A New Plan: Exciting News about Journaling Books

I have started to use these three books again in my own personal journaling, but realize they are woefully inadequate for my journaling needs. Although, they are fabulous for days I do not have the time, or the inclination to journal on multiple pages. I just have too much to say and there is not enough room in all three combined for my daily journaling. I will continue to use them, but I also want another resource--and that is where my story and explanation begin.

What's that saying? We make plans, God laughs.Well, this is no exception. 

Pardon me while I babble. I am so excited that words are hard to come by; consequently, I do not think I will be able to fully convey what I am really trying to say at the moment. I will try to explain this more tomorrow. Here goes nothing as I try to explain and tell you the exciting news.

I realized something yesterday and that was how I wanted paper copies of my journaling, bound in a book, so it's easier to carry and for review. I want to look on my bookcases and see my journaling there. Furthermore, I want to carry around four months of journaling with me. I want the feeling of a book in my hands, but not a hardcover book. I want it like a regular softcover paper book. It's less bulky and heavy that way. Moreover, I want a journaling template or form to use. Hence, this is another case of I am going to write and publish what I want and I bet you'll discover it is something you want as well. 

Also, I want to be able to keep my to do list and daily plans in my journal as well, so I need more, and am expecting more, out of my journaling. 

I started yesterday to write: "The 4-Month, 3-Pages Per Day Remembering Your Present Journal" and it is my goal to write it and publish it by Christmas so I/we can start using it at the beginning of the year (or any time we want since the pages/days are not dated). 

THE 3 BOOKS IN THE PHOTO AT THE TOP 

The 3 books in the photo at the beginning of this blog post are of my journaling books for you to use for 1-year, 5-years, and 10-years. Their titles are:

1 "The 1-Year Remembering Your Present Journal"
2 "The 5-Year Remembering Your Present Journal"

3 "The 10-Year Remembering Your Present Journal"

I use all three at once, but you can also use just one.

They are a wonderful way to journal. You'll get a great deal out of them if you want more of a guided journal. (Although, you can also ignore what it says and journal anything you want, which is what I do sometimes.) They are a wonderful way to capture your life on the page. 

You can find these three books here:
http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stacy+duplease+&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Astacy+duplease+ 

I will write more of an explanation tomorrow.

Our Friday Recap for Our Journaling

APOLOGIES AND MY ADJUSTMENTS

First, let me apologize for violating a sacred rule of thumb I will do my best not to violate in the future and that is to not post more than one blog post per day. I did so earlier this week, yesterday, and now today. (Drat.) I will try not to do this one a weekly basis, let alone on a monthly basis. However, if I do, please know that it isn't on a whim. Nor is it without much thought. Rather, it is when I think something is important enough to mention.

Ugh, though. I do not like adding more to your email inbox than necessary. Thus, I am trying to figure out how to avoid this in the future. {Ahh. An idea just came to me. (Phew.)}

In order to help avoid me from posting more than one blog post per day, I will set up my blog posts to post (publish/go online) at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time Monday through Friday. After all, I get most of my journaling done by ten in the morning during the work week. That way, if I think of important information, it will most likely be during that time and I can add it to the pre-written blog post I already had scheduled. 

Thank you for your patience as I try to streamline and optimize everything regarding this blog. 

FRIDAY RECAP OF YOUR PERSONAL JOURNALING AND THE POSTS FROM THIS BLOG

TGIF, everyone. I hope you have had a good week professionally, personally, spiritually, and with your journaling or memoir writing. 

Have you started to journal or are you continuing to journal? If your answer is yes to either part of that question, please continue reading. If you haven't started to journal yet, get busy and start. You have much to lose if you don't. 

If you have done any journaling this week, it is important to stop, recap, review, analyze, and plan. 

Stop and take some time today or this weekend to do what I said in the previous sentence and after this sentence as well. 

WEEK END JOURNALING PROMPT: 

Please journal about each of the following:

Do a journal entry and recap what this blog said this week, along with what you learned this week from the blog.

Do a journal entry and recap what you journaled this week.

What did you learn?

What jumps out at you with your journaling this past week?

What was the most profound thing you journaled this week?

What helped you grow from your journaling this week?

What new perspective did you gain this week?

Find three things in your journal you want to expand and do so now. 

Highlight or star seven additional items you want to journal more about later. 

Underline the things you thought were most important in your journaling. Make sure to expand upon all of them now and/or later. 

Do the Daily Journaling Template for your week (the parts that apply to you and your week, that is). Read the explanation after this to help you to do so. Then, do this. Yes, by the way, you will repeat things you already journaled. That's the idea. But, the idea is to also expand upon what you journaled. 

Now, what do you hope to get out of your journaling over the next week? 

Journal anything else you want to in review of this last week. 

THE EXPLANATION OF MY PERSONAL DAILY JOURNALING TEMPLATE

Yesterday I shared My Personal Daily Journaling Template and I shared how this is the most important journaling tool or prompt we could ever use. I stand by accident hat remark. If you use this template and do a minimum of three items from this list, you'll get a great deal out of it. However, the more you do, if he more you'll get out of it and it will bless your socks off in unbelievable ways. You will leave a legacy and will capture your life on the page in a way that will deeply and profoundly impact your life today, tomorrow, this week, this month, this quarter, this year, this decade, and for the rest of your life--and the lives of those who you share it with. 

Can you imagine if your parents did this and shared it with you? What about your grandparents? Great-Grandparents? Great-Great Grandparents? Your ancestors from the 1800s? 1700s?1600s? Or, what about your favorite people in history? Or, what about the people from that property in ruins on the outskirts of town? 

I am sure you get the idea. However, let me add this. Can you imagine sharing all of your daily template journaling with your grandchild? Or what about after your spouse dies? Or what about when you are old and just want to remember? Or what about if you just found out you have X amount of time to live? Or what about reading them at the end of the year next year? 

What a treasure your filled out, journaled through, daily templates--even three days per week--would be. 

Think about it. 

Seriously. Stop and think about this. Journal your thoughts and whatever comes to mind at this point.

Do you see how special these can be? 

I will admit that as you fill them out, you might find them boring, rote, or unimportant. However, as you read them again in a day or two, and you add and expand upon them, you will start to see the treasure. Then, when you read them again in a week, in a month, in a quarter, etc. you will see each time how what at first seemed a yawner (made-up word) is now a delight and is quieter interesting. (Trust me when I say this.)

Now, you can do these in any order you choose. You also don't have to do all of them. Nonetheless, let me stress, the more you do, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it--now and later both. 

Ideally, you will do this 365 days per year. But, unrealistically, I recommend at least three days per week, preferably more. I also recommend doing the numbered items listed of: 2, 3, and 6 at least. 

Personally, I try to do listed items: 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, and 10 at least. 

Now, let me give you the entirety of this list again and then I will explain things that might need further insight:

THE DAILY JOURNALING TEMPLATE

1 Daily Bible Reading

* 2 Past Memories, three at least

* 3 Blessings, three at least

4 An Extended Memory, at least one

5 My Memoir or an extended journaling entry of at least 1,000 words

* 6 Memories Made Today, three at least

7 News Journaling: at least three national and three world news articles and journaling about them

8 SOC: Stream of Consciousness Journaling, one at least

9 Journaling Exercise or Prompt, one at least

10 6-Word summary for today

11 12-Word summary for today

12 History Journaling

13 Etc. Etc. Etc. (Whatever else sounds good.) 

With each of the memories, give at least an one sentence summary of each memory and have it be a lengthy description so you will remember it in a year or in twenty. Then, later, as you feel inclined, expand it to one paragraph then to a page or more. 

With the extended memory, you are expanding the memories you have already journaled about, and ones that just come to mind. Expand it by at least one paragraph now and then periodically.

I.hope this helps.

CHALLENGE: Try doing this template at least three days per week for three months (twelve weeks) and keep reading them and expanding upon them as you go. Then, at the end of that time, look back at each of them and see what you think. Imagine how valuable they will be at the end of the year and at the end of the second, third, fifth, tenth, twentieth years. I guarantee you will want to keep doing them. 

So, go ahead. Give the Daily Journaling Template a try today. 

PROGRESS OF MY EDITING, FORMATTING, AND ADDING TO "A JOURNALING ODYSSEY HANDBOOK 2012-2014"

Two days ago, I combined everything I have ever written about journaling into a document that was from the years 2012 to 2014, so I can publish it as a journaling resource and took, and it was 1,020 pages unformatted and unedited. Yesterday I got it down to 898 pages and hope to get more done today.

HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND

And, happy journaling!

Friday's Timeless Journaling Info, Hints, Tips, How-To, and Prompts

THE BEST PLANS CAN SOMETIMES FALL SHORT
{10/21/2015 @ 718 p.m.}
I had every intention to get a lot of journaling done today, but it just didn't work out that way. Instead, I got completely sidetracked in making sure I had all of my journaling material inserted into a document to publish as the first A Journaling Odyssey Handbook. It ended up I was missing a great deal of material. It took me a bit to find it and then cut and paste it into a document.
I, also, ran into a snag I hadn't anticipated. I combined the years 2012-2014 of everything I've written about journaling into one document on my laptop and it ended up being 1,020 pages of material. (Gulp!) However, it has major formatting issues and there is some material no longer applicable I need to delete. I imagine it will end up being somewhere around 800 pages or so.
Who knew? I had no idea I had that much written about journaling in 2012-2014.
I will work on formatting and editing so I can publish it sooner rather than later. Who knows how long that will take.
I will then combine my 2015 material and will format it, edit it, and publish it.
Believe it or not, but I actually have a great deal more material than that. It is somewhere around 500 pages or so. Nevertheless, I am trying to keep these first two books mainstream and less spiritual. Later I will certainly publish more on prayer and biblical journaling. Just not now.
Hopefully tomorrow I will get a great deal of journaling done before I even think about editing, "A Journaling Odyssey Handbook 2012-2014: Timeless Journaling Information, Hints, Tips, and Prompts."

FALL: MY THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES ON THIS AUTUMN DAY
{10/22/2015 @ 721 a.m.}
I cannot see beyond my back fence as the bright white fog has settled in the area. Earlier it was ominous. Now, it's rather beautiful. (Then again, I sit here in my jogging pants and am not leaving the house.) It reminds me the true vision I have. The fact is I cannot see fully and need glasses and a two by four across my head from time to time. The only true vision I have is my faith.
I love Fall. It's my favorite season. The beautiful colors. The sight of the leaves changing and falling from trees to the ground and streets, adding texture where they fall. The sound of walking and driving through the leaves, never mind kicking them out for fun and to see the sights and hear the sounds when you do. Pouncing on the leaves is a blast as well.
Fall also means cooler weather, which in turn means what feels like a brand new wardrobe since I haven't worn the clothes in six months or so. Moreover, the cooler weather is delightful for me because I can fully breathe. I suffer from dry sinuses, so the coolness is heaven for me. The cooler also means perfect sleeping weather. We kick our thermostat down to sixty-five degrees and add a couple of inches of covers and flannel sheets! Love it.
Speaking of which... I took the flannel sheets out of the linen closet last night and washed them. They will go on the bed tonight.
Flannel sheets are my favorite.
They stir up so many fond memories for me. My Nana introduced flannel sheets to me when I was little and I spent the night at her place. My joy of them stems to her. She was so fond of them and her fondness of them was contagious.
I remember talking about them and my Granny and Pa bought me a set I wore out. Granny had to repair them a few times with her sewing machine.
Then, as an adult every other year, I get one or two new sets of new flannel sheets when they go on sale at the store--and they always go on sale. So, I drag my husband to the store frequently so I can keep my eye on their pricing.
There is nothing better than on a cold night to slip into the soft cocoon of the flannel sheets and the fleece blankets. Oh, the delight!
Another thing I love about Autumn is... pumpkin. Yep. I am addicted to pumpkin and cannot get enough of it. I make myself pumpkin lattes at the house year round, but they taste a billion times better at this time of year. Anything pumpkin does. Do I even need to mention how the coffee houses and restaurants come out with their pumpkin specialties: pumpkin spiced fill in the blank, latte, tea, coffee, muffins, frozen custard, pie, etc. Oh, I tremble with delight at the mere thought.

A FALL JOURNALING PROMPT
What do you like about Autumn?
What memories do you have of the Fall?
What do you think of the Fall weather?
What do you think of the Autumn wardrobe?
What do you think of pumpkin?
What do you think of Autumn?
By the way, using both words of Fall and Autumn for a reason and am not trying to be annoying. They stir up different connotations and meanings in us. I hope it stirs up your journaling.

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS
{10/22/2015 @ 809 a.m.}
There is something else I really love about the Fall. It reminds me that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and so is the end of the year, plus the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah and Savior. All of this naturally brings me to what I started in earnest two years ago and that is counting my blessings. I have been trying to count my blessings in all I do.
Ironically, I haven't been doing very well with this over the last month since Kara our feral double cancer cat went Home... I need to remedy this for her alone, if nothing else. She has made me most appreciative this last year and a month and week.
And just like that my emotions shifted.
I miss her so.
I am fighting the tears and the emotions that were just stirred up as I look outside at the bright fog and I see birds at our bird feeder. The birds make me smile. Their dark bodies against the white fog. What a beautiful contrast. Both are full of life, the bright fog and the sparrows.
Emotions are so fickle and are constantly changing. This is why it is so important to journal. It's better to get the emotions out on the page than allowing them to control us as we have to do this thing called life.
I am grateful for the opportunity to provide the birds with food and water. We live in a new housing development and there aren't trees. Which reminds me. We need to get a couple of bird houses.
I am thankful that I can get my emotions out in my journal so I can do my best to fully live and search for all of the blessings each moment brings.
And just like that, I no longer feel like crying about Kara... until I wrote that... Sigh.
When I stop and think about Kara... and the year she had with us. From her perspective it was like seven years or so. That is a good chunk of her life she loved and knew love... and it was for the first time from what we can tell. Oh, how she loved us. It showed. She adored us and she was well aware she had it good and she was blessed. That, too, showed.
And, oh, how we loved her!
Thank the Lord.
Kara's strength, resiliency, love, and spunkyness (is that a made-up word?) were her greatest qualities, along with her loyalty and steadfastness. There is so much I learned from her, and can continue to learn from her, and can apply to my life. I am so thankful for Little Bit.
Pumpkin tea! That's another blessing counted I forgot earlier.

YORKSHIRE TEA
I am also thankful for my most favorite tea in the world, which comes from Yorkshire and Harrogate, England. Yorkshire Tea is the best.
If you are curious, give it a try. It's so delightful. It's a black tea.
http://smile.amazon.com/Taylors-Harrogate-Yorkshire-Black-Count/dp/B000HRS7OM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1445526870&sr=8-3&keywords=yorkshire+tea
I just made some London Fog style, which is where you put the milk or cream in the cup first, then add the boiling water, then the tea. I add the yellow sweetener and that adds an extra smoothness to the dreamy concoction.
I get the tea every other month as a subscription at my favorite online retailer. Both the subscription and the retailer. I am also thankful for, us those who make the Yorkshire Tea.

MORE BLESSINGS COUNTED
I am thankful for...
The sound of the water filters in the turtle tanks.
The sound of the tick-tock from our cuckoo clock my husband bought us when he was in Germany.
The flock of birds that just came to our bird feeder.
The sweet breathing of our beagle as he sleeps.
This moment.
The next moment.
The previous moment.

BLESSINGS COUNTED LIST
{10/22/2015 @ 932 a.m.}
The colors of the season. I love all shades of orange, turquoise, purple, brown, green, and gold.
The sound of a train.
The sound of an airplane.
Heat.
My home.
That I am not working outside like the constitution workers nearby are.
Our back patio.
Our back view.
A washer and dryer.
Clean flannel sheets.

A JOURNALING PROMPT: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Make a long list of what and who you are thankful for. Make it at least 25 items, preferably 100 or more.
Then, journal more specifically about a few of them. Go into depth about why you are thankful for... and the memories attached.
Keep doing this exercise between now and the end of the year.
Make it your goal to count at least 10 per day... and write into depth about three of those each day.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE MISSING CLOTHES
My husband 'B' and I moved into our new home over the summer.
We have a storage room and four closets.
Since it's been cooler, we decided we needed to move some winter shirts to our main closet. We thought they hung in one of the three other closets. Hah! They do not. So, we either put them in totes in our storage room or they were lost by the movers. We think it was the former and will go on a search and rescue operation this weekend.
How curious.

MORE THINGS I COUNT AS BLESSINGS
The couple of new winter tops we bought last night so we don't freeze to death before we find our winter wardrobes.
How as of yesterday I lost two pounds (decades more to go).
The fog is lifting and I can see further.

