V is for Voice - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Many years ago, in a newsletter series that became my 10 Good Reasons to Journal e-book, I wrote this about voice:

"Your voice is much more than what you say. It's a reflection of who you are in the world.

With your voice, you can help others understand your point of view, you can draw on personal experience to inspire action or change, you can let people know what you stand for, and you can contribute in meaningful ways to important conversations.

Your journal is an invaluable tool for exploring the fascinating, talented, multi-dimensional person you are. It's also a place to think about how you want to use your voice and what, exactly, you want to say.”

It still rings true to me today, especially the part about nurturing and developing your voice in your journal.

One perspective I didn't include way back when (here's the page!) was how you're already using your voice. So when I happened across voice in Chapter V of my dictionary, I knew I wanted to include it in today's alphabet-inspired journal page.

What counts as using your voice? I think that's open for discussion!

For my part, I prefer an expansive definition. It can include, for example, the things you say/write/teach/share/express and other ways you relate to people and the world around you, such as the people/places/things/ideas to which you devote your time, efforts, attention, resources, and/or expertise.

It can be scary to use our voices. It certainly is for me! It takes practice, I think, to express ourselves in the ways that best represent our ideas and aims. And we don't always get it right.

One thing's for sure though: there's no other voice exactly like yours. In my view, that gives you a unique opportunity to add to, even expand, the conversations that matter to you in new, unexpected, and meaningful ways.

(One little step at a time, and with the steadfast support of your journal, of course!)

If you'd like to journal the letter v, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

U is for Unlimited - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Chapter U in my recently thrifted, very gently used Oxford Canadian Dictionary is all about the uns. They fill 22 pages of the 31-page chapter!

Mostly, they're dedicated to undoing their opposites, which I have to admit was a little off-putting at first. Unappetizing, uninteresting, uncaring, unhappy. I thought about skipping all of the uns, just on principle.

Eventually, however, I encountered unlimited, which instead felt like throwing the doors open.

If you survey definitions of the word unlimited, you'll find other words like boundless, infinite, vast, and some uns too: unconditional, undefined, unrestricted. Just reading them, I found myself breathing a little deeper, feeling more attuned to the possibilities.

For better or worse, our days are all about navigating limits. Just for a moment, why not cast our attention in the opposite direction, toward the wide open things, the vast and the boundless. Who knows, it might spark ideas for undoing one or two of those limits.

If you'd like to journal the letter u, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

T is for Thrive - New alphabet-inspired journal page

When I wrote the prompt that begins today's alphabet-inspired journal page, I thought it sounded familiar.

Two things you need in order to thrive.

Hmm. Didn't I already cover this, or something very similar, in an earlier page?

The answer took me to letter e, where this prompt appears: two things that are essential to your well-being.

They do seem quite similar. Until you dig into the definition of thrive.

According to both Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com thrive can be defined as growing vigorously. Vigorously! How often do you hear that?

It feels like something altogether different from well-being, don't you think? It feels like a different kind of examination, where well-being might be a starting point, and thriving might be found a little further along the path.

When I journaled this page, I found myself asking, what would it even take to grow vigorously? What kinds of conditions? What kinds of inspiration?

And what if we thought in those terms more generally? What do we need not just to grow and develop, but to do so vigorously?

Just imagine what we could accomplish then.

If you'd like to journal the letter t, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

S is for Sequel - New alphabet-inspired journal page

While experimenting with variations of sequel-related ideas for this page's first prompt, I realized that I don't spend nearly as much time thinking about follow-ups to the stuff that's going well as I spend figuring out next steps when I'm slogging through a problem.

I think it's because day-to-day successes often feel like the end of the process, reaching the goal. Done. But what if we took a moment, every once in a while, to envision a recent achievement, big or small, as the first in a series instead?

Which is why I love the sense of continuity that a sequel evokes -- the next instalment in the franchise, one that builds on what came before, with familiar settings and the characters we've grown to love, but with a whole new set of adventures.

What do you think? What's a fitting sequel to one of your recent accomplishments?

