I am going to start a new journaling series. In time, I will do a series on every single type of journaling possible. This series is the second in this series. Each series will be an ongoing series, by the way. The 1st blog post series is of Memory Journaling. This 2nd series is on Spiritual Journaling.
Spiritual Journaling is that of the spirit. It's what matters most to you and is what you believe--and why you believe it. You also might say that this type of journaling is journaling what is on your heart.
AN INTRODUCTION TO SPIRITUAL OR BELIEF JOURNALING
Before we begin here we must answer a few very basic questions. First, who are we as individuals? Not simply our name or occupation, but who are we at our core, what is the essence and substance of who we are as individual people?
Secondly, what is it in each of us that will determine not only why we think and do what we do, but ultimately who we become in this life? What do we believe? Why do we believe what we believe? Those are foundational questions which we must answer. More importantly, how do we go about knowing and understanding what is right or wrong, correct or incorrect, and more importantly, why? Much of how we answer these questions is based in what we understand to be true, but how do we determine what’s true or not true?
Let’s walk together for a little while. In this and future volumes we will explore these questions and see if we can arrive at answers that can help us to make sense of some things. Who we are, what we’re made of (our character and integrity), and why we do what we do has to do with our belief system.
Our relationships, choices, careers, speech, behavior, and way of life, indeed our life path itself is impacted by our beliefs as well. In other words, everything we are and all we do is because of and based on our beliefs.
So, what do you, or don’t you, believe?
Even more importantly, why do you believe, or not believe, what you do?
When was the last time you really gave any serious thought to these questions?
I would venture to say most of us don’t evaluate what we believe or what we don’t believe on anything approaching a deep level very often, if at all. What a tragedy that is, my friend. If we do neither, we’re really walking around half empty and half alive. We’re going through the motions, but that’s really about it and that really isn’t a good way to live. We don’t really want to miss out on half of our lives. In order that we don’t, it’s time for us to devote some serious thought to our beliefs, and their antithesis, and maybe our unbelief, through Belief Journaling.
WHY AM I WRITING THIS BLOG POST SERIES?
As Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
I think many of us go through life without evaluating ourselves or analyzing our lives. Some of us might think highly of ourselves, but not in the way that leads to any significant self-improvement or growth, especially in the realm of maturity.
I also think most of us have no idea what we believe in full and are wrong about much of what we believe. We either have a faulty premise or a misunderstanding thereof.
Therefore, we really aren’t making our lives any easier and we surely fail to lead as deep a life as we could or should. In other words, we shortchange ourselves and live shallow lives. (Me included.)
We need to know what we believe, what we don’t, and why so we can live better lives and contribute to society (vs. take away from). After all, our beliefs are absolutely critical in our lives since they shape who we are, how we live, and ultimately who we become. This book is to help us think about our beliefs and why we believe them.
THIS ISN’T AN EASY PATH
Journaling, and spiritual journaling/belief journaling isn’t easy. It will take a lot of time, work, thought, and self-reflection.
Remember, there are easy paths in life, but the easy way is rarely the best way. Doing what’s right always takes more work. After all, if doing the right thing was easy, everyone would be doing it…right?
So, are you ready?
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?
A PLACE TO START
OPENING
Good day, my friend. I hope you’re doing well and are ready for your first real day of Belief Journaling. It will require a bit of work, but I’m sure you’re equal to the task. The reason it’ll take some effort and intentionality is because you can’t know what you believe, or don’t, unless you explore the depths of your inner being. In order to get to the depths, you have to work hard.
Most people identify self more as “what” they are. “I’m a parent” or “a cop” or “a doctor” or “a waitress” or some other occupation. Those are not who we are, but are only titles for what we do in order to earn a living. It reduces us to an occupation and can, if we’re not careful, rob us of our identity.
We are so done with that. It stops…now.
Answer the question: “Who are you?”
Now, we’ll probe the depths of self in an effort to learn “who” we are. Journaling will help you to get past the superficial layers and get to the core of who you are as a person, a human being, not just a worker in an occupation. What is your purpose? From what do you derive meaning? We’ll go forward and do our best to find out. Get in and buckle-up. This ride’s about to leave.
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER
What we have to keep in mind is some of this might appear a bit daunting at times. Don’t ever quit. I’m going to give suggestions with regard to time and page count. They are just that—suggestions. These are what work for me and are simply examples. These serve as something of a baseline and are not meant to be understood as absolute requirements. What works for you might take more, less, or about the same as far as time needed or pages or word count required, to accomplish a particular part of what we’re dealing with.
By the way, in rough-draft journaling I tend to be wordy. Your written expression might be wordy, too. If not, bless you! But if so, we’re kindred spirits! So again, the time and page/word counts are merely meant as guides. Keep that in the background as we embark on our journey. And also remember to keep your hands and feet in the ride at all times—safety always!
INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING WHAT MAKES UP A PAGE OF WRITING
You’ll notice every journal on the market is a different size, shape, and color. Every journal holds a different word count because of the differences. Therefore, whenever I refer to a page of journaling, I refer to 350 words per page. Therefore, we can do the math and figure out what that looks like with each new journal you use from here.
If you use a paper and a pen journal, average the first 5 full pages of journaling you complete. You’ll probably have to write 2 to 3 pages of handwritten material before you get to that 350 word count. Make sure to take this into account and fulfill the proper amount of pages of journaling as requested.
If you have a computer, your page will, most likely hold more than 350 words, by the way, if it’s double spaced. So, take that into account, too.
Now that we have something of a standard, let’s take a look at a scenic point of interest on our way to Journaland: Reflection Questions.
INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Most blog posts in the upcoming weeks, regarding spiritual or belief journaling, will have a section called: REFLECTION QUESTIONS. They are questions to ponder and journal about as you explore the core of your being. Consequently, do not answer with “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure.” Also, don’t answer with just “yes” or “no.”
~[1] Answer each question as completely as you’re able. Explain your answer. Go into detail. Write as much as you can as quickly as possible. Capture your thoughts on the page.
~ With every answer, give at least 5 sentences of response—unless you are asked in that Reflection Question to give a longer response.
~ Once you answer the Reflection Questions in that section, go back and add an additional 2 to 6 sentences each. There’s a reason I ask for this repetition.
You’ll feel compelled to add to the responses you’ve previously given because each question is interdependent on the others. In a few days’ time, you may have more to add to them as well. These questions will often make us roll things around in our minds for a while. Needless to say, do so. The goal is to go as deep and be as thorough as possible.
All these tips will help with that endeavor.
So, shall we get started?
Grab your journals and let’s start to Belief Journal.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
I suggest 2 to 5 pages for the following questions.
With regard to the first thing(s) which comes to mind, answer these and remember don’t discount anything that comes. Go deep. It all counts. List everything you can think of in list form and be extremely methodical.
~ 1. What do you believe? Why? Explain your answer.
~ 2. What don’t you believe? Why? Explain your answer.
~ 3. Do you believe in a Higher Power? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
~ 4. Do you believe in a God, many gods, or idols? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
~ 5. Do you believe in religion? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
CLOSING
I realize this is a time-consuming blog post, so we’re going to end it here. Keep thinking about your responses and make sure to add to them as needed over the next several days, several times a day, after you move to the next chapter. The longer you think on these things, the more you’ll have to add to the page. See you in the next blog post.
[1] Whenever you see ~ it’s there to draw attention to a new point, item, or bullet point. It also demarks something you’re supposed to do.
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