BALANCING OUR EGO

“Ego is just like dust in the eyes. Without clearing the dust, we can’t see anything clearly, so clear the ego and see the world.”
– Unknown –

This week we’re bringing a curious eye to our changing emotions, keeping an eye on when our ego is out of balance.  Even though we naturally do this every time we get to the Dive In part of the journal process, this theme brings some gentle and playful ways to observe, question and reset. 

All I can say, is start thinking about windows and seesaws… 

INVITING EASE

“Do not go with the flow. Be the flow.”
– Elif Shafak –

It’s time to invite more ease into our lives.  The more you play with this four letter word, the more you realise how wholesome, reassuring, gentle and calm it can be. 

We’ll be exploring ways of shifting our focus from the stresses, problems or challenges we might be experiencing to approaching things with a mindset of ease.

EXPERIMENT WITH CHANGE

“What good is an idea if it remains an idea? Try. Experiment. Iterate. Fail. Try again. Change the world.”
– Simon Sinek –

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to set an intention and how tricky it can be to follow through?  This theme experiments with change, playing with something until it feels natural. 

For a new behaviour to feel natural though, it needs consistent action to be taken.  We’ll be pairing a new change with an established habit, allowing them to be like two new friends getting to know each other, before they become inseparable.  

GROW THROUGH WHAT YOU GO THROUGH

“In all things of nature there is something marvellous.”
– Aristotle –

Nature is a wonderful teacher.  It shows us patience, strength and adaptability.  Its beauty is breathtaking and uniqueness is celebrated.  This guided journal theme draws on nature as inspiration to keep growing through what we’re going through.

EXTRAORDINARY IN THE ORDINARY

“You enter extraordinary by way of the ordinary.”
– Frederick Buechner –

Sometimes, it’s easy to get carried away with what’s not working out or what’s missing in our daily lives.

The poem, The Patience of Ordinary Things, by Pat Schneider, is at the centre of this week’s theme.  It’s included at the beginning of the video and inspires a gentle and beautiful exploration of appreciating the everyday things we have, noticing the way they serve, support or patiently wait for us. 

CHANGING BELIEFS WITH AFFIRMATIONS

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”
– Claude M. Bristol –

Our thoughts matter.  The way we think about ourselves and others, has an impact on the way we feel, our level of motivation and the action we do or don’t take. 

This theme dives into the power of affirmations.  Through the use of repetition, positive statements are an incredible way to rewire the way we think, enabling us to become even more loving and supportive towards ourselves. 

HEARTWARMING HEADLINES

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
– Willie Nelson –

This guided journal video is all about being noticing the goodness in our lives, while playfully elevating it to a news worthy status.  I hope you have fun capturing beautiful moments as you turn them into your own heart-warming headlines. 

PUT DOWN YOUR WORRIES

“Worry is a total waste of time. It doesn’t change anything. All it does is steal your joy and keep you very busy from doing nothing.”
– Unknown –

We don’t often think about the action of picking up and putting down a glass of water.  But, if we held onto a full glass all day long, our arm would end up hurting.  Our worries and stresses are the same.  They can weigh us down and stop us moving forward if we spend too much time thinking about them. 

Let your journal be that safe place to put down your worries and stresses, giving you the chance to clear your mind and see things differently. 

REDEFINE FAILURE

“I don’t believe in failure. Failure is just information and an opportunity to change your course.”
– Oprah Winfrey –

This theme is all about redefining our ideas around failure.  It’s liberating to completely let go of the word and just see our actions or outcomes as information that can be used to reflect, learn and grow from.

As always, let each journal session inspire you to become a littler kinder towards yourself.

THE WORLD WE MAKE

“Look for the good in every person and every situation. You’ll always find it.”
– Brian Tracy –

Sometimes, all it takes is a small shift in perspective to focus on what’s right with the world, rather than what’s wrong with it.  This theme will guide you, from noticing what you love about others to giving yourself the space to experience a challenging emotion and see it as a good thing.  

