Now, before you click away with excuses like "I'm not a writer" or "I've tried this before"…or "It’s never going to work," give meFIVE MINUTESof your time to show you how to breathe life into a dying art and thus make remarkable improvements to your life that you will forever be pleased with.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

1. DO YOU WANT TO SAVE /STRENGTHEN YOUR MARRIAGE? Buy or make a journal and spend five minutes a day writing down something you love, admire or respect about your spouse. After doing this for a while, 90 - 95% of instances you will begin to feel a deeper appreciation for him or her, which in turn will affect your behavior towards them and vice-versa. Even better you can even try tactfully to sell the idea to them and offer a journal as a gift. Once a lady came to me crying that her husband had started sleeping around. Her marriage was breaking apart and she wanted to pack up and leave the relationship. I asked her how she hoped to win if she quit. After establishing that she wanted to save her marriage if she could I told her to go back home and write all the good things she loved about her husband and keep this up 5 minutes each day for a whole month. In addition to writing these things, she would have to offer that journal over to her husband at the end of the month. Well, she went the same day and started her 5 minutes each day routine (Probably using more than 5 a times) and then gave it to him at the end of the month according to our pre-agreed course of action. The man couldn't believe it and apologized to his wife for all the pain and heartache he had caused her promising never to treat her that way again.  This couple is now living happily together with a much deeper appreciation of what they have together. I don’t know about you but with a gift like that I’d certainly fall in love all over again. This looks simple except that it works and can work for you if you let it.                                                                                                                                                                                   

2. DO YOU HAVE A PROFESSIONAL GOAL? Get yourself a beautiful business journal and dedicate it to achieving your definition of success. Then spend five minutes every evening, writing down the three things you will do the next day to accomplish your goals. Maybe you need to make sales calls, or complete a proposal, hire an assistant, submit invoices…or whatever it is you want to do When you write it down, you will take action. (See what I did there? I tricked you into thinking that the writing itself will produce results, when I really meant that it would create an awareness and give you motivation to take action). Either way, the time you spend writing is a good investment and well worth spending better than sitting in front of a TV set watching your life pass you by.                                                                                                                                                     

3. ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO GET OUT OF DEBT? Find an old notebook and start a Journal you will call your Debt Free Journal. Keep track of your successes — every credit card you pay off and every temptation you avoid on your mission to becoming debt free. Write down how much you spend each day and how close you are to accomplishing your goal. Describe how you will feel when you are living a life without debt and certainly be sure to include inspirational quotes as they help inspire you to stay on track.                                                                                                                                              

4. ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WAYS TO DEEPEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST? A spiritual journal can enhance your daily quiet time and give you a whole new way to pray. Try writing letters to God in your journal. Or exploring a different scripture verse in writing each day. Keep your prayer list in the journal and write down your prayers for others. Be sure to come back to them and write a prayer of thanks when God answers one of your prayers. You can even use your journal to document every time you feel God’s presence in your life.                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Now I don't want you to think that I have exhausted the things you can do with a journal, nope not even close! Here all I really wanted to accomplish was to let you see how the five minutes a day of journal writing can help you improve anything in your life.  I also understand that you have to do more than simply write in your journal each day which brings me to the place where I point out some caution here especially to you who are starting on your journals. Writing is just a first step or call it the solid first step, and all it does is create awareness in your mind helping you focus on your goal better each day. It is how you give structure to your dream. Writing it all down provides you with the motivation you need to continue as you observe how much your dream is evolving each day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  In conclusion, while the changes you experience may be gradual, the daily habit of journal writing will give you a simple and yet very practical tool you can use anytime you need to start something or give some part of your life a make over. I'm really hoping for the best as you try this one out. It has worked for me and for many others I have introduced it to over the years. Now I bring the blessing it is to us as a challenge home to you. What are you going to do about it now that you are come to the end of this reading? Are you just going to critique my writing, grammar, spelling mistakes then walk away putting it all in your sea of forgetfulness or are you going to do something about it if only to prove to yourself that it isn't such a big fit saving five minutes of your time each day to create the life you want? Look you don't have to start writing for a month start small, focused on making it to the end of the week, then two, then a month and so on until you get to where you decide success has been achieved. And whether or not you know exactly where you plan to end start and at least make it up as you go along. Also as a way of encouraging someone that wonders if this can also work for them post your testimony as a comment on this note explaining what you were able to achieve in those few days or weeks or even months of your five minutes a day program. It shall be well with you all in Jesus' name.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Yours beloved in the lord always Blessed Winnie.