As part of my New Year’s Resolution this year, I started junk journaling. My journal is a space to track my habits and the books I finish, and it’s where I put cards, pictures, stickers, and receipts, make collages, and write about whatever happens to be on my mind. As the year has gone on, I’ve been following social media accounts dedicated to journaling spreads and ideas for more inspiration.
One I came across recently really resonated with me, and I was reminded of it when reading Heather’s ‘On My Mind’ segment of this week’s newsletter. The original content creator took three pages and broke them down into the sections: ‘Current Me’, ‘Future Me’, and ‘Things I Love’. They then filled the pages with anything and everything related to those topics. The original creator used a word web, but lists, doodles, pictures, or any combination of the above could be used.
The basic setup looked like this:
Me: What do you enjoy doing right now? What does daily life look like? When you think about yourself, what stands out? Do you appreciate your sense of style, dedication to an exercise routine, or a quality, like your patience? Who are your family and friends?
Future Me: think 1 year, 5 years, 10 years in advance. What do you want to have accomplished across your career, personal life, finances, or big life experiences? What are your hobbies? Have you created the home of your dreams? What have you crossed off your bucket list?
Things I Love: From small daily sources of joy to big life events, what makes you happy? These can include things you do for yourself, things you do for or with others, people you love, and things you observe in the natural world.
What this journal spread allowed me to do was take time to really think about how I saw myself and what I was putting my time and energy towards. Comparing my ‘future me’ and ‘current me’ sections allowed me to see where my current passions aligned with my future goals. For example, ‘current me’ is fairly crafty and likes making things with my hands. ‘Future me’ wants to try art classes like pottery, stained glass making, and new creative pursuits. Instead of thinking about doing this one day in the future, I can start looking into classes offered in my area now, and make a step towards transforming into my ideal future self. Taking this step also lets me see what these new experiences can tell me about my passions, skills, and personality.
I think this type of exercise really ties in to Heather’s ideas on self- branding. Being able to take an objective look at yourself allows you to assess strengths, weaknesses, and generate ideas to bridge the gap, enabling personal growth and more informed decision- making. Leveraging these skills lends itself to having a clear and consistent personal brand, which helps you to highlight your strengths and communicate your unique value to others. Having a strong personal brand also makes you more memorable and increases opportunities in your career, relationships, and personal growth.
What face do you present to the world? When you think about yourself, what do you see? How do you feel? Comparing the two is key to understanding the gap between how others perceive you and how you perceive yourself. This awareness can help you align your self-image with your outward persona, fostering authenticity and aligning self- image with reality.
As for me, I’m working on developing a consistent exercise routine, experimenting with cooking new foods, and working towards my goal of going to grad school, in alignment with my future goals of feeling more confident in my physical abilities, exploring new dished from varied cuisines, and having a successful career in my dream field.
If you’re looking to make some similar changes to your personal brand, the internet and social media are full of ideas on how to get started. Pick the one (or ones) that work best for you and get started. I’m excited to see what the next year holds!