The inspiration for this theme arrived via the On Being podcast. This episode, The Future of Wellbeing, has so many gems in it. 

DANCE THROUGH LIFE

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.  It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”
– Vivian Green –

This theme draws on some of the things you love to do in a way that will have you making connections with it, in other areas of your life, right when you need it most.  

I had a lot of fun putting this theme together and have a feeling it’s going to stay with me for a while.  It arrived as a wonderful light bulb moment.  You’ll find the story behind it in my video intro.

JUST FOR A LAUGH

“Laughter is and always will be the best form of therapy.”
– Audrey Hepburn –

Every journal session is an opportunity for personal growth and transformation.  Of course, this doesn’t always have to be serious business.  Laughter has a way of easing tension and helps us to see the world in different ways. 

If you’re needing to lighten things up with a laugh, this theme weaves in an extra dose of good humour as you start to wonder what a comedian would do with some of your everyday moments. 

YOUR ANGEL SELF

“Every negative experience holds the seed of transformation.”
– Alan Cohen –

Life can sometimes feel like we’re in the middle of a marathon. Taking the time to reflect and journal will always give you the opportunity to make small changes and weave in extra layers of support and fun.

This guided journal video draws on a story about the London Marathon.  It starts with an unkind experience, that turned into a complaint and ended in a heart-warming change that involves angel runners, tail walkers and a party bus.

A MINDFUL PAUSE

“Let go of the battle. Breathe quietly and let it be. Let your body relax and your heart soften.”
– Jack Kornfield –

So many good things can come from breathing mindfully. 

Woven into this journal theme is a mindful pause.  Three deep breaths is all it takes to change things up.  It can help you to step out of being on autopilot, give you the time to remember the intention you’re working on, create space for you to listen to your inner wisdom or give you the chance to reconnect with your wonderful self.

MAYBE, JUST MAYBE

“Someday we will find what we are looking for. Or Maybe not. Maybe we’ll find something much greater than that.”
– Unknown –

Let’s take a dive into the workings of the mind and use it to our advantage.  Your brain will always go looking for evidence to support what you think.  If you keep having the thought ‘I can’t change‘, it will show you all the ways you can’t.  If you think you can change, your brain will set to work on finding examples to confirm that you can. 

As we take a look at different ways of softening some of our judgemental thoughts, we’ll be using the word maybe, to make space for new possibilities. 

UNPREDICTABLE SPRING

“Life is no different than the weather.  Not only is it unpredictable, but it shows us a new perspective of the world everyday.”
– Suzy Kassem –

Spring is a wonderful season.  It’s filled with new growth, while at the same time, constantly surprising us with warmth one day and storms the next.  Unpredictable weather is just like life. 

This theme will guide you let the changes in the weather be your gentle teacher, observing it with curiosity and tenderness and then meeting yourself in the same way. 

SHOW, DON’T TELL

“May my life be like a river, ever surprised by its own unfolding.”
– John O’Donohue –

What’s great about journal writing is that while it supports and strengthens your personal growth, you don’t always need to know what you’re going to get out of it before you start.  As you lean in and trust these 5-steps, you realise that a revelation or a shift in perspective can happen at absolutely any stage of the process.  Enjoy this gentle reminder to stay open and ready to be surprised by your own insights.

There’s also a little tweak in the journal process (it’s good to keep you on your toes).  

LIBRARY OF YOUR PAST

“The beauty of the past belongs to the past.”
– Margaret Bourke-White –

Does it ever fascinate you how easily the present moment can get clouded by your thoughts, especially with the past?

I’ve been noticing it within myself and in theme, share a little something that I’ve been playing with.  Each day, I give myself permission to reset (that part happens when I journal), embrace the library of books that make up my past, before letting it all go.  It has become a daily moment of bliss and I feel very grateful to be able to share it with you. 

THE ART OF SOLITUDE

“When you practice solitude, you dedicate yourself to the care of the soul.”
– Stephen Batchelor –

This guided journal theme wraps its arms around solitude as a practice.  And, it’s completely different from loneliness.  Solitude is a time to come home to ourselves, to empty our mind, reflect, reset and keep shaping the way we want to be in the world. 

