JOURNALING HINTS, TIPS, AND PROMPTS (12.31.2014)
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JOURNALING STUFF, BOOK 1 NEWS
Written December 30, 2014, Tuesday, 154 p.m.
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THE WRITING PROGRESS OF BOOK 1
This first book has two parts. One was written from 2012 to early 2014 (265 pages). The other part I've written this month and it's on this blog. What I want to update you with is on the latter.
So far, there are 114 pages and 36,180 words of the newest part of this book. (Yay!)
It's been my goal to create a resource so you can either begin your journaling practice or help you continue with a fresh perspective.
It's quite exciting to know our journaling journey together has just begun. I look forward to seeing where this takes us.
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JOURNALING PROMPT
Have you done your daily journaling template?
What about your weekly template?
What about your weekly summary?
What about your weekly review?
What about your monthly template?
What about your monthly summary?
What about your monthly review?
Quarterly of each?
Yearly of each? Now is definitely the time to do each.
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THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 2014
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MY RYP JOURNALING STORIES AND JOURNALING STUFF
Written December 31, 2014, Wednesday, 834 a.m.
THE TIME PARADOX: MY RYP JOURNALING STORIES
Goodness. Is it Wednesday already?
Imagine with how much that astounds me what I think about it being the close of 2014. I stop. I blink. I look up and to the left as I think. The calendar says this is the last day of the year, and so do all of my blog entries since July, but it does not seem like the end of the year.
Sure. In some ways, it feels as though 2014 lasted a decade, if not more. However, in other ways, it feels like I blinked a year ago and when my eyes opened, it was/is a year later. It's rather mind-boggling.
Time is a paradox. It crawls and flies at the same time.
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BREAK
Written December 31, 2014, 1015 a.m.
Today was a slow start of a day. I sure haven't been in any kind of a hurry. (Blessing #1490).
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STOP RUSHING: JOURNALING STUFF
I don't know about you, but this year, I've learned from a very wise man how rushing has never helped me in any way. It only makes me stressed, angry, and anxious. Rushing, then, sets the course of the rest of the day. And it isn't a very good one.
Rushing me we gets me anywhere quicker. Whereas slow and steady always, and without fail, wins the race.
If I am pressed for you time, that wise man has taught me to actually slow down, which seems counterintuitive. In my rush, I only add more stress and anxiety to the stress of being pressed for time. Needless to say, if I slow down, I stop additional stress and anxiousness and am able to think clearer and I won't forget anything, overlook anything, or do something silly (like get in an accident--whether it's run into a doorframe with my elbow or into a curb with my car). Plus, rushing always impacts whoever is with me. Slowing down clams the situation and I am actually able to get things done quicker and actually make up time.
Hence, I took my time getting with it today.
I wanted to actually slow down and enjoy life, rather than rush through it.
(Thanks, hubby for this quite valuable lesson, which I am finally grasping after almost fourteen years. 1491.)
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A JOURNALING PROMPT: JOURNALING STUFF
How have you tried to rush this year? And, how has it helped you?
How can you slow down and enjoy every moment in the next year? (Hint: Journal is one answer you should list! Wink.)
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MY THOUGHTS AT THE CLOSE OF 2014: MY RYP JOURNALING STORIES, BOOK 1
Written December 31, 2014, Wednesday, 1035 a.m.
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BLESSINGS OF 2014: CHRISTIAN STYLE
{NOTE AND WARNING: CHRISTIAN TALK COMING UP.}
I am quite grateful, Lord, for 2014 (1492) and all of the lessons learned (1493). Now, I hope to apply them accordingly and purposefully.
I cannot believe how blessed I have been this year (1494). Talk about humbling. I KNOW how I do not deserve ONE blessing. Not one. I mess up constantly. I am the polar opposite of perfect.
This is not me coming down on myself. It's reality. It's fact. Truth always matters. To try to pretend I'm something I'm not is to live a lie and is deceiving myself and others. There is no profit in that.
However, with that being said, I am redeemed (1495). I am forgiven, thanks to the blood of the Lamb (1496).
