Using the Five-Minute Journal 100% Turned My Life Around in One Week
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What We Tested This Week: The Five-Minute Journal
Who Is This Perfect for: Everyone ready to jump-start their life in the new year (or any time of year) and in need of some positive changes.
As I get older and as the world seems to get noisier and noisier, I need to turn down the volume. I meditate nearly every morning, have been keeping a gratitude journal for the past 4 years, and tune into just about every new episode of Super Soul Sunday on OWN. These are three things that I love. They all make me feel centered, more calm, and much more present in my daily life.
While I love my gratitude journal (jot down five things you're grateful for each and every day), after a while I wanted to kick things up a notch. I truly believe that the more gratitude you practice the more your abundance expands. I follow life coach Jordan Bach on Instagram (he's like what would happen if Oprah and Marianne Williamson had a child together) and one of his recommendations was using The Five-Minute Journal.
"With an investment of under five minutes of my time to answer a few simple questions, my entire life shifts toward hope, purpose, and orderliness. I gift this journal to my friends, family, and life-coaching clients because it is so good. I believe miracles are possible if you focus. This helps you do that." — Jordan Bach
I gave it a whirl, and within just a week I had already noticed a significant difference in my everyday life. The concept is pretty simple, and they make it easy to do because you're basically filling in the blanks each day. Each morning do the following:
write down three things you're grateful for
write down things that would make today great (setting your intention)
write down two positive "I Am" affirmations
That's it! It's an amazing way to start your day and it helps you focus on these ideas throughout your day, as opposed to waking up, grabbing your phone, and jumping onto social media with doom and gloom everywhere.
At night, you'll finish your assignment for the day by filling out the following:
three amazing things that happened today
one or two things that could have made today better
Each day also starts you off with an inspirational quote, and once per week they'll give you a challenge to partake in — like reaching out to someone you haven't spoken to in a while, sharing an act of kindness for the day, etc.
I actually found this easier to complete than my regular gratitude journal, and loved how I started and ended my day with a little "me time" and positive reflection. Now there's no magic pill for your happiness factor, but I certainly noticed that even if potential negative situations in my life hadn't changed, my perception of them did. And that's where your happiness lies.
Each day seemed to just get a bit better and better. I've been using this journal for 6 months so far, and find myself not only feeling more gratitude in my life I actually look for things to be grateful for in almost any situation during my day. Setting my intentions each day also helps me to stay more present and focused, and if I'm being honest, issues that used to bother me at work regularly now pretty much roll right off my back. And, hey, when I misstep (because I'm still human!), I always know what I'll add to the section "How Could You Have Made Today Better?"
So, for real, give this a try. It's easy to stick to, fun to fill out, and will just make your life more enjoyable, less stressful, and more focused.
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