Personal Growth Journaling Blog

Journaling As A Daily Practice

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:52:00 GMT

By Katriena Knights

I’ve always been skeptical about journaling. I always felt like it was a waste of time when I could be writing “real” things, like stories or articles I could sell. But as I’ve grown older and faced new challenges, and especially as I’ve moved into a full-time freelance career, I’ve experimented again with journaling and have found it to be a useful, maybe even indispensable tool.

Like many creative types, I was reintroduced to the idea of regular journaling by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. When I first dug into this book, I did morning pages for a long time, faithfully, but finally ended up stopping because my journaling self was demanding things of me I wasn’t prepared to deal with.

As it turned out I had to make those changes, and they were big ones. After the transition into literally a new life, I turned again to morning pages to work through the flood of emotions that plagued me every day. Journaling helped gradually drain the infection that had resulted and helped me move forward. Yet I still backed away from the journaling practice, and eventually stopped again.

Later I ran across Mari’s books and website, and participated in a few of her challenges. The first one was with her Pay Yourself First journaling book. I was dealing with issues regarding finances--I had just made the jump to full-time freelancing--and the book helped me work out some attitudes and habits that were holding me back. For a while I continued to journal in this more structured format. I began to realize my journaling had developed a pattern.

Not too long ago, Mari held another challenge, this one having to do with morning pages. I jumped into them again, dutifully recording my three pages every morning. Again, I found some interesting trends emerging, and as I’ve continued with the practice over the last few months, I’ve kept with these practices, because they seem to help me get more out of my journaling without placing any real structure or demands on my journaling time.

Writing when I can’t see. This one is a little weird, but it’s had some surprising benefits. I do my pages first thing in the morning, like Cameron says to do, and I often leave the light off, or provide just enough so I can see the lines on the page. I also don’t put my glasses on. I’m not totally blind without them but it does make it difficult to see exactly what I’m writing. Somehow this has the effect of freeing me from my internal editor so I don’t try to structure what I write, just write whatever comes to mind. I find myself not getting hung up as much in the individual words or on whether or not what I’m writing makes any sense.
Talking to myself. This might seem kind of obvious, since if you’re journaling you’re obviously talking to yourself, but it was a bit of a revelation when I realized that I did my most effective journaling when I wrote in second person, addressing myself as if I were talking to a friend. By effective in this case I mean that I saw results from the journaling exercise, whether it was a increase in productivity for the day or the easing of a defeatist mood. I try to be positive when I do this, telling myself what I’ve accomplished or what steps I need to take to solve a problem rather than berating myself for what I haven’t done, which is a bad habit of mine. I’ve found that I can see patterns in my moods more clearly and don’t spend as much time wondering why I’m down or unmotivated when, for instance, the weather is gloomy.
Exercises in gratitude. For a while I was keeping a separate gratitude journal, where I wrote down five things I was grateful for every night before bed. When I got back into the daily journalng practice, I found myself combining the two. I would write about things I was grateful for from the previous day, and I would also send out gratitude for things yet to come. I adopted this as a regular pattern. When I spend part of the journal discussing action items or things I need I’ll follow that up with a series of thank yous for the focus and ability to follow through with plans and with thanks for the things I need, such as steadier cash flow or a new gig to get me through a tight financial time.
Dream journaling. I don’t do this every day, but when I have dreams that are particularly vivid or seem to be related to things I’m struggling with, I’ll record them in my morning pages. Interpreting dreams is an entirely separate topic, and a complicated one, but even if you don’t choose to try to interpret what your subconscious is trying to tell you, you can go with your gut and just jot down whatever dreams seem significant, intense, or even amusing. Patterns might emerge eventually that can help you zero in on what the dreams mean.

As I’ve continued with my journaling practice, I’ve found myself more able to act on opportunities, less likely to beat myself up when days don’t go quite as I’d planned, and feeling better overall about decisions. I spend time supporting myself, working through my decisions, and taking time to be grateful for what I have. I feel steadier, more even, and more confident. It’s a lot to get out of three short pages scribbled down in the morning in the dark, and after two full notebooks I think I’ve become addicted to the curious feeling of peace the practice leaves behind.

BIO: Katriena Knights is the author of over thirty published novels, short stories and novellas under four pseudonyms, including Elizabeth Jewell and KC Myers. Her latest novel, As If You Never Left Me, is now available from Crimson Romance. Katriena can also be found at her Website at katrienaknights.com, her Blog at katrienaknights.blogspot.com, or on Twitter at twitter.com/crazywritinfool

Love Yourself Enough to Write

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:43:00 GMT

Just being you is enough.
You are enough.
You do enough.
You have enough.
You are kind enough.
You are loving enough.
You are smart enough.
You’re great.
And you don’t even have to try.
There is a part of you that accepts these statements.
There is a part of you that knows that it’s true.
I can see it.
I can feel it.
Can you?
It’s bubbling up inside of you.
It wants to say hello.
Shhh…listen.
It’s your love.
It’s your light.
It’s you.
The you that comes out to play when you write.

Why do you journal? What keeps you coming back for more? Journaling, for me is about finding my way back home.
Back into my heart.
Back into my breath.
Back in to total acceptance of all that is.
I want you to discover that.
I want you to know that you deserve to discover that.
And keep rediscovering it again and again.
You’re worth knowing.

Love yourself enough to dream.
Love yourself enough to live.
Love yourself enough to say, “Yes, I accept you.”
And, love yourself enough to write.

I want you to write a love letter to you.
The kind you’ve always wanted to receive.
Go into every last detail about why you’re so amazing.
Everything you think makes you unlovable,
Love and acknowledge those things anyway.

“I love how your mind races. I love that you’re so generous. I love that you beat yourself up. It’s cute. Because the way I see it, you’re incredible no matter how much you think otherwise. Look at all the things you’ve accomplished. I am so proud of you.”

Something like that.

Now that you’re loving yourself,
It’s time to decide what you want.
And make a promise to yourself to follow through.
Answer these questions to get in touch with what you truly want (not what you think anyone else wants, not what your mom wants, not what you think you’re supposed to want).
How often would you like to write?
What feels best and most doable right now?
Where would you be most comfortable writing?
What can you do to ensure the space will feel warm and welcoming? Light a candle? Play some music? Go outside?
When is the best time for you to journal?
How long are you willing to devote to undisturbed journal time?
If starting with 5 minutes per day is the most achievable, do that.
It’s about finding what excites you/makes you feel accomplished and honoring your own choices and opinions.
They are valuable, you know.

Just love yourself enough to write when you want to write.
And love yourself enough to forgive yourself when you don’t.
You might find that journaling every day isn’t what feels best to you right now.
Or that you don’t want to write in black ink.
You want green!
Or gold!
All fine choices.
But you don’t need me to tell you that.
Because you know it.
You have all the answers within you.
Just love yourself enough to listen.
And enjoy.