Let me clarify something. The forgiveness extended to me only by the grace of God does not give me license to do anything wrong. It does mean, though, that when I stumble by accident, there is provision. I am forgiven. If I willfully do something wrong, then I must be corrected and correct myself--and the Lord is quite good at that (1497). Hence, I am quite blessed (1498).
{NOTE AND END OF WARNING: MORE SUBTLE TALK FROM A CHRISTIAN AFTER THIS SENTENCE.}
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BLESSINGS OF 2014
I cannot believe how much has happened this year--sunshine and storm. But, I would not trade any of it for the world. It's been a blessed year (1499). I have learned so much (1500).
I have been tried and tested (1501).
Yes. I could that as a blessing. After all, through the storms of life, we are pressed to search for blessing. And, when we do, we see how there are far more blessings than possible or imaginable--even in the storm (1502)... Which then teaches us how blessings are that which exists outside of situations, people, things, memories, (1503) etc. Blessings are transcendant (1504).
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THE BLESSINGS OF THE LAYERS AND DIMENSIONS OF EACH AND EVERY SACRED MOMENT
I have also learned how every moment has layers or dimensions (1505). This is true even in times of sunshine or storm (1506). There is far more going on that what we see or experience at the time (1507). There are emotions, the six senses, thoughts, behaviors, connections, chain reactions/snowball effects, choices, dreams/goals, the spiritual dimension, the historical dimension, the family tree/lineage dimesnion, interpersonal and relational dimensions (and each individual involved has all of these layers going on in their own lives in this moment as well), the national dimenion, the world dimension, the politics dimension, etc. There are far more layers, dimensions, and things going onw e don't know or see at the time. And, in each of those are blessings, if we look for them and seek them (1508). This is what makes every moment so special, set apart, and sacred (1509).
Every moment has an infinite of things going on, past, present, and future in orientation (1510). And, this is why we should journal. It helps us to see things from different points-of-view and perspectives (1511)--and helps us find all of the blessings in each (1512).
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A JOURNALING PROMPT
Chew on all of that for a few minutes. Journal your thoughts as you do. Try to grasp what was just shared.
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THE BLESSING OF TIME AND WHAT IT BRINGS
Written December 31, 2014, Wednesday, 1100 a.m.
I cannot believe how it has taken me thirty-two years to learn one of the most valuable lessons of my life (1513). Furthermore, I cannot believe how I have learrned two of them this week (1514). (Better late than never.)
LESSON 1: I learned how I should make journaling my main journaling and writing theme. I should make it the main theme of my life story. (This lesson was learned two days ago.)
LESSON 2: How to journal in such a way that I go the deepest I can, and how I can write every word with depth and meaning. (This lesson was learned yesterday.) (1515)
Let me phrase Lesson 2 another way: I learned how to do deeper in my journaling and writing and how to intertwine great meaning into every word. (1516)
LESSON 2 PUT INTO PRACTICE: I shared what I learned and now, I am putting it into practice through counting my blessings as I journal (1517).
LESSON 1 PUT INTO PRACTICE: Through writing MY RYP JOURNALING STORIES (1518).
Time was what I needed in order to get to this point.
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LESSONS LEARNED AND AHA MOMENTS
Those lessons learned are a big deal. Both were major AHA moments (1519).
I cannot believe how I received both lessons, and learned them, back to back like that--and learned them the last three days of the year.
Oh, how silly of me to take this long to find my true writing voice. But, I know it's been a process (1520). I had to experiment and try several things, learn from them, and they led to this moment (1521). This sacred moment (1522).
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YOUR STORY
I would love to hear your story and interact with you about journaling. Please attach a comment at the end of any blog post and share who you are, when you started journaling, and share your journaling story. Or, send an email or do a tweet with #RYPJournaling.
Let's form a journaling community.
Let's learn from one another and encourage one another.
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CONGRATULATIONS ABOUT YOUR JOURNALING
Congratulations regarding your new journaling journey.
I hope and pray the next year will be the most blessed and meaningful year yet for your life. Your journaling, if you continue, will help this come to pass.
Well done.
Happy New Year!
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SEE YOU NEXT YEAR
I'll see you next year (for Blog to Book 2).
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*** THIS MARKS THE END OF WRITING:
"JOURNALING STUFF: A RYP JOURNALING RESOURCE, BOOK 1." ***
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