If you'd like to journal the letter s, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

R is for Rationale - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Starting our latest alphabet-inspired journal page with a prompt about rationale feels a little risky. It tends to put a person on the defensive when you ask them about their rationale for that thing they're up to, don't you think? As in, explain yourself! I worried this could be off-putting. (Especially since I haven't posted in a while.)

But I hope you'll bear with me because I think there's another way to look at it.

My trusty Gage Canadian Dictionary, circa 1983, charmingly defines rationale as "the whys and wherefores." To me, this description feels less like an inquisition and more like an invitation to explore the reasons we do the stuff we do every day.

That's how I've approached the first prompt on this page -- as a way to look more deeply into one of my everyday things. Because, and this is my thinking, an affirming sense of purpose resides in the why. It's a lovely reminder that even the smallest, most ordinary parts of our days are meaningful and part of a bigger whole.

And, if there happens to be one thing you're up to that doesn't have a why or it has a wherefore that no longer works for you, perhaps there are tweaks or alternatives that could make an impact on your day. And where better than your journal to sort through the possibilities and map out new ways forward?

If you'd like to journal the letter r, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

P.S. Another charming Gage definition related to this page -- ramble: "wander about for pleasure." Love this!

P.P.S. After writing my rationale, I took the prompt a step further and wrote a rationale for my rationale. The why behind the why. I'm quite thrilled with the result -- a lovely little list of new ideas to consider. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it goes. :)

Q is for Quick - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Chapter Q in my lovely old dictionary was quite a quick read for today's alphabet-inspired journal page. Only 7 pages of q words!

To me, this letter q page feels very much rooted in the everyday, with quick thoughts in the moment, qualities you admire, and questions you're happy to answer, among other experiences and encounters. No quests for paradoxes this time!

Still, I was surprised while journaling the first quick prompt, as I often am in the course of regular, everyday journaling, by just how much there is to notice and appreciate in a given moment. I was reminded that a quick pause to take stock, even in the middle of the busiest of days, can gift you with a new perspective or sense of direction.

I hope you'll find a quick moment of inspiration in your journaling today!

If you'd like to journal the letter q, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

P is for Paradox - New alphabet-inspired journal page

I couldn't resist. You know I couldn't.

Exploring pairs of things about ourselves that can't possibly both be true, but somehow are? That's just too exciting to pass up in today's letter p alphabet-inspired journal page.

Paradoxes are made for journaling.

Here are just a few of mine:

• I both love and loathe change.

• I'm a natural pessimist. But I'm totally optimistic about all the things I'm convinced are going sideways.

• I adore routine, except for the tiny fact that I can't stand doing the same things the same way on a regular basis.

We're complicated creatures in a complicated world. Our paths aren't always (or possibly, ever) straightforward.

For me, one of the true joys of journaling is having a place and a reason to sort through the inconsistencies and contradictions life throws at us, to make sense of what we can and to become more comfortable grappling with ideas and events that defy easy explanations, but are nevertheless part of our experience.

It's fascinating stuff! It's the kind of stuff that drives a rewarding journal practice and turns everyday experiences into adventures that I can't wait to share with you in every newsletter and every journal prompt.

If you'd like to journal the letter p, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

O is for Oodles - New alphabet-inspired journal page

As a bit of a word nerd, one of the joys of creating alphabet-inspired journal pages is comparing dictionary definitions of the everyday words featured in each page.

Exciting, I know!

It's a rather specific habit, but it consistently reminds me that it only takes a tiny shift in perspective to make a big (and often delightful) difference in outlook and direction.

Take the word oodles, for example. According to Merriam-Webster and Dictionary.com, oodles are exactly what you'd expect them to be: "a great quantity" and "a large quantity" respectively. Pretty standard. Perfectly acceptable.

Then there's the Cambridge Dictionary. Over at Cambridge, oodles are "a very large amount of something pleasant."

That definition kind of made my day. I couldn't agree more. After all, there are already plenty of serviceable synonyms for large, unpleasant quantities. Numerous. Umpteen. Countless.

