Why I Started My First Journal

As the founder of a stationery brand, I probably shouldn't have to tell you that I'm a BIG advocate of someone keeping a journal. Journaling, in my estimation, is the most constructive habit an individual can practice.

I started my first journal during my freshman year of college in 2016. My entries were mostly me recounting my day and everything that I did. I called them my daily chronicles. 

Eventually, I moved on to other forms of writing to challenge and express myself. I began writing poetry, essays, and whatever else my mind could think of. Journaling and writing became my creative outlet. 

The benefits I got from journaling were innumerable! The first benefit was a health one.

For much of high school and my freshman year, it was very hard for me to get a good night's sleep. To say insomnia was getting the best of me would be an understatement.

When I would lay down for the night, I couldn't turn my mind off. My brain just kept thinking and thinking, until the night was lost and I had to get up for school the next morning. 

Journaling helped me taper many of the thoughts that came to me as I tried to rest. By clearing my mind early, it made me calmer and have more peace when I went to bed. 

My second benefit from journaling was more confidence. If you do something every day, at least once a day, you will eventually become good at it. By journaling as consistently as I did, my writing skills greatly improved.

When I submitted my homework and term papers, I started to receive positive marks my writing. My professors would look forward to my submissions for class and look for what I had to say.

When I entered the workforce, my colleagues would remark on how well-written my emails and other correspondence were. Knowing I had proficiency at a skill that is very difficult to master really boosted me!

As of today, I have a collection of several different journals. Each of them serve their own purpose as to write in them.

I have a journal for my poems and creative writing. A journal for my affirmations. A journal for my goals and business activities. And a journal for my personal thoughts and feelings. I'm grateful to have started journaling because of the many improvements it has given me in my life.

It's this deep appreciation that led me to start G.I.C Journals. I wanted to build a stationery store that sold custom journals to allow others to tap into this profound power.

It's one thing to find a journal but it's another experience to create your own journal from scratch. That added personalization really helps tailor your creative expression.

Some of you here already have a collection of journals you've started. Many of you are looking to start your first journal today. Take the leap and do it!

Over time and with consistent practice, you will be amazed at the insights your journals yield you. 

Grow. Inspire. Create.