Do you ever have an idea that pops into your mind and you think that it’s something so wild that you let it quickly slip away? I wrote this article as a powerful piece of advice: the Power of Journaling.
The Power of Journaling: Write. It. Down.
There was a time in my life when I felt like living abroad was something so completely out of reach. Yet I had these dreams and fantasized about them endlessly. Most importantly, I wrote about it.
Here’s an excerpt of something I wrote while traveling in Barcelona in 2014:
“I love it here. And I would really love to leave the US to live abroad. Perhaps I will save that for my older years, but it would also be great to do it now. I would have to find a job that allows me to return to the US for months at a time to see family and friends.
Maybe I could be an English teacher. I am just around the corner of success in finishing my degree and will have student loan debt to pay. But it would just be an incredible experience to live here for a period. Maybe I will lose my job, arrive at a crossroads in life, and have the chance to move to Spain…”
These seemingly insignificant thoughts ended up becoming the roadmap to my future life as an expat. They seemed like wild ideas at the moment, however; I ended up getting laid off just two weeks later from a company I had worked at for six years.
This is something very interesting about writing and journaling. Sometimes you know things before you even realize that you know, especially for major life changes and decisions.
If we look at the act of journaling from a very basic perspective, it is essentially the sharing of free-flowing thoughts, a form of creative expression. Yet there is an unmistakable power in taking this thought, vision, or idea and putting the pen to the paper. This action of taking a once intangible thought and translating it into reality through the action of your handwriting in your journal, making it something tangible is already turning it into something which exists.
The Power of Journaling: From Childhood to Now
I have kept a diary since I was 11 years old.
As I matured, I made it a point to bring my “travel journal” with me anytime I was on the go. I made a commitment to write every time I found myself in an unfamiliar environment so that I could detail and remember what I was experiencing during these moments.
What I found is that in these special moments I felt incredibly inspired. The new perspectives I was gaining broadened my perceptions of what I was capable of doing. Meeting people who had done what I dreamed of gave me the confidence to pursue some of these seemingly impossible goals.
I learned little by little that anything we can dream of doing is actually achievable.
The Power of Journaling: My Challenge to You
So I leave you with this challenge.
If you’re not already a writer or in the habit of journaling, try it out.
Buy a journal you like, get some nifty pens, and every time you travel or are on the brink of experiencing something new, write about it. Write down your thoughts, what you anticipate, hope for… get it all down on paper.
Make writing a habit. Use it to explore your innermost feelings and desires. Do it for you.
And in those moments when you feel most inspired to do something, write about it. Write down every single one of those wild ideas!
Every so often, revisit your journal, your own story, to relive that moment of inspiration, and see where it leads you.
Since I wrote that fateful entry in my journal, I have experienced the following:
- I lost my job.
- I reached a crossroads in my life.
- I left the US to live in Barcelona.
- And I became an English teacher.
Our thoughts are powerful. Use yours to manifest your next chapter, the story you get to choose for yourself. Perhaps you’ll find yourself doing something you have always dreamed of.
Are you using the power of journaling to manifest your wildest expat dreams? Let me know!
by: Marjorie Vera