About this Article's Author

Carrie is a law of attraction life coach, journaling queen and author of Journals Have Feelings Too: A Guidebook for Writing Your Way Back to Sanity. On Fridays, she encourages readers to participate in “Journal Time!” exercises, designed to make journaling fun and fantastic! Join her at www.carrieleighsandoval.com/journal to see her most recent posts and sign up to receive a free chapter from her book.

Journal Writing: Tweets for the Tweeps

Mari L. McCarthy — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:11:00 GMT

Social media has become a big part of our daily lives over the last few years. Whether you are active on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Yelp or you haven’t quite embraced social networking just yet, you can learn a lot about writing from the way people express themselves online. You can actually say a lot in a quick Facebook comment or a 140-character Tweet, but you have to learn to be concise.

Sometimes short, sweet and to the point is exactly what you need to bring to your personal journal writing. It challenges you to focus on what you really want to say without any small talk. Spend the next seven days writing brief bursts in your journal, as if you were writing a 140-character Twitter update.

Social Media Meet Journal Writing. Journal Writing Meet Social Media.

1. Commit to writing at least once every day for the next week – but don’t worry, each entry should take you just a few minutes! Make each entry two lines – approximately the length of a Tweet. For reference:

This is what 140 characters looks like. It is quick snapshot of feelings, ideas and highlights of a day. It can be funny, poignant or silly.

2. If you’re having trouble starting this new kind of journal writing, use these daily themes to spark your creativity.

Day 1: Highlight

What one experience stands out in your mind from today? What was most memorable, pleasant or entertaining?

Day 2: New idea

What creative or inspiring idea struck you today? What new goal or plan do you have in the works?

Day 3: Flavors

What was the most delicious or memorable food or drink you consumed today? What about it tickled your taste buds?

Day 4: Music

What song have you been humming to yourself today? What about it has made it stick in your head?

Day 5: Journal Writing

What kind of journaling mood are you in today? Bored, jumpy, introspective, talkative?

Day 6: People

Who is on your mind today? What made you think of an important person in your life?

Day 7: Emotion

What words first come to mind when you think of your emotional state today? What has had an effect on your feelings?

What’s on your mind? Share one of your two-liner journal entries in the comments! On Friday, we’ll pick one and you’ll win a ‘Perfect Health’ eWorkbook. Can’t wait to see yours! WriteON!

5 Fast and Furious Fixes for Writer’s Block

Mari L. McCarthy — Sat, 04 May 2013 00:02:00 GMT

Writer’s block is always an unwelcome guest who drops in on you exactly when you don’t need it the most. Don’t worry – there’s no need to make a big fuss or waste precious energy; here are a few quick and easy journaling tips you can use to ask writer’s block politely and firmly to go out and play in traffic!

Journaling Tips to Beat Writer’s Block

1. Tell a story.

If you can’t seem to find anything to write about, tell your journal a familiar story with a fresh spin. Recount a classic family tale that has been passed on for years. Retell a famous story from a different perspective or in a new era or setting.

2. Get into the groove.

Get in the practice of writing at the same time every day. Write your Morning Pages every day when you wake up at 6:30 or your Night Notes at 10 p.m. after you brush your teeth. As you establish this habit, writer’s block will learn to take a hike when you sit down with your journal.

3. Keep a list.

Stay alert to good journaling tips and ideas as you go through your day. Pay attention when your friend mentions a trip she’s planning to Scotland with her sisters, and jot down “future travel ideas” in a notebook or on your phone. Listen to conversations when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, and write down bits of dialogue that would be interesting in a short story or poem. Take out this list when you’re struggling with what to journal about later.

4. Ask for a second opinion.

Gather journaling ideas from friends and family. Ask, “What’s on your mind right now?” or “What should I write about today?” and see what they say. You’d be amazed what an outside perspective can do for your creativity!

5. Wake up.

Give your mind and body an energy boost by exercising for 15 to 30 minutes. Dance to your favorite song, walk around the block or do yoga poses to stretch out tired muscles. Come back to your journal with renewed focus.

6. Take the day off.

Take your self and your muse on a Julia Cameron-sanctioned Artist Date. Stay in your pajamas all day. Do those household projects, you've been meaning to get to, meaning to get to....

What are your personal journaling tips for writer's block? Please share...we could get by with a lot of help from our friends!

And download our best-selling Writer's Block Journal Tips Cure workbook write away:

The Secret Behind Writers’ Ideas: Emotion

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:12:00 GMT

By Gila Green

I don’t get ideas. I feel ideas. Let me explain. I am commonly asked where my ideas come from for my fiction. It’s a legitimate question. You’ve probably read it in many author interviews. Writers often answer this question about the origins of their ideas in many ways. The most common ones are: certain ideas are based on my true experiences; some ideas are based on experiences I overheard or ones that happened to family members or close friends; I glean ideas from historical or current events; or from revamping well known Biblical themes, Shakespearean plays, Greek mythology or other famous themes.

In this post I’d like to respond in a new way. I get ideas from emotions. I ask myself this question: what can I think of that makes me feel a strong emotion. Think of this as a journaling prompt. The emotion can be negative or positive, but it has to be strong. It has to make me want to jump out of my chair, wag my finger, shake my head or dance. Those are the only rules. Nothing is off limits.

For example, in my debut novel King of the Class, eleven year old Netsach is bullied in school. I tapped into my strong emotions about bullying in order to effectively write the chapter in which this takes place. I didn’t just delve into my own related experiences, but into all bullying experiences of which I am aware from A to Z in my life: a child’s incident that I am familiar with, siblings, friends, anyone and everyone I have touched on this issue of bullying.

When I am overflowing with my emotions about this subject, and only then, I write the scene or the chapter. In this way, my passion for the subject spills out onto the page.

Now you are going to ask me, but how did I get the idea for writing a bullying scene in the first place. My answer is the same. I thought about something that made me feel a strong emotion. Almost immediately bullying came to mind and voila! the scene begins to form in my writing. This is one of the reasons why good writing is so close to good acting. You need to inhabit your characters. This means zeroing in on the emotions surging through the character at that point on the page.

Here is part of the related passage in King of the Class:

Netsach stretches his left leg and something falls on the floor; someone has shot a note onto his lap. He bends down, picks up the note, and opens it in the palm of his hand. ‘Friends? Meet. Bathroom. Ten.’ Netsach looks up and Adi smiles at him from the end of the row. What? That weenie wants to be friends? All he’s ever done is rat on me to the teacher… Netsach rereads the note. Five minutes have passed. Netsach fears falling for a trap.

In this bullying example, I wanted the reader to empathize with Netsach. He is in a complicated bullying situation and he reacts badly in the end: with violence. I did not want something simplistic because life rarely is simplistic and I wanted to create a real world for the reader, Netsach’s real world. So, I had to reveal the uncertainty going through Netsach’s mind before he fell into yet another trap, and then the anger that surged through him when he lashed out, as well as his resentment and hatred after the event.

Let’s go through all of those emotions: uncertainty, anger, resentment, hatred. That’s a lot of emotion for an eleven year old boy and as the writer I go through those emotions as I write. As soon as I stop feeling along with the character, so does the reader.

