The Power of Journaling

Being one’s own Chitragupta

JOURNAL WRITING GIVES US INSIGHTS INTO WHO WE ARE, WE WERE AND WHO WE CAN BECOME”- Sandra Marinelli

Journaling as a practice

Last year, I learnt about Journaling as a tool for Self-Development. Journaling is the practice of regularly recording events or experiences with your feelings/thoughts about them and reflections thereon. It is one of the simplest yet most powerful tools for personal growth, emotional clarity, and mental discipline.

In a world moving at breakneck speed, journaling offers a rare moment of pause—a quiet space to reflect, recalibrate, and reconnect with yourself. It's not about perfect prose or daily discipline; it's about creating a conversation with your inner world. This simple habit can lead to surprising transformations.  It is an evolved form of maintaining a dairy which could be in writing or today digitally maintained. Journals could be of different types depending upon their purpose.

Some common journal types are:

• Gratitude journals: Listing things that one is thankful for, to create more positivity

• Inspirational journals: Summaries of  stories, incidents and anecdotes which inspire us

• Goal/Action journals: Listing things related to one’s development goals

While there are merits in all journal types, Goal/Action journals are particularly useful as funnels for coaching/mentoring conversations. The protégé leader periodically updates the journal,  preferably in a fixed time slot ,with any relevant event/decision/action related to his development and notes his observation/reflection/learning. Writing things down forces one to slow down and process one’s thoughts. What may seem like a swirl of emotions or confusion often becomes clearer once it's on paper. You begin to notice patterns in thinking, which helps you make more conscious decisions.

Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” — William Wordsworth

Benefits of Journaling

• Helps us pause, observe, and take stock of happenings, which we could otherwise miss or remember partly; an optimist would remember wins while the pessimist would remember misses.

• Clarifies our behaviours & thoughts, through reflection

• Helps us gain Self-Awareness

  • Internal self-awareness (our feelings, emotions, introspection etc)

  • External self-awareness (how our actions affect others and their feelings etc)

• Raises important follow-up questions eg how do I define success, What is the real problem I am facing , What is really holding me up etc?

• Creates a log of learnings for future action.

Regular journaling becomes a mirror to your inner world—helping you track your growth, revisit goals, and stay accountable.

Journaling is a practice captured in our Hindu mythology as well where Chitragupta is the scribe who records every human action (good or bad). Yama, the God of Death, depends upon Chitragupta to determine whether a person attains heavenly rewards or suffers hell after death. Just as Hindu mythology provides every human reaching salvation by reflecting on their life actions, journaling  could help us change our professional destiny under the guidance of a professional mentor or coach.

Of course, the mentor or coach substantially aids the process of reflection and action of the protégé leader through empathy, active listening, probing, and exploratory questions. The running journal also helps the protégé to contextualise and see patterns or trends in his/her actions, prompting further reflection.

For Business Leaders: it’s a competitive advantage

The process of becoming a leader is grounded in self-discovery,”- “Warren Bennis, Leadership Guru

For business leaders, journaling isn’t just a reflective exercise—it’s a competitive advantage. In a role defined by constant decision-making, ambiguity, and pressure, journaling offers a rare moment of stillness to think clearly and lead intentionally. It helps distill complex problems, track patterns, and process feedback without ego. More importantly, it reconnects leaders with their vision, values, and inner compass—essential traits in times of change. Great leadership doesn’t always begin in the boardroom; often, it starts on paper.

Journal writing, when it becomes a ritual for transformation, is not only life-changing but life-expanding.— Jen Williamson.

Please do share your own experience of journaling as a self-development tool. Do you want to learn more about how to be your own Chitragupta to recraft your professional destiny? Please do reach us at connect@thecrossmentors.com

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