L is for Lovely - New alphabet-inspired journal page

This week's alphabet-inspired journal page begins with one lovely thing about being you. It's a variation of a question I've been exploring for a while now: What does it feel like to be you?

I haven't considered the question in quite this way before and do you know what I noticed while I was journaling my one lovely thing? Gratitude. Which surprised me a little because it wasn't my initial intention with this prompt. Originally, I thought it would be more about getting to know yourself from an inward-looking perspective, which I know can be a little uncomfortable, scary even. I thought writing about a lovely thing might be a lovely way in. It was, but it also took me in a direction I didn't foresee, which happens ALL THE TIME while journaling! It's what makes it so worth the effort -- and the scary bits here and there.

And wouldn't you know it, it also gave me an idea for answering this prompt. If looking for one lovely thing about being you it feels a little too sensitive to approach directly or if the answer feels elusive, why not start with gratitude? For example, is there a special someone you're grateful to have in your life? Perhaps that can lead you to one lovely thing about your relationships. Is there a project you're thrilled to be involved in? Perhaps that reveals one lovely thing about the work you do or the adventures you're drawn to.

I hope you'll find all sorts of lovely surprises in your journal today!

If you'd like to journal the letter l with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one lovely thing about being you. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll also send a reply in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these printable journal pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a through k, plus some of my other page projects, here.

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

The Opposite of Boring: 10 Contradictory Journal Prompts To Energize Your Journaling

Just because journaling is good for you, doesn’t mean it should feel like a chore. Your journal entries can be funny, daring, irreverent, playful, completely off the wall, or some wild combination of each of those things.

Whatever gets you writing.

One thing that gets me writing is turning ideas upside down and inside out. Experimenting with new perspectives leads to new insights and that’s what I’m in it for – the surprises, the a-ha moments, the sudden understanding of something about myself that I didn’t recognize until just this moment.

That’s how I see these prompts, as opportunities to get to know yourself better. Which is no small or insignificant thing. The better you know yourself, the better equipped you are to make decisions that reflect your individual strengths, suit your personal circumstances, and take into account your current needs.

Taking it one step further, understanding your decisions and their outcomes puts you in an excellent position to learn from your experiences, discover problem-solving strategies that work for you, and make even wiser decisions going forward. All good stuff!

To give you a few ways to get to know yourself a little better that don’t feel like homework, I’ve made a list of 10 journal prompts that are all kinds of contrary.

These first six are favourites from my past journal work:

1. One thing you used to think was impossible, but you went ahead and did anyway.

Try following up with: One thing that feels impossible now, but probably isn’t. Then: One small step you can take today toward making the impossible possible once again.

2. One place other than home that feels like home.

A wonderful next step is to write about the things that make this other place feel like home. You may discover that you can take some small part of the feeling of home with you wherever you go.

3. One thing that scares other people, but doesn’t scare you.

The opposite also works, but requires a gentle touch: One thing doesn’t seem to scare other people, but scares the heck out of you. (I have a long list on this one, which I’m slowly working my way through. It’s not easy, but it feels so good to get out there and do scary things! You’ll find this prompt on this free printable.)

4. One item on your to-do list that looks like work, but feels like fun.

Is that even allowed? Yes, yes it is.

5. One piece of good advice you find easy to give, but hard to follow.

Umm, there’s no way I’ll be able to limit my response to just one piece of advice. If you feel the same way, go ahead and make a list!

6. Three things on your bookshelf other than books.

Some alternatives: Things on your coat rack other than coats. Things in your fridge or pantry other than food. Things in your workstation other than work.

These next four prompts are brand new. I’ll be journaling them for the first time right along with you!

7. One part of your skillset that sounds easy if you haven’t tried it, but is actually quite difficult to do well.

Somewhat related (and a little cheeky): One easy thing you insist on doing the hard way.

8. One trait you admire in others, but sometimes criticize in yourself.

Its opposite feels a little dangerous: One trait you criticize in others, but occasionally (or often?) exhibit yourself. Thinking about it a little further, this is a wonderful subject for journaling. Don’t forget that your journal is a safe, confidential, judgment-free zone where you can write what needs to be written, examine the things that need to be examined, and work through the things that need to be worked through.

9. One old tradition or habit that you’ve adapted to suit new circumstances.

Further reflections could include: Aspects of the tradition you’ve kept. Aspects you’ve changed or discarded. The principles, ideas, or beliefs at the core of this tradition or habit that make you willing to adjust it over time in order to preserve it.

10. One serious thing you’re quite happy not to take seriously.

Its opposite is also intriguing: One silly or nonserious thing that you take very seriously.

Bonus prompt that makes me smile: One dish you make or enjoy that tastes better than it smells.

