**Type:** Insight **Growth Stage**: <font color="#00b050">evergreen</font> **Last Tended**: 2024-08-29 **Topics**: #journalling #SelfAwareness #reflection --- >[!Directors commentary] >Credit here goes to **Adam Grant** - Inspired by what he said on the **High Performance Podcast** - "everyone can become a ‘journalist’ of their own lives" - using journaling as a way to reflect on personal experiences. I recall he talked around, or I took away at least, the idea of Journalists finding the 'lead' and headline, and we should also do this with our own personal journaling. **Abstract** Do you find it easier to push yourself physically and mentally, but struggle when it comes to emotional reflection? I do too. But I came to realise that the power of journaling could lie in finding the hidden story or headline by reporting on the previous day. Identifying the most important lessons, I shifted from abstract thoughts to actionable reflections, making it easier to confront uncomfortable truths and pinpoint areas of growth. To help me dig between the lines, I built a generative AI assistant as my 'Digital Coach,' prompting me with questions — offering structure and depth to my reflection. I use the following 3 focusing questions to help me reflect every day: 1. What did I achieve yesterday, and who or what am I grateful for? 2. What’s my top priority today, and how does it support my goals? 3. What lessons did I learn yesterday, and how can I grow today? I chose Hokusai's 'The Great Wave of Kanagawa' as the cover of my journal because it reminds me that I’m a work in progress — Hokusai drew different waves at ages 33, 44, and 46 before completing the final piece at 72. I hope sharing this inspires you to think about your journaling practice, so - what’s the headline of your story today? **#Journalling** **#selfimprovement** **#selfawareness** **#1lineaday** **#reflection** **#gratefulness** ## Open Questions & Implications - I find questions 1 and are still the most useful - though 2 is more planning than reflection. - My journalling has produced that '1 line a day' bit of wisdom. I'll share a collection of them here soon. - My journalistic approach has developed further to what I call the 'Showrunner Approach' to weekly visions and review. - *Coming Soon* --- *This is a living document in my Digital Garden. It grows and evolves with my thinking and represents my personal thoughts and opinions, and is not part of my work at IBM. However, it is part of my desire to contribute a broader conversation on how we 'get things done' - exploring the impact of tools and techniques aligned to my mission to help individuals and organisations create the settings for sustained growth.* ## Inspiring Inputs Adam Grant on *High Performance Podcast- "Why you should stop trying to prove yourself and start trying to improve yourself" https://open.spotify.com/episode/5LAY1QTJpfa3y1vd5R6L69?si=d86e60d0e7814515 ## Growth Log - 2024-08-22: Initial seed planted - 2024-08-29: Major revision - 2024-08-29: Published on https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chrisjmoreton_everyone-can-be-a-journalist-do-you-find-activity-7245057678572425216-lPV9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop