Dr. Nicole LePera has provided permission for her Future Self Journal information to be shared without first requesting permission. To get the information from the source, the website is: https://theholisticpsychologist.com/future-self-journaling/
She has updated some of the prompts for Future Self Journaling, changes I have found far clearer and effective.
So, what do you need to do?
First, one would identify a pattern, behavior or mindset you would like to change. Brainstorm and write down ideas of what you can and are willing to do to make a change, in the manner of positive activities/affirmations.
Secondly, daily journaling. You can restate affirmations, answer questions that engage behavior changes, list what you are grateful for.
Journal daily…the focus being on keeping the promise to complete this task every day. Even if you only write a little, at least write something. My experience has been that even when I lack the mental energy to write for even five minutes, I can, easily, list what I am grateful for. It’s better to write sparsely every day than to skip a day because you don’t think you have much to say.
Personally, anecdotally only for me, I think of dreams and writing as a mechanism to dump the trash or the cobwebs from your mind and create space for more positive thoughts.
Prompts for daily Future Self Journaling, keeping your 30 day challenge in mind.
-I am Grateful for:
-Changes I am making allow me to feel:
-Today I have demonstrated growth in my challenge area by:
-Today I will mentally focus on:
If you have a block to progress, you can certainly try to work through what you are struggling with as part of your journaling. I find the best results when I keep my journaling positive behavior reinforced and re-state ways I can actively participate in my own healing. Not just say how I feel, but what I will do to work through my roadblocks.
What do I do?
I journal daily in a notebook. I set an intention for the day, and if I have time, I will try a visualization exercise. I find that tedious, so I don’t do it often, although in my gut I can tell I am not giving that part of the growth process proper time and attention to work.
I have been recognizing and vocalizing reasons to be grateful well before I began future self journaling. I continue acknowledging what I am grateful for throughout the day and write my gratefuls in my journal as well as detail them here. I do not transfer all that I journal to this blog, as, well, privacy obviously. I do, however, think it helps me stay on track to acknowledge completion of my challenges and the Future Self Journaling task via blogging.
No matter how you use this tool, I hope you find some value in it, or anything you may be doing to forward your growth.
Godspeed!