A Creative Journaling Exercise for the New Year

As we start off the new year, it is a good time to take stock of where we are, where our thoughts are, and what we are feeling.

I found a fun way to document this on Ali Edwards blog a couple years ago, and love doing it every now and then to ground myself.

She called it ‘Naming Your Petals‘, which she came up with after her son brought home an exercise her did in school. I thought it was brilliant and got to work on my own straight away.

I named my petals back in 2009 (shown in my journal)—in this spread I printed the petal file Ali offered, and traced it onto a tea stained coffee filter, then cut it out.

For my latest petals (2012), I just printed out the petals and cut them out. I plan on adding them to my journal later, and writing a but more about each petal as I reflect upon it.

This is a great way to see how you have grown, where you are en route to your dreams, and balancing yourself when it becomes hard to decide what to focus on.

Go ahead and give it a try—read Ali’s post first, then create your own petals and start naming them. They can be big or small – there are no right or wrong answers here. They can be soul deep, or surface thoughts—just start by naming things that represent you NOW.

Once you have them named, take a day or two to just look at them every now and then, thinking about what they mean to you. Then sit down with your journal, and write a bit about each petal—here are some questions to help get your journaling started:

Overall…

• What was the first petal you named? Why did it come to you so easily (perhaps this is something you self consciously need to focus on the most)?
• What was the last petal you named? It is something you are avoiding? Something you don’t give enough thought to?
• Did any petal surprise you?  If so, why?
• Did any petal make you feel guilty? If so, why?
• What order would you put your petals in, as far as importance to you and your well being?
• Any petals you wish you could change now? Explain.
• How do your petals tell your story?
• Which petal do you wish you could pluck off?

For each petal…

• What are your thoughts when reading what you wrote?
• List three things that elaborate on each petal
• Now write one sentence for each list item (this is a good way to jumpstart journaling)

Try and do the exercise again in a month or two and see the difference in where you are then.

images: hope wallace karney

UPDATE: Download Flower Petal Template created by Ali Edwards (link to download on her site is down so we’ve added it here for you!)

Related posts:

1. Pen & Paper: 13 Books for Journaling Inspiration
2. Pen & Paper: Overcoming Your Journaling Fears
3. Pen & Paper: Journaling E-Course Giveaway!

One of my favorite quotes is from Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Immortal and fearless Tuck urges Winnie to let go of her preoccupation with her own mortality. “Don’t fear death; fear the unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.” Simply stated. Yet why is it that when looking back on the moments, minutes, and even seconds of our lives, so much is spent wasted, afraid of the outcome? Shouldn’t it be about embracing the journey, because it’s not the beginning or the end, but the process in the middle that we really call life?

It’s always intrigued me that the most rewarding decisions in life have been the ones I feared the most. Skydiving, talking to strangers, diving with sharks, living on my own, brain surgery, falling in love, and losing it all. For most of early adulthood I lived my life in fear. Fear of the future, afraid of what I didn’t know, scared like hell of losing control. I accepted unhappiness in my relationships, terrified of the alternative. I didn’t know who I was by myself. I became more of a stranger to myself than to anyone else. I could see and hear the vacant shell that my once vibrant spirit called home. I sheltered myself from anything that could trigger pain. I gave up passion for the people and things I loved the most. Even worse I gave up passion for myself. I was too scared to have the courage to let go. I. Was. Numb. The idea of letting myself feel happy paralyzed me. I sabotaged and robbed myself of many great joys for fear that the feeling could disappear at any minute. I closed myself off.

Three or four years after being diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN), a debilitating brain disease, I began to realize that I was not living. I simply existed. The funny thing about chronic pain that most people who don’t experience it will never understand, is after time it not only becomes your most hated enemy but also your best friend. Friendship is supposed to give you comfort and in a sick way TN became the closest friend I had. I gave up relationships with other people I cared dearly about because the only one I wanted was the one I had with my disease. Being in such an unhealthy “relationship” I couldn’t see that the isolation it created came full circle. My life revolved around doctor’s visits, injections, medications and everything else that comes with a diagnosis of TN, yet I had no one to share these with but the ugly disease.

