Periodically on this blog, I’ll share a journaling prompt designed to help you dig through the mental matter bouncing around your head. Not all of these exercises may seem applicable, but chances are good they will.
I’ll repeat the following introduction before each exercise, because there may be people joining the process at different points of the process.
INTRO: Journaling is a way to engage the subconscious mind and to allow your inner wisdom to float to the surface of your awareness. By spending just FIFTEEN minutes per day in quiet reflection with yourself, you will be able to uncover your gifts, motivations and opportunities to develop.
Give yourself a week to really get the hang of it. Spend some time learning about your best time for this “inner conference.” Some of us are morning people. Some of us like to write things out right before going to sleep for the evening. Others may look forward to a midday appointment with our own soul. Your journey is YOURS.
You’ll need the following supplies: pen/pencil, paper or notebook, relaxing instrumental background music (e.g. classical or ambient — NO lyrics), tea/water/wine and a timer. OPTIONAL: essential oil (Roman chamomile, lavender or Mandarin Orange are good for focus). Set your timer for 15 minutes and begin.
“Change and renewal are themes in life, aren’t they? We keep growing throughout life.” —Susan Minot
For me, fall signals the beginning of the new year. When I was a little kid, autumn marked the return to school, which meant new friends, new classes, and new teachers …but for me, especially, a brand new notebook.
The fresh, crisply-lined pages beckoned, awaiting the baptism of ink, streaming from my pen. I am an office supplies addict. I could roam around an office supply store quite happily for hours, comparing pens and paper clips. Stocking up on filing folders, notebooks, markers and all sorts of stationery products. Does anyone one else “suffer” from this same addiction?
As a native Iowan, I also view fall as a new year because of dormancy, of all things. It is in autumn that the massive combines crawl through the fields, combing and separating the corn from the plants, leaving a shorn path of stalks and stubble in their wake.
After the crops are in, the farmers drive their tractors through their fields for a final pass, churning under the decayed remnants of the harvest, working them into the topsoil where they will decompose and provide the fuel for the following spring’s growth.
HAIKU:
Renewal and death:
duality, paradox
within the seed head.
—Molly Cantrell-Kraig
Much like the crops, within each of us lies the source of our growth, renewal and replication. I say “replication,” because when any of us grows to his or her full potential, others are affected in a positive way and our efforts are magnified and expanded.
Put another way, there’s a quote I’ve heard that paraphrased, says ‘leaders do not create followers; they create more leaders.”
These are all thoughts that will take you in new directions. Where would you like to be next season? In a year? In the spirit of “dormancy,” I invite you to consider where your new life can lead.
JOURNALING PROMPTS
• How many leaders are you creating?
• How much kindness are you sowing?
• What in your life has to “die” so that you can grow and thrive?
As always, I welcome your comments and thoughts about these journaling exercises. Have you noticed anything surfacing? How have they changed your daily routines?
P.S. Every Sunday, I publish a free weekly newsletter called the 3 Minute Reset, which includes life lessons, life hacks and treats. To subscribe, click here.