The next time you read something and you feel discouraged because you wrongly conclude that your ideas don’t come close to what you’ve just read, don’t try to think, try to feel. When you feel something, any emotion, strongly enough, focus in on it, find related experiences that you can conjure up from anywhere real or imagined and start writing. This will inspire your writing process and in turn, your readers.

ABOUT

Gila Green is the Author of King of the Class on Amazon and Kindle. You can find out more about her at: www.gilagreenonline.com She’s currently accepting signups for her Flash Fiction Workshop this June.

Therapeutic Journaling Wakes Up Your Senses

Mari L. McCarthy — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:11:00 GMT

We often take our five senses for granted, which seems unbelievable considering how integral they are to our existence. But how often do you gobble down a meal on your way out the door without really tasting it, or walk by the same people and buildings every day without really seeing them? We get into autopilot when we are busy or distracted or preoccupied, and we fail to notice and appreciate all that we see, hear, touch, taste and smell.

Take time today to be present and experience all of your senses fully.

Exercises for Sensory Journal Writing

Therapeutic journaling is an excellent way to slow down and engage with what is going on around you. Set aside 30 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of your regular day. Take a short walk around your neighborhood, actively observing as you go, then return to your house for quiet journal writing time.

1.   Sight
Look at your block with fresh eyes. Notice the kids playing, the joggers rushing by and the neighbors returning from the grocery store. Pay attention to everything you see, from the buildings and cars to the animals and street signs.

2.   Hearing
Listen to what is normally background noise to your own conversations, music or thoughts. Eavesdrop on people chatting as they pass you. Keep your ears perked for sounds from restaurants, houses, shops and parks.

3.   Touch
Make it a mission to pick up a small object or two along your walk – a flower, a stone, a menu, a piece of bark. Feel its shape and texture in your hand as you walk.

4.   Taste
If there is a place for you to stop for a quick bite to eat along your route, do so; if not, bring a favorite snack with you. Pause for a break and have a few bites. Chew slowly and enjoy the flavors and textures of your food.

5.   Smell
Breathe deeply and notice the good smells that you pass on your walk. Stop to appreciate the jasmine blooming or the garlic wafting from your neighbor’s kitchen.

When you return to your house, write down everything you remember. What struck you most about your observations? Which sense do you feel was strongest? Which is most out of practice?

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Did you like this article? Please leave your Comments below about this or any article you want to see more of, less of so that we can give you more of what you need.

Thanks,

Mari

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Help your Body Heal in 7 Days with our latest Therapeutic Journaling eWorkbook:

The Mood Diary

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:36:00 GMT

A great resource to help you track those mood swings!

A couple months ago I realized I was experiencing some pretty severe ups and downs emotionally, and was beginning to wonder if I was Bipolar. Bipolar Disorder runs in my family. I've battled depression throughout my life, but in recent months highs and lows have become very obvious to me - especially debilitating lows. As anyone does when they think they have an illness, I of course Googled information online like a typical hypochondriac, viewed YouTube testimonials, and stumbled upon a download called a "Mood & Goal Tracking Diary."

This PDF download seemed like a great idea to me. I wanted to pursue diagnosis to find out officially if I was Bipolar, but I knew it would be helpful if I started tracking my mood swings daily using something like this.

After printing out the free PDF, I appreciated the thorough charts, but it all seemed so clinical and dry to a right-brainer like me. I decided it would be more fun to actually keep a daily journal so I could not only note my up and down days, but also the transitions within the day, writing down what triggered my moods specifically, as well as having a safe place to purge my pissed-off rantings.

I didn't want to use one of my hardback blank books I normally use for my journaling, so I grabbed one of the cheap paper journals I bought from a craft store sale bin months ago. I simply labeled it on the front, "Mood Diary."

I typically waited to enter my daily reports and rantings at the end of the day, unless I just couldn't wait. Some days I would write simply "Stable day" if I couldn't remember any highs or lows at all. Some days there would be a couple entries per day, noting when moods would hit hard to accurately track those swings and record the triggers, capturing the raw emotion of the moments.

I also used the diary as a notebook to scribble down AHAH moments from therapy sessions. When words failed me, I'd doodle. I did whatever it took to at least record my thoughts and ideas. Sometimes I'd even wake up in the middle of the night with thoughts that wouldn't rest until I'd write them down in the Mood Diary. If it was something that didn't fit as a daily entry, I'd just flip to the empty rear pages of the book and scribble my thoughts down in there, just to get it all out of my head.

Keeping a Mood Diary really helped me pay closer attention to not only my mood swings, but also what was triggering those swings. After only a few weeks of therapy, my therapist was able to definitively tell me I wasn't Bipolar, but that I was certainly unhappy, and I realized from my Mood Diary that my mood swings heavily depended on reactions to marital stress.

So thanks to my Mood Diary, I've been able to pinpoint very quickly with my therapist (within a month) the specific areas of my life that need to be addressed. I know my own journey of recovery is just beginning, but I'm taking my therapy very seriously and working very hard on improving my marriage life, bringing love back into the picture (which can be difficult when you've been married for 10+ years).

If you're interested in keeping a Mood Diary to track your own mood swings, here are my suggestions:

1. Always begin each diary entry with the date, or at least the day of the week, to help you keep track of the timeline (timeline is important in case you go back and realize there were special circumstances - PMS for example).

2. Keep your diary where you sleep or close to where you sleep, along with a pen, to be sure you keep the habit of recording in your diary every day before bed.

3. Use a throwaway book - something cheap that you wouldn't mind throwing away or burning when you're finished with the process. It helps you to be RAW with your writing, to use the book however you like. Sketch in it when words fail you. Make notes in the rear pages if you wake up with other thoughts about your journey you might want to record.

4. Bring the diary to your therapy sessions. This is a great resource to share with your therapist. I've had one occasion where I wanted to read a sentence from my diary to help explain things in more detail to my therapist. It can be very helpful if your sessions are spaced far apart, and it might be hard for you to remember some details and timelines. Your Mood Diary can really come in handy for this.

Wendy Fedan is a professional artist, currently working full time at a Gaming Company in Akron, Ohio. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband and two young kids and a kitty. Wendy is currently developing her own online business called Create-A-Way.

Journal Prompt: An Important Decision

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:11:00 GMT

You make decisions every day that affect your life in different ways. Some decisions, such as which movie to rent or where to go on your morning jog, have a small impact, while others, such as which job offer to accept or whether to get married or not, have life-changing implications.

Look back on a past choice that falls into the life-changing category, and use the experience as a reflective journal prompt.

1. Think of a specific time when you were at a crossroads and had a significant decision to make. Free-write one page in your personal journal, keeping these questions in mind:

• When was this? How old were you?

• What was the context in which you were making this decision? What other factors were important?

• Why did the decision seem significant at the time? Do you still think it’s important for the same reasons?

2. Consider the consequences of your past decision. Knowing what you know now, would you make the same choice? Free-write another page, using these questions as a starting point:

• How did this decision change your life for the better?

• How did it create challenges or heartache?