Obsessed with getting better and being pain free, I didn’t realize life was passing me by. I became complacent with the things and people I loved. I neglected friends and family choosing to spend my days and nights isolated and alone. It was easier than the risk of letting someone in, only for them to disappear upon finding out I was sick. But what I quickly realized is my relationships flourished when I was honest. I started letting people into my life and the daily struggles I face and it was clear I had been treating people the way I feared they would treat me. I gave no one a chance to prove me wrong. I greatly underestimated the capacity to love and accept unconditionally that a true friendship has. I quickly became aware of the amount of people out there who may never know or feel your pain, but have the depth and compassion to understand a basic human struggle. Yes I have an illness for which I am in pain more often than not, but the people that mattered didn’t care. They pushed me when I couldn’t go any further, they inspired me when I lost sight of my dreams, they laughed and cheered with me when I triumphed, and most importantly they taught me to let love back into my life. They showed me that I did possess a great love and it was not for my illness. I learned to have love for myself stripped down bare with all its imperfections and love from others without the fear of it slipping away at any moment.

Looking back I don’t regret the time I spent afraid, but I do know that I will never again live my life in fear. That time taught me it’s not reckless to jump in blindly with my heart wide open. It’s okay to embrace the unexpected adventures that life might throw my way. And yes I’ll trip and stumble, laugh and cry. I’ll have days where I am on top of the world and days where the universe feels like it is pushing back so hard I might break and snap in half, but at least I am living life on my own terms. These are the days that define us. These are the moments when we can face the pain without shutting down.

Life is meant to have many ups and downs. What I have learned from my experience with chronic pain is that if you don’t run from it you can nurture the lessons you learn during the difficult moments. It’s OK to be imperfect. It’s OK to allow others to see your flaws. Being vulnerable is beautiful; our mistakes are what people love about us. What defines you and I as beautiful people is being able to show others your human side. Everyone has battle scars; they tie us together as an imperfectly perfect human race.

Life is an incredible journey I would not change—my struggles I would not trade. This is my magnificent failure.

image: susannah tucker

Related posts:

1. re:find Joy
2. Confronting Fear: A Super Simple Technique
3. The Fear of Rest

Welcome to this month’s Pen & Paper: Living Between the Lines written by the amazing Hope Wallace Karney. To learn more about Hope and the column, please check out the announcement post!

A Positive Spin on New Year’s Resolutions

Every year about this time, we all start thinking about our new years resolutions, and let’s face it, we all always put things on our list that we never end up doing past the first week our two, then beat ourselves up about it.

This year, I propose a new plan. While, yes, having some goals for the new year is a good and constructive way to better ourselves (especailly if we have a plan, and can layout measurable steps to help us succeed in our goals), I thought this year might be the time to start something different.

Alongside of making a list of things we want to accomplish in 2012 (perhaps the same ones from the last several years), let’s take some time and make a list of the things that you have accomplished in the past year, or several years. Let’s take a moment and reflect upon the good we have culivated in our lives –the successes.

… Did you lose 5 pounds (even if you wanted to lose 10 – 5 is still something to be proud of!)

… Did you get a coveted promotion at work?

… Did you discover the joys of parenthood?

… Graduate from school?

… Learn to cook?

Some of the things on our lists may be things we have taken for granted, but are also great accomplishments that should be recognized.

Going forward with a positive attitude and the knowledge that we can succeed will put us in the best mindset possible to tackle the resolutions we set for ourselves in the new year.

Here are some tips to help you make your “accomplishment” list:

- Grab your journal and set aside some quiet time to yourself , at least 15 minutes

- Reflect on the past year or two, think of the things that brought you joy, things that you worked hard for, or even things that surprised you, but bettered your life (I am betting they came to you as deserved)

- Start jotting down whatever pops into your mind (you can always go back and organzie it and rewrite it)

- If you have trouble thinking of things to list, just look around you – what has been added to your life over the last couple of years? Think about how they got there and go from there.