A LIST OF FUTURE JOURNALING I WANT TO DO:
THE FIRST OFFICIAL THANKSGIVING IN THE NEW WORLD (THE USA)
http://www.berkeleyplantation.com/four-centuries.html
WHEN TIME SNEAKS UP ON ME
NANOWRIMO
TO DO
Save pics down from faith journaling.

My Personal Journaling Template: The Most Useful Tool You'll Ever Use

This just might be the most important blog post on journaling I have ever done and will ever do. I just found it in some of my previous writings I haven't gone through in a while. 

I think you'll find this the most useful and important journaling tool, resource, and prompt you can ever use. In fact, it's so useful, you can use it every day. 

My Personal Daily Journaling Template

365 days per year:

1 Daily Bible Reading

2 Past Memories, three at least

3 Blessings, three at least

4 An Extended Memory, at least one

5 My Memoir or an extended journaling entry of at least 1,000 words

6 Memories Made Today, three at least

7 News Journaling: at least three national and three world news articles and journaling about them

8 SOC: Stream of Consciousness Journaling, one at least

9 Journaling Exercise or Prompt, one at least

10 6-Word summary for today

11 12-Word summary for today

12 History Journaling

13 Etc. Etc. Etc. (Whatever else sounds good.)

Tomorrow, I will explain what each of these prompts are. Stay tuned.

Thursday's Journaling Hints, Tips, How-To, and Prompts

WHEN I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO JOURNAL: A JOURNALING HINT, TIP, AND HOW-TO
{My Personal Journaling on October 21, 2015 @ 813 a.m.}
What should you do if you don't know what to journal? Try this:
I stare at the blank page in front of me. I blink. I try to come up with something... anything to get on the page. Nothing comes to me and I am blank. The beautiful thing is I know it is short-lived. It is my habit to sit here until something happens; therefore, it always does. It's inevitable. I just need to give it time and not stress out about it or feel frustrated. I always write it out when I struggle to find the words, as I am now. And as I write how I cannot write, something happens... the words come. Something will pop into my brain and I capture it on the page.
And... When nothing comes... like now... I try to either use a journaling prompt, I count my blessings, or I go to an old journal entry... and I see what happens.
Huh. Usually by now something comes to me and it's usually by accident.
I don't know what to say.
What do I want most to capture on the page right now?
Answer: Words.
Well... That sure didn't help.
If I were to write the perfect journal entry, what would it be?
Answer: It would be lengthy and deep.
Lengthy? Why? Length doesn't bring sleepiness. Lengthy does mean better.
(See... It is starting to happen. Words are coming.)
But, oh, on the contrary! For me, it is true. I have to ramble on the page until I come up with something to expand upon and go deep with. I have to stumble upon it. A brilliant, captivating, A-HA thought moment doesn't come to me except to stumble upon it by accident after trying many words. Needless to say, I have to try a lot of shallow, rough journaling until I come up with a jewel by accident.
I stop. I think. Huh. I scratch my head and let that sink in for a moment. Isn't this an apt description of me? In general? I have to try a lot harder at things than those around me. It takes me a lot more work. But, I know this about myself and know that if I put in enough work, I will harness the sunbeam. The jewel. The diamond in the rough. And then I will soar. For a while. Until I need to try again... And the process repeats itself.
As I journal, I have to get a lot of words on the page before I can find and harness that sunbeam and shine. Journaling does not come easy. It challenges me to bring my best, even when I don't feel like it one bit. I know this... And this knowledge propels me forward... I know that if I don't journal... if I don't try my hardest... if I don't get several words on the page, I won't find that sunbeam in the midst of the initial fluff of extra words.
I also know this. That extra fluff and what seems like unnecessary words at first... they later are precisely what help me stumble upon another sunbeam to carry me to new worlds and depths in my journaling. That extra fluff of extra shallow words is important later and bring me more sunbeams, not just one. It just needs to be put on the page and thought through. It needs to simmer. And in time, I will find the sunbeams in that fluff. Some sunbeams I find right away and other times it must take as long as a year or two. But, if I keep reviewing my journaling and keep re-reading it, I will get even more out of the fluff and will find multiple sunbeams along the way.
Hence, I capture it all on the page. Even the senseless and shallow. In time, it will pay great dividends of lots of sunbeams to harness and carry me to the next sunbeam as I soar through the sky fully free, blessed, and deep with great meaning.
And, I wrote all of this when I had nothing to say.
Give it a try.
Journal that you have nothing to say--and see what happens. Write the fluff and find your sunbeam(s).

Wednesday's Journaling Prompts, Thoughts, and Odyssey

Wednesday's Journaling Prompts, Thoughts, and Odyssey

JOURNALING PROMPT
Write your memoir in the following ways:
6 words
10 words
12 words
3 sentences
6 sentences
2 paragraphs
1 page
You may need to write several of each in order to capture your life best on the page.
You can also do this for this week, this month, the last three months, the last six months, the last nine months, all this year, last year, the last five years, the last ten years, every decade, etc.

SUMMARIES OF MY LIFE OR CONCISE MEMOIRS
Six Word Memoir: Journal Keeper, blessings counter, Christian, reader.
Ten Word Memoir: Journal Keeper, blessings counter, Christian, married, reader, animal lover.
Twelve Word Memoir: Journal keeper, blessings counter, Christian, married, reader, animal lover,  coffee/tea drinker.
Three Sentence Memoir: I am a 33+ year journal keeper, blessings counter, Christian, married, reader, animal lover,  and coffee/tea drinker. I try to find the blessing of every moment, even during times of challenge, and I'm trying to capture my life and blessings on the page. My life is supremely blessed.
Six Sentence Memoir: I am a 33+ year journal keeper, blessings counter, Christian, married, reader, animal lover, and coffee/tea drinker.
I've had my challenges, but I have allowed them to make me a better person, and shape me, and I would not wish one challenge away. it try to find the blessing of every moment, even during times of challenge, and I'm trying to capture my life and blessings on the page. My life is supremely blessed and I do not want to forget any of it and want to remember all of the blessings. I believe every moment in life is sacred and blessed and have tried to live this truth. I journal to catch the small details in life that we might miss, which is a shame, because often times the more minute details are the most transforming in our lives.
{Written on 10/19 and 10/20/2015.}

MY MORNING PERSONAL JOURNALING
Thank the Lord for a new day. It's a blank slate of opportunity where I can choose to find the blessings of every moment and remember them or I can just let them slip by and disappear into oblivion and the recesses of time.
Today also gives me the opportunity to remember Kara and live a better and more grateful life because of her.
{Note: Kara was our rescued black and white tuxedo cat who we had a year and six days. She was feral, deaf, declared, and abandoned. She had breast and lung cancer and we had her put to sleep on Saturday, September 26, 2015.}
Pause. Sigh. Pardon me, journal (and my Lord), as I try to stop the tears which threaten to fall.
The pain is still raw.
Oh, how B (my husband, best friend, and confidant) and I miss her so!
She was our baby girl.
So much to say, but I am not sure where to begin.
I keep writing journaling entries and blog posts about her { see http://RYPStories.blogspot.com if you are curious}, but none of them feel quite right.
I decided yesterday to write my memoir about being a journal keeper... but that doesn't quite feel right at the moment either.
I have no doubt whatsoever I need to write both memoirs... about Kara and my journal keeping life, but is the time now? Or, is there another story to tell first?
The way I cannot form a paragraph in this journal right now is a testament to how I am confused and am not sure what to focus my efforts on in my journaling. Short choppy sentences can be used for effect, but that sure hasn't been my intent in this journal entry. I am not sure what to say or where to begin, which is unusual for me. It makes me wonder why.
(Hah! I just wrote a paragraph! Finally.)
What IS my story?
For years I have tried to tell it, but only succeed in finding yet another story to tell. I have so many. Is that the problem? Do I have so many stories tell that it intimidates me without even realizing? Or have I just not figured out which theme to focus on in my life? Am I supposed to tell my stories in short flash memoirs, which I compile into a book, or is it supposed to be a page theme focused memoir?
The truth is, I have no idea whatsoever.
I have tried for years to write my story. And have failed.
Maybe that's the problem. Maybe I need to stop worrying about telling my story and just capture my story in several journaling entries and then see from there what to do with them, if anything.
Maybe the problem is I have multiple themes running through my life and life stories.
Yes. The idea of just journaling and forgetting the memoir part has appeal to me right now. I think this is where I shall begin. Just journaling. My Journaling Odyssey as I seek to capture my life stories on the page and explore them for something deeper.
Yes. This is what I shall do, now that I have think about it.
{Written Tuesday, 10/20/2015, in the morning.}

A CHUCKLE BECAUSE OF MY PREDICTABILITY (AND PURE ENJOYMENT)
I could not help but chuckle a minute ago. My mom asked me what I am doing today. I replied that I'm doing what I have done every day since late 2008, but also a few times per week for three decades plus three years, one month, and two weeks or so. I'm journaling.
I am so predictable.
As a matter of fact, I have the feeling that when I die, it will be with a journal in hand. Really. No joke. I think it's quite likely.