This gentle and inspiring On Being podcast episode: Finding Ease In Aloneness will have you embracing and guarding your time of solitude like never before!

HABITS OF THOUGHT

“Healthy habits are learned the same way as unhealthy ones.”
– Wayne Dyer –

When it comes to our repetitive thoughts, many of them are a habitual way of thinking.  The best thing about a habit though, is that it can always be changed.  I can’t think of a better place to check in and start to change a thought pattern than with some journal writing. 

In this guided journal theme, you’ll be encouraged to give yourself permission to not worry about how many times the same thought or situation comes up.  Let yourself journal as if it’s the first time you’ve expressed yourself.  Trust that by the end of a writing session you will have made little shift, guiding you to change, one small step at a time.

EMBRACING SETBACKS

“Joy and woe are woven fine.”
– William Blake –

Have you ever noticed that sometimes the best things can come out of the worst things?  There are plenty of times when this doesn’t feel possible, especially when you’re in the middle of a challenge or heart-breaking experience. 

This theme is all about embracing our setbacks as a natural part of life, meeting them with self-compassion and gently guiding ourselves to keep growing, by asking ourselves ‘What can I learn from this?’ 

UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS

“I wish I had somebody when I was younger telling me that vulnerability was a strength.”
– Justin Baldoni –

Recently I’ve taken a deep dive into The Man Enough Podcast.  I have relished listening to these real, raw and challenging conversations.

I hope this theme inspires you to know that you can always be part of the solution when you reflect, gain clarity, find your voice and keep important conversations alive.

POCKETS OF LOVE

“Doing acts of love can help us feel the love.”
– Unknown –

Pockets of love is a term I like to use to capture moments of joy that is ignited by your different interactions.  Within this theme, we’ll be acknowledging that the love that you feel in these moments, is also you connecting with your true essence.

As you can guess, there’s a whole lot of love here for you. 

SAVOUR YOUR CONNECTIONS

“Savour life. Don’t just breathe it in; exhale the moment to intake the next.”
– KC Rhoads –

Being part of a community, from a walk with a neighbour to this wonderful Journal Community is something that I treasure more than ever before. 

This theme is all about savouring our connection with others while at the same time, allowing our relationships to shift and change.

LOCKDOWN LOSS

“The Grief associated with loss has to be dealt with on the emotional and the heart level.”
– David Defoe –

How are you coping with this once in 100 years event that we’re all living?  Life has changed.  For many of us, we’re far from being back to normal. 

With every change comes a level of loss.  This theme is all about normalising the different layers of grief we might be feeling as well as treasuring the things that are important to us. 

Here’s a little extra food for thought: 
The Importance Of mourning Losses (Even When They Seem Small)

EMBRACING YOUR PAIN CAVE

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
– Joseph Campbell –

Drawing on the inspiration from the ultrarunner, Courtney Dauwalter, this theme is all about meeting our challenges with a little enthusiasm.  Cheering when we have a problem??  That’s exactly what I’m suggesting!

The way we view our challenges all comes down to our mindset and the stories we tell ourselves.  We’ll take a leaf out of Courtney’s book and move from being stuck in a ‘pain cave‘ to being inspired as we reflect, learn and grow our way through it.

YOUR STORY

“Happiness comes and goes. But meaning gives you something to hold on to.”
– Emily Esfahani Smith –

Stories and the way we tell them, are central to making meaning in our lives.  This theme is all about embracing being the author of our own life.  Although we can’t change our past, we can always make edits to our story as we learn and keep moving forward.

I enjoyed listening to Emily Esfahani Smith in both this podcast episode and her TED Talk: There’s more to life than being happy

KNOWING YOUR TRUTH

“The truth does not require persuasion, coaxing, or coercion, it is the truth whether you’re convinced or not.  As is love.”
– Joshua Fields Millburn –

Advice can be wonderful, but sometimes the way we seek or share it can get in the way of discovering our own truth.