Its alternative makes me smile even more (because I never add enough salt!): One dish you make or enjoy smells better than it tastes.

Your turn

What do you think? Should we give these a try together? Choose one prompt from the list above and share your answer in the comments! I’ll start things off by adding the first entry below.

New 10 Minute Journal Pages!

I've just posted a new set of journal pages over at my 10-Minute shop. They're all about journaling in action -- choosing your own path and walking it with confidence.

And you know I'm cheering you on all the way!

P.S. This one - the one where you save the day - is free! Click here or on the image below to give it a try.

Naomi Hattaway, What Does It Feel Like To Be You?

This is the third in my series of interviews in which I ask people, “What does it feel like to be you?”

Naomi Hattaway has lived and traveled across the world and throughout the United States. Her first international move was from the United States to India with her husband and three young children. From there she and her family relocated to Singapore before returning to United States where she has lived in four different states since her return.

Through it all, Naomi has been a community-building entrepreneur. She founded and ran a Facebook group for people experiencing international relocations, which grew to 15,000 members. Upon her return to the United States, she obtained her real estate license and opened an agency dedicated to helping families move from one home to the next, wherever in the world that might be. She also writes articles about her relocation experiences and gives talks and workshops.

About a year ago, after many years of traveling and entrepreneurship, she did two things she thought she might never do – she returned to her hometown in Nebraska, and she became an employee for the first time in more than two decades.

Knowing how wonderfully open Naomi is about her life experiences, I couldn’t wait to ask what it feels like to be her in this moment of transitions.

“When we moved back to Omaha,” she said, “which is where I was born and raised, I wrote a blog post about my home ownership journey because in my late teen years as a single mom I had a Habitat for Humanity house and I wrote in this article about how the full circle happened and how having the chance at home ownership when in was eighteen really set my family up for success.”

“The CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Omaha saw my article because she was also at Habitat Omaha twenty years ago when I had my house.”

After meeting with the CEO, Naomi was hired as Program Director.

“I felt honoured and valued when she asked me,” she said, “and it almost flipped when I actually started because I felt so overwhelmed and not capable and . . . impostor complex, oh my goodness, that came roaring out of left field.”

“I was homeschooled . . . and it was before it was legal in the state of Nebraska, so I didn’t get a diploma and I didn’t graduate and I didn’t get a GED until I was 30 . . . I’ve always carried around with me a ‘you don’t know enough’ complex and so I’m always an avid learner, avid reader. Podcasts, books, I’m constantly intaking, I think, to contrast the fact that I was never told by an institution that I had learned enough to go to the next step. And it sounds so silly to say out loud, but I think there was something with that when the job offer came. It was a respectable position, a respectable organization and I had never had anyone say, ‘I think you have enough value that we would like to ask you to join us’”.

I asked if transitioning from entrepreneur to employee felt risky to Naomi. It did. It still does.

“When you’re an entrepreneur and running your own show, you get to sidestep stuff all the time. You get to choose what’s comfortable. . . I liked to think that I took risks as an entrepreneur and as a business owner, but I don’t think I was. I was only taking risks in what I knew I could bounce back from or be successful at. This is making me see the other side of what happens if I don’t risk or what happens if I don’t show up in the workplace with integrity and as my authentic self.”

“So my risk is nine to five, in the Midwest, in Omaha Nebraska. Being here in my space right now is very challenging. To be back where I grew up, to be back in a place where I wanted to leave and never come back to . . . It’s almost like fitting myself into a box and figuring out how to still be myself is the challenge right now.”

At the end of our chat, I asked Naomi how she would describe herself in this moment. This is what she told me:

“I think that I would have you describe me as . . . a constant seeker of more information because I believe that when we know better we do better. I am an avid gardener, allergic to anything that relates to the gym, and massively in love with the things we can do that have impact on our communities.”

Looking back on our conversation, I am in awe of Naomi’s openness to new experiences and opportunities. She brings her whole self to each new adventure by embracing the events that brought her to this moment. What if we all did this? What if we valued the parts of our personal histories that made us who we are? What if we shared them with others? What if we recognized them as unlimited sources of wisdom and courage?

When I started writing this post, I thought it was going to be about learning how to manage new and unexpected challenges, but now I see that it’s about realizing you are already up to the challenge.

How about you? What challenges are you facing head on right now? Share your thoughts with Naomi and me in the comments.

Learn more about Naomi: www.naomihattaway.com | Instagram @naomihattaway and @therelocationexpert

Skye Boyle, What Does It Feel Like To Be You?

This is the second in my series of interviews in which I ask people, “What does it feel like to be you?”

