Keeping a Journal: One of the Three Treasures to Leave Behind

If you’re serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured and unique individual, keep a journal. Don’t trust your memory. When you listen to something valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down.

I used to take notes on pieces of paper and torn-off corners and backs of old envelopes. I wrote ideas on restaurant placemats, on long sheets, narrow sheets and little sheets and pieces of paper thrown in a drawer.

Then I found out that the best way to organize those ideas is to keep a journal. I’ve been keeping these journals since the age of 31. The discipline makes up a valuable part of my learning, and the journals are a valuable part of my library.

I am a buyer of blank books. Some people find it interesting that I would buy a blank book. They say, “Twenty dollars for a blank book! Why would you pay that?” The reason I pay 20 dollars is to challenge myself to find something worth 20 dollars to put in there. All my journals are private, but if you ever got a hold of one of them, you wouldn’t have to look very far to discover it is worth more than 20 dollars.

I must admit, if you got a glimpse of my journals, you’d have to say that I am a serious student. I’m not just committed to my craft; I’m committed to life, committed to learning new concepts and skills. I want to see what I can do with seed, soil, sunshine and rain to turn them into the building blocks of a productive life.

Keeping a journal is so important. I call it one of the three treasures to leave behind for the next generation. In fact, future generations will find these three treasures far more valuable than your furniture.

The first treasure is your pictures. Take a lot of pictures. Don’t be lazy in capturing the event. How long does it take to capture the event? A fraction of a second. How long does it take to miss the event? A fraction of a second. So don’t miss the pictures. When you’re gone, they’ll keep the memories alive.

The second treasure is your library. This is the library that taught you, that instructed you, that helped you defend your ideals. It helped you develop a philosophy. It helped you become wealthy, powerful, healthy, sophisticated and unique. It may have helped you conquer some disease. It may have helped you conquer poverty. It may have caused you to walk away from the ghetto. Your library, the books that instructed you, fed your mind and fed your soul, is one of the greatest gifts you can leave behind.

The third treasure is your journals: the ideas that you picked up, the information that you meticulously gathered. But of the three, journal writing is one of the greatest indications that you’re a serious student. Taking pictures, that is pretty easy. Buying a book at a bookstore, that’s pretty easy. It is a little more challenging to be a student of your own life, your own future, your own destiny. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a journal. You’ll be so glad you did. What a treasure to leave behind when you go. What a treasure to enjoy today!

(excerpted from Jim Rohn’s “How to Use a Journal” audio CD)

Some Ideas On How To Use A Journal

Why pay so much for an empty book? Because I plan on putting something valuable in it. Why put a million dollar idea into a 10 cent book?

What should go into your journal? A journal is a place for you to figure out life as it relates to yourself, your business, your job, etc. It becomes magical in the sense that it accomplishes those ends. It helps to clarify what is going on.

Example: Write about a current dilemma you’re facing – it could be a business matter or a family situation. Take the time to capture it on paper the way it really is. Then, carefully analyze what you have written.

Look for:

1. Exaggerations or distortions of the truth. Are you really telling it like it is?

2. A tendency to blame circumstances or someone else for your problem instead of seeing yourself as the cause. Failing to do what we could have done or doing in haste what we never should have done.

3. A tendency to expect circumstances or other people to change in order for your problem to be solved. “Things get better when you get better.”

4. Look closely for weak points in the obstacles where you might attack to bring that obstacle to its knees. Remember, David slew Goliath with one small stone.

Be sure to record the solution to your problem. If it worked well, then it is worth remembering. If it didn’t work well, then it is even more important to record and remember.

“Better decision making comes from better thinking habits and better thinking habits come from practical experience.”

So, step 1 was to write down problems that you encounter.

Step 2: The capturing of good ideas. “What we do not somehow capture today is lost forever.” “Life always rewards the serious students for their labors.”

Consider keeping an index at the back of each volume. Ex.: Financial ideas – pages 5, 53, 76, 105. Ideas for increasing company efficiency – pages 46, 79, 104 and 126.

After years of experience, Jim Rohn settled on setting aside certain sections of his journal for specific uses. In the back of the journal, there could be a separate section for recording goals, for listing interesting quotes, and for thoughts on new speech material. You could also include a section for ongoing projects.

“Failure more often than not is attributable to lack of information on how to succeed.”

Step 3: Review Ideas

For journals to have real value, they must be frequently reviewed. It is by rereading our journals that we begin the process of translating information into practical knowledge about ourselves, our environment, our relationships, our businesses, our financial affairs, our dreams and our own better future.

Set aside a day each week, or at the very least, each month to review recent entries. Then once a year, take all of your journals off the shelf and read them from cover to cover.

A journal should also capture observations and reactions. Describe near misses that you have. Outline your observations of people’s behavior at family gatherings or office parties. Paint the picture of your day at the beach. Go a step further. Describe your feelings, your emotional response to life.

Describe your feelings when someone else got the promotion you thought was rightfully yours. Capture the joy of your victories as well as the agonies of your defeats.

It doesn’t have to be a monumental event to capture. The better that we are able to describe what goes on around us, the better we will be able to understand some of the turmoils and conflicts within us.

Powerful negative emotions are diminished by writing and powerful positive emotions become explosive.

Writing about your fear reduces its strength and capturing your excitement magnifies its power.

Draw pictures, make diagrams, neatness doesn’t count and neither does spelling. Glue in newspaper articles, cartoons, quotes, whatever moves you.

You should start off each entry with the location, date and time of the entry.

Writing in your journal is one of the most effective ways to develop your communication skills. As you become better at describing life to yourself, you will find you will become better at describing yourself to life.

How often should you write? As often as you wish and as often as you need to.

The first discipline to develop is to always have your journal with you. Carry your journal with you.

One of your first entries into your journal is a complete account of how it is for you right now in this life. What’s got you turned off? What’s got you turned on? How’s it going for you at home, at work? Are you happy, frustrated, excited, perplexed, worried, doubtful?

You might write a description of how it’s going in each area of your life. Honestly tell it like it is.

For a more comprehensive 50 minute recording of How to Use Your Journal, email me at wtompson@ix.netcom.com.