New emergency journal pages ... for the bumps in the road

There was a long afternoon, not too long ago, when I was thinking of giving up on one of my dreams. This guided journaling dream right here, actually.

While I was giving it a good mulling over, another thought came to mind instead: what if there was a journal page for moments just like this? An emergency journal page that tackled the scary and discouraging and worrying stuff head on. A journal page with lots of colours and lots of prompts that was right there with you in the moment, reminding you that this was just another bump in the road and that you are strong enough and smart enough anyway to make it over and beyond it — and the next one, too.

Long story short, instead of giving up on one of my dreams, there’s a new set of journal pages in the shop. The first one is free for you to try — from my resilient, dreaming heart to yours.

New journal pages on the way

Putting the finishing touches on a new set of journal pages. These ones are for the bumps in the road. I am convinced that journaling in these moments helps us see through them and beyond them; it helps us reconnect with our better, wiser, and more hopeful selves. Looking forward to sharing more later this week.

The soul knows

From my recent margin notes and into my journal — the soul knows. A haunting thought or a hopeful one? A bit of both, I think.

I considered making a prompt of it, perhaps “one thing your soul knows”, but it feels like it requires further explanation. Back to the drawing board for now.

Painted pages and secret journal prompts

Having a little more fun with my printed painted pages, making handmade envelopes and printing hidden journal prompts under the folds. I think I’d like to find a way to share these. Wouldn’t it be neat to find a colourful envelope and secret prompt in the mail? I’m not sure yet how to do it or how many I can send out, but I’m thinking about it.

In my journal today . . .

I’m finally finding my rhythm in a project that feels overwhelming in scope and difficulty. I was reminded today, after a few false starts and more than a few postponements, that doing the hard work feels so much better than avoiding it — so much so that I’m adding that thought to my journal.

What are you working on today?

Handmade journal envelopes

I made some tiny envelopes using my painted pattern pages and hid secret journal prompts inside. Shhh, don’t tell anyone.

What/who are you admiring today?

It’s March! Time to start a new journal calendar page and I can’t wait!

Today’s prompt is “admired.” Lately, I’ve been admiring kindness. I’m seeing examples all over the place — at home, in my community, in my inbox, out in the world. I think I’ll write a lovely little list of kindnesses I’ve encountered or observed recently.

How about you? What/who are you admiring today?

Does understanding yourself help you understand the world?

A question I’m exploring in my journal today . . .

What do you think?

Reverse engineer your day - new 10-minute journal pages!

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about reverse engineering your day — starting with the way you’d like your day to end and working your way backward from there to figure out how you’ll make it happen.

Since then, I’ve been working on turning that idea into a new set of 10-Minute printable journal pages. I’ve just posted them all in my shop and this first one (in the photo above) is free! If you’d like to give it a try, just click on the photo above or right here to download it.

The rest of the pages in the set take the idea even further — from a page dedicated to thinking about how you’d like to feel at the end of the day to a page for testing out one of your new ideas by day’s end. I hope you’ll love them all!

Tell me about your day

The longer I journal, the more I appreciate the stories of our days. Short enough to wrap our heads around, long enough to recognize the actions and reactions, big and small, that made a difference.

When we tie those stories together over weeks and months, moments become patterns, choices become paths, and, if we’re so inclined, the insights that emerge become opportunities for transformation. It’s a line of inquiry I find endlessly fascinating, with boundless potential.

If you’re up for sharing, tell me a little something about your day today. What’s one thing, big or small, you did today that made it better — more productive, more impactful, more enjoyable, or more interesting?