When you are done – copy out your “accomplishment” list to have near your resolution list, so when you start to falter on a resolution, you can remember that you can do it!

image: stephanie corfee

Related posts:

1. Pen & Paper: A Creative Journaling Exercise for the New Year
2. Pen & Paper: Focusing on Gratitude
3. Pen & Paper: The Power of Questions

The Desire to Inspire Book Launch celebration is now just over 48 hours behind me. Most of the houseguests who flew in from all over the globe have gone back home, beds are in disarray, and my dining room table still looks like it was taken over by Christmas elves on crack. There is not a single present under the tree yet, and my best friend is still here helping me wash dishes, pack orders and run errands. Traces of the celebration are everywhere, and the sense of exuberant giddiness that fueled all the weeks of planning is still with me. The night of the book launch I chose not to do a book reading or any kind of formal speech, but instead offered a brief but emotional thank you, sharing that this experience has been one of the most remarkable of my life. This book, these contributors, and every single moment of this extraordinary ride has been about many things at different times, but at its essence, just one:  JOY.

The first person to land at LAX for the festivities was Vineeta Nair, a contributor who flew in from Mumbai, India. She arrived Tuesday, and most everyone else was coming in the next day. That night, my husband and I took her out to dinner, and we had a discussion about entrepreneurship. The topic of Apple came up, and we all decided that the core of their success came from their unwavering focus on the why of what they did. Theirs was an empire built on a vision of what was possible – of presenting something to the world that the world did not yet know it would want or need or be endlessly inspired by. They did not do any test marketing; they did not take consumer polls. They created something they felt fiercely passionate about and the world was forever changed.

In any endeavor, it is easy to be clear on what I am doing, and my work is also to figure out how I will do it. But it is the why that compels me more than anything; without a solid foundation to support the motivation behind my actions – whether personally or entrepreneurially – I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning. The why is reason I do what I do, and this has always been so.

The book launch was an evening of celebration first and foremost. Held in a beautiful setting, this gathering of sixty or so guests – which included more than half of the nineteen contributors – was a living, breathing validation of the why of Desire to Inspire. That night, I only had access to all the conversations and moments that I was experiencing, but having talked to so many who were there since then, I am now developing a more well-rounded picture of the evening. And with every story I hear, with every glimpse I am given into the exchanges between my friends, I grow more confident that the intention I set at the beginning of this journey – which was to create and work and organize from a place of joy – worked. The why of Desire to Inspire was to create a substantive, meaningful exploration of all the ways one can construct a meaningful life, and to do this joyfully. Three nights ago, this why came to life, and created a tiny universe where everyone present had joy in their hearts yet still felt comfortable sharing intense stories of love and loss and walking through this world with one another.

I have known all along that I wanted this event to hold and support and encourage joy, but beyond that I was game for anything. Like always, what transpired was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined on my own, and that light will never fade – confirming that as long as I keep that why at the center of my compass, everything is good, and all is an adventure.

Christine Mason Miller is the author of Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World, available on Amazon.com and at bookstores everywhere. Follow her adventures at http://christinemasonmiller.com/.

image: liz kalloch

Related posts:

1. Desire to Inspire: A Sparkling Giveaway
2. A Turn in the Pathway
3. Living Your Vision: Christine Mason Miller

WIth Thanksgiving just around the corner for those of us in the United States, it is a great time to either start a gratitude journal or to create a journal spread focused on what you are thankful for.

I have created a template (PDF) for you to download and print, which you can journal directly on (I cut mine out and will paste it into my journal).  You can use it one time, or weekly, or even daily. It is a great exercise to start doing on a regular basis.

I recommend listing out at least 5 things you are thank for, this is a common practice and when done daily it becomes a gratitude journal which is a wonderful way to keep yourself grounded in the everyday things that make you happy.

For this exercise, let’s take it a step further – for every item you list, take a moment and reflect upon it, then write a sentence or two about why you are adding it to your thankful list.

Below, You can see the various stages of my thankful spread:

I decided to record what I am thankful for now, this year, 2011. I added a recent photo of myself and the year. Next, I wrote around them the things I am currently thankful for.

I know it is hard for some to come up with things to list, a lot of times one may think it is too little or silly to record. That is not true! Try not to over think it, and reflect on things you are thankful for no matter how large or small – because both large and small are easily taken for granted, and this prompt will help you to appreciate them more.

I hit some of the big ticket items on my spread – family, friendships, home & shelter, health, and love – but there are plenty of small things that I am thankful for as well, that I could have added, such as…

… my local grocery store starting to carry my favourite hot chocolate.

