Our brains are designed to keep us safe from harm, therefore we reach a certain age (around 40ish for most of us) where instead of thinking what is ahead, we base our future endeavours on what we have achieved in the past.  Our past provides comfort and makes us feel safe.  As it is the brains job to ensure we stay clear of danger it likes us to stick with the familiar. 

The problem with this is, deep inside there is still that 20 something woman, saying "well, come on what’s next!"  That same person that got us through uni, found our life partner, decided having kids would be an adventure, started an exciting new career – she is still in there wanting to bust out. 

So, what happens is the protective brain kicks into gear and starts telling you things like, you’re too old to start something new, stay safe! You can’t possibly lose weight – you haven’t in the past, stay safe! Don’t follow that dream, just keep doing...

After showing you all my vision journal in my Facebook Live - Many Journals. I have had a few questions about my Overwhelm Page.

This is part of my process of working through my emotions. It allows me to be creative and work out some of my overwhelm on the paper.  As you can see you do not need to be a brilliant artist to be creative. This was done with coloured pencils and pens in my vision journal. 

I have a bit going on at the moment – moving into our new home that took five years to build, co-ordinating all the extra bits that need to be done, working full-time, blogging on The Journal Hub and studying for my Masters Certificate in Life Coaching.  Throw in a burst pipe and flooded lounge room (rental property), add in some family drama and you have a recipe for overwhelm. 

Well actually, I have taken most of it in my stride and it is mainly due to the work I did on this page a few months back when I was feeling very overwhelmed.  This is why...

What is Free Writing?

Free writing is continually writing whatever comes into your mind.  It is similar to brain storming or thought dumping but it is written in full sentences.  There is very little regard for correct grammar, spelling or logic.  It is powerful tool for thinking and creating.

Why would you Free Write?

Free writing gives you the time and space to increase the flow of ideas.  Letting your thoughts run free and getting them down on paper reduces the chance of accidentally censoring a brilliant idea. 

If you have just started journaling and are unsure what to write about free writing can be a great place to start.  It helps you get into the habit of writing, allowing you to practice, find and improve your writing style.

Free writing can help if you are feeling stuck and you want to push ideas without restraint.  You may generate outlandish ideas and thoughts, but within those a gold nugget may hide that provides an...

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Journaling can help you manage your thoughts, achieve your goals and discover things about yourself you did not know.  It can help you change your mind set, situation and the satisfaction level you have with life.  Your Journal can be your guide and companion as you become the person you want to be.

Pick your Journal

Picking a beautiful journal that calls to you will inspire you to write more often.  Designing pages that work for you and what you want to achieve will mean you are more inclined to use it.  You deserve a gorgeous piece of stationery to hold your goals and dreams, a journal that encourages you to write, that gives you pleasure when you pick it up and gets your creative juices flowing.

Try this gorgeous leather journal.

Having said that, you can be just as effective with a notebook...

Keeping a journal is a fantastic way to get to know yourself.  It reveals your deepest thoughts and feelings, helping you to really connect with who you are.  You’ll discover things about yourself you never knew before and in turn this can help you to discover what you really want in life.

However, starting a journal can be pretty daunting.  It’s difficult to know where to start and how to use it for self-discovery purposes.  If you are struggling, here you’ll learn more about how to use a journal to discover yourself.

Writing down your fears and doubts

There are numerous ways you can use a journal for self-discovery purposes.  Using it to write down your fears and doubts in one of the best ways you can start.

The trouble with fears and doubts is, they can manifest into much bigger problems in your head.  When you bottle things up they can start to feel a whole lot worse than they really are.  So, writing them down not only gets...

What do you write in your journal when you can’t think of anything to write?  Well you can always jump online and find some prompts.  However, an alternative to responding to journaling prompts is to write lists. 

List can be quick, thought provoking and not intimidating as you can write down bullet points without worrying about wordy prose and correct grammar.  List can also help you achieve your goals and monitor your progress.

So here are a few lists to get you started.

1. Books you’d like to read or books you have read
2. Shows/movies you would like to watch
3. Your favourite quotes or affirmations
4. Places you want to visit or places you have already visited
5. Qualities you like about yourself
6. Your goals for the next 30 days
7. Your goals for the next 12 months
8. Your goals for the next 5 years
9. Goals you have already achieved
10. Activities you would like to do
11. Things you love about your partner/kids/pet
12. Gifts you need to buy for others or gift ideas
13. A wish list for...

As promised a short blog post about how I have set up my journal for 2021.  Let me start with the lessons I learnt from my 2020 journaling experience. 

As per usual my January journal was spectacular – a visual masterpiece (based on limited artistic skills) with regular daily entries, February wasn’t too bad, March had some bits and the rest of the year was fairly hodge podge without any real system.  

The problem was I never seemed to find the time to set up the month in advance and once the month had started I didn’t really see the point. 

So, the lessons learnt were as follows:

• I like a monthly double page spread for each month – these need to be set up ahead of time.
• I make better and more regular use of a weekly spread rather than a daily spread (note my journal is used purely for personal use, not for my day job)
• I prefer to track weekly rather than daily or monthly
• I needed a journal with thicker pages

So how have I set up my...

As we begin the new year and people are preparing their new journals (ahh is there a better feeling than opening a fresh blank page in a new journal!) a lot of you are thinking about what you want to achieve in the new year.  We often like to allocate a word or phrase to the year that gives us some focus and sets our intentions for the 12 months ahead.  This becomes our Mantra. 

What is a Mantra?

The word Mantra is derived from two Sanskrit words—manas (mind) and tra (tool). Mantra literally means “a tool for the mind.”  Historical Mantra’s have been used during meditation to raise vibration through the repetition of the sound or phrase.

Your Mantra should be a word that resonates with you, an affirmation, a war cry or a go-to phrase to repeat when you are not feeling inspired. 

Do you need a Mantra?

Of course not, but once I tell you the benefits of having and repeating your mantra, you may be asking yourself how you...

So how do you do find time Journal?  Below are some tips on how you can find some time to write in your journal. 

In our busy lives it is hard to find time to fit in anything extra, let alone something for just you.  I have always struggled with the “I don’t have time” mantra.  However determining why I wanted to journal managed to put it into perspective and made me realise I had to find the time to do it. 

Schedule a time

Scheduling a time to write in your journal will help you build it into your day.  Can you get up a little  earlier in the morning to jot down your thoughts?  It’s a great to get your journaling done before the daily grind starts.  It can help you organise your day, thought and priorities and can help you set your mood.

Maybe you are an evening person and you would prefer to do it at the end of the day.  Spend 10 minutes before you go to bed to reflect on your day.  It is a great aid to...