As I sit here, Sinan (our orange Maine Coon) has draped himself on my left hip and has my hand pinned so I cannot journal on my tablet with two hands. I have to use one hand. Of course I took the picture to show Sinan pretending to be a sweet and good boy. It's just a matter of time before he nibbled my hand to play or before he has enough and leaves.
Then again... He has fallen asleep on my hand and it's now cramping. You would think I would move, but I just don't have the heart. Moments like this are to be treasured. I wanted to go take a shower, but I think I will enjoy this for a bit instead..
Oh, good. He moved a little and is curled up next to me on our teal colored sofa.
These are the sacred moments of blessing I never want to forget.
His silky fur. How he shook his head and now I have several long orange hairs all over my tablet... evidence he is still here. His long white whiskers. How he is always warm to the touch because of his long and bushy fur coat.
I notice how Zack, our tri-colored beagle isn't snoring, but he's in his bed about ten feet from me.
I have a cup of pumpkin spice coffee mixed with a caramel cappuccino at my right on the end table along with a large blow plastic cup of water from the fridge. The coffee has gotten cold as I have a cat leaning on me, left arm pinned, but I can still type and journal.
At any rate, I chuckled at my mom's questions about my plans today. There is rarely a day I do not spend hours in my journal.
You know, there is a rule of thumb about journaling. About the time you get your heart and mind aligned and set to journal, you will be interrupted... as I have been twice now.
I better go take a shower and then try to journal.

{MY PERSONAL JOURNALING ON 10/20/2015, TUESDAY, 106 P.M.}

THE CONVENIENCE OF JOURNALING
Here I sit at a place to get my vehicle repaired and it will take 30 to 40 minutes, the gentleman let me know. I couldn't help but do an inward cheer about how blessed I am that I am a journal keeper, writer, and blogger. What that means is I can work from anywhere at any time. My profession and passion are portable and are quite convenient. What a blessing.
It's actually refreshing to journal in a different place. It brings new scenery, noises, and faces, which can actually bring a new outlook to my journaling. Therefore, it never bothers me to pull out my tablet and type away. I find it rather exciting since it brings a freshness to my journaling.

A JOURNALING ODYSSEY 2016 HANDBOOK
Just before I left my house, I looked through my documents on my laptop and tablet and found the newest document I had for the journaling encyclopedia, as I once called it, that I want to edit, add to, and publish. It will be the largest single journaling resource on the market. I found that it dated back to December 2014 and I realized I needed to make sure I had all of my blog posts included in it and I found several that were not, so I added them.
{Note: Wouldn't you know, as I sit here, I realize I might not have all of the blog posts still... I will need to verify that this afternoon or tomorrow.}
The book is 576 pages already. Mind you, I need to do a lot of formatting. Therefore, it might cut it back quite a bit or after I add all the page breaks, I could have even more pages. Who knows. Furthermore, I want to add more information and cut some out that is no longer relevant.
It is quite exciting to see all of the old material I haven't looked out in whole in over a year. Never mind how exciting it will be when I publish it so I can have a paper copy in my hands. You better believe I will use it as well. They say to write what you know. They also say to write the book you would want to read, so you better believe "A Journaling Odyssey 2016 Handbook" is just as much for me as it is for others.

PLAN FOR "A JOURNALING ODYSSEY 2016 HANDBOOK"
Huh. I just thought of something. {Note: I am at a bookstore now and am journaling. It is now 216 p.m.} I think I will change my thinking. I will publish everything I wrote prior to now in its own handbook. Then, I will publish my blog information into a separate resource /book. I will then publish every year as a separate book from here on and will also make available multiple years in one volume/book as well.
Let me simplify it all the more. All of my previous years will be 2016, Part 1 and my blog material from October to the end of December 2015 will be Part 2 of the handbook, along with a separate volume of, "A Journaling Odyssey's Book of Journaling Prompts for 2016."
With each book, I will add more material as I edit it so you will have more than what you can find on my blog. I will make sure to do a good job of editing as well before I publish the three books of material.
Now that I think about it, if I edit some each day, I might be able to publish the first part of the handbook at the beginning of the year. We shall see.
Wow. Three books. I want to have all three published by the end of March 2016. Let me see if I can concentrate my efforts and make that happen.

{MY PERSONAL JOURNALING ON 10/20/2015, TUESDAY, 227 P.M.}

AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF MY JOURNALING SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR AND MY END OF YEAR JOURNALING GOALS
Since it is almost the end of October, and the end of this year, I cannot help but think how I have about how I have seventy-one days to accomplish my journaling goals for this year. The truth is I have failed miserably and have done quite a bit of shallow journaling up until this point in time. My journaling simply has been adequate at best.
Am I being hard on myself? Yes. But, that is far as it goes. I will change this and become more determined to get as much possible out of my journaling between now and the end of the year.
My goal is to write a minimum of 2,000 words per day between now and the end of the year. Let me add yesterday and today, so that's 73 days x 2,000 words = 146,000 words.
Gulp. I checked my calculations twice, so I know that is correct.
Well, we shall see.
I want to get as much as possible on the page... I want to capture as much as possible on the page and then figure out what to do with it. I imagine I will write additional books, besides how-to journal and journaling prompt books. But, I may want to continue with that crazy pace for longer than the seventy-one days from now. After all, I have tried time and time again to do so, only to get sidetracked with writing a novel of some kind, or get sidetracked with something else. I want to change this. I want to capture my life on the page once and for all. Not parts of my life. But, all of it.
Why? I want to count the blessings in my life and not forget them. Every moment is sacred and has multiple blessings. The catch is we have to look for the blessings, count them, and remember them. I simply have not done a thorough job of this in my journaling, if I am honest with myself.
Also, I want to go as deep as possible. I am tired of shallow journaling. The only way to do this is to do as much shallow journaling as possible, to get it on the page, then expand upon it, search through that material for the jewels, and go deeper with that material. And I need to keep mining for those jewels, keep adding material, and expanding on old material.
The only way to do all of this is to journal. And do lots of journaling.
Truthfully, I hope to write 2,715 words per day ideally, which will mean I journal 198,195 words between now and the end of the year. So... why not push it and say 200,000 words ideally or 146,000 words minimal.
This will ensure I capture my life on the page in as deep and as a truthful way as possible.

{MY PERSONAL JOURNALING 10/20/2015 @ 255 P.M. @ BOOKSTORE}

WHY SHOULD I TELL MY LIFE STORY?
Why should I share all of my moment by moment stories, which I will call tales, which when combined make up my overall life story to date? Why would anyone want to read one of my tales, let alone my bigger life story? Why should I capture my life on the page?
Huh. Good questions.
Well, first of all, I need my focus to be on my own personal journaling, not on publishing my tales and life story. So, I really shouldn't ask these questions at this point. However, I will answer them.
Why tell my tales and life story? It's because my story is unique. It's because it has been my goal the last two years to count my blessings in spite of my life challenges. And, let's face it... My life has been jammed pack with challenges.
I realize most people haven't thought of counting one's blessings, especially during the challenges of life. We live in a busy world and few take the time to stop and do this. I used to be this way, so I can say this.
Additionally, life can be hard. Who wants to count a blessing then?
The truth is, counting my blessings has been my saving grace and has prevented me from being overly stressed or anxious or depressed or more than a few hours. In fact, I have noticed how counting my blessings in times of challenge has reaped great rewards and I am usually able to count far more blessings then than on a typical day. Therefore, when a challenge hits now, I cannot help but remember this and I start counting. The act of counting my blessings brings a sweet joy that grows deep and is everlasting.
Yes. This makes my story unique. How many of us do this?
Am I bragging? Hardly. I started counting my blessings because I was so upset about a major life-changing challenge in my life that I was afraid the sadness and despair would consume me. Consequently, I started counting my blessings out of self-preservation and not out of any bright idea on my part. {Note: I will share this story shortly.}
I want to look back over all of my tales and count the blessings I didn't count back then. This is my ultimate goal and is why I so desperately want and need to capture my life on the page, so I can count my trillions upon trillions of blessings... in spite of the challenges... in spite of my mistakes... in spite of my focusing on wrong things... in spite of me.