• Why would you stand by your decision, or why would you choose to go in a different direction?

• What do you think would have happened if you had taken another path? What consequences do you think would have resulted from that option?

3. Sum up what this past experience taught you in a short paragraph. Have you used these lessons to make other big decisions? Did you create a “what not to do” script for yourself for future situations? Tell your personal journal all about it.

What is the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make? Share your experience in the comments.

We have a Journal prompts ebook among many other decision making Journaling ebooks in our Life Changers Library. Check it out write here!

Use Journal Writing Therapy to Cope With Tragedy

Mari L. McCarthy — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 22:32:00 GMT

This week, we watched in horror as a celebratory day – Massachusetts’ Patriot’s Day and Boston’s Marathon Monday – was torn apart by violence. As with many events out of our control, you probably felt angry, helpless or frightened as you watched the news coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Journal writing therapy helps you process your conflicting emotions and confusing questions when you are trying to make sense of a terrible event. Even if you feel at a loss for words, take out your personal journal and try one of these writing prompts to get your thoughts onto the page.

1. Put pen to paper.

Simple free-writing is often the best approach when you are feeling overwhelmed and emotional. Write at least three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts in your personal journal, not censoring anything that comes to mind. It doesn’t matter if your journal entry is all sentence fragments or all swear words; just get it out on paper.

2. Ask questions.

We all deal with tragedy differently, but there are often common questions that arise – Why do bad things happen to good people? How can I keep the people I care about safe? What should we be doing to make sure this doesn’t happen again? What can I do to help people in need? Ask your personal questions, and see if you begin to think of answers.

3. Look for the helpers.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world.” — Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers)

While it may be hard for you to imagine how an individual or small group of people could want to hurt or kill others, it is heartening to see how many more people are rushing to help and heal. Record your thoughts on the helpers – the police, firefighters, doctors, aid workers, volunteers, financial contributors – who rally after a tragedy.

How do you use journal writing therapy during difficult times? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Maybe Morning Pages will help you cope with and heal from your tragic events.

Perfect Health: Journal Writing Your Way To A Better Body

Mari L. McCarthy — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:58:00 GMT

How do you talk to yourself when you look in the mirror or step on a scale? Do you notice the positive and give yourself affirmations, such as, “Blue is a good color on me” or, “I am having a great hair day”? Or do you often tend to focus on negative observations, such as, “I need to lose 10 pounds” or, “I get more wrinkles every day”?

Treating yourself with kindness, love and appreciation is essential to building a healthy body image, but many of us get trapped in the vicious cycle of criticizing and feeling bad about our physical appearance. Take a small step toward changing this habit today. Celebrate your inner and outer beauty with journaling therapy!

1.   Find a mirror (full-length if possible) in your house, and spend a few minutes admiring yourself in it. You might feel self-conscious or silly doing this at first, but try to see yourself with fresh eyes. What are your most attractive features? What is striking or unique about you? What resembles other people in your family? What are you most proud of? Open your journal and write a list of everything that comes to mind. Don’t worry about being conceited – this is your chance to brag! For example:

•   I think I have a great smile (those braces when I was a kid paid off!)
•   I have my father’s nose and my mother’s eyes, which is a good combo
•   My legs are strong because I have been a runner and a soccer player all my life
•   I am tall and always remember to stand up straight

2.   Reread your list, and take a moment to internalize the affirmations. How do you feel hearing compliments about yourself? How is it different from the way you feel when you criticize or complain about your appearance? Think of a few of the common negative messages you say to yourself regularly. Write them down, then rewrite them in a way that focuses on something supportive and loving. For example:

•   Negative message: I hate my flabby stomach. Why don’t clothes ever fit me right?
Rewrite: I feel great in my new red dress that gives me a perfect hourglass figure.
•   Negative message: I am so pale! I always get sunburned, never tan, and I have way too many freckles.
Rewrite: I have a lovely clear complexion, and other people tell me my freckles are cute.

How does the way you talk to yourself about your appearance affect your body image? What affirmations and mantras have worked for you or which ones will you start using?

Work on other body image issues and all things physical in the Perfect Health: 7 Days Heal Your Body Journal Writing Challenge Workbook

“If Only…” 3 Fun Journal Writing Prompts

Mari L. McCarthy — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:49:00 GMT

Do you ever play the “If only…” game? For example, “If only I had more time during the week, I would finally take that that bread baking class I’ve been heard so many good things about” or “If only I had more money, I would build new planter boxes and a greenhouse for the garden.”

We may not have the resources to make these ideas a reality right now, but that shouldn’t stop us from daydreaming or planning for the future. Play with these three journaling prompts and let your imagination loose without limitations.

1. If I didn’t have to worry about money, I would…

Take out your personal journal, set a timer for five minutes and brainstorm all the fun and fantastic things you would do if you had a blank check. Focus on the activities, possessions and experiences that you would find most fulfilling, exciting or rewarding. For example:

• Buy fresh flowers for the house every day

• Get a passport and book my first international trip

• Sign up for a fiction writing workshop

2. If I didn’t have to worry about time, I would…

What would you do with all that free time you have been craving? How would you spend your leisure time if a few extra hours opened up each day? Repeat the same journaling process you did in the first prompt. For example:

• Throw away my alarm clock and wake up naturally each morning

• Read a book a week

• Play music with my friends regularly

3. If I didn’t have to worry about other people, I would…

You may love your family, your friends and your work, but sometimes you probably imagine what your life would be like if you were free to do whatever you wanted, without worrying about other priorities. What would you do if you suddenly had a period of time free from obligations or commitments? Tell your personal journal about it. For example:

• Go on a week-long hiking and camping trip

• Quit my job and start my own business

• Take daily naps

Share one of your responses in the comments!

Looking for more journal writing prompts? Find more than 200 ideas to beat writer’s block.

And we even have more Free Journal Writing Prompts ebooks!

Journal Writing Exercise: Up Your Compassion Coefficient

Mari L. McCarthy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:49:00 GMT

We like to think of ourselves as compassionate, caring people, but we are all guilty of thinking or saying things that don’t reflect these values from time to time.

We complain about a friend whose busy work schedule causes her to break plans regularly, we get frustrated with a co-worker whose medical appointments take him away from the office at inconvenient times, we snap at our spouses when they forget to put gas in the car after running the kids around to practices all weekend.

Set aside a few minutes of journal writing therapy time to focus on compassion in your everyday life. Consider how your words and actions can make a difference in small and tangible ways.

A Compassionate Journaling Exercise

1.   Brainstorm a list of 10 situations involving other people that cause you frustration, anxiety, irritation or other negative emotions. For example:

•   I get annoyed and impatient when I spend time with my parents and they are resistant to change, especially any new forms of technology.
•   My best friend is smart and talented but terrible at managing his finances. He goes through frequent “dry spells” with money, where he has to pass on plans because he can’t afford what we’re doing.
•   My boss has a habit of over-explaining tasks and projects so she’s sure we understand everything, and it drives me crazy.

