by Kristy Stevens-Young

Created on: July 15, 2008   Last Updated: December 25, 2010

I never met my great-grandmother, as she died many years before my birth. But I know as much, if not more, about her than I do most of my friends! How? By reading her journals. This wonderful woman left us the wonderful gift of letting us feel her pain, joy, anger and love through her daily writings in her journals.

Journaling is a great way to clarify your dreams and goals and then follow the steps you take (both forwards and backwards) to get there. It is an amazing gift to hand down to future generations. All of this, and more, can be accomplished by simply putting pen to paper for mere minutes a day. How do you get started? By following four simple steps, you can learn more about yourself, have less stress and leave behind a peek into your life for later generations.

Journaling Step 1 - Buy A Journal

Picking out a journal is the first step; it is your commitment to your self that you will put in the time and effort to write in it. A fresh beginning comes with each new journal.

My great-grandmother had a habit of writing the date she stared each new journal on the front cover and the date it finished on the back cover. She would also write the sentence "This was an amazing day because" and fill in the ending on both dates. Sometimes the reasons were grand like her 25th anniversary and other times, they were more mundane, like the time she wrote a rose bloomed. I followed her lead and do mine the same way.

Journaling Step 2 - Choose A Time To Write

Although you can (and will) write in your journal any time throughout your day, choosing a specific time will help to develop it into a habit. It doesn't have to be an exact time such as 7:15pm, but more of a time slot like, after morning coffee or right before lights out. The more you journal, the more ingrained this habit will become.

I am a morning person. I love my private, early morning time: before the rest of the house gets up and going. Growing up I was the only one on my family that was this way and I took comfort in reading my great-grandmother journals and saw she was exactly the same way! Some mornings when I am writing away, I think of how she would do the same thing.

Journaling Step 3 - Write, Write, Write

When you journal, don't worry about what you write: just write whatever comes into your mind. What made you happy (or sad), did you accomplish something, how is your relationship going, did the kids say something funny - anything you think about can be written in your journal. All of these things

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