The moment you ask a question or start to work through something, remind yourself that there’s no rush to arrive at a solution.  This theme invites you to take your time to explore all aspects of a situation and trust that you’ll always know when something feels right for you. 

WHEN THERE’S NO HIDDEN GEM

“Every problem has a solution. You may not see it in front of you, but sooner or later, a solution will appear before your eyes.”
– Unknown –

It’s time to shine a light on the fourth step of the Diving Pearls process, the Hidden Gem.  This is a gentle reminder to be okay that sometimes, you might not feel like there’s a solution to be found in the way that you first thought. 

A gem can be as simple as daydreaming about a new possibility.  Let yourself grow into your new ideas and make space for some slow reveals.

BODY OF EMOTIONS

“Your body is your subconscious mind.”
– Candice Pert –

Our body is so incredibly intelligent.  Any emotion we experience is felt in the body.  The way we feel is a physical signal that the body gives us, often before our mind has worked out what’s going on. 

Within this theme, you’ll be encouraged to take the time to notice and embrace your body of emotions as you continue to nurture your personal growth. 

EXPLORING YOUR FIVE SENSES

“Learn to see, learn to hear, learn to feel, learn to smell and know that by practice you alone can become an expert.”
– Unknown –

It’s time to refresh our connection with the world through our five senses. When we let our senses come alive, we get out of our head and become more present and available to savour the moment. 

SURPRISED AND DELIGHTED

“Don’t plan it all. Let life surprise you a little.”
– Julia Alvarez –

Over the last few weeks, finding a balance between moving in the direction I want and embracing how things actually happen, has emerged in my own journal writing. 

Instead of needing to be in control of everything all the time, I’m learning to let go and find the fun in being surprised and delighted by life.  I hope you enjoy this theme as much as I have loved being able to share it with you.

WRITING TO HEAL

“Healing comes in waves, and I’m allowed to feel every rise and every fall of my tide.”
– Alex Elle –

It was this On Being podcast episode, Self-Care as Generational Healing, with Alex Elle that inspired the theme for this week as well as a tweak to the Diving for Pearls Process.  

The first step in the process has been changed as we continue to embrace the power of using writing to heal.

HEALING TRAUMA

“Healing doesn’t mean the pain never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives.”
– Unknown –

We’ll be taking a gentle look at trauma along with the importance of being able to acknowledge it and give ourselves time to heal.  I couldn’t separate myself from this theme, which means, you’ll basically be reading insights from my own journal.  What a treat!

The article by Ed Prideaux, How to heal the ‘mass trauma’ of COVID-19 was a wonderful source of clarity and inspiration.

TODAY IS IMPORTANT

“The most important decision you’ll ever make is how to spend the present moment.”
– Gaurav Dargonkar –

You’ll know the importance of this theme when you realise how many times you see or hear the word ‘important’ in this guided journal video! 

The idea of turning an ordinary moment into something extra special is best explored when you jump in and try it out for yourself.  I hope this theme inspires you to do just that. 

GETTING IN FLOW

“To listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear.”
– Mark Nepo –

When we put the breaks on, we give ourselves the chance to look for the teacher and explore what we can learn in any moment. 

Mark Nepo, an author and poet has been the inspiration behind this theme.  Along with slowing down, you’ll be invited to play around with shifting from the discipline of getting things done to delving into a deeper discipline of caring about how you feel as you find your flow.

LOVING KINDNESS

“Loving kindness transforms everything.”
– Harold W. Becker –

The moment I sat down to write this to you, the voice of Jackie DeShannon jumped into my mind and I started singing, ‘What the world needs now, is love, sweet love…“

In giving the world more love, one of the best places to start is with ourselves.  I hope this theme reminds you that all the different versions of yourself is worthy of love.

FIND THE FUN

“Being playful naturally liberates the mind, opens the heart and lifts the spirit.”
– Debra L. Reble –

I was inspired by a friends journey in becoming fit and healthy.  The thing that stood out to me the most was how much fun she’s had along the way.  Having fun is a choice.  It impacts how your feel and your level of motivation.