2.   For each item on your list, try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes and understand why he or she acts a certain way. What about his personality or communication style is different from your own? What about her background or history might be influencing her behavior? Do you think you are interpreting his actions in a different way than he intends them to be perceived?

3.   Imagine how your most compassionate and empathetic self would react to each of these scenarios. Describe each one briefly in your journal. For example:

•   I realize that my parents are of a different generation, and it takes them longer to become comfortable with new technology. Sometimes they don’t see a need to adopt the latest gadget, and that’s OK. Sometimes they need more time and more help becoming familiar with something before they feel comfortable with it. I can ask if they need assistance setting up their new computer or explaining how new features work, and I can cut them slack if they don’t do everything my way or at my pace.

How did this post work for you? Please give us your thoughts and share your ideas in the comments!

It's springtime! Time to improve your health and our 'What the Health?' 7 Days Heal Your Body Journal Writing Challenge is on sale to help you get there!

Journaling Writing Exercise: What a Novel Idea!

Mari L. McCarthy — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:24:00 GMT

Have you ever thought about writing a novel? Perhaps you have toyed with the idea after finishing a particularly good book (“I want to write a book that makes people feel like this!” or a particularly bad one (“If this author can get write a book, I certainly can!”). Or perhaps you have had fragments of plotlines, characters or even book titles cross your mind out of the blue.

Today, have some fun with a little novel word play in your personal journal. Who knows, you might just come up with an idea for a bestseller!

1.   Set a timer for 10 minutes, and write down as many book title ideas as you can. Let your mind wander, and jot down anything that strikes your fancy, whether it’s a single word, a fragment, a quote or a full title. This is a free-writing journaling exercise, so keep all of your ideas and don’t censor anything. Your list might look something like this, for example:

•   Frozen Water
•   The Magician’s _______
•   Rain of Roses
•   Tough as Nails
•   Soul
•   The Fantastic Dreams of Emma Goldberg

2.   When the timer goes off, read over your list. Which are your favorites? Underline or highlight three titles that you are most drawn to, and think about what story you would write for each book. Who would the main character be? Where would it take place? What would be the major conflict?

3.   On a fresh page in your personal journal, write the first few sentences of each of the three books. Be bold and creative, subtle and mysterious or lyrical and thoughtful – whatever you think the book’s style will be. Try not to self-edit or second-guess your ideas too much, and just get the words down on the page. For example:

The Fantastic Dreams of Emma Goldberg
Emma Goldberg was a dreamer. She made fantastic paintings out of the layers of dust on shelves instead of cleaning them like her mother asked. She invented imaginary battlefields in her fourth grade classroom instead of doing her spelling quiz like her teacher asked. Her dreams were always getting her into trouble, until the day they started coming true…

What titles did you come up with in this journaling exercise? Are you inspired to write a short story or novel out of any of your ideas? Share your comments below!

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Quick Journal Writing Exercises for Stress Awareness Month

Mari L. McCarthy — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:26:00 GMT

Stress has become such a typical part of our every

day lives that sometimes we forget that it’s not normal. Work stress, family stress, financial stress. These challenges and pressures can easily build up over time until it’s hard to remember the last time you felt relaxed, clear-headed and in control.

This April, make stress relief a priority in honor of Stress Awareness Month an event that has been sponsored by nonprofit organization The Health Resource Network (HRN) since 1992. Every year, HRN strives to educate people about the causes and dangers of stress, as well as successful coping strategies.

Get in the habit of turning to your personal journal when you start to feel stressed out. Journal writing will help you cope with anger, frustration and irritability all year round.

Five-Minute Stress Relief Exercises

1.   Manage stressful by taking a short break with your journal when you start to feel overwhelmed, whether it’s on your lunch break at work or after putting the kids to bed at night. It doesn’t take much time, and it’s a helpful way for you to record and decipher the stressors in your life.

2.   Answer the following questions in your personal journal:

•   What is causing you stress? Is it a specific incident, an ongoing situation or something else? (Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint the cause of your stress, while other times it’s more challenging.)
•   How do you feel, both emotionally and physically?
•   How did you react? Are you happy with that reaction? If you were to do it again, how would you do it differently?
•   How do you usually deal with stress in this type of situation? Do you have a healthy stress relief strategy?
•   What can you do right now to feel better about this situation?

3.   Complete this journaling exercise each time you are coping with stress. Over time, look back at past entries and see if you can identify any patterns. What are consistent stressors? Is stress a continuous part of your work or home life, or is it linked to specific circumstances? What coping strategies help the most to maintain a healthy stress level?

A new Life Changing 27 Days of Journaling Challenge starts today – join now!

Journal Writing: Get Uncomfortable to Expand Your Comfort Zone

Mari L. McCarthy — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:15:00 GMT

Being comfortable is something you often see as positive and desirable. You are happy when you feel at ease with your friends, in your job and in your abilities. But when does being comfortable lead to being too complacent and not taking on new risks or challenges? When does it hold you back from achieving your true potential?

This week, get out of your comfort zone by giving yourself a fun, simple personal challenge: try something new. This can be anything from taking a yoga class at the gym instead of your regular treadmill routine to asking a colleague you admire to give you advice on a problem you have with a work project.

Take out your personal journal and brainstorm what you will take on this week!

Journaling Exercise: Get Uncomfortable

1.   First, remind yourself that discomfort is not always a bad thing. You have to feel stretched, challenged and sometimes even frustrated to learn and grow. In your journal, spend five minutes writing about times in the past when you pushed your limits and reaped the benefits. Describe the time you thought you had no artistic ability but pushed yourself to design invitations for your office’s holiday party, or the time you were nervous to travel outside the country for the first time but managed to make yourself understood in another language.

How did you feel once you achieved these small victories? What did you learn about yourself in the process?

2.   Now think about all the different small challenges you could give yourself to grow in your personal or professional life. What could you do tomorrow? What could you do in just one hour? What have you been thinking about but haven’t been ready to take the plunge? Brainstorm a list of ideas in your personal journal; they should make you feel a little bit nervous but also excited! These challenges are meant to be fun ways to grow. For example:

•   Sign up for my local Toastmasters group
•   Write a love poem
•   Go to the specialty food store and ask questions about food and wine pairing
•   Do a DIY project I added on Pinterest
•   Perform at an open mic night

3.   Choose one idea and vow to complete it within the next week. Tell your journal why you are looking forward to it and how you hope to feel once you’ve accomplished it.

Need some more journal writing ideas? Check out Create Write Now's 198 and counting Journal Writing Ideas.

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Starts Monday! Please Join Us!

Morning Pages: Keeping My Word

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 21:44:00 GMT

by Kay Butzin

The day I wrote my first three morning pages, April 9, 1999, I was underemployed at a job I hated, smoking a pack of Winston Lights a day, ten pounds overweight, and depressed about the dust and clutter I’d allowed to accumulate in my one-bedroom condo.