… borderline warm weather so I can wear flip flops just a few more days until I have to start covering my toes to keep them warm.

… the way my puppy sighs her contentment when I snuggle her close.

… my parents safe journey home after a wonderful visit.

What are you thankful for this year? Today? This month?

Related posts:

1. 10 Simple Gratitude Projects
2. Pen & Paper: A Creative Journaling Exercise for the New Year
3. Pen & Paper: My Cup of Tea

I have written a little bit about what to journal in the past (see: Journaling the Non-Beautiful and The Power of Quotes), but from the comments posted with the giveaway last month, I thought I would address it again.

Below are tips addressing some of the fears brought up in the comments last month.

Worried about Ruining or Wasting a Pretty Journal

I used to feel this way too, and still do at at times. A while back I started forcing myself to use journals (and journaling fodder) that I loved in my journals. It was painful, but in the end, rewarding. Now that I have some of them to look back upon, I love the fact that I have a beautiful journal filled with memories I may have other wise forgotten. It is much more fun finding a journal full of my thoughts and activities to look through than a blank pretty journal.

So just try, with one, to force yourself to use it. See where it takes you!

Nothing Important Enough

A lot of people feel they need to have something important to journal about, but that is not true at all! One example I can give about this is my journal from the time I was planning my wedding, sure it had the important details in it, but it also had the silly, non-important random stuff in it too. Now when I look back I say “oh yeah! I forgot about that!” and it brings back a wonderful memory that would not have qualified as important enough at the time—but I love recapturing now in the future.

The rule of thumb: EVERYTHING is important enough to journal. What you had for lunch, a fleeting thought, a funny line from your favourite show, thoughts on if you should buy new shoes, etc.. Months, even years from now, it will bring a smile to your face to re-read the non-important (seemingly ordinary) thoughts you journaled.

Perfection

Your journal is never going to be perfect—and why would you want it to be? It would not give an accurate portrayal of your life—nothing and no one is perfect, and your journal should reflect that truth.

One of my favourite quotes to help you remember this, by Rebecca Moses, “It’s the imperfections that make the charm.”

Juicier and Deeper Journals

There are plenty of places to find deep questions online or in books— even questions you have been asking yourself in your own mind for awhile. Take a look around you and you will find deeper questions to help you fill your journal with heavier topics.

Writing Order and Making Sense

No worries about writing things in the perfect order or as they come – do either, both, however your mind feels at the moment. Your journaling does not even need to make sense to anyone other than YOU – because it is only for you. You can just start writing – no back story or details needed.

Sharing with Others

I can promise you that not every pretty journal spread you see out there is thought to be beautiful by it’s creator. I for one, am not always pleased with my journal spreads, but I made a commitment to myself to share my spreads no matter if I love them or hate them. And sometimes my favourite spreads are the least well received, and ones I cringe at are the most popular. Mine are full of mistakes and spelling errors. If you do a spread and decide to share it with others, I promise you will get positive feedback. I encourage people to share their work to help build confidence and get them to keep at it. Everyone’s journals are beautiful in their own way!

A lot of people do not love their handwriting or lettering… myself included (although I do like it better the more I practice). Here is an example, though, why it should not matter. My mom, she lives far away and I miss her like crazy, she has never been thrilled with her handwriting at all. When I come across an old photo, or get a letter in the post from her – SEEING her writing makes my heart swell, she may hate it, but to me, it is full of fond memories and motherly love.

Finding the Time

Keep a journal with you to open up and write whenever you have a feel moment. I personally do quite a bit of journaling in the living room while watching television at night, or if my husband is watching a soccer match, I will sit with him and journal while he does, so we are together even if engrossed in different activities. I also have been known to journal in the waiting room at the doctors, and while waiting for a lunch date.

Random Tips + Final Thoughts

If you are still at a loss of what to write or where to start, consider starting an inspiration journal. Whenever a magazine snippet, or anything that inspires you—paste it into your journal and write WHY you are inspired by it (and “i don’t know” is an acceptable answer!).

Or, start a Quote Journal. Try doing the same thing with quotes and phrases you discover or hear. Write them down, and then write a bit about why you liked it.

