writing

How are your new year resolutions going?

I don’t make them. However, I have created a vision board and I do set specific and measurable goals. One of which I am very excited to tell you about.

If you have made resolutions or set goals for the New Year I strongly suggest you write them down. It has been proven many times that those people who write down their goals have much more chance of achieving them than those who don’t.

Throughout my book, Stitch Your own Silver Linings, I extol the virtues of writing for increased happiness levels and personal development. Writing down your goals, writing down your successes and writing during the night when you just cant sleep, are some of the suggestions I make. In fact, I recommend writing and journaling for all kinds of different things.

I have kept journals for as long as I can remember. Journaling helped me to survive a violent childhood and to come through my teenage years as well balanced, ( if not more so!) as anyone I know.

Writing helped me to heal. It can help you too.

Now writing helps me to gather my thoughts at the end of the day, organize my time, learn from my meditation and a whole host of other things. I am a strong believer in the ‘power of the pen’. That is the pen not the key board.

The cognitive processes of writing by hand are different to those using a keyboard. Research by Mueller and Oppenheimer shows that students who write out their notes on paper actually learn more than when using laptops. Read more about that here.

I think this also applies to journaling. When writing on a computer, mistakes or whole sentences can be easily erased and you can start again. You cannot do this when using pen on paper. Hand writing is more awkward than typing and therefore slower. You have to think more deeply and carefully about what you want to say. You have to dig deep to say what you really mean.

This leads to greater self knowledge which is the first step to positive change. But journaling is not just about personal development. Professional development can be enhanced through the writing process too.

Three of the most successful men in the world – Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Richard Branson all use journaling to record ideas and gather thoughts.

Branson said, my most essential possession is a standard-sized school notebook.

If it’s good enough for them…

So, the goal I am very excited to tell you about?

I am publishing a series of journals inspired by Stitch Your own Silver Linings and designed to get you writing to help transform your life!

Here is the first. (click image for more info)

For my own practice, I wanted a simple journal to record the insights arising from my meditation. I also wanted something to prompt me to learn from those insights and take that lesson into my everyday life. Silver Linings Meditation Journal is it – simple and effective.

Meditation should not just be about what happens on ‘the seat’ but about using what you learn to help you live your life more fully. That is why I decided the meditation journal should be the first in the Silver Linings series of Journals. No matter how long you have been meditating this journal will help you get more from your practice.

WRITE YOUR WAY TO HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS THIS YEAR!

Watch out for no.2 in the series – coming soon.

Feature image photo: http://www.flickr.comphotosjoelmontes4762384399