Nov 19 2008
Patterns!
When you remain consistent with journaling daily patterns begin to emerge, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and the culmination of life as you knew it shifts. These are developed patterns of life that have brought you this far, leading you to this day, this information, and can be considered a blessing or not. Recognizing the habits which hold you in prison fuel you to action and in general are judged either good or bad is a result of consistent journaling. It has been said that bad behaviors are persistent and resistant, where as new ones are more difficult to obtain. What I find intriguing with this concept is that all habits are equal until judged, and then labels are placed according to how the habit affects its environment. In other words if a habit disturbs another person, causes pain or joy the label is either good or bad, there is a criteria involved in creating the judgment about the habit.
Freedom of choice, a gift of the Divine, the one major cognition that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom bringing with it a responsibility to self, not others, but self. The one person in this world that has the greatest power in your life to love you and cherish you, show respect, guidance and most of all the power to create something wonderful in your life is YOU. Does that decrease the effects of others in your daily life? Yes and no, yes because what another says appears to be good or bad, no because it is the learned value of what others say and do that affects us the greatest. Well, if you get hit or run over by a vehicle that hurts, of course, abuse of any form hurts. Yes, mostly because what we are taught early in life, those early lessons that have been passed down from generation to generation and is unique to humans, not the rest of the animal kingdom. There are volumes of research and books written on this topic alone, so because that is too cumbersome for this article I will save it for later and provide the links to those in case you are interested.
The first pattern that becomes apparent is the desire to forget about journaling, a new habit that can be helpful and healing. The first night excitement at discovering a new tool to help, so practice is completed, off to sleep (if it is done at bedtime), the next night, time to journal before bed, but so many other things must get done, exhausted from the day, too tired, and off to bed, journal untouched, from there dozens of nights pass and eventually you forget all about it. Then something happens and you think perhaps doing the journal thing is not so bad of an idea, so you give it another try and the same result, one more time only this time maybe you write before bed, get up in the morning and make a few more notes. Here the first of many patterns emerges, the choice to make a healthy change, to use a tool to help make changes in life is attempted, then the old way of living kicks in and says nope, not going anywhere. What do you think this is?
When you decide to do something new, perhaps healthier for you, and it falls by the way side, what happens to you? What thoughts come up for you, how does your body react, what sensations occur? For me? It was a reason to punish myself, negative thoughts, getting up in the morning feeling depressed and uninterested in my day. Each time I made the decision to not practice something that would improve my life, begged off with being too tired, another reason to be disappointed in me, to punish me, to dislike me even more. This resulted in whining, negative self-talk, illness, poor decision making, and the list could be endless, but I am hoping by now you know what I am talking about. Does it sound familiar? Maybe, maybe not, I write because I have to share my experience, strength and healing with you, spreading the word that there is a way out.
In closing I do hope it does help, that perhaps you will decide to go easy on yourself the next time you resolve to make a change in your life, to add something new and when you falter making up reasons to not do it, that perhaps you will recognize the pattern and decide to go through with it one more time. Then make the decision to give yourself a break and not push so hard. If you want guidance, someone to walk this path with you, let me know. My contact page will have several ways to find me. I look forward to our journey together.
Bright Blessings abound for you and yours.