You know that expression, Everything worth having is earned… well, the same with journaling. You may have to force yourself to break past the barriers you put up for yourself, but eventually the “breaking past” becomes easier, and then even second nature.

Try this: Identify what is holding you back and force yourself (gently, of course) to work past it a few times—see how it feels. I bet most of you will start to feel more comfortable and once you do, you can start to evolve a journaling practice that suits your needs.

Can you relate to any of these fears? What gets between you and journaling?

images: hope wallace karney

Related posts:

1. Pen & Paper: 13 Books for Journaling Inspiration
2. Pen & Paper: Why is Journaling Important?
3. Pen & Paper: Journaling the Non-Beautiful

Journaling E-Course Giveaway

A lot of people tell me they want to journal, but don’t do it for one of the following reasons:

1.     They don’t know what to journal about.
2.     They don’t like their handwriting.
3.     They don’t know what supplies to use.
4.     They don’t have the time.

Well, I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway to help work through these issues and get journaling! The more the merrier – after all, journaling is a healthy habit.

To enter into the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me what is holding you back from journaling, or if you are already are an avid journaler, what do you love journaling about the most?

One random winner will be chosen, and they will win the following:

A spot in one of my four journaling classes. They all, to varying degrees, give you ideas of what to journal about, tips and techniques, supplies and quick ways to journal so you can see you don’t need much time to journal.

My Moleskine cahier of choice and and a few of my favourite pens. They will be packaged up and posted to you (international contestants welcome). Please note the photo is not showing the exact items you will be receiving.

Good luck! The giveaway is open until Friday September 23rd 9 PM EST. Winner will be chosen shortly after! Be sure to check back to see if you’ve won!!

***

The Winner of the Giveaway Is . . . Julie Campbell! Check your inbox soon for a message :)

Related posts:

1. Pen & Paper: Overcoming Your Journaling Fears
2. Pen & Paper: 13 Books for Journaling Inspiration
3. Pen & Paper: Journaling the Non-Beautiful

Changing Habits that Create Clutter

Learning how to get rid of and organize our clutter is useful, but clutter is really just a symptom, rather than the root, of the problem. The real issue is how to stop the pattern of accumulating clutter in the first place! As long as we have too many things in our lives we will always be caught up in an endless cycle of organizing our “stuff.”

Dealing with our stuff takes a tremendous amount of time and energy – whether we’re cleaning, repairing, or organizing – taking care of our stuff takes time. Oftentimes, the stuff in our lives keep us from focusing on what really matters, prevents us from enjoying the present moment, and robs us of enough time for the essential, fulfilling things in life like our relationships and experiences.

While I was clutter clearing and organizing the other day, it occurred to me that no matter how streamlined my systems and how perfectly labeled and neat my storage containers are, as long as I have all this stuff, I would be spending time dealing with it again and again and again. The only way to end the cycle, was not to have the stuff in the first place. I needed to simplify and stay simplified. I began with creating habits and developing a mindset that does not create clutter in the first place.

The first step in developing this mindset is awareness. We need to figure out, and take a good, honest look at how much of our valuable energy and time is spent being a consumer. Take a moment to think about how much time you take out of your day that involves your material life. An easy way to do this is to look at your to-do list and see how many of those tasks involve being a consumer. How much time and energy do you spend thinking about what you want to buy, researching products and prices, buying, returning, or exchanging, learning how to use, organizing, cleaning, maintaining, fixing, storing, dry cleaning, or altering…. your stuff?

The next step is to ask yourself- is it worth it? Once we understand that every thing we bring into our homes and lives is a commitment of our time and energy, then we can begin to be selective about what we choose to bring in. Like it or not, we are in a relationship with all the things in our home and relationships take time and attention. So each time you go to buy something really ask yourself, is this something I want to start a relationship with?

The solution is simple, live with less stuff. Less stuff equals more time and energy. And make sure the stuff you do choose to buy, is worthy of your precious time and energy.

Below are fourteen steps that will help you maintain this new awareness by outlining new habits to keep you from creating clutter in your life.