The night before, I’d signed the Creativity Contract in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. I set a purple ball point pen and a spiral notebook with three swimming dolphins on the cover next to the alarm so I wouldn’t be tempted to hit snooze and could, as the author recommended, “spill out of bed straight onto the page.” Familiar with the benefits of free writing from a grief retreat I’d attended after my husband’s death, I looked forward to establishing the daily habit. Yet the next morning, I resisted. I had to take my thyroid medication; I needed coffee; where were my cigarettes?

At some point on each page I admonished myself: Don’t stop writing!

By the third I was asking: Will this get easier? Will I really become superstitious about morning pages like the woman Julia quoted in the book?

I wrote on twenty-four of the first thirty days, sometimes before I cleaned the sleep from my eyes but not always. Sometimes I wrote fewer than three pages and sat staring out the window trying to think of things to write instead of putting pen to paper.

Now, fourteen years later, the answers to that first day’s questions are no and yes. I still struggle to keep the pen moving and not to censor first thoughts; but when I succeed, there is no better therapy and none cheaper. For seventeen cents each at the Wal-Mart end of school sale, I purchase enough spiral notebooks with covers in primary colors to get me through a year of scribbling about the issues of my life.

In 2000, I debated the pros and cons and made the decision to retire early.

In 2003, I worked up the courage to join the Rockport Writers Group, and this year I’m serving a second term as its president.

Also in ‘03 I quit smoking—the first time. Pages can work magic, but not the nose-twitching kind Elizabeth Montgomery performed on Bewitched. It took four years before I stopped buying and bumming for good and would even turn down a smoke when it was offered.

Ditto for dieting: last July I finally lost the ten pounds and so far have not gained it back.

The writing itself is a boring whine. The insights gained in analyzing me, my family, and every relationship I was ever in are not always apparent between the journal covers. Perhaps they occurred to me after I closed the book, or maybe I chose not to include details others might read some day. I’ve confronted angers and fears, processed grief, worked out the details of projects, and brainstormed ideas for personal essays and short stories. I’ve also managed to get the dust and clutter under control once in a while, but it doesn’t last. While I excel at establishing systems, I’m not good at maintaining either them or routines.

Yet I’ve stuck with the morning pages habit for all these years, sporadically at times and not always according to Julia’s suggestions; and I’m committed to keeping it up for as long as my mind and body hold out. Why?

Because I’ve learned that the only wrong way to do the exercise is not to write at all.

ABOUT

Three Ws, the basic elements of Kay Butzin’s retirement: walks on Texas Gulf beaches, watching sunrises and sunsets over the water, and writing. Her personal essays have appeared in Tiny Lights: A Journal of Personal Narrative, and last winter she won an honorable mention in the WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest.

Journal Writing Feeds Your Starving Artist

Mari L. McCarthy — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:05:00 GMT

“I’m terrible at this.”
“I don’t know why I waste my time – nothing is ever going to come of this.”
“People would laugh if they saw what I’m doing.”

Have you ever been guilty of talking to yourself this way about your creative pursuits? Do you find you doubt or criticize your art, whether it’s writing, painting, singing or sculpting? If you feel your inner critic creeping frequently into your thoughts, you’re not alone.

In a piece for Psych Central, author Margarita Tartakovsky points out the danger of letting self-doubt control you and stop you from creating:

“The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt,” wrote Sylvia Plath in her journal. And she couldn’t have been more accurate.

Self-doubt can persuade us to stop creating or keep us from sending our work out into the world. It can be so influential that it colors how we see ourselves, ensuring we don’t pick up a pen, paintbrush, camera or other tool for decades.

She outlines 10 steps to kick your inner critic to the curb, one of which is “Reframe your self doubt” or “use self-doubt to fuel your creativity.” This is great advice and a perfect journal writing exercise!

Flip to a blank page in your journal, and nurture your inner artist.

1.   Define the message your self-doubt is telling you. Sum it up in a sentence or two in your journal.

2.   Now take that message and find a way to reframe it as a positive challenge to prove the naysayers wrong or a way to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Rewrite your refrain of self-doubt as a battle cry of creativity.

3.   Go create something right now! Write a page of fiction in your journal, sketch a scene in your garden, practice a new song you’re learning. Just go for it, and celebrate the power of your creativity.

How do you tell your inner critic to “buzz off”? What works for you? Share your comments below!

Eliminate self-doubt and nurture your creativity and...in our Life Changing 27 Days Journal Writing Challenge. Starts Monday April 1. Sign Up Now!

For Whom Do You Write?

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:12:00 GMT

 Who you are writing for makes or breaks your ability to find your voice, to continue writing or to complete a writing intention. I have been writing in journals since the age of 16 (40 years now!), and am the author of ten books. My journals create a sacred temple for me to explore my spiritual questions and to write my first drafts.

Back in 1989 after I landed Doubleday as my first publisher, I gave myself 6 months to complete the manuscript. They had accepted my book proposal which had two chapters written, I had six or seven more to go. It was all there, in my head and in my notes and journals but it lacked cohesiveness. Besides, I was still quite green with the whole book writing and this was my publishing debut. I lacked the confidence and skill I have now. I came upon my 5th month having hardly written a word on my manuscript. (My journals where still filling up). The deadline loomed ahead of me like the threat of extinction.

So, what did I do? I attended several motivational workshops as an attempt to ignite myself. Alas, not a spark in sight.

So I went to my beloved spiritual teacher at the time and asked her – What to do? She calmly said to kill all thoughts of the readers and write the book for myself.

“Duh!” (A response I borrow from my teenage daughter).

It took me the next thirty-some days to get most of the first draft complete. It took me another four to complete the manuscript. (The book is Hidden Victims: Hidden Healers.) I find this approach of writing for ourselves first helpful anytime we are stuck on writing a project or book.

Forget the reader and write for yourself.

Now I write from my life, most times the first drafts are still just for me, sometimes, like in the case of some blogs– I write with an audience in mind. However, everything I publish is harvested from my journals and field notebooks. Most of my material for my books, including my novel, is written first for myself in my journals and field notebooks.

When you find yourself not writing I would recommend you come back to writing for yourself. Your motivation to write may be diverse -- to solve a problem, to explore some possibilities, to receive the kudos of completing another piece in your work, to listen to your protagonist, or to release emotion (to name a few). Our journals are a great place to hang out and explore our ideas and the words that can communicate these ideas.

The rewrites can then be with the reader in mind. Even so, have each rewrite to be written in a way that satisfies you.

Be careful about sending out the piece that was written just for you (the first draft) without some rewriting and editing. (Rewriting after all is writing). When I find someone who sends the personal draft out, I feel as if I have snuck into their bedroom and opened their personal journal. The journal-essay typically holds content that is just meant for the writer (like too much backstory in a novel), and is best left off the published page.

Journal writing gives you the freedom to write it all down in whatever form or voice helps the words (and worlds) spill across the page. Then, you can harvest the best of it for public consumption.

Here are some journal writing prompts:

• Take a written piece from your journal and rewrite it with a readership in mind. Then find a place for it – a blog, your website, your collection of prose or poems, or your book.

• Write a letter to someone. Have the first draft be in your journal, then rewrite one you could (and may) actually send. (This could be a letter to someone you have difficulty talking to, or have some concern you want to communicate with them.)

