inspiration

journal challenge rules~

1. write SOMETHING every day – it doesn’t have to be profound or long

2. make it “fancy” – experiment with typography, add a border, add a doodle, glue something in

3. if you have nothing to say, pick one of the topics below and fill in the info

this is the cover of one of my old journals.
self-portrait?

-inspirational quotes

-clips from magazines (etc.) that inspire you (ie. pictorial or single words)

-notes/cards you receive

-travel – places you’ve been or places you dream of (add pictures)

-fashion – ideas or desires

-lists – top 10’s, favourites, bucket list, to-do’s, etc.

-goals

-recipes and favourite food

-reading list – finished and tbr

-architect and home deisgn

-project ideas

-dreams and sleep patterns

-eating out / restaurant reviews

-music – favourite songs, lyrics, playlists, etc.

-funny things people say

-current events – what’s going on in the world, in the news, at work/school, etc.

-favourite things

-my thoughts are full of…

-memories – the first time i…

-advice to a younger self/future self

-(single) words that mean something to you

-instead of a wish-list, do a wish-granted list

-reflections on being the receiver of an act of kindness

-aspects of yourself you are thankful for

-a proud moment in your life

-a hard lesson you learned

-a positive impact you had on someone else’s life

-best compliments you’ve ever received

-little things that make you happy

-who are the people you are thankful for in your life

-snapshot of today – weather, what you did, plans for the rest of the day, eating, wearing, listening to, reading, thinking about/wondering, feeling, etc.

-describe the room you’re in right now

-introductions – yourself, your family members, your friends and loved ones, etc.

-breakdown of your friends – who do you go to when…

-all the words that describe you

-a day in the life – what your typical day looks like

there are thousands of pictures of random people's journals on google that give me lots of ideas. try looking up "smash book". those are pretty cool. such as...

i also have an entire pinterest board full of journaling ideas
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an idea

a few years ago for christmas, i gave one of my SILs a big fat journal with this message inside:

This isn’t just a journal… We’re calling it “The Uplifting Book”. Its purpose is to be filled with thoughts, quotes, bits and scraps of things that inspire you so that when you’re feeling down, you only need to open it up to feel … uplifted!

Write down all the warming things that occur in your life, no matter how small they may seem at the time. It’s so easy to forget the blessings when things aren’t going as you want.

If someone gives you a touching card or letter, stick it in here.

Make lists.  Top 5’s ~ snells, items, movies, songs, books, people, places to be, etc.

What was your happiest childhood memory?

Describe something you did that still makes you feel proud.

Write your own personal mantra ~ repeat it aloud to yourself when you need a boost.

What do you want to be remembered as?

What are the things in life that matter most to you?

Just a few suggestions ~ it’s a thick book! Be creative and make it pretty!

shockingly, there is a blog post about it. 

journal challenge

i used to write in journals a lot when i was younger. there was even a period in high school when i wrote in one every day for 6 months. if you know me, you're probably aware that i don't stick to anything for long. usually i can stay focused for about 2 weeks. so 6 months was unheard of behaviour.
i can't say exactly why i stopped writing, but i know it's linked to how i've been feeling the past few years. i feel like their is a stopper in my throat sometimes that keeps me from being able to speak my mind. it's not that i don't want to, but i am at a loss for words. i'm hoping that by writing more often, i will be more in tune with my emotions.
by nature, i'm very reflective about everything i do. i ponder. a lot. it only makes sense to write these things down. when i did write in my journal in the past, i found it to be a very cathartic practice. in recent years, i have developed an unhealthy habit of holding everything inside, partly due to that pyschological block i mentioned, and partly because i just don't want to bother anyone. too often, my thoughts are dark and toxic. they stew and fester and cycle back on themselves which can leave me in an unpleasant haze of nastiness for days at a time. this is when i sleep the most. it's sometimes the only reprieve i can get from my brain. ...as long as they don't follow me into unconsciousness and plague me with nightmares, of course.
obviously, this is not the healthiest method of coping. so~ back to my point. i use my journal to dump all these thoughts. purge them from my brain in the hopes of lessening their toxicity. once they are out, it can help to stop that cycle.
the original plan was to write every day. but i don't want to set myself up for failure, so i'm just going to say i will write more. since i wrote only one entry in the last year and a half, it shouldn't be hard to beat!

now, i want to pose this challenge to you. if i find it helpful, i'm sure that anyone would. but there are numerous reasons to write. some people do it as a creative outlet, some simply to record memories, others may do it just to have a habit to stick with. or maybe you just want to practice your penmanship? whatever. start writing. see what it can do for you.

i'm going to do a separate post with ideas and pictures and stuff.