14 Steps for changing habits that create clutter:

1. Really think before you buy. Before you buy something, ask yourself the following questions:

• Can I afford it?
• Do I already own something that can fulfill this same purpose?
• How much of my time will this require? (Keep in mind the time it takes to learn how to use it, install it, clean it etc.)
• Do I have the time?
• Do I need someone else to help me set it up- how much of their time or my money will this take?
• Will I use it?
• Do I love it?
• Will it last? Is it high quality/ timeless in style?
• Is it healthy for my body, my home, and the earth?
• Do I have a place for it?
• Is it beautiful?
• Is it functional?
• Will it replace something? Do I have time to find a home for what this is replacing? (i.e. drive to the charity/ mail it/ recycle it, etc…)
• What kind of project might this lead to?
• Could I borrow this from a friend instead of buying my own?
• Is this something I want to be in a relationship with?
• Is it worth the investment of my precious energy?

2. Keep a “to-buy” or “wish” list. When we write down what we would like to buy we often satisfy the need to have it. We sort of “trick” our subconscious into feeling like we already have it.  The feeling of “I have to have it” subsides because the act of writing it down makes it seems like it will happen. We are then able to be more clear-headed when we make a choice at a later time.  Part of our desire to have things has to do with control – we want to be able to have it more than we actually want to have it.

3. Try to wait a month before buying an item. Place it on your list. It is amazing what becomes irrelevant and unnecessary after a month. You may even find yourself forgetting why you felt you needed it in the first place and why the need to buy it became the focus of your attention, and therefore, energy.

4. Use your intuition. Your body knows when you feel good about a purchase or not. Do you feel a sinking regret as you leave the store or are you completely satisfied?

5. When you bring something new in your home, try to give something similar away – that way you will always maintain a clutter-free equilibrium.

6. Have a designated place for everything.  Make sure it is easy to access. You will not be motivated to use something, or put it away again, if it’s not easy to do so.

7. Know what the end result is – what is simplified for you? How much or little stuff works for you? How much time are you comfortable spending taking caring of material possessions versus focusing on your inner life, relationships, or experiences? Don’t look to magazines for what “organized” looks like, or what you think it should be, but rather be self-referential – use your inner-state-of-being as your guide. What works for you? What is comfortable and livable for you? An over-organized home with too many systems and too many containers can feel “cluttered” too. Your definition of clutter-free may change as time goes on.  With young children it may not be worth the compromise of spending less time with them to have the kind of organization we may have preferred pre-children.

8. Complete unfinished tasks or at least “put them off” in a conscious way.  In other words, if you are not committing to completing a task now- do so consciously so it does not weigh on you. For example, rather than leaving random photos all over the house, group them together in a box labeled “photos to put in albums.” You will feel complete.

9. Make a choice. Get clutter at its source by dealing with things as they come up. Do not just put things off for later. When your child brings something home from school decide if you are keeping it and where it will go. It may require further action steps – you do not need to complete the entire task, but you do need to decide what your next step will be and where you will keep it now.  Alternatively, you can even create a designated place for things that are “undecided.” In this case, you still have made a choice, a choice not to choose

10. Make clutter clearing a daily or weekly habit. For most of us, no matter how simplified we get, there will still be things coming in and out of our homes that we need to take care of. Start with ten minutes a day or an hour a week. The more of a routine and practice it becomes the less time you will need to spend.

11. Process your “mental clutter.” Mental clutter refers to all those items on the to-do list in your head. Get in the habit of writing down whatever is on your mind. We often feel overwhelmed not because of the amount of stuff we have to do, but because we do not know what it is we need to do. There is a lot of anxiety caused by thinking we are forgetting important things. Unburden yourself by writing it down and paper so you can decide what is truly important and needs your attention and energy and what you may choose to do later or not at all. (To learn more about processing refer to David Allen’s book Getting Things Done).

12. Keep your storage systems simple. Don’t let your organizing systems become clutter. An overly-organized home with too many complicated systems, labels, and containers can feel like clutter too.

13. Don’t look for things to buy, instead let them come to you. Trust that your needs will be met on time and in time, whether your need is information, a service, or product. Avoid stockpiling information or stuff because you may “need it someday”. Don’t go to a store or look at catalogues unless you have a very clear intention of what you are looking for. Avoid reading and saving online information until you really have a use for it. (Tim Ferriss’ book The 4-Hour Workweek has great suggestions for a “low information diet.”)

