A diary tells what happened. A reflection goes further: what it meant, what you learnt, and what you will try next time.
Today you will compare two short journal entries, write Reflective Journal Entry 2 about a relationship in your life right now, and say one insight from that entry aloud in about sixty seconds.
Use these three terms when you write today:
| Term | What it means for you | Real example |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection: looking back to work out meaning and a next move | Your entry is not a list of events | Going quiet on a friend showed me I was punishing them without saying why |
| Four-part structure: what happened / what it meant / what I learnt / what I will do next time | This is the shape of Entry 2 | All four parts land in order in the model below |
| Next steps: one concrete thing you will try differently | End on a move you could actually make | Next time I will name the thing the same day |
Read this strong model. All four parts are in it: "I went quiet on a friend for three days over something small. What it meant was I was punishing them without saying why. What I learnt is silence feels like control, then like regret. Next time I will name the thing the same day." All four parts are present; the last line is a real next step.
Read the two short journal entries below. Spot the four parts in the entry that uses them, then rewrite one line from the other as a real next step. That shape is what you will use for your own Entry 2.
Recount or reflection?
You’re making: Reflective Journal Entry 2, 8 to 12 sentences.
Where: in the writing box below. You only need the first draft today.
When you’re done: copy it into your Reflective Journal as m1_l8_journal_entry2_AB, with your own initials in place of AB.
This is Reflective Journal Entry 2, the main piece for today. Write about a relationship in your life right now, in the four parts, in order. Keep names private if you want, and you only need one real moment, not the whole story.
Reflective Journal Entry 2
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