How to Write the Easiest Journal and Create a Blissful Life

One minute every night is all you need to bring happiness into your life.

We’ve heard it from every help guru, every motivational speaker, and even Oprah talks about it, but what is the big fuss about writing a journal? Do they work, and can they bring peace and happiness to our life, or is it some trend that people follow because it is fashionable?

Imagine you could have the power to bring happiness to your life and learn how to make your nights so joyful that you might never struggle in your bed. It only takes a little time. Are you willing to invest one minute each night to become a happier person, change your attitude, sleep better, and forget about the nightmares?

You might think, OK, I know it all, I’ve heard it before, but as André Gide said:

“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”

Journaling Through History

People have been journaling for centuries. Around AD 170–175, Marcus Aurelius, while fighting in Europe, wrote his thoughts personally, never intended for publication. Still, after his death, they divided his notes into twelve books that we know as his Meditations.

He is not the only famous person who had the habit of grabbing a notebook, a pen and capture his /her ideas and most profound thought. Among some celebrities we can name:

• Artists: Frida Kahlo, Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Ludwig van Beethoven
• Business: Arianna Huffington, John D. Rockefeller, Sir Richard Brandon
• Inventors Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci (yes, I know he is in two categories, so sue me for thinking he was awesome)
• Military: Lewis and Clark, George Patton, George C. Marshall
• Politics: John Adams, Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela
• Scientist: Marie Curie, Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein
• Writers: Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Emilie Davies, Lewis Carroll, and of course, the famous diary of Anne Frank

Did I mention that also Oprah Gail Winfrey journals? Yes, that’s fricking remarkable!

“Keeping a journal will change your life in ways that you’d never imagine.”

— Oprah Winfrey

What Are the Benefits of Journaling?

There are lots of benefits journaling could bring into your life. For example, we can mention that writing ideas bring down the burden of thinking about something. It helps to lower your blood pressure and enables you to sleep better.

Journaling sharpens your memory. Writing forces us to coordinate several brain functions on the frontal lobe, associated with speaking and writing, helping to keep more an idea. It is also responsible for movement, reasoning, judgment, planning, and problem-solving.

It sets your brain to categorize things, which plays an essential role in goal setting and planning for your future. It also helps you have documented the progress of your change and is also great if you ever need an alibi (kidding, but it might help).

Remembering the good things you experienced improves your mood, promotes happiness, and brings you to a state of mindfulness and bliss, cultivating a state of gratitude and mindfulness.

We could go for a long time mentioning the benefits of journaling, but for the moment, I’ll keep it simple as promised.

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.”

― Christina Baldwin.

Complex Journaling vs. This Simple Method

There is no doubt of the benefits that an extensive journal can bring to your life, but let’s be honest, the reason you open this article is that you are looking for a simple way of journaling.

If you don’t already have the habit of journaling, it is not because you don’t know how to, but either for lack of time or plain laziness, you don’t do it.

Thus, here is the solution to your problem, you don’t need an expensive leather-covered journal. A simple notebook will do, and you’ll need a pencil or pen, and that’s all.

Now, either on the cover or the first page, whatever suits your taste, you’ll write:

Something beautiful I saw Something beautiful I heard Something beautiful I said

“Your Journal is like your best friend, You don’t have to pretend with it, you can be honest and write exactly how you feel,”

― Bukola Ogunwale

Filling Your Journal and Your Life With Beauty

Think of happy thoughts and bring joy to your life. Make your journal your eternal fountain of recurrent happiness.

Each day you have to:

• Write about something beautiful you saw. A glorious sunset, a funny cat meme, a picture of your loved one, the new chapter of your favorite TV series, or a movie.
• Write about something beautiful you heard. You listened to your favorite song, your child’s first words, some compliment, or a call from a friend, etc.
• Write about something beautiful you said. Take the time during each day to compliment someone, make the bank teller smile, say have a nice day, and mean it. Tell someone you love; I get you! I’m here for you! I have your back! And the most beautiful but most complicated of all; I love you!

Your journal will be full of beautiful images of your day, and no matter how crappy you’ve thought your day was. After these three simple words or phrases, you’ll be full of gratitude and happiness.

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

— William Wordsworth

Take away

“Writing is the only way I have to explain my own life to myself.”

― Pat Conroy, My Reading Life

Stop acting like a sour patch kid all the time. You have lots of beautiful things to be grateful for in your life.

Journaling is a great practice to adopt. And now, my dear procrastinator. Mr. I don’t have the time. Mrs. I’m too tired to think. You have no excuse. It doesn’t need much effort and will bring tons of benefits for your health and well-being.

The best part is that if someday you feel depressed or can’t figure out what to write, read last week’s entry, or remember how you felt last month. You’ll have an endless source of the highlights of your day.

And yes, this counts for something beautiful you saw!

No matter if you fought in your work or at home with your partner, at the end of the day, think of three beautiful things. It is for your benefit.

To transform the world, the change begins with you.

So grab a notebook, a journal, or a simple sheet of paper. Don’t forget your pencil or pen, and dive deep into the memory of the last 24 hours, to harvest all the beautiful things that happened to you. Don’t wait; start today and be the kind of person the world needs. Start tonight and create a blissful life.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.”

— Mina Murray