14. Keep your attention, energy, and focus on things that really matter. Ask yourself what will matter more six months from now… having some new, great item and a perfectly ordered space or having accomplished a meaningful goal, or spent quality time with your spouse or children, etc.?

Exercise:

Sit down with a pen and paper and take a fifteen minutes to write down everything that is on your mind. How much of this list involves being a consumer or taking care of your stuff?

Look at your daily to-do list for the week, then calculate the percentage of your time you spend being a consumer. Is that the percentage of your life energy you want to spend on stuff rather than on the things like your family, friends, hobbies, travel, or personal goals? If not, then start simplifying!

Sisters Laura and Alison are authors of The Peaceful Nursery: Preparing a Home for Your Baby, bloggers, consultants, and co-founders of a home and lifestyle company called Inspired Everyday Living. They believe that by making simple changes in your home, you can transform your life. For more information about their work visit www.inspiredeverydayliving.com where you can read their blog, view press clippings, learn more about their book, eGuides, and apps, or watch video clips.

Related posts:

1. Inspired Everyday Living: Transform Your Home and Life (Week 1)
2. Inspired Everyday Living: Transform Your Home and Life (Week 2)
3. Inspired Everyday Living: Dream Home – Bringing Your Dreams Into Your Home (Week 3)

Dream Home: Bringing Your Dreams Into Your Home

When you think of your dream home are you thinking about the size, layout, location, and architecture? Or are you imagining a place that supports your most cherished values and reflects your highest aspirations—an instrument for realizing your dreams? A dream home should not only contain everything you want in a space, but also everything you want in your life. This gives new meaning to the expression dream home!

Our homes are a reflection of who we are. And when we change the reflection, we also change. Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our dwellings and afterwards, our dwellings shape us.” Just think, if your home does indeed shape your life, it serves you to consciously create a space that reflects your dreams. You can do this by creating visual representations of your intentions, values, and aspirations in your surroundings. Your home will then become a source of inspiration and a place of transformation.

As we often say, your home may support you, inspire you, and become the vehicle through which you manifest your goals. You can realize dreams with the help of your home…

Here’s how it works:

Step One. Create a life vision by writing down your goals. This is a powerful first step. Many times, when our goals are not manifesting it’s because we’re not entirely sure what it is we want. When we are clear with our intentions, often things just start to happen with little effort on our part. To learn more about creating your life vision, or life design as we like to call it, read our blog post: Designing Your Life.

Step Two. Bring your dreams into your home. You can do this by placing visual affirmations in your home or by creating the experience of living as though your dreams were fulfilled. For example, if you desire a romantic relationship, place visual reminders of your ideal relationship in your home. This could be a work of art that symbolizes love, or it could be letters, photographs, or objects that represent the relationship of your dreams. You could also take your written intentions from step one, and put them in a special place—perhaps on a table or shelf with some other special objects, under a plant or flowers, in a beautiful box, or under a book about love. Or you can create the experience of romance by designing a romantic bedroom for two—two bedside tables, two reading lamps, and soft, cozy linens. If your goal is to attract more wealth, then create a home or room that looks expensive or feels wealthy. Decorate with objects or hang artwork and photographs that symbolize wealth—they don’t actually have to be expensive—they just need to represent wealth to you—like a photograph of a place you’d like to vacation. You can also give yourself the experience of abundance—such as sleeping on high thread count sheets that feel luxurious or treating yourself to chocolate covered strawberries on a pretty tray. If you would like to improve or change careers, place reminders of your ideal career around your home… you get the idea! Visual affirmations are very personal and individual—what represents ideal love, wealth, and career will be different for each person, so just be creative and trust your instincts. Creating these visual representations of your dreams will shift the energy in your space, and within you, helping you remain focused on your intentions and attracting the people and circumstances to make your dreams a reality.

Here’s why it works:

This process is similar to visualization—only in your home you have the chance to take it a step further by creating a tangible expression of your desires—from your mind into your environment. Once you’re focused on your dreams and goals and are feeling good about yourself, you’re more apt to attract positive people and opportunities. It goes back to the universal principle that what you put out into the world comes back to you—or in other words, “like attracts like.” When you begin to think, feel, act, and live a certain way—you’re more apt to be that way.

