Journaling
Happy New Year! It may be too late for that. But happy day all the same. Recently I’ve been reflecting on my 2018 and determining what habits I want to bring into the new year. I started January 2018 with a really random task. I joined a journaling workshop. A lady I met at a networking seminar posted on Facebook that she was doing a 2-week journaling webinar. Every day we’d log in to Facebook Live and chat about our journaling topics, revelations, and the next day’s topic. I will admit I didn’t finish the two weeks. But it did ignite the desire to write down some of the things going on in my head.
There are so many different styles of journaling. There’s a style for every personality type. This is not the blog post that describes them in great detail. My journal is a brain dump. I write to-do lists, prayers, dreams, goals, poems, motivational quotes. Anything that is worth writing down goes in my journal. I use it to vent when I’m feeling down. I write down celebrations so that I can come back to my joy. What made journaling valuable to my 2018 was the ability to revisit my goals. Some goals are only interesting in the moment, but when I write them down I can go back and see what things are constant. It also allows me to question my goals: do I only want to get my master’s degree for my parents? Are my travel goals fueled by social media versus a true desire to see the world?
The biggest revelations were in the themes around how I define my success. One of the prompts I’d suggest you do a few times a year, “If you weren’t limited by life or fear, what’s the biggest dream you want for yourself?” This should be a goal that sounds so ridiculous you’d be fearful to say it out loud. My great big goal is to have an interior design show as influential as Chip and Joanna. I want to create a trend as big as shiplap and have a furniture label at an accessible store like Target. I have ZERO clue how to get there, but having a destination in mind has allowed me to see what desires won’t help me get there. With a goal that huge, even if I get close it will be a huge success.
In a similar fashion I want to use this blog to express myself. This will be my virtual brain dump, journal, vision board, form of expression. When I started I had a category in mind and then I struggled to make my content fit the mold. But going forward I want this to fully be Deana Brooks dot com. I am much more than my interest in Charleston and Real Estate and home decor. I’m excited to share my 2019 adventures with you all. We can go on this journey together. And in 2020 we’ll review all the things to see where we land.
