to Bryce Canyon in Utah; then, after returning home, found my "places I want to visit" list tucked away in a scenic magazine our son purchased for us. At the top of the list? Bryce Canyon, Utah. Even though I had written that list years earlier and in fact, had forgotten about it, my mind hadn't.
So whether you have a problem, a praise or a plan, write it down -- the power of the pen is like magic.
Cheryl thought it was like magic - "Is that all you did?" she asked incredulously. "Just wrote down what you ate and you lost fifteen pounds?"
Yes, keeping track of what I ate (Weight Watchers points) helped me change my eating habits and lose weight - not just go on a diet.
Likewise, when I began to keep a gratitude journal, I began to change my way of thinking and looking at the world.
When I can't go to sleep or when I wake up at 2 a.m. with a problem on my mind, I get up, jot down my thoughts and amazingly, I'm able to go right back to sleep!
How does this happen? First of all, when we write it down - whether we're talking about changing habits of exercise, food or it's our desire to save money - it becomes real. We can't forget what we did because we have notes and details; it keeps us honest.
Secondly, I know from counseling experiences that when we put troublesome thoughts on paper, immediately they lose some of their power to control us. If we keep them spinning around inside our heads, they just keep on spinning our world.
The other thing I've noticed at 2 a.m: you wake up with an idea or a solution to a problem - have you ever experienced that? That's great; however, sometimes it starts a chain reaction of thoughts and there's no way you're going back to sleep. It's kind of like your brain is saying, "Now, you can't foget this!" When you get up and write it down, your brain can relax - "OK, it's covered, you won't forget. Now go back to sleep."
You're familiar with "The Bucket List," I'm sure, or the concept of "100 Things I want To Have, Be, and Do In My Life." Just the process of deciding what you want is powerful, but when you get those goals written down, your mind is then very aware of them and goes to work on achieving them.
I recently had the experience of enjoying an awe-inspiring trip to Bryce Canyon in Utah; then, after returning home, found my "places I want to visit" list tucked away in a scenic magazine our son purchased for us. At the top of the list? Bryce Canyon, Utah. Even though I had written that list years earlier and in fact, had forgotten about it, my mind hadn't.
So whether you have a problem, a praise or a plan, write it down -- the power of the pen is like magic.
