Journaling Part 1
Keeping a journal is one of the first things I recommend to most of the athletes I start working with - I know many other coaches who do this as well, in a variety of sports. The journal is a great way of tracking what we do, how it felt doing it and why we do it. The journal can also serve as a powerful learning tool.
Interestingly though, few athletes truly continue their journal writing beyond the basics of what, and therefore also miss out on great opportunities for growing. Amidst the pressures and demands of our days, journals tend to take a back seat. It's unusual to find someone who consistently maintains a journal and uses it to further their development, whether as an athlete or in their general day-to-day.
For a number of research-based reasons, it makes good sense to engage in regular journaling, whether it's via pen and paper in a notebook, or digitally via platforms such as Evernote. Let’s discuss why this month can be such a powerful opportunity to kickstart this action, and a few ways in which journals can assist in this new version of you.
We are too busy planning and plodding, working through past experiences.
Journaling allows us to be in the present, to focus on who we are in the now. So much of our days and focus are aimed at a better version of ourselves, future goals, past lessons and ‘driving’ forward. Yet the best learning and self-awareness—as well as life experience—is in the here and now. Listening to the now—living in the present—is where the magic happens.
How do I journal? Setting an intention charts my course and trains my brain on what to focus. It's my first ‘training’ session each and every day. When I make a written or verbally shared plan, I am more likely to hold myself accountable, find peace in the present, affirm and live my values, and increase my sense of wellbeing.
I read this passage the other month:
“Respond to the events of the day, in the day they occur. Don’t take yesterday's baggage into today, or you will find yourself back in yesterday. Stay away from tomorrow, except to presume it to be what you need in benefit for your growth. Every day becomes an opportunity to know who and what you are, and who others are as well. And let this be enough. Do not dwell on the past or predicate your safety upon a certain outline of a future that may or may not come to be. The teaching of the day is the teaching the soul requires. Tomorrow will present itself in its own perfect way.”
If my work with an athlete is based on the principle that skilled coaching involves unlocking an athlete's potential to maximize their own performance, then they need to observe and evaluate their own performance. Journaling is one of the first steps we can take in unlocking that potential. As a coach, imparting knowledge is only half of the job, helping others discover it in themselves is the critical other half.
This is Part 1 of a 3-Part Journaling Series.