When you create a true dream home, your home is an extension of who you are and can embody what you want in your life. Your home becomes a solid foundation where you begin and end the day surrounded by your dreams. Not only will your words and thoughts shift, but your feelings and personal energy shift as well. You then carry the energy of your home with you out into the world, thereby attracting more of the same.

By clarifying your intentions, defining your goals, visualizing positive outcomes, and creating an environment filled with symbols of your goals, you will be able achieve your goals with ease.

Sisters Laura and Alison are authors of The Peaceful Nursery: Preparing a Home for Your Baby, bloggers, consultants, and co-founders of a home and lifestyle company called Inspired Everyday Living. They believe that by making simple changes in your home, you can transform your life. For more information about their work visit www.inspiredeverydayliving.com where you can read their blog, view press clippings, learn more about their book, eGuides, and apps, or watch video clips.

Related posts:

1. Inspired Everyday Living: Transform Your Home and Life (Week 2)
2. Inspired Everyday Living: Transform Your Home and Life (Week 1)
3. Inspired Everyday Living: 14 Steps for Changing Habits that Create Clutter (Week 4)

13 Books for Journaling Inspiration

I have a huge love for books, in fact, you could call me a book-nerd. I thought I would share a few of my favourites for use when journaling, both for writing and inspiration. The book titles have links that will take you to amazon.com and I added some personal notes for each book below it’s title line. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

For Inspiration

Creative Wildfire: An Introduction to Art Journaling – Basics and Beyond by L.K Ludwig
This book offers wonderful visual inspiration from multiple artists, as well as great resources and tips.

1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations (1000 Series) by Dawn Sokol (who we featured on a previous installment of Pen & Paper)
Chocked full of visual inspiration – this book features 1,000 pages from all types of journal artists in big colorful photographs.

Doodling for Papercrafters by Leisure Arts
A great place to start for adding doodles to your journals.

Painted Pages: Fueling Creativity with Sketchbooks and Mixed Media by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare
I love the photos, writing and exercises in this book. It is sure to jump start your creative side!

Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists by Julia Rothman
More sketchbook style for those who do not like to incorporate too many layers of paint and papers, this book is inspiring – I love seeing how a page can become some beautiful with just pen and ink and the occasional bit of ephemera.

Sharing Your Story: Recording Life’s Details with Mini Books by Ali Edwards
Dive into this well thought out book to discover great ideas for journaling as well as pages and pages of mini book inspiration (both making and filling them).

For Journaling Prompts & Writing Ideas

50 Moments: Scrapbook the Pages That Matter Most by Creative Keepsakes
A great place to start if you want to start adding meaningful prompts and text to your journals.

Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir by Natalie Goldberg
This book gives writing exercises to help you if you are composing a memoir… and what else is a personal journal if not your very own, one of a kind memoir?

Living a Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment of Every Day by Victoria Moran
This is a cute little book that contains “action-inspiring essays” that will “help you live a remarkable life.” The best bit about this book is that after each essay is a ‘Lucky Charm’, an exercise to accompany the thoughts put forth from the essay. These make for wonderful, thought provoking journaling prompts.

Rip the Page!: Adventures in Creative Writing by Karen Benke
This fun book is great for all ages – you can work directly in the book, or take the exercises and ideas to your journal.

You know how I feel about quotes (see past Pen & Paper post about it by clicking HERE) so having a few books with quotes on topics I like to journal about is always helpful, here are a few in my library:

The Quotable Intellectual: 1,417 Bon Mots, Ripostes, and Witticisms for Aspiring Academics, Armchair Philosophers by Peter Archer

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs by John Bartlett
A must-have book full of quotes on all subjects.

The Book of Positive Quotations by John Cook

The best part, and added bonus – is that most of these books also include a resources page in the back, offering websites, artists, writers and other books that inspired them – so be sure to check them out too.

I love finding new books, so are their any books you recommend?

Related posts:

1. Pen & Paper: A Creative Journaling Exercise for the New Year
2. Pen & Paper: Journaling E-Course Giveaway!
3. Pen & Paper: Overcoming Your Journaling Fears