JOURNALING PROMPTS FOR THE LAST QUARTER OF THE YEAR
How has 2015 been for you to date?
What goals did you have at the beginning of the year and throughout the year? Have you accomplished them?
Summarize 2015 in 6 words. Then...
In 12 words.
In 4 sentences.
In two paragraphs.
In one page.
In two pages.
In five pages.
What blessings can you count from 2015 to date? List them. Try to count at least 25 and then make sure to write as much about them as you can between now and the end of the year. Keep expanding on the explanation of the blessing. And, keep counting more blessings.
What do you hope to accomplish between now and the end of the year?
How do you want to close out 2015?
What are seven things you remember most from 2015?
How can you make 2015 a year of blessings (counted) between now and December 31st?

{MY PERSONAL JOURNALING ON 10/20/2015 @ 313 P.M. @ BOOKSTORE}

A THEME OF BLESSING
When I look back at my life from October 2013 to now, I see that the major theme has been, BLESSING. I have been intentional about counting my blessings. Granted, I have missed far more than I have counted, but I can honestly say that even when I haven't journaled about it, I have counted at least a few blessings each day for the last two years.
Wow. Wonder of wonders.
I pause and take that in for a moment.
Yes. Overall, I have succeeded with living a life of gratitude and thanksgiving.
Sure. I could do a great deal better than I have. I could be more purposeful about it. Needless to say, over the next seventy-one days, this will be my major goal with my journaling.

A LOOK AT 2015
This year has been one of major life transition. Actually, it has consisted of several major transitions. It's been off the chart. Some transitions have been expected and some have not been.
January to the end of February consisted of preparing to move and closing up our lives in Virginia. It meant making memories while we could--in the place and with our friends.
{Note: Ugh. Every time I have really gotten into my journaling today, I have been interrupted. It just happened again. Sigh. Where was I?}
I cannot help but shake my head. Has it been so long? In many ways, it feel like just yesterday as memories flash through my mind. But, it also feels like ions ago at the same time. There has been a great deal of proverbial water under the bridge since then... miles of distance... literally and figuratively...
The last week of February consisted of movers and cleaning and final goodbyes...
Never mind how we had a driveway literally about ten times larger/longer than the average driveway... and we got ten inches of snow or so when the packers arrived and another storm when the movers were set to arrive... and then more overnight... Never mind the other snow storms that week... and how we had to shovel that driveway twice and hired someone to come shovel it...
We drove from Virginia to Colorado in two vehicles with two cats, a dog, and two turtles at the very end of February and the first couple of days of March.
But, let me rewind and not make that sound so simple.
When we woke up the day we were vacating our home, we told our landlord we would be gone by seven a.m. Sinan disappeared. We could not find him in our empty house. Until we realized our HVAC system had a door that was open. It was in the attic... with foam insulation and there was no way we could walk in there and fetch him out. We looked in and saw him run by one time. We tried everything we could think of to get him out of there. He was upset with how his stuff was gone and then he sensed our fury and concern, so that was a lethal combination, which meant we didn't leave until just after eight.
Then, that first night in the hotel... when we woke up the next morning... and Sinan (DC) was gone again! Had he gotten out? Panic. Then, we realized he crawled into the frame under the bed... and we had to disassemble the bed to get him out! Therefore, we were late in leaving again.
The second morning in the hotel, before we even started showing something guns of packing, we locked him in the bathroom, not willing to take the chance of him causing us problems.
It was rather interesting, though. Our feral cat... Lady Kara... our Little Bit... who was deaf and had two forms of cancer, never mind severe travel sickness if she wasn't medicated... She was resilient and a rock. Which reminds me... Each morning, we had to set the alarm so we would wake and give Kara her nausea medicine three hours before we left... Hence, it would be about an hour and a half before our alarm went off for us to leave for the day's drive.
And, we ran into some snow showers...
So, driving across country had some challenges.
Overall, though, the drive was a pure joy. It's just the moments Sinan was anxious that brought a challenge.
We stayed with my dad in Colorado while we waited for my husband's job to start and while we waited to buy a house in Wyoming. It was only supposed to be six weeks... it ended up being five months as the job didn't open when it was supposed to and as we waited for our house to be built... We, and our menagerie or zoo, stayed with my dad all that time. Dad didn't mind one bit as we invaded him for much longer than anticipated. He was so awesome about it that we only felt more stress, if that makes sense. It wasn't supposed to be like that.
So, yes... the transition of finding a home, then putting in an offer on the home, then having a home built, then closing on the home, then moving was from May to the end of July. And that last week, my husband commuted for his new job from state to state.
Then, there was the stress of closing on the house...
I will write more later. ****

JOURNALING PROMPT
What transitions have you gone through in 2015?
What challenges have you had in 2015?

My Personal Journaling and a Journaling Prompt (#2)

JOURNALING IS WHO I AM, WHAT I DO, AND IS A WAY OF LIFE FOR ME
I became a journal keeper at the ripe old age of eight and haven't stopped since. Sure, there might be seasons in the past that I skipped journaling in the past, but I haven't skipped one week of journaling in over seven years. In the last sixteen years, I may have missed up to ten days of journaling, but no more. For the last seven years, I have journaled at least five days per week.
I say none of this to brag, but to let you know how serious I am about journaling and how it is my passion. Actually, journaling is more than that to me and it is far deeper. Journaling is a way of life. Ask me who I am and what I do and I will say: I am a full-time writer, where I journal and count my blessings.
The truth is, I have no idea how to live life without journaling. It is so meaningful to me. It has helped me live a far better, deeper, more grateful life where I do my best to take no one and nothing for granted as I live as purposefully and intentionally as possible.

STARTING OVER
You can find all of my previous writings about journaling {journaling introduction, how-to, tips, and prompts, along with my personal journaling} here at this blog:
http://rypstories.blogspot.com/
That blog will give you a great deal of information and insight about journaling.
However, I will start over here in this blog.
I am in a very different place in my life and want to start afresh.

HOUSEKEEPING
Every now and then, I will share a section I call "housekeeping." It's just a note of explanation of how to get the most out of this blog, an explanation, and/or what to expect. The next two sections are housekeeping sections.

"A JOURNALING ODYSSEY HANDBOOK: A JOURNALING HOW-TO OF JOURNALING TIPS AND PROMPTS"
With that being said, I will take all of the information from my old blog, and all of the new information from this blog on how to journal and share tips and prompts in a book I will compile from both starting at the beginning of the year. I will compile a handbook under that title and publish it in March or April 2016. Then, I will publish an additional supplement every six months. This will be an everything you ever wanted to know about journaling compilation at handbook. Also, in March or April of every year thereafter, I will publish several of these books (the handbook us the supplements) in one volume or book. This will also include how to write your memoir, autobiography, and life story. So, if you want to be inspired to capture your life on the page, stay tuned and keep reading this blog.

MY MEMOIRS AND SPECIFIC TOPICS
I will also publish once a year or more my personal stories (my memoir and life story) and also a book or more of specific topics (for instance: how to grieve the loss of your pet).
Phew. There. The housekeeping sections are done for now.

NANOWRIMO
Every November is a contest or competition where people all around the world write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. It's called National Novel Writing Month, but you can do the same and write a work of nonfiction, which is what I am doing.
My goal is to write 14,000 words per week between now and the end of November. Therefore, my goal is to journal 84,000 words for this competition, which I will start today.

JOURNALING PROMPT: MIND WANDERING, S.O.C., AND STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS JOURNALING
Mind Wandering Journaling is what I recommend the most to do with your journaling. As a matter of fact, I recommend doing this every day and every time you sit down to journal. Begin with this prompt each time.
WHAT TO DO: Write whatever comes to mind in your journal. Spend about ten minutes jotting down anything you think of. You may want to do this in list form at first.
Then from there see if there is anything you want to journal more about and go deeper.
Then, do precisely that. Keep re-reading what you wrote and expand upon any of the things you wrote as you have an additional thought about what you journal.
Review this throughout your day and keep expanding on your thoughts and going deeper and more expansive with each.
As new thoughts, memories, and ideas come to mind, add them as well.
Keep writing more and more about one to three items you shared.
EXPLANATION: This is called S.O.C. Writing or Stream of Consciousness Writing. I also call if Mind Wandering Journaling. This is how to get everything, everyone, every experience, every idea, every thought, every question, every emotion, and lesson learned captured on the page.
A PERSONAL NOTE ABOUT MIND WANDERING JOURNALING: I have personally found this the best way for me to capture everything on the page with just a sentence at first. Then, I expand one to three of those ideas into a paragraph. Then, I expand those into a page or more. Then, just add more thoughts as they come to mind and start this all over again. I, then, once a week look at each day's Mind Wandering and expand on it more and go deeper. Then, I do this once a month, once every three months, and once a year for a decade. Then, once a decade.
Also, if I don't know what to journal, and am blank, I review previous Mind Wanderings.
No journaling prompt brings me more material to capture on the page than this one.
This is the diamond in the rough and is the most important journaling I do.