• Write about being warned using the following words (the piece can be fictional, personal essay, or combination fiction and nonfiction): siren, possibility, hawk, tail (or tale), hypnotized, reluctant, tourist.

ABOUT
Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, LCSW is the author of ten books, including Spiritual Journaling and Wheel of Initiation. She is a transpersonal counselor, writing consultant and presenter. For more on Julie visit her website: JulieTallardJohnson.com

Journaling For Home Held Happiness

Mari L. McCarthy — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:31:00 GMT

In her bestselling book The Happiness Project, author Gretchen Rubin spent 12 months chronicling her own journey to greater happiness. She researched the nature of happiness and set goals in specific areas in her own life where she wanted to be happier, from work and parenthood to mindfulness and leisure. The book struck a chord with readers and has inspired many other people to start their own personal Happiness Projects.

In Rubin’s newest book, Happier at Home , she focuses on her home as the most crucial element involved in her happiness. She dedicates a school year, from September to May, concentrating on making her home happier in measurable ways:

“I didn’t want to look back, at the end of my life or after some great catastrophe, and think, ‘Then we were so happy, if only we’d realized it.’ I had everything I could wish for; I wanted to make my home happier by appreciating how much happiness was already there.”

If you aren’t ready to commit to a full Happiness Project of your own just yet, start by journaling about how you can make changes to be happier at home.

1.   Brainstorm the main categories that make up your home life. For example: family, possessions, food, creativity, time, space – whatever is most important to you. Write down a list in your journal, making notes about each category as you go.

2.   Think about each of these areas of your home life. When do you feel the most calm, happy and fulfilled? What obstacles or roadblocks prevent you from feeling content at times? For example:

I am happiest with my family when we have unscheduled time together. No one needs to go to an appointment or a practice, no one is in a rush to do the dishes or answer the phone. We simply have time to enjoy each other’s company.

3.   Come up with a short list – one or two items for each category – of how you can make small changes to make your home happier, starting tomorrow. Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking too much about the big picture. Stay small for now. For example:

Time: I will get up 15 minutes earlier to have a cup of coffee by myself to get ready for the day before anyone else is awake.
Creativity: I will make journaling right before I go to bed something I look forward to all day.
Family: I will say, “I love you” at least once.

Want to be happier at home? Then take the Start Journaling and Change Your Life in 7 Days Challenge!

Mari's Presentation at Journaling Expo 2013

Mari L. McCarthy — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 15:30:00 GMT

Mari talks about "Journaling Is" at the 1st Journaling Expo in January, 2013

My Journal: An Epilogue to Falling Down Under Adventures

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:28:00 GMT

It was sixth grade when I received my first journal--the kind with the little gold lock and key. I loved that lock and key. Looking back, I chuckle at the feeling of safety and privacy this little piece of hardware gave me--when the white vinyl strap could have been easily cut by my younger brother! Hiding it between my mattresses, I can picture its glossy floral cover embossed with those all-meaningful words, My Journal.

At that time the big news in my life was the massive crush I had on my big sister’s friend Shay. He was almost five years my senior, and of course thought of me as nothing more than an annoying little kid. I journaled faithfully until high school, when a “friend” of mine took my journal out of my locker and passed it around school. I didn't realize it was missing until the end of the day when a certain upperclassman handed it back to me. And yes, he was featured in the pages, and I may have mentioned his private parts and the fact that sleeping with him would be a mistake because he was slutty and most likely had an STD. I went numb with embarrassment when it was returned. Needless to say, I sat and watched it burn in the wood stove when I got home from school that day, vowing never to pick up a journal again.

I got over my fear of humiliation, and when I boarded a plane on my way to Australia as an exchange student my junior year—I had a journal in hand! Giving up on golden locks, I confidently sported a purple hard-covered book onto the plane on January 20,1993. Some force inside me demanded that I begin this cross cultural adventure with a way to work through my experiences--on paper. I filled three of these books on that journey. Then, using Egyptian tomb builders’ techniques to hide them, I have managed to keep them private for the past twenty years.

For a kid whose parents were going through a divorce, and having just skipped the country, I loved the solace I found each day in documenting my experiences. Boy, did it feel good to be off the spelling and punctuation hook! Journaling was a free pass to skip from subject to subject on the page, forgetting to organize thoughts into neat paragraphs! I was able to give my teachers, parents, and critics the proverbial middle finger and write like the wind! Another bonus was having an ocean between me and anyone with the ability of leaking my feelings to the world. Here I could assimilate my new experiences by reflection and come out a new person on the other side with new feelings and attributes.

Today, I’m almost two months into re-experiencing this year of my life, my former self, in a deeper way than I would have imagined possible thanks to my journals. In transitioning my journals into a blog I was not prepared for the storm of emotions, memories, and skeletons that fell out onto my feet when I cracked the pages to begin this experiment, including the strange feeling of living vicariously through my young self. The pages are filled with tickets, trinkets, bar coasters, and words of self-discovery and adventures. The handwriting alone tells a story and adds emotion and depth that helps to place me back in Australia at 17, with a big life ahead of me. I feel the sheer passion I had about exploring life before adulthood, budgets, schedules, and children of my own. I took life as it came each day, and filling those days with as many new experiences as possible, was my only mission.

I invite anyone to come along with me at Falling Down Under where I am sharing my journey, no detail spared, on the day it occurred 20 years in the past. This blog is in contrast with the typical travel blog, as my writing was never meant to be read by others. Like the initial appeal of reality TV, before it turned out to be scripted situation comi-drama, the writing’s authenticity isn’t manufactured. And because the journal’s time line is dated before the communication boom of the internet, email, blogging, cell phones, texts, and social medial of all kinds, this time travel blog relies on honesty and raw emotion and blunt explanations, the world before immediate gratification and constant communication.

After many years, I have once again picked up a journal. I hope the thoughts that I've shared with you here inspire you to do that too. Journaling has helped me reconnect with myself, and the people who have greatly impacted my life; it has even given me a little closure on the past, and an Epilogue to the Falling Down Under adventure.

______________________________

About the Author: Once my 17 year old self returns to the US, I will explain more about who I am today. For now, I wouldn’t want to give anything away in the story that is unfolding on Falling Down Under. Stay tuned! www.fallingdownunder.com

3 Journal Prompts for Daylight Savings Time

Mari L. McCarthy — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:17:00 GMT

Daylight saving time began this past weekend in the United States, springing clocks forward one hour, and will last until standard time resumes in early November. Every year when this happens, people seem to divide themselves into two opposite camps: those who love having an extra hour of daylight and those who hate disrupting their internal clocks for the time change.

Which category do you fall into? Do you look forward to this time of year when the days start to get longer, or do you dread feeling jet-lagged and sluggish as your body adjusts to the new schedule? Take out your personal journal, and choose one of these spring-themed prompts to write about.

