Heading into another fall & starting another new journal

If you've been following this series for a while, this month's content will be familiar, so here we go:

What can a Journal be?

• Your personal journey on paper.
• A place to document your goals and successes.
• A place to collect inspirational material.
• A place to honestly and safely process challenges.
• An audience-free zone. Create for yourself alone.
• A judgment-free zone. Even from yourself.
• A place of self-expression, in whatever form that takes for you.
• A resource you create for yourself going forward.
• A way to learn about yourself by writing your life.
• A meditative practice. A way of quietly being with your innermost thoughts.

What it shouldn’t be …

• A “competition” or art show, a place to worry about what you create being “pretty”.
• Scrapbooking ~ although you can use family. photographs if they help you get what you need on your pages.
• Limited by gender ~ we’re all “persons” first.

Encouragement for Beginners Be gentle ~ Nurture your beginnings as you would a child’s. Don’t judge ~ experiment! Be honest ~ You get out of the experience whatever you put into it. If you’re not being your authentic self, you might want to find out where the urge to protect comes from. Start simply ~ Use whatever resources you already have around you. Use a journal with non-precious paper like a standard composition book or similar from a dollar store. Collage with junk mail. Write with whatever pens you have. You don’t need fancy supplies, the important and precious things are inside YOU, not an art store. Don’t worry about getting it “wrong” ~ There is no wrong. There’s only you and the page. If a blank page is too scary, cover it with magazine images and write on top. Don’t wait for the “good stuff” before starting ~ Just start. Start creating, write whatever’s on your mind. The more you write, the more you can and will write. Trust me, the good stuff will come. Still got nothing? Start collecting images that speak to you. Collect quotes that inspire you. Write a list of things you’re grateful for. Generate some positive energy, focus it on your journal and be patient. Have an open mind (and ears) ~ Listen to interviews and conversations around you. What’s being said? How is your experience different? How is it the same? Write down what you find to be “true”. Being Focused ~ ways to do it: Set meaningful goals and realistic deadlines for the results you want. Organize whatever tools you’ll need to be successful. Map it out! Draw a timeline, write a plan, post it where you can see it, but don’t use it as a weapon on yourself. Be excited about WHY you want what you want ~ it will help keep you motivated. Talk to your supportive friends about your goals ~ get them on your side so they can help to keep yourself accountable. Find a format or practice that works for YOU. Avoid distractions and time-wasting behaviours (even if they seem pleasant) but DO allow yourself downtime when you need it. Protect your dreams ~ avoid negative environments that might pull you off your path What I want for you in this class:  “Start figuring out the format, tools and practice that works for you.”

Why Journal?

• A safe way to process through writing and collage the things that have happened in your life that you can’t talk about yet
• Self-discovery
• Finding peace
• Making sense of past situations and events
• Record the beauty you see in the world
• Collect quotes that inspire you to be the best version of yourself
• Understand what blocks you AND what motivates you
• Safely vent and forgive
• Mull over what you want for the future
• Make drawings and notes of future projects
• Document your successes as you go

Why You Should Be You in Your Journal: 

• You’re UNIQUE! No one knows what you know, no one else has been through what you’ve been through. No one else can see what you see or tell your stories.
• Everything that’s happened to you has brought you here. You owe it to yourself to put your experiences down as honestly as you can so you can understand who you really are and how much you’ve grown.
• You’re not writing for an audience, there’s no reason to tell anything but the truth. If there’s anywhere to truly BE yourself, this is it.
• Play, play, play, play. Find out what “play” means to you.
• There are no standards, no tests, no critics, no rights, no wrongs, no reason not to put your hands on the paper and see where the journey leads you …

Things I discovered during my own journaling process

• It takes time to feel like you're not journaling for someone else. Even though I knew I was the only person reading my journals,  it took about a year to write freely without censoring or judging. Your mileage may vary.
• Sometimes I didn’t know what I thought or felt till I wrote it down.
• Having things clear in my mind (and on paper) meant I’m more likely to take action in real life, and also be more motivated to stay on track.
• Some people keep multiple journals, (Goals, Health, etc.) but my best success has been in having only one journal. It’s become a chronicle of my everyday life, the things I’m interested in and learning about.
• It helps me process issues from my early life. Journaling made it easier for me to understand and forgive myself and others for situations from the past, but that were still blocking me from making change in my life.
• And this *really* surprised me: The huge payoff came after a few years of journaling when I went back and reread my older journals. I started noticing repeating patterns in my behaviour that still needed attention! And I often found something helpful and profound that I’d written down and completely forgotten (again)!
• It’s useful to have perspective on the past. Some things I write about are deeply emotional, but going back and reading old entries has made me more able to see them clearly. I can now see personal obstacles that may have clouded my actions at the time. Having perspective means I can be more thoughtful about decisions now and in the future.
• There’s something very satisfying about collecting beautiful images and quotes that inspire you. If it “speaks” to me, I put it in, even if I’m not sure why at the moment. I often think of my journals as “My Books of General Encouragement”.
• Journals are the greatest gift I’ve ever given myself, and the best “self-help” mental health tool, too.
• Journaling is a marathon, not a sprint through unknown territory with no fixed direction or finish line. It was amazing what I learned about myself when I settled into being real and forgot about “making it beautiful

Next post: Nuts and bolts about the journals we're using in class