If you’re not sure where to start in adding a little more playfulness to different aspects of your day, this theme will guide you to begin exploring it through your journal. 

THE JOY IN QUESTIONING YOUR THOUGHTS

“It’s not the problem that causes suffering; it’s our thinking about the problem.”
– Byron Katie –

Have you noticed that more often than not, you feel a little lighter or more grounded at the end of pretty much every journal session?  This is not the result of a mind trick, it’s because you’ve taken the time to question your thoughts.

We’re taking a look at some of the wonderful ways Byron Katie questions her thoughts and weaving it into our writing.  With the Diving for Pearls process, I love how simple it is to make a shift. 

ACCEPTING YOUR EMOTIONS

“The moment you accept yourself, you grow.”
– Xan Oku –

Some emotions seem to have a knack of wanting you to bury them.  Rather than pushing them away, those not so wonderful feelings can be eased when combined with a dash of acceptance. 

I know that’s easier said than done. 

This theme spotlights the second step of the Diving for Pearls process. When you let go and give yourself the opportunity to express what’s on your mind without judging or needing to fix anything, you’re meeting yourself with acceptance.  It then paves the way for you to be able to self-reflect and see things from a different perspective. 

FROM JUDGEMENT TO COMPASSION

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
– Carl Jung –

Have some of your judgements (even with the best intentions) ever got in your own way?  It’s an easy thing to do until you explore those patterns that have gone unnoticed.

This theme is all about suspending some of our judgments and adding in a little more compassion as we continue to understand ourselves on a deeper level. 

SPRINKLING SELF-KINDNESS

“Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves.”
– Pema Chodron –

This theme is all about nurturing self-kindness.  It will guide you to turn up the volume to a more tender voice for yourself.  Sometimes, to get the kindness ball rolling, all it takes is being able to ask yourself slightly different questions. 

Enjoy making small shifts, one compassionate step at a time. 

TURN DOWN YOUR INNER CRITIC

“Your inner critic is simply a part of you that needs more self-love.”
– Amy Leigh Mercree –

The loudest voice in our mind is not always the most truthful.  Our inner critic can often get in the way.  With this theme, we’ll be giving ourselves permission to turn down the volume on our inner critic.  

Journalling is such a great way to take a closer look at the influence your thoughts have on the way you feel.  Once you can see what’s happening, it becomes easier to make a playful shift. 

NOTICE HOW FAR YOU’VE COME

“Pause for a moment and realise how much progress you have made. Be proud of yourself; celebrate your SELF.”
– Roxana Jones –

This theme marks the first year since this wonderful Journal Community started.  It inspired me to reflect on how much I’ve grown.  That’s the gift in journalling.  Every time you put pen to paper with this process, you’re saying yes to your personal growth.  That alone, is worth noticing and celebrating. 

From my very full heart, thank you for being part of the Journal Community.  You are amazing!

GOING SLOW

“Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.”
– Jimmy Buffett –

Taking time out to relax and reset is so good for the soul.  

Whether you’re chilled out or busy, journalling will always give you that opportunity to slow down and listen to your inner-self.  

HAPPINESS SECRETS

“The good life is built with good relationships.”
– Robert J. Waldinger –

Relationships have an incredible impact on our lives. The quality (not quantity) of our connections, helps to keep us happier and healthier. 
 
Taking the time to look after the relationship you have with yourself through journal writing is an amazing way to set yourself up to be even more present for the people in your life. 

Enjoy the way this theme ripples out into your life.

YOU ARE CREATIVE

“The world is but a canvas to our imagination.”
– Henry David Thoreau –

How quickly do you label yourself as being creative or not?  This theme questions our ideas about creativity.  It was inspired by the conversation I had with Samantha when I was a guest on the LearnBytes podcast.

Being creative just takes a little curiosity and a touch of imagination.  There really is an opportunity for it in every moment, including a journal writing session.