Skye Boyle is an arts and crafts adventurer. She finds creative inspiration in the colourful plants and animals surrounding her home in Southeastern Australia and in the wide range of materials she uses to make her art. Rather than limit herself to one style or medium, she follows her hands, heart, and imagination wherever they lead, embracing new projects and techniques along the way. As the founder of The Art of Greenskye, she has cheerfully chosen the title of Artist and Creator.

Skye graciously agreed to share her answer to the very personal question of what it feels like to be her in relation to her love of making art. In an email, she wrote:

“I've always found joy in creating but that questioning feeling always creeps in, is this good enough, what would others think of it, am I wasting my time and money. But I've recently stumbled onto a train of thought, to create not just for the sake of creating, but something that will help others too. In doing this, my spark has been ignited! The fears drop away and I'm floating through my joy as I create.”

“I've recently completed some Medicine Wheels, using mixed media, paint, resin, wool, crystals, thread, etc., which have brought me so much joy and in turn inspiration, and there are no fears associated with them, they make me proud of myself.”

When I asked how her new projects help her fears drop away, she responded:

“These new projects that make me feel less fearful, I think it's because I loved every stage of it, I felt excited and happy in every moment, and then I was so happy with the outcome, that I didn't care what others thought. It's actually hard to put into words. It really is intuitive art, delving into my own feelings and then also empathy, with thinking and feeling of how it would/could help others, knowing that someone out there will benefit in some way. But then some stages I don't have control over, like with the fluid art, the paint will lay the way it wants to, I've changed my thought process to love the freedom of it, that it will turn out the way it’s meant to. To not focus as much on the outcome, but to fall in love with every stage of the process.”

I can’t help but be delighted by Skye’s description of how she feels while she’s creating – that she has identified her process as an antidote to her fear, that she places her trust in her own intuition and empathy to guide her toward meaningful projects, and that she feels proud of herself and a sense of purpose in the work she’s doing. I’m also drawn to the thought of finding freedom in the moments we don’t have control over, rather than fearing the outcome. I look forward to giving it a try in my own work.

How about you? Do you ever question what others will think of your chosen pursuits or worry that your efforts won’t be good enough? How do you deal with your fears? Share your thoughts with Skye and me in the comments.

Learn more about Skye: Facebook | Instagram | Etsy

Ella Rose, What Does It Feel Like To Be You?

This is the first in a series of interviews in which I ask people, “What does it feel like to be you?”

It’s an incredibly personal question to ask someone (even to ask oneself), but what if it’s precisely the question that could help us understand each other better and connect in more meaningful ways? What if it’s a direct and authentic way to find common ground, by focusing on feelings we all experience?

Ella Rose bravely agreed to help me test my hypothesis by sharing what it feels like to be her.

Ella is a single mom of three awesome kids, a dedicated nurse with more than 25 years’ experience and the founder of the Liminal House, a website that helps people tackle decisions surrounding death. Her future plans include journals, retreats and fundraisers, which will one day fund the construction of a contemplative care home for those dying between the ages of 21 and 55.

When I asked her about the feelings that accompany this current moment, as she juggles single motherhood, a full-time career, and her vision for reshaping the conversation around death and dying, Ella answered with five words:

Stretched

“I always feel like I have to either improvise or improve or manipulate … in important projects and in my life.”

Guided

“All of us, if we’re listening, we’re guided . . . Sometimes it’s louder than others, but you know it’s there. You choose whether to listen.”

Hopeful

“I refuse to feel defeated. Even if it’s something heavy, there has to be an upside. But you have to recognize it and hold onto it. Miracles still happen, but people don’t recognize them. They’re in the little things.”

Liminal

“It means being in between. In between life and death. As a single mom, working full time, looking for a new job, I’m constantly on a seesaw. It’s hard. It can be scary. It can be challenging, but it stretches me to look at other options.”

Real

“I think I always say what I feel. This is something I’ve had to work on. Why do we lie? We’re afraid. What am I afraid of? Because that’s what’s holding me back. We have to be more real with each other.”

In Ella’s hopefulness, I see parallels in my own life. My hopefulness is also rooted in the little things, in recognizing and holding onto moments that carry me through difficult challenges. I also identify with the double-edged experience of being stretched. It feels like there’s never enough time or resources, but it’s precisely the lack of time and resources that pushes me to stretch myself in new and constructive ways. It’s fascinating to me to see the balance Ella brings to this moment – between feeling stretched and stretching herself, in her hopefulness grounded in reality, and most of all in choosing the in-between, the liminal, as the place to fulfill her vision for helping others in their most difficult moments.

How about you? Have you ever experienced any of these feelings in the midst of new projects in your life? Share them with Ella and me in the comments.

Learn more about Ella: Website | Facebook | Instagram