{Written October 19, 2015, Monday morning}

My Personal Journaling and a Journaling How-To (#1)

Welcome.
This blog is a combination of my personal journaling {where I am trying to get my life and family tree captured on the page}, a journaling how-to, and journaling tips and prompts. It is my goal with this blog to capture my life and family tree on the page.
I am a 33+ year journal keeper, animal lover, Jesus follower, prayer warrior,  patriot, and blessings counter.
Every day during the work week, I will post a combination of personal journaling and a journaling how-to, tips, and prompts. Some of each of the last three mentioned might be found in my personal journaling.
And I will probably write a weekend journal entry as well. We shall see.
I'm sure if you read this blog in sequential order, you will get the most out of it. But, if not, it's okay to pick up where you are. I just recommend reading from the beginning when you are able.
I hope you read this blog if you want to keep a journal or if you already are. After all, I think it might inspire you with your own personal journaling. Journaling is one of the most rewarding activities you can do with your life.
Let's capture our lives on the page. Shall we get started?

EVALUATION OF MY NEW METHOD AND WAY OF JOURNALING

06-07-2015d Personal Journaling, Sunday, 1038 a.m.

EVALUATION OF MY NEW METHOD AND WAY OF JOURNALING

I figured it's time for me to stop and evaluate my new way of journaling. I started it with full-time use on Wednesday, June 03, 2015.
My new method and way of journaling is by doing my entries in a document. I then email the document a couple of times per day to myself and save it on my laptop and tablet, along with the Cloud. I will also save it to my external hard drive once a week or so.
Is it overkill to do all of these saves? Probably.  However, with all of the problems I've had between movers losing ten years of my journaling, and irreconcilable differences with an online journal, I do not think it is. I want to keep all of my journaling for the rest of my life and pass it on, this journal keeping legacy. So, saving my journaling in multiple ways, throughout the day, brings me a piece of mind I wouldn't have otherwise. And, it ensures I do not lose my journaling.
So, what do I think of this way of journaling?
I'm loving it. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever.
I cannot help but feel foolish as to why I haven't done it like this until now.
I do not need the internet in order to journal or see my past journals. I have all of my journaling saved so I can view it at any or all times on my laptop, tablet, and cell.
It's easy to search and find information.
However, the biggest benefit of the way I am journaling now is how I can email my journal to my tablet and the tablet will automatically then put it into e-book form for me. I can then highlight things and add notes to it. Then, I can print that out, email it, and save it multiple ways in multiple places.
So, on a scale of 1 to 10. I give it at least a 12 so far.
I use a word processing program that is free, so this way of journaling costs me nothing financially either. This is another benefit. (Woo-hoo!)
I cannot recommend it enough.
~*~

Journaling Stories, Exercises, and Prompts

Change It Up in Your Journaling

Written 06-04-2015, Thursday, 545 p.m.

Journaling is not static.

The best journaling can change throughout the day, never mind throughout the week, month, quarter, or even year. We need to go with the flow and see where, and how, our journaling leads. We need to be willing to try something new whenever our journaling leads us. The newness is found in how we journal. This is what should,and does, constantly change ad transform into something better, something deeper, something more meaningful, and these things lead to far more blessings.

This fosters the best environment for our journaling practice. Being rigid and refusing to bend or transform can hold back our journaling and even make us want to take a break from it, give it up, and stop. But, if we are willing to try something new, the rewards we reap make it worthwhile.

Never be afraid to journal in a different way or journal about different things. Experiment and have fun with it. It will bless you far more deeply than you ever might imagine.

So, go ahead. Keep things fresh. Try something new or different than what you are doing now as you journal. It will bless you. I guarantee it.

Try journaling in one word sentences only.

Or try two word sentences only.

At yet another time, try journaling in three word sentences only.

Or, what about doing different journaling prompts?

Have you tried to review your journaling and see if it inspires you in your current journaling?

Have you journaled about each of your photographs? And, what about someone else’s?
Have you journaled about your three memories you made today?

What about going through your journaling and adding to what you already have written?
There are so many things you can try.

Go through this blog or blog book (or any of the other books I write about journaling) and see what other ideas you might glean.You never know where it might lead.

~*~

A Personal Journaling Nightmare

(My Personal Journaling: The Confessions of a 32+ Year Journal Keeper)

Please do not skip this. Read this section in its entirety. There are several lessons to be learned from here.

Three days ago... Or was it four days ago? I’m not sure at this point. It’s been an emotional roller coaster, so the days have blurred together on me. Forgive me, please.

At any rate, three or four days ago, I was on a journaling high and was quite thrilled with everything I have accomplished the last month in my journaling. I have made my personal journaling my priority and have focused on it at the expense of my blogging and writing. My journaling life soared and I was great--until...

I was great until the bottom fell out.

(See. This is what I really enjoy about journaling. There are no grammar rules. I personally find cliches useful--when they are done right and aren’t overused. A cliche conveys more meaning than other words or phrases.)

So, I had a mild panic attack for a couple of days as I dealt with an issue in my favorite online journaling program (which also has an app). I pay for an upgraded version of this journaling program, let me add. I pay the upgrade because I can email journaling entries to myself. This for me is a non-negotiable.

Well... I sent myself several emails of things I journaled and figured out none of them made it through. Days--of--journaling--vanished in my online journal. I was able to gather all of it in my emaila nd copied and pasted that into a document. But, I shouldn’t have to do that. I paid for that service.

I contacted the company two days ago via email.

Nothing.

I contacted them again via email yesterday morning, bright and early.

Well, I still haven’t received a response.

Let me had how it’s rather ironic. My yearly fee is due in July. Consequently, I’ve realized I need to make a decision as to what I’m going to do. Time is of the essence.

Needless to say, yesterday I started to think things through and try to come up with a workaround. After all, I believe there is always a workaround. How could I do my journaling differently--and in a way that works for me?

My poor hamster of my mind worked so hard she did a marathon on her hamster wheel.
There are several journaling apps and online programs out there. Each of them have faults. Therefore, I did some research and figured I, frankly, didn’t know if I wanted to invest in any of them, only to have them fail me, like my online journaling program did.

So, now what?

Long pause.

Followed by much silence.

This has been painful for me.

Another pregnant pause.

It’s been far more painful than words could ever convey. After all, four years ago, our movers lost roughly ten years of my journaling (never to be returned, let me add--and I put my name, address, phone, and email in all of my journals). Therefore, this is all the more painful for me.

I determined one thing for sure yesterday. I had to save all of my journaling from my online journals into my laptop and my tablet, on the Cloud, and on my eternal hard drive. As of this morning, I determined to save them all in a txt file, a doc file, and in a pdf file--on my laptop, on my tablet, on the Cloud in two different places, and will save them on my external hard drive at a later date.

I took a few hours today and got that accomplished. (Check.)

How was I going to journal for now on? This was the question tat kept running through my mind off and on for three or four days, but particularly yesterday and today.

I know paper journaling was out. For, movers can lose them. Acts of God, and weather, can destroy them. So, paper journaling was a no.

Online journals and apps are another no for me.
So, what then?

Huh. More hamster on the wheel thinking.

Yesterday, I decided to try journaling in a new way and see what I thought of it. It was old school, but with a new twist. Today, I tried more of it--and determined it is the only way to journal. It guarantees privacy, that acts of God or man or computer can destroy. Yes. It’s the only way.

The last couple of hours, I have decided it’s how I should have been journaling all along. It’s already made a difference and has turned into something special and to cherish. It's taken me deeper already and has given me a dream for the future and I’ve set up goals in my head to fulfill the dream.

The truth is I never would have tried this if my once cherished online journaling program hadn’t started to give me problems. And, since it had, I have come up with a far better, far cheaper, easier, more private and secure, productive, and long-term of a system I will use in and for my journaling.

