A Guide to Daily Reflection through Journaling

Reflection guides me like a compass, and journaling serves as my vessel. Finishing one journal is a profound moment—a reflection on growth, accomplishments, and lessons learned. As I turn the pages, I contemplate the journey from the first to the last, bringing me to the present moment. In this article, I will share my thoughts on the importance of reflection and how I incorporate it into my life, aiming to inspire and provide ideas for how one could embark on their own reflective journey.

Reflections help me perceive my thoughts, obstacles, possibilities, and the whole world around me better. It gives me clarity in my next actions. Through years of reflections and journaling, I have created a template that helps me reflect on important topics to live every day to the fullest.

Let's first deep dive into why I believe doing reflection is valuable and then have a look at how I do reflection supported by my template.

Our life is what our thoughts make it.
- Marcus Aurelius

*Every day is a new page in our journey. Reflection helps me to make the most of it.*

Why do Reflection?

Even without doing it intentionally, our brain reflects on information provided to it. We learn continuously. Ever had a problem that at first seems unsolvable but after a good night's sleep, the solution is crystal clear? Something almost magical happens during the night.

But our brain doesn't always provide us solutions for free. We must talk about them, share our thoughts with others, get advice and feedback, maybe use coaching to reflect on our current situation to help determine our next steps in our journey, or somehow address our thoughts by ourselves. For me, journaling is a great tool for introspection.

It's easy to get carried away in our daily life; hence, stopping and doing reflection helps us continuously challenge our behavior and search for ways to challenge ourselves.

We are our thoughts. How we perceive things will have a great impact on our actions. So why not try to see things more clearly? Clarity is what I hope to achieve by doing reflection. Understanding what is important, what is not, what, why, and how to do something. That is why I do reflection through journaling. I'm trying to become a better man, improve just a little step by step, and learn, especially from my mistakes because I will not let anyone or anything define me. I want to understand what is in my control and what is not, and focus on the things I can have an impact on.

To inspire my thinking and broaden my reflections, I have created a template that consists of five sections that inspires me to contemplate on different important angles that create a plan for the day.

Next, I will share the template and a few words about why these sections bring value to everyday reflection. I have planned my journaling in a specific order, which inspires me to focus on the next section. Now, let's delve into the template I've developed to structure my reflections.

Death

I start my daily reflection by contemplating death. Death can be a scary topic to reflect on, yet it is an inevitable part of life. So far, at least to my knowledge, no one has been able to avoid it.

I reflect on death daily, not to feel depressed or sad, but to embrace life. To embrace the time I have here. To make every day just a bit more special, to give it meaning. It motivates me to take action now rather than later, helping me enjoy and learn even from the challenges and difficulties life throws my way. It also reminds me of the things I’m grateful for in life, which takes me to the next section of my daily reflection: Gratefulness.

Gratefulness

Reflection on death helps me see what I’m grateful for in life. Thinking about things I'm grateful for helps me, especially on days when I'm tired or stressed. It can also help me see positivity in obstacles and challenges. Some days I try to look at a challenge and think about what positive I can find in it. That can really change our perception and our actions.

I usually jot down a few bullet points about things that make me grateful: some days it is a cup of coffee; some days I'm more philosophical and nurture the gratefulness of being alive and having so many beautiful people in my life. Remembering what makes you happy sets a nice tone for the day; it brings a smile. These thoughts give me energy to plan my intentions for the day.

Barcelona, sunrise, reflections, beach — *Early morning in Barcelona. I headed to the beach for my daily reflection. With a view like this, gratitude for life came effortlessly—a breathtaking moment to kickstart the day.*

Intentions

Intentions work as a blueprint, a guiding plan for the day. I avoid calling them goals because these intentions are meant to help me in my journey, not just to be something I can tick off. It can be that I want to do more focused work, be more present by actively taking notes from a meeting and shutting down all distractions.

These intentions can be related to how I want to behave that day — being calm even in harder situations. They could also involve my intention to do a workout, read, write, focus on relaxation, surprise a friend, be kind, and give a compliment to someone I value. Intentions work as the guiding compass for the day. When the direction is set for every day, I hope that they, with time, take me to a place I want to be and who I want to be.

Embrace Discomfort

Even with good intentions, some things are hard to achieve. Which of my intentions are challenging? Why? How? How can I embrace the discomfort in them? The obstacle gives me learnings; it makes me stronger. How we perceive discomfort seals the deal. Will you avoid it or confront it, even if it is difficult? It can be a intense workout, a challenging conversation, cold showers, abstaining from phone/social media for a given time... it can even be abstaining from training/something you really like; for some, staying put and recovering can cause discomfort. Or simply being with your own thoughts and reflecting. Can you allow yourself to reflect even on difficulties?

Meditations

This section I leave to write about anything. It could be what I have been doing that day, emotions, learnings, feelings, ideas, people, memories. Generally speaking, I write about whatever is in my head. Thoughts that can reach clarity with written words. Thoughts and actions that will become memories. Memories that I can go back to because the day will soon be gone. And so will our memories if we have nothing that can take us back to that moment.

Using this flow of thoughts that the template provides, I ensure that I reflect in a holistic view on a daily basis. The section provides me a flow, a journey through my mind that makes me ready to enjoy life to the fullest every day.

"The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts"
-Marcus Aurelius

Make your Day

Remember, embracing life to the fullest isn't about a day packed with actions; it's about being present in every moment. Whether enjoying a cup of coffee, engaging in a meaningful conversation, or simply admiring the leaves of a tree in a beautiful park, each moment holds the potential for fulfillment. Use reflection to discover the richness in every experience and make each day truly vibrant and intentional.

Lastly, a reminder that journaling is just one tool for reflection. Everyone should find their way of doing it. You can opt for a mindful walk, engage in self-talk, record your thoughts, or even create a video. The key is to dedicate time to yourself, stepping away from constant distractions like social media.