Most people don’t know themselves nearly as well as they think they do. That’s probably why you’re here (well, that awareness and the courage and humility to admit it).

It is precisely because of these blind spots that a journal can be such a powerful instrument for self-development, personal improvement, and inner growth.

In fact, there is abundant evidence that journaling can be particularly useful for people eager to grow and learn things about themselves. Some examples follow.

 “Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” – Natalie Goldberg

Capturing Those Ah Ha Moments

Comedians are known to carry notebooks with them in order to capture the funny stuff when it occurs. Many, like Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, even sleep with one beside the bed. Your journey should be treated no differently. Stretches of stillness, meditation, and mindfulness are almost certainly going to release some inner epiphanies that you’ll want to record.

“he very act of writing it down made her realize how easy it would be to forget, how important it would be from now on to put everything, everything, down on paper.” – Donna Tartt

Gauging Progress

The you that begins this journey will not be the same a year from now. A journal is the best possible device for measuring and gauging that progress. Remember, that is YOU in the words on those pages, and you alone. Journaling offers a meaningful glimpse into our growth, change, and evolution.

“Journal writing is a voyage to the interior.” – Christina Baldwin

Challenging Yourself

Most of us move through life on autopilot, assuming that our values and motivations are our own. But are they? Or were they inherited from others? Because it’s easier to be honest with ourselves – at times painfully honest – in a journal, we can challenge many our most cherished beliefs (about ourselves, others, the world around us) and revisit those words regularly to see what might be changing. It is highly unlikely that none of these things will have changed a year from now.

“Writing in a daily journal is important but the reason why I journal is because I can read my own writing after many months have passed by. I’m able to reflect on my life, my actions, my behaviors, my memories and also the behavior of others around me.” – Nando Prudhomme

So what are you waiting for? Go get that journal and start your inner journey.