Something challenging and frustrating... Yes. But, it’s more so than that. It’s something bad... No. Worse than bad. It’s something terrible... something heartbreaking... This is something nightmares are made of. That’s what this online journal has brought me.

Am I overreacting? Hardly. It’s my journaling, my innermost thoughts, feelings, experiences, goals, dreams we’re talking about here.

Never mind how this also means change is required. I need to look into journaling in a different way. Will I find a way that stifles me or will I flourish? Fears bubble up, as does irrational thinking.

A journal is a sacred space.

Whenever a journal is violated, the individual is violated.

Okay. I'm going to stop there. I'm sure you're wondering if I am blowing this out of proportion?

No. Again. A journal is a sacred space. It's a set apart and sanctified place. A journal is far deeper and had far more meaningful than anything else in this world.

Period.

End of story.

It's our innermost depths.

Do you see how serious this is? I cannot possibly understate the seriousness of this. My journal and I have been disregarded, ignored, and stymied. It's forced me to utterly change the way I journal. The situation has brought a wedge, boundary, block to my journaling.
So, what now and how can this be avoided in the future?

I will address each in future blog posts this week and I will teach a great deal more about how to journal in the process.

Through this... yuck... Yes. That's the best description. Through the yuck, I faced change and transformation. I worked through my fears and I have figured out a new way to journal. This new way is now a major blessing.

Something bad and evil has turned out--not just for the good, but for the best.

I have figured out a way to journal that is far better than what I have been doing. It's going to be far more of a blessing.

I cannot wait to share with you the rest of my journey and a new way to journal.

Stay tuned this next week or so. I will share. I think this will bless your socks off, too.

~*~

CAPTURE THREE MOMENTS: A JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT

Capture at least three moments of your day on the page each and every day.

~**~**~**~

JOURNALING EXERCISES OR PROMPTS

JOURNALING EXERCISES OR PROMPTS

Do a SOC (Stream of Consciousness) Journaling for at least ten minutes for each word listed below:

1 Cat

2 Coffee

3 Stars

4 Tacos

5 Dog

6 Blue

7 Years 2000-2015

8 Books

9 Music

10 Morning

11 Friday

*~*~*

Journaling Hints, Tips, Exercises, and Prompts

THE GOAL OF THE RYP JOURNALING BLOG

Written: 2015-06-02 20:01:21, Tuesday

It is goal over time to create the largest journaling resource or guide on the web and in a published book (and book series) form. It's the everything you ever needed to know about journaling resource. 

The truth of the matter is I have a great deal more information that I've written about journaling than what is on this blog. That being said, I hope to change this over time as I keep adding material to this blog. 

It's my goal to covert this blog into book material every year, along with some other mini books on different types of journaling. 

Right now I have three books I am editing:

1 Journaling Stuff: An Introduction to Journaling

2 Journaling Stuff 2014 (about 500 pages before editing)

3 Journaling Stuff 2015 (about 218 pages so far before editing)

*~*~*

THE TRUE PLEASURE OF JOURNALING

Journaling is not like any other component in our lives. It is very unique in that our journals and journaling never have to be static, dull, boring, unimaginative, etc. We never have to get stuck or blocked with our journaling. Our journals and journaling can constantly change, transform, and grow. 

After all, the true pleasure of journaling is we can do whatever we want. We can make our journal and journaling be anything we choose to make it. What can journal what we want, when we want, and how we want. 

We can explore as we journal. We can be as creative as we want, or not be creative at all. Our journaling is whatever works. This is what makes journaling so pleasurable. 

*~*~*

WHAT I ENJOY ABOUT JOURNALING

Of course, the answer to the question of what I enjoy about journaling is simple and multifaceted. There are hundreds of things I enjoy about journaling in all honesty. However, I will try to boil it down to the simplest answer. 

What I enjoy the most about journaling is how I can journal anything I want, when I want, and how I want. 

It is the most welcoming activity we can do. After all, we can journal a million different things in a million different ways. This is what makes journaling so enjoyable and pleasurable.

Journaling is whatever we choose. 

Journaling is also whatever we decide to make of it. 

*~*~*

JOURNALING EXERCISES OR PROMPTS

Answer any or all of the following. Be thorough in your response. 
1 Who are you?

2 What makes you tick?

3 Who would your best friend say you are?

4 Who would your family day you are?

5 Who were you in the past?

6 Who do you want to be?

7 What makes you--you? 

~**~**~**~

Count Your Blessings: A Journaling Prompt and Exercise

Count at least 25 blessings of your past.

Count at least 25 blessings of your future.

Then, make a list of the memories they reminded you of. Then, you will have more memories captured on the page you can turn back to later and journal about.

Five Senses: A Journaling Prompt or Exercise

Stop.

Take it all in, whatever is around you. Catch every facet, big and small.

Write it in your journal.

Catch the five senses:

I see...

I hear...

I touch and feel...

I taste...

I smell...

Then, do this with several moments the last day or two.

Life is built on moments. Don't allow them to pass you by and fail to take them all in.

Daily Journaling Exercises or Prompts

WHAT SHOULD YOU JOURNAL NOW?: IT'S YOUR TURN (A DAILY JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT)

These are prompts to go through each day answer one or all each and every day. Be thorough in your response.

List at least five blessings in your life today.

List at least five blessings from your past.

List at least three blessings you know or think you'll have in your life.

How are you feeling?

What are you thinking?

What have you done and experienced today?

Journal about each of your senses today: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, and sensing/discerning.

Answer who, what, where, when, why, how, and what-if questions.

List at least three memories that pop into your mind. Give enough information of each memory you can journal more about it later. Now, journal more in-depth about at least one of these memories.

What are your dreams and goals? How are you going after them and making them come true?

What is an inspirational quote that comes to mind?

Are you focusing on a theme in your life today, this week, this month, this quarter, and/or this year? If so, what is it? How? Explain.

Where have you been?

What have you learned?

What are your favorites? Why? What memories come from each?

List at least five more blessings in your life.

Journaling Exercise or Prompt

AN EXPLANATION OF "A JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT"

A journaling exercise or prompt is meant to inspire you to journal. This is the definition.

Instruction: The journaling exercises or prompts are optional. They are meant to help inspire you to journal. Therefore, use them if you want, or ignore them until later and when they are needed or if you just want to journal more.

If you are having a good day of journaling, read these and see if they inspire you to journal more. If you need inspiration, use the journal exercises or prompts.

Feel free to come back to the journaling prompts at any time and do them. In fact, you might want to do each prompt several times over time. Your answers will change.

MY GOAL WITH THE JOURNALING EXERCISES OR PROMPTS

My main goal is to give you more information and more inspiration to journal than you could ever use in your lifetime. It is far better to have more options than not enough.

Therefore, I will include multiple journaling exercises or prompts.

HOW DO YOU USE THE JOURNALING EXERCISES OR PROMPTS?

How do you use (or do) the journaling exercises or prompts? Read it and start journaling whatever comes to mind, when it comes to mind, even if it has nothing to do at all with the prompt. After all, the point of a journaling exercise or prompt, is to get you to journaling.

Journal as much as possible. This is the goal.

Make sure to have fun with these prompts. It's meant to be inspirational, not pressuring.

SUNDAY JOURNALING: A JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT

1 What happened in your life this last week?

2 What challenges did you have?

3 What blessings did you have?

4 What did you learn last week?

5 How was your journaling?

6 What do you expect from this next week? What plans do you have?

7 What blessings do you expect or hope for?

8 What do you hope of expect from your journaling this week?

9 List at least 10 blessings now.

Introduction to Journaling, Part 2

THE ONLY RULE WITH JOURNALING (A RULE OF THUMB, REALLY)

There is only one rule with journaling.

However, with that being said, many journal keepers will disagree with this. I will explain.

The one rule with journaling is this:

Journal every single day. Without fail.

The ideal rule with journaling is this:

That you will journal several moments every day.

Some will say it is okay to journal when you can or when you feel inspired.

Some will even say that one sentence per day is enough. It is when you are just beginning.

The reason to journal at least every day, preferably at several moments throughout your day, is this: After 32.5 years of journaling, I have learned something beautiful about journaling: The more you put into journaling, the more you will get out of it.

Let me repeat that again. Please slowly read each word.

The more you put into journaling, the more you will get out of it.

Period.

End of story.

Any questions?

Journal once a year.

Journal one sentence a day.

Some is better than none with journaling.

