Simplicity is Attractive....
Peace... It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (Unknown)
Welcome to the New Year! 2013 seemed a year of digging
deeper to lay a foundation of God's love in my life and I often found
myself hoisting huge burdens of thought onto the page. 2014 seemed the
year for rebuilding and I felt I was standing, head thrown back, watching
the horizon in anticipation for what came next. 2015 was difficult but it was also a year of risk and adventure. No, nothing dangerous or involving travel but it was a year of trying new things. I somehow feel that 2016 will be a year of simplifying my life. I'm eager to see what happens!
How are you facing the New Year? With hope? With dread? With a feeling of things ending or anticipation of a new beginning?
My wish, my prayer for you today, is that 2016 will be the start of something great for you. This is a year that you take healthy risks, simplify your life, discover your dreams, and begin living them. I wish you wealth, health, and prosperity in every area of your life.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, January 2, 2016
What Lies Beneath....
Journal - a book in which a daily record of happenings, etc, is kept.
Writing - to commit one's thoughts to paper.
Do you see the difference here? The difference is happenings vs. thoughts. That is what this post is about. It's about approaching our view of journalling in a whole new way.
Let's discuss how:
Have you ever felt the desire to journal, write, or express yourself in some way? I have found that writing IS a very beneficial tool in life. However, "journaling" can be such an intimidating word to many. We can come up with so many reasons why:
1. I don't know what to write.
2. I don't know how to spell.
3. Someone might read it.
4. It's too personal.
5. It's too negative and hurtful.
6. I don't have the time.
These are just a few of the doubts I have heard others express. However, I encourage you to consider doing it despite your fear and/or doubts . Maybe I can put a different spin on what you formally thought of as "journalling". In fact, just throw that word out. Let me tell you what term you may want to replace it with.
I am reading the book, "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" (Julia Cameron). I am here to tell you that it can be life changing if you are in the right place in your life to commit yourself to following it's teachings for about 6 weeks. Even if you are not, I urge you to do what I did. Buy the book and put it on your bookshelf. You will run across it when the time is right for you to begin.
Let me give you a little background in my journaling experience. I took several classes given by a counselor, and a huge part of the success of our course was based on our commitment to journaling. I'm here to tell you that it was not comfortable for some. It was, however, a tool that was greatly helpful in healing and working through the past. There did reach a point, in a more advanced class, where he began to encourage us to switch gears in how we journalled.
This year long class began in January, and we were each given a brand new journal that was attractive, smelled of newness, and had encouraging words imbedded into its faux leather surface. Ladies, you can journal in anything but nothing is more inspiring to me than cracking open a new journal that is cute!...pretty!....sumptous looking!....official!.... (You decide what speaks to you!)
In this class, a new twist was put on our journaling method. We were to journal our present thoughts and feelings. Do you know how hard it is to switch gears and journal about your....yech...feelings when you had become so focused on journaling about your experiences?! It was difficult, and honestly we really could not seem to wrap our minds around this new method.
HOWEVER...now comes the amazing part to me.... two years later, I have finally gained insight as to how to do this. My eyes were opened simply due to the word play used in this book. In The Artist's Way, the most foundational part of it's process is in writing three "morning pages" every morning. You simply get up a little earlier than usual, and the first thing you do is to write three pages of anything that comes to mind. This is not journaling about your experiences. It is plunking your immediate thoughts down on paper first thing. My friends who were resistant to journaling were immediately open to "the morning pages." They are even feeling great excitement at doing them, instead of their past dread at drudging through the days happenings.
You may start by simply writing "I'm cold. I'm hungry. I'm thirsty." You may start by immediately jumping in with, "My life is worthless. Why am I here? I woke up feeling like it's too late for me to enjoy life or do anything worthwhile." Write what pops into your head. If nothing pops in, it doesn't really matter what you write. It only matters that you write. Write for three full pages even if you write the same line over and over and over. Eventually, something comes out of you that is necessary to get out. That one thing often opens up the door to an avalanche of thoughts coming out.
In this book, Julia talks about unexpressed thoughts forming scar tissue in our imaginations and creativity. This can block the flow of our creativity and faith. Flinging your first thoughts down on paper seems to perform a daily spring cleaning of your mind, and allows the circulation to flow. Seriously! You will be amazed at what formerly hidden dreams pop out! More than that, you will feel belief in yourself and the reachability of your dreams flow in! It's intoxicating!
Julia also likens the morning pages to a form of meditation, which is mind blowing when you think about it. I have tried healthy meditation and enjoy it. However, I can not sit still for long. My mind wanders, then so does my body. It is so beneficial to be able to blow out all the words in my head, and consider that a form a meditation! It is honestly a way of simplifying your life. How? You express the thoughts that come into your head, and somehow it seems to lighten your load. You can prepare for your coming day with fresh eyes.
Once you have expressed your thoughts, don't go back and read them, and don't show them to others. You've put them out there. There is no need to muddle back through them. You are free of them. Throw them away if you would feel more comfortable.
