Barb Raveling

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Truth Journaling: The List Method

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Today I’d like to show you another way to truth journal. It’s called the list method.

Instead of writing out your thoughts, you begin by asking yourself a question:

What am I believing that’s making me not want to work on my goal? Or what am I believing that’s making me want to do my bad habit? 

You list as many beliefs as you can come up with and then go through them one at a time to record the truth.

Here’s an example: Let’s say I’m trying to develop the habit of following my list each day, and the next thing on my list is Do income taxes.

I don’t feel like doing them so I decide to truth journal with the list method.

I ask myself What am I believing about income taxes that makes me not want to do them?

Here’s my list:

  1. It’s too hard.
  2. I won’t be able to find everything I need.
  3. I don’t know how to do that one section.
  4. I don’t think I’ll be able to figure it out.
  5. It will take forever.

Do you see how negative and defeatist my thoughts are? It’s no wonder I don’t want to do them.

Are you a Christian who likes to journal? Truth journaling is a way to bring the truth of the Bible into whatever life situation you're going through. It's a way to talk to God and see life from His perspective. We'll talk about how to start with truth journaling in this blog post. So I look at the beliefs one at a time and write the truth:

  1. It’s hard, but it’s not too hard.
  2. I won’t be able to find everything easily, but I’ll probably be able to find it.
  3. Then I will have to either a) figure it out or b) call an income tax service.
  4. I won’t know until I try, and if I can’t figure it out I’ll call a tax preparer.
  5. It will take several hours, maybe even a day or two, but it won’t take forever.

Do you see how truth journaling would give me a boost to do my taxes? Instead of thinking, oh poor me, this is too hard, and I probably can’t do it anyway, my truth journaling efforts would make me think, well, I really don’t have much choice. I better just get it done.

Why don’t you try the list method this week for one of your habits or goals and see how it works?

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Comments

  1. That’s a really good idea. I think when we start to really list out our beliefs in a comprehensive inventory like that, we can often see how feeble they really are. Instead, we just feel an aversion and leave it at that.

  2. I think this is a really good idea for me since I find journaling something I can’t seem to acomplish.
    Thanks Barb!

    • I’ll send it to you, Lisa. It will also be coming out in book form in two weeks for $9.95 at Amazon – it might be easier to get it rather than printing it out on your computer since it’s a pretty long file and easier to use in book form. I’ll have a post about it on either this Monday or next Monday with a pix of the book. I’ll send them to you too though just in case you want to print them out.

  5. Hi Barb
    I shared your youtube video on truth journaling in our WeightLoss Challenge online class. Friends & Family are getting tremendous benefit from your work and I just wanted to say thanks. Grateful that you did not allow your thoughts regarding your books to keep you from publishing them and going forward. You have a great ministry and God is working in our hearts and minds. Xoxo Sister in Christ-Rachael Hall

    • Oh, that’s so nice of you to say, Rachael! Thank you! And I’m so glad people are being helped by the resources. It’s encouraging to hear! Also, that’s great that you’re doing an online class! Praying you will all be blessed by it!