However, do you want to live the deepest, most creative, most productive, most thought-full, most joyful, most blessed life you can, and be the biggest blessing you can be to others, then journal at several moments every single day without fail. You will not accomplish this by journaling any less.

If you journal less, you will live a less thought-FULL life. It will not be as deep, full of blessing, otherwise. In fact, you will take your life, people, and things for granted.

HOW OFTEN AND HOW MUCH SHOULD WE JOURNAL?: HOW TO MAKE JOURNALING A DAILY HABIT

I shared the answer in the previous paragraph. Journal every day, at several points throughout your day. And, you should journal as much as possible.

Great. This might seem intimidating or like wishful thinking. In fact, you might not have the time for it. Let me explain how you can.I journal between five and fifteen pages per day, letter size of 8.5 x 11, single spaced, 12 point font/type. I average nine pages per day, but have journals as many as fifty in a day. But, journaling is my full-time job.

When I worked full-time, I averaged five pages per day.

I say all of this not to brag or intimidate, but to make a point.

I started off writing one sentence per day.

That is the secret, folks. Don't start with the expectation of journaling one page or even one paragraph in a day. Start with a minimum goal of one sentence per day for one week. If you journal more than that, score! Extra bonus!

Then, journal the next week one sentence twice a day... in the morning and evening.

Then, journal the next week one sentence three times per day... in the morning, at Noonish, and then in the evening.

Then, for the next week, journal one sentence in the morning, at lunch, when you get home from school or work, then after dinner.

Then, for the next week, journal one sentence in the morning, at lunch, when you get home from school or work, then after dinner, then before bed.

Then, the next week, add one sentence to each of those times.

Keep building until you journal at least a page twice a day.

Then, keep building from there.

I steal times throughout my day to journal. I do my best to keep the appointed times, but also make sure to journal at every down moment. Our days are full of empty spaces and journaling is how I redeem the time, not checking my cell or doing social media. For instance, when I am on hold on the phone, when standing in a line at a store, sitting in waiting room at doctor's office, waiting for an appointment, waiting for someone to get ready to go somewhere, if I toss and turn at night, if I am stircrazy, if I am worked up about something, if I am anxious or stressed, if I am upset, if I am cooking something and cannot leave the kitchen but can journal a sentence or two as I cook, when I pull into a parking lot I journal for a minute before I go in store, etc. I steal time to journal all day long, plus write at the five times per day mark. This is how I have journals fifty page days at times.

My greatest joys are the mornings I cannot sleep in, because I am wide awake. It could annoy me. But, instead I think, "Yay! More time to journal!" And I rush to do just that. I usually have a major insight or A-HA moment those days, like I did this morning, by the way.

Journaling takes time. It is a practice and an art. Don't think you have to start off journaling pages or even paragraphs per day. Build up to that slowly over time. It took me years to get to this point. I wasn't born knowing how to journal. I've learned through lots of trial and error and experimentation.

Journal every day, at several moments throughout your day, the length you can and build up from there. It's really that easy.

Remember the one journaling rule of thumb: The more you put into journaling, the more you will get out of it.

So, if you have never journeyed before, I hope this helps.

For you journal keepers who have journaled before, I hope this helps inspire you to do more so you and your life can be far more deep, creative, reflective, productive, and blessed, so you can then be more of a blessing to others.

JOURNALING IS ALWAYS CHANGING--OR NOT

What I love most about journaling is it can be something you do differently every time you approach the page--or you can do the exact same thing. It's your journal. Be creative. There is only one rule (which we already covered), but all else goes. Experiment. Have fun with it.

If you are doing something that works in your journaling, meaning every time you sit down to journal, you are able to write several paragraphs without thought, where you are writing and are not getting stuck or blocked, then keep doing what you are doing. Don't change.

But, if you find yourself stuck or blocked, or even bored when you try to journal, then change it up and try something different than what you are doing now.

Journaling should bring you peace and contentment in the end and leave you with a new perspective. If it doesn't, try something new or different.

GRAMMAR?

With journaling, it is okay to break every single rule possible regarding grammar and how you write. Write one word sentences. Don't write in sentences. Make lists, mind maps, use bullets, or not. The choice is up to you. Do what works for you in that moment when you face the blank and empty page. If it works, your hand or hands are busy journaling. If not, then you are tapping or twiddling your thumbs. If it's the latter, mix it up and try something else.

So, forget grammar. Do what works for you as you journal.

OOPS. THERE ARE THREE RULES OF JOURNALING

1 The more you put into your journaling, the more you will get out of it.

2 Forget grammar.

3 Never, ever delete something, throw it away, rip it up, or get rid of it. Never, ever.

RULE 3: NEVER DELETE ANYTHING

Part of what makes journaling so effective and so delightful, is also what makes journaling such a powerful activity. It's reflection and self-analysis. It's about learning to live a deeper, more thoughtful life. Journaling gives us proper perspective, where after we deal with out stuff, then we can look around and count our blessings, and then we can be a blessing to others. We learn how to be far less self-centered by looking within and realizing our weaknesses and limitations, along with our mistakes. This brings humility. Then, we can be thankful for what we have and not regret the things we don't. Through this, we count our blessings and can look out at others and see past their warts and bring blessing to their lives. It's a wonderful progression.

We live such shallow lives normally.

Journaling makes us go deeper, where we explore the depths of self, situations, others, etc.

But, we can only do all of this through reviewing our journaling and reading it again, to analyze it and see what themes emerge, where we seem to keep tripping up, how we have grown, how what happened in the past seemed so nonsense but looking back we see how things worked together, we see how blessed we are, and we learn how we need to grow. Journaling it once and not reviewing and analyzing prevents us from doing all of this.

So many times in my life, I have faced challenges or experienced something that made no sense whatsoever. I have wondered why or thought how it didn't seem fair or was pointless. I've thrown a pity-party. Then, later on, more things happen, I do the same. Then, later on, something else happens, I review my journaling, and see how things worked together to bring me to this point. This exact point. How it came together the things that seemed unrelated and challenging. I learn how everything had a point. But, I would never have seen it own known it if I hadn't journaled it in the first place and then reviewed my journaling.

I never would have seen how things came together if I journaled something and then deleted it, destroyed it, or gotten rid of it.

Some will say it's therapeutic to rip up your journal.

Really?

If you fully deal with your stuff, you don't need to destroy to let go and move on. If you fully deal with your stuff, you learn that challenge is one of the biggest blessings in your life.
Why destroy a blessing?

Oh, at the time, it may seem ugly. But, often times, great beauty comes from what seems ugly.

So, never, ever delete. Not one word.

It's okay if your journaling is ugly. It's okay if you feel ugly after writing the ugly journal. Give it time. Beauty will rise from the ashes.

Keep every word, every scratch, of your journaling.

WHAT CAN YOU DO INSTEAD OF DELETING? 

1 If it's too painful to keep using that journal, start a new one. Set it to the side and forget about it.

2 If you feel like you need to rip something up, write as ugly of a letter as you can, purging The ugliness onto the page so you don't keep it within. Then, copy the letter. Keep one copy. Put it to the side. Take the other and rip that one up.

3 Or, just simply rewrite it. Keep the original and on the next page, rewrite it.

WHAT SHOULD YOU JOURNAL?

Truthfully, you should journal anything you want and anything that comes to mind, even if you wrote it before. There is a reason why it comes to mind or is on your heart.

It's true.

But, there are times you approach the page, your journal, and are blank. Nothing is there. Nothing comes to mind. So, what then?

There are many things you can do in that situation, or even just in general and every time you journal.

Journal every day about where you've been, where you are, and where you want to head in life. Then, count your blessings of each and then journal about memories of each. This is the simplest approach to take with journaling every time you approach the page.

There are other ideas as well:

Count your past, present, and future blessings.

Do some journaling exercises or prompts.

List as many memories as you can. Then, expand upon each of them until you have a full journal entry of at least a page per memory.

Ask who, what, where, when, why, how, and what-if questions.

Make lists of different things then expand to a page journaling of each item. For example: What are your favorite foods? Movies? Books? Say why they are your favorites and list at least three memories of each. Then journal a page about each memory.

List the decades of your life then under each decade, list as many memories come to mind.

Look around your house and list items, rooms, etc and the memories associated with each.

Then, expand your memories to one page each.

Every day, count your blessings. I know I ready said that, but I repeat that.

Those are just a few examples of what to journal.

IT'S YOUR TURN: A JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT

Count your past, present, and future blessings.

Why is each a blessing?

List a memory of each blessing and then journal as much as you can about it.