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When I first started trying to grow my life into something I could be proud of, I kept hearing the same thing from people who had already “made it”:
Start journaling. Write it down. Manifest it. Say it like you already have it. Write the same thing 100 times if you have to.
And honestly,
I thought it sounded so ridiculous.
It felt like one of those things people say just to sound grounded, like they were trying to come off relatable.
I couldn’t really explain it, but the advice just didn’t sit right with me.
Giving It a Try Anyway
But a few months earlier, I had bought this journal that I had yet to use.
It was just sitting there, untouched. So one day I figured: What’s the harm in writing something down every day?
At the very least, I thought it might help me understand myself better.
That was the bar I set, and even that felt ambitious.
But journaling ended up doing far more than just helping me “learn more about myself.”
The Shift I Didn’t Expect
I used to dislike myself.
Deeply.
I’d take any chance to vent in my notes app, spiraling in self-pity. I thought I was just being “honest” with myself, but looking back, it was mostly just emotional punishment.
But then I started journaling every day.
Answering the prompts. Being real, not just dramatic or raw, but real.
And slowly, without even realizing it at first, my tone changed.
I started writing good things about myself.
Things I actually believed.
March 10th, 2025
The shift became undeniable when I got to this journal prompt:
“Write a love letter to yourself.”
What I wrote that day still catches me off guard when I reread it, not because it’s dramatic, but because it feels true.
"I love your mind. There was a time when you gave it to someone else, but in truth that mind was polished. The mind I know is ever changing, and holds more than any person may ever know. All traits of your character stem from that mind, and while it may not be My Garden, it certainly is a garden. Where logic and ignorance balance to create a kind of tenderness that is undeniable. So much love and hope, met with discipline and self-awareness. Anyone is lucky to have you, because to have you is to have your heart, and My Heart is proof of that resolve. As strong as you seem, that heart yearns, but don’t be hasty. Love someone that loves every part of you, like me."
Before journaling, I would have never written something like that.
Let alone meant it.
What Journaling Gave Me
Journaling gave me something I didn’t expect:
Belief in myself.
Not in a shallow, fake-it-till-you-make-it way, but real belief.
It helped quiet the self-doubt I used to drown in.
It helped me see myself as someone worth showing up for.
And now?
With a mind that supports me instead of punishes me, I know I’m capable of anything I set it to.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to believe in journaling to start.
You just have to try it.
You don’t need the “perfect” words.
You don’t even need to feel ready.
Just sit down, pick up a pen, and be honest.
Because there’s something healing about seeing yourself, really seeing yourself, on paper.
That version of you is in there.
And when you let them speak, you’ll realize they’ve been rooting for you all along.