Let's keep oodles for the good stuff, like love, ideas, wildflowers, carefully collected keepsakes, art supplies and craft stashes, encouragement, hope, motivation, photos, stories, creative inspiration, opportunities to learn and grow, ways to give, moments together, and good memories -- just to name a few.

What's on your list?

If you'd like to journal the letter o, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

N is for Noteworthy - New alphabet-inspired journal page

As soon as I encountered the word noteworthy while exploring Chapter N in my trusty dictionary, I knew it would appear in today's alphabet-inspired, letter n journal page.

I've always been convinced there is at least one noteworthy thing about every single one of our days, even if it doesn't always feel that way. In fact, my favourite time to reflect on what's noteworthy is when it feels like I haven't done anything at all worth noting. (If you're familiar with my obsession with opposites and contradictions in my journaling, this comes as no surprise!)

During those times, the ones that feel oh-so-ordinary and uneventful, I get to look a little further for noteworthiness. I get to poke around behind the scenes and rediscover the purposeful intentions and hard work that underpin even the most seemingly unremarkable days.

It's the perfect opportunity to notice:

• perseverance in the face of setbacks,

• courage and creativity in preparation for big ideas ahead,

• ongoing efforts to smooth out daily bumps and complications, and

• small, purposeful steps taken in the pursuit of long term goals.

Not only do these things count as noteworthy, but the other, more obviously noteworthy stuff -- the wins and achievements -- wouldn't be possible without them!

If you ever find yourself momentarily drawing a blank on a noteworthy part of your day, challenge yourself to consider:

• one thing you're up to today that's part of a bigger plan,

• one wonderful little act of perseverance in the face of a difficult challenge,

• one moment of bravery that moved you past a scary part of your adventure and toward the part that's totally worth the temporary discomfort,

• one part of your day that seems easy and routine now, but required huge efforts over time to get that way.

I hope your reflections will give you a spring in your step and an opportunity to celebrate one of the many noteworthy things you do every day!

If you'd like to journal the letter n, you’ll find it — and the rest of the alphabet! — in my e-book Journaling From A-Z. It’s filled with oodles of alphabet-inspired prompts to inspire your journaling and two bonus punctuation-inspired pages. I had so much fun creating this series. I hope you’ll love journaling it!

Finding the words

In my newsletter last week, I suggested we make a new journal page together as a way to focus on something good and constructive. As a place to start, I asked if you'd write back and tell me one thing that's on your mind these days.

I received such heartfelt replies and as I read through each one with gratitude and great interest, three themes emerged:

1. the uncertainty of emotions: identifying them, exploring them and figuring out what to do with them,

2. the complicated nature of personal experiences and world events, a sense that they're too big or overwhelming to reflect on in meaningful ways, and

3. the heavy weight of these thoughts right now.

In the end, one journal page didn't feel like enough room to think it all through. The final result is a two-page set dedicated to finding the words for events and experiences -- in our own lives and out in the world -- that feel too big, too difficult, or too complicated to make sense of.

I'm posting this set a few days later than I wanted to, but it felt important to me to answer all of the replies I received to last week's email first. I sent an early draft of these pages to everyone who emailed me.

This is an aspect of my work I'm exploring more deeply these days -- seeking out opportunities to engage in conversation; sharing thoughts and experiences with the goal of creating more (and better!) ways to encourage you as you develop a rewarding and truly useful journal practice.

As someone who is not always comfortable reaching out, I feel very much as if I'm figuring this out as I go and I'm so grateful you're here with me for the journey. I hope we can create journal pages together again soon!

If you'd like to give this set a try, you can click here or on the image above to download them. You'll find four different page sizes (letter, half letter, A4, A5) and, as a new feature, I've included grayscale versions of all four sets, just in case you're not printing in colour.

As always, if you have thoughts or questions, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me anytime by commenting below or via my contact page. Occasionally, I need to a little extra time to think about and reply to comments and messages, but I'll do my very best to get back to you as quickly as I can!