Again, the morning pages are something that I encourage each of you to do but understand that you often have to be at the point in your life where you can actually feel yourself open to doing it. It is, however, a powerful tool to opening up the faith, possibilities, and creativity that is bottled up inside. Yes, YOU are creative. Each one of us is. However, that is a topic for another posting. Meanwhile, give it a try. Throw those early morning thoughts out on paper and I guarantee that you will be amazed at what lies beneath....
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagine. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. Henry Davie Thoreau
Make your own recovery the first priority of your life. Robin Norwood
Writing - to commit one's thoughts to paper.
Do you see the difference here? The difference is happenings vs. thoughts. That is what this post is about. It's about approaching our view of journalling in a whole new way.
Let's discuss how:
Have you ever felt the desire to journal, write, or express yourself in some way? I have found that writing IS a very beneficial tool in life. However, "journaling" can be such an intimidating word to many. We can come up with so many reasons why:
1. I don't know what to write.
2. I don't know how to spell.
3. Someone might read it.
4. It's too personal.
5. It's too negative and hurtful.
6. I don't have the time.
These are just a few of the doubts I have heard others express. However, I encourage you to consider doing it despite your fear and/or doubts . Maybe I can put a different spin on what you formally thought of as "journalling". In fact, just throw that word out. Let me tell you what term you may want to replace it with.
I am reading the book, "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" (Julia Cameron). I am here to tell you that it can be life changing if you are in the right place in your life to commit yourself to following it's teachings for about 6 weeks. Even if you are not, I urge you to do what I did. Buy the book and put it on your bookshelf. You will run across it when the time is right for you to begin.
Let me give you a little background in my journaling experience. I took several classes given by a counselor, and a huge part of the success of our course was based on our commitment to journaling. I'm here to tell you that it was not comfortable for some. It was, however, a tool that was greatly helpful in healing and working through the past. There did reach a point, in a more advanced class, where he began to encourage us to switch gears in how we journalled.
This year long class began in January, and we were each given a brand new journal that was attractive, smelled of newness, and had encouraging words imbedded into its faux leather surface. Ladies, you can journal in anything but nothing is more inspiring to me than cracking open a new journal that is cute!...pretty!....sumptous looking!....official!.... (You decide what speaks to you!)
In this class, a new twist was put on our journaling method. We were to journal our present thoughts and feelings. Do you know how hard it is to switch gears and journal about your....yech...feelings when you had become so focused on journaling about your experiences?! It was difficult, and honestly we really could not seem to wrap our minds around this new method.
HOWEVER...now comes the amazing part to me.... two years later, I have finally gained insight as to how to do this. My eyes were opened simply due to the word play used in this book. In The Artist's Way, the most foundational part of it's process is in writing three "morning pages" every morning. You simply get up a little earlier than usual, and the first thing you do is to write three pages of anything that comes to mind. This is not journaling about your experiences. It is plunking your immediate thoughts down on paper first thing. My friends who were resistant to journaling were immediately open to "the morning pages." They are even feeling great excitement at doing them, instead of their past dread at drudging through the days happenings.
You may start by simply writing "I'm cold. I'm hungry. I'm thirsty." You may start by immediately jumping in with, "My life is worthless. Why am I here? I woke up feeling like it's too late for me to enjoy life or do anything worthwhile." Write what pops into your head. If nothing pops in, it doesn't really matter what you write. It only matters that you write. Write for three full pages even if you write the same line over and over and over. Eventually, something comes out of you that is necessary to get out. That one thing often opens up the door to an avalanche of thoughts coming out.
In this book, Julia talks about unexpressed thoughts forming scar tissue in our imaginations and creativity. This can block the flow of our creativity and faith. Flinging your first thoughts down on paper seems to perform a daily spring cleaning of your mind, and allows the circulation to flow. Seriously! You will be amazed at what formerly hidden dreams pop out! More than that, you will feel belief in yourself and the reachability of your dreams flow in! It's intoxicating!
Julia also likens the morning pages to a form of meditation, which is mind blowing when you think about it. I have tried healthy meditation and enjoy it. However, I can not sit still for long. My mind wanders, then so does my body. It is so beneficial to be able to blow out all the words in my head, and consider that a form a meditation! It is honestly a way of simplifying your life. How? You express the thoughts that come into your head, and somehow it seems to lighten your load. You can prepare for your coming day with fresh eyes.
Once you have expressed your thoughts, don't go back and read them, and don't show them to others. You've put them out there. There is no need to muddle back through them. You are free of them. Throw them away if you would feel more comfortable.
Again, the morning pages are something that I encourage each of you to do but understand that you often have to be at the point in your life where you can actually feel yourself open to doing it. It is, however, a powerful tool to opening up the faith, possibilities, and creativity that is bottled up inside. Yes, YOU are creative. Each one of us is. However, that is a topic for another posting. Meanwhile, give it a try. Throw those early morning thoughts out on paper and I guarantee that you will be amazed at what lies beneath....
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagine. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. Henry Davie Thoreau
Make your own recovery the first priority of your life. Robin Norwood
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