As part of youth conference, everyone attended a series of workshops. I was asked to give one of the workshops. So I taught the same concept 4 times (and each time it was similar but not exactly the same). I was asked to teach about how journaling connects us with ourselves --and I hope I got that point across and also helped them see that journaling also connects us with heaven.
Here's the basic outline of what I shared:
First, I asked them why we should keep a journal. I had some reasons/ideas but they also came up with a few that I didn't have.
Why we should keep a journal:
*we have been asked to:
President Kimball said, “Those who keep a book of remembrance are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives. Journals are a way of counting our blessings and of leaving an inventory of these blessings for our posterity.”
President Kimball also said, “Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies.”
From the earliest days of the church, leaders have encouraged us to keep journals. And there are blessings promised if we do.
*helps us remember ...we forget things! Even things we think we'll never forget. I shared a couple of funny stories from when my girls were little of things they did that I don't remember but I know they happened because I wrote them down. I also shared a bit of President Eyring's experiences with journal keeping from his talk O Remember, Remember.
*reminds of happy times
*Therapeutic (I talked about how much journaling helped me when my parents divorced)
*Way to increase gratitude and to be more aware of the blessings we have
*Way to gain strength and overcome difficulties
Elder Neil L. Andersen spoke of the spiritually defining moments in our lives...the times when our prayers are answered, our testimony is strengthened, when we feel God’s love or approval, when our faith grows. I think we have probably all had these experiences...but if we don’t take time to think about them, remember them, and record them then we tend to forget them.
Elder Andersen said, “When personal difficulty, doubt, or discouragement darken our path, or when world conditions beyond our control lead us to wonder about the future, the spiritually defining memories from our book of life are like luminous stones that help brighten the road ahead, assuring us that God knows us, loves us and has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us return home.”
*Helps with teaching or speaking...these experiences can help us share personal witness about the topics we speak or teach on.
*Way to record what you’re learning and how you’re growing and lessons learned from life.
Some of the other ideas shared: It helps our posterity to know us. It helps history/current events come alive and feel more personal when a loved one has written about them. It humbles us because it helps us see some of our mistakes and weaknesses. It helps us see progress over time. It helps us forgive others. It helps us process our emotions. It becomes like personal scripture, our own record of what we have learned and how the Lord has guided and led us.
How/Where?
*Notebook/actual journal
*Social media to chatbook or other company to create book
*Blog
*In app or on phone or in word document (make sure it’s saved to cloud and/or printed regularly)
*Record yourself and upload onto Family Search or interview family members
Hint: Pick a day/time to write so that you are consistent. Maybe set a timer for 10 minutes each night before bed or always write for 30 minutes each Sunday or for 30 minutes every fast Sunday. Being consistent will help you develop a habit and make it more likely that you continue with journal writing. It will also make it much more likely that you don’t miss big events or spiritual experiences or that your journal doesn’t only focus on the bad (or only on the good)
What do I write about?
*Day to day life
*Things that you’re struggling with: bad habits you are trying to break, adversity and affliction,
*Happy events
*Funny, comical things
*What you're grateful for
*Goals
*Lessons being learned in life
Then I talked a little bit about the process of keeping a 3 word journal, how it works, why it's a good tool and how it has helped me in the past year. I shared two examples of 3 word journal entries and bore my testimony of the importance and power of keeping a journal.
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