3 Journal Prompts: Spring Has Sprung

1. Imagine that you are writing an opinion piece for your local newspaper on the annual time change. Do you think it is valuable and necessary? Confusing and disruptive? Somewhere in between? Formulate your argument in your personal journal, explaining your reasons for defending or criticizing daylight saving time. Tell anecdotes illustrating how you have benefited or suffered because of it. Describe how much better or worse off you and other citizens would be if the policy were to change.

2. Reflect on all the changes that occur each year during the springtime – from the blossoming of the natural world to the shifting of your personal activities and priorities. What do you most look forward to as the season shifts from winter to spring? What makes you sad or wistful or annoyed? Set a timer for 10 minutes, and write everything you are thinking about or feeling when it comes to the changing seasons.

3. “If only there were more hours in the day…” is a common refrain for busy people, but what if you really could have one more hour each day? Imagine that instead of simply moving your clocks forward an hour in the spring, you actually added one hour to your day? What would you do with this magical bonus 60 minutes? Sleep in? Walk to work? Read the entire newspaper? Reread The Chronicles of Narnia? Write about what you would do with 25 hours in the day.

What are you most excited about this spring? Share your springy thoughts in the comments!

Looking for more journal prompts? Look no further than this free e-book!

Journal Writing Prompts for International Women's Day

Mari L. McCarthy — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:43:00 GMT

March is Women’s History Month in the United States, and March 8 is also International Women’s Day which celebrates the social, political and economic achievements of women throughout history.

Today, in honor of International Women’s Day, choose one of the following quotes as an inspirational journal writing prompt.

1. “All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.” – Sally Ride, astronaut

2. “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” – Anne Frank, writer

3. “Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay.” – Simone de Beauvoir, writer

4. “I think a world that was run where half of our countries and half of our companies were run by women, would be a better world.” – Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook

5. “The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” – Indira Gandhi, former prime minister of India

6. "You also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you in your own way can illuminate the world. You have the power to change somebody's life." – Oprah Winfrey, entertainer and philanthropist

7. “Change is hard, and change is slow, and it never happens all at once. But eventually we get there, we always do." – First Lady Michelle Obama

8. “Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the President's spouse. I wish him well!” – former First Lady Barbara Bush

9. “There is nothing more precious than laughter.” – Frida Kahlo, painter

10. "When anyone tells me I can't do anything, I'm just not listening anymore." - Florence Griffith-Joyner, world-record winning runner

Which quote most resonates with you? Do you agree or disagree with its message? How do you think it applies to your own life, your country or society as a whole? What thoughts or emotions do these words evoke in you?

Use this journal writing prompt as a starting point, then continue free-writing and see where your pen takes you.

Happy International Women’s Day! Which famous woman – past or present – do you find most inspiring? Share your comments below.

Join us for the April 1st 27 Days Journaling Challenge. It's almost time!

The Book That Matters Most

Mari L. McCarthy — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:08:00 GMT

William Hathaway

It is a book that changes my life. An empty book. A book of blank pages. Nine inches by six inches, with a meditative photograph of ocean waves on the glossy cover. It holds but a hundred pages of blank cream beckoning for the hue of my own pen. The color of my own thoughts.

A Journal.

Some years before discovering this magnificent, wondrous book of change, I had been killed in an automobile accident. My small car and a tractor-trailer embraced on a rural center-line. Angels of mercy returned life to me while flying in the helicopter to the hospital. As my body healed over the next months, my mind became ravaged with a new affliction. The professionals would later diagnose it as post traumatic stress disorder. The dark depression that followed was untreated, undiagnosed, and brought me to the edges of life once more.

A flamed burned inside my soul to share my experience with others. After my recovery, I didn't want to simply open up about what depression and PTSD are like. I wanted to share how perfectly capable we all are of overcoming the challenges and the obstacles that life offers. I wanted to talk about the magnificent energy that we hold in our hearts to do greater things with our lives. I wanted to talk about the deeper meaning of a journey through depression.

I can still feel that small journal in my hands on that thundering afternoon. I listened only to the rain and began to fill those blank pages with scattered thoughts, ideas, ramblings, musings and sketches of content of a story that I felt could offer hope. In the next week the pages offer a place for contemplation and reflection. Having a safe place to write opened an invitation for allowance and acceptance of so many thoughts and feelings that I was still carrying inside my mind, my heart.

In the next journal, the thoughts became clearer. In the journal after that, the thoughts became chapters and the chapters became a book.

Start at Hope, A Journey Through Depression is just a beginning for me. I continue to journal and am quilting together the patches of thought that will be my next book. I am writing, I am blogging, I am speaking about overcoming depression and discovering a new journey towards healing and wellness.

No matter where my journey takes me, I always make certain that I have a journal close at hand. These are the blank pages that offer me a chance to continue. These are the blank pages that keep whispering in request. The blank pages that ask me to wrap my arms around life and never let go.

The Journal; to me, it is the book that matters most.

Bio

William Hathaway is a survivor and a sought after author and speaker. Through his heart-felt writing and inspiring presentations, William shares his transformative journey through depression and post traumatic stress disorder. His passion for hope and for life opens a dialogue for understanding depression and the overwhelming stigma of mental illness. His first book, Start at Hope, A Journey Through Depression is available in ebook and paperback at Amazon.com

Message from Mari: I read William's book this past weekend. In one sitting! His honesty, his truth, his genuineness touched my heart and soul. His words resonated with many previously unexplored feelings and experiences. Thank you William!

5 Journal Prompts for Aspiring Writers

Mari L. McCarthy — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:51:00 GMT

Writing, just like any other skill, takes time and energy to develop. You probably wouldn’t wake up one morning and expect to run a marathon the same day; you would train and practice and stretch and get yourself into the right physical condition for the race. Developing your writing skills is a similar process: by working at it consistently every day, you become a stronger and more versatile writer.

Here are a few journal prompts to keep your writing muscles lean and mean and ready for anything!

5 Journaling Exercises for Writing Fitness

1. The writer I most admire is…

Choose a writer who has influenced you as a reader and as a writer. What about his or her style do you like best? What has he or she taught you about writing?

2. What the back of my book jacket would say…

Imagine your very first book is about to be published, and you need write a short and snappy biography for the cover. Make it sound like you so your adoring fans can get to know you better.

3. My biggest writing goal is…

Visualize yourself a few years down the road. What do you hope to have accomplished or improved as a writer? What writing skills do you want to be working on?

4. The stranger in the coffee shop is…

Take your journal to a coffee shop and spend some time people watching. Choose a fellow customer who looks interesting, and write a fictional life story for him or her. Why does he look preoccupied? Where is she going with that briefcase? Let your imagination roam freely.

5. This story would be totally different if…

Start with a story you know well – a favorite book, play, fairy tale or family anecdote – and change a major component of it. Re-imagine Macbeth in modern times. Retell Peter Pan from Tinkerbell or Captain Hook’s perspective. Change the ending to The Hunger Games trilogy.

Got Writer's Block? We have a free eWorkbook for that! Need more Journal Prompts? We've got a free Ebook for that. Check out Mari's Free Personal Development Journaling Library.

And...Coming April 1: