》The secret to finishing your journal
The amount of adorable notebooks that I have laying around my house that have like 10 pages written in them, is a little bit out of hand, LOL. I stopped asking for journals/devotions/notebooks for a while because I just never finished writing in them even though I really LOVED the journal/the prompts/the messages in them. I would always tell myself I would finish THIS ONE, but in the back of my head I knew I probably wouldn't.
But I am proud to say that I have finally finished a FULL journal!
During that process, I learned a SECRET that you need to know in case you're in the SAME BOAT as me.
It's possible you can finish the journal and it's possible you can do what you said you were going to do.
HERE'S THE SCRET: Being consistent is not about NEVER MISSING A DAY, it's about your brain believing that you're a consistent person so that if you DO miss a day or 2 or 3, you won't miss the month, and the NEXT month, and then the WHOLE year.
》Why will you finish your journal now
Every time I didn't finish yet ANOTHER journal, I felt bad and would say, "Of course Brittany, I didn't really expect anything different!" Tell me, you've said the same thing to yourself? I had tons of proof that I was not a consistent person, and my brain likes to offer that up when I commit to new things. It's okay, it's just trying to keep me from feeling like a failure again, so I appreciate you brain, lol.
I realized that I needed to give my brain PROOF that I could be consistent with SOMETHING. It didn't matter to me what it was, it just mattered to me that it was a GLIMMER of proof that my brain could use as EVIDENCE. And here's what I found: When I started to feel guilty for missing another day of my journal that I committed to, I didn't completely ignore it for the next few months because of the guilt, I instead knew I could miss a day and come back to it, because I had been consistent BEFORE.
Giving my brain an example of something I've been consistent in, helped me keep COMING BACK because I felt confident and proud of my previous consistency instead of shameful. And I knew if I was consistent before, I could do it again.
》What do you need to finish that journal?
Remember how I said the secret is believing you're a consistent person? So how do you get your brain to BELIEVE that? I'm glad you asked! Hint: it's not an affirmation that says: I am a consistent person, lol.
I learned that you need to make it a SMALL goal and make it an ACHIEVABLE goal.
We're NOT LOOKING for: I'm going to read the whole bible this year. And even this might be too big if you're a chronic start and stopper like me: I will do this gratitude journal for 100 days. Do you remember making SMART goals in school? They might have been onto something ツ
Here was my goal:
I wanted to start reading my bible each morning, but right now I've been struggling fitting that in my schedule with working a full time job and also taking care of my 9 month old (and all the normal wife and mom jobs, you know)?. So here's what I STARTED with: I wanted to do a devotion 3 times a week. I didn't care if it was in the morning, during my lunch, or in the evenings, I just wanted to make SOME time for it. I had been reading my bible 0 days a week, so I knew going from that to every day was a BIG STRETCH, so I started MUCH smaller.
*Bonus tip: I also made it more fun by finding a devotional that I actually enjoyed reading along with my bible. More fun = More looking forward to it.
I did that for a week and then another week. Sometimes my devotions were done first thing in the morning and sometimes I was finishing them up at 11:30 PM, LOL. But regardless, I still did what I said I was going to do. And before I knew it, a month went by of me doing my 3 devotions a week. After one month, I asked myself if I could do another month? That little proof was all I needed to get my brain to see that I COULD be consistent. Once I was consistent with that small goal, I kept going, and I wanted to keep going because it felt so good to finally follow through, even if my goal was small. After a few months, I remember having a week where I missed a day and normally that would be the turning point and I would usually feel so guilty for missing that I would just STOP ALTOGETHER. Nobody wants to face guilt, right? But instead, I said, "That's okay, I can miss a day this week. I've been consistent for 7 weeks, and I can continue to be consistent for the next 7 weeks. Missing one day is not the deal-breaker. It's missing week after week after week.
The reason this was different was because I had EVIDENCE that I could be consistent.
That's all your brain needs too.
That small goal, made me believe that I could do another small goal, and it just built up from there. And I believed that if I missed a day, I could easily get back on track, because I KNEW I was a consistent person, and I could prove it.
Results are quiet and slow....like a bunch of little raindrops. But if those raindrops keep falling, they can FILL a bucket and make a huge impact.
》What you need to have to finish that journal
So you want to finish that journal, huh?
My advice? Don't buy a new one yet...that'll be triggering to your thought of "I'm getting a new journal AGAIN, and it's different this time" and your brain will say, "is it really different though?" LOL
Pick up one of the journals you've already started, and go to the next blank page. Who cares if it doesn't match what you previously wrote. My journal had notes from a hormone book I read a few years ago, and the next page I started a bible devotion, haha. You're not publishing this journal, it's okay.
And ask yourself, what's a small goal that I can commit to? It probably isn't your long-term goal. Right now, we just need a goal to get you started.
Once you have proof that you can do that small goal, then you can take that and run!
TIPS/RESOURCES FOR SUCCESS
》#1
When you trust yourself to be consistent (give your brain proof) then you will trust yourself to miss a day or two and get back to it quickly. No shame, just peace and confidence!
My favorite thing about this is that it can transfer to other parts of your life. For example, I have been working on growing my social media, and I committed to posting 3 days a week. I already had a LEG UP with this commitment because my brain has stored up proof that I can be a consistent person, and I can use that proof to help me be consistent in other ways.
Finishing your journal will positively impact every other aspect of your life!
》#2 - If you want to be more consistent with reading your bible:
A sweet mom I know has created the most perfect bible reading course for those wanting a little more hand-holding with getting back into reading their bibles. This course will go more in depth on common obstacles that your brain offers you and keeps you from being consistent such as:
+I don't have time
+I can't be consistent
+I tried already and I failed
I took this course and was blown away by all the obstacles Micaela goes over. She breaks down all those obstacles your brain will offer you and instead of shaming you into reading your bible, she helps you learn how to overcome them so that you will WANT to read your bible and feel more JOYFUL about reading it, which you know I'm all about right?
She was even willing to give me a discount to share....use BRITTANYFIVE for $5 off!
》#3 - If you already have the consistency thing down, and you just want a bible guide:
I love this one from Leslie Burris: Free Daily Reading Plan
I've been following it for the last few months and I love the simplicity of knowing what I am going to read each day without me having to think about it. I also love her 5 questions at the end, it's what I journal about (my devotion) when I'm done reading the bible verses each time. Her plan breaks up the New Testament so nicely and I just pull up the file on my phone and cross off each day as I do it. It's a boost of dopamine when I see all the days I've actually completed, lol! And no...I have not done my bible reading/devotion EVERY SINGLE DAY. I have missed days here and there, but I always come back (I think the most I have missed is a few days in a row) because I no longer feel guilty for missing a day or 2!
If you need a cute journal: Note Taking Journal
Once you finish your journal (whatever it may be), tell me so I can celebrate with you!
Much love,
Brittany ♡
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