Celebrating Our Differences – Part 2

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

I had so much fun celebrating our differences in yesterday’s post that I thought today’s post would be similar – just going a bit deeper with it.

This writing prompt from Journaling Further Within: 50 More Prompts for Self Exploration is perfect to help us begin to embrace our differences and celebrate how we are all unique.

Think of someone on the opposite side ideologically from you – really try to see their viewpoint. Write about how and why they see things this way (e.g., their past experiences, their upbringing, their religious views, etc.).

When we start to see how similar we all are and try to understand why someone would have a belief that differs from our own, we can begin the process of supporting each other. We can begin the process of being sympathetic instead of judgmental. We can begin to understand that being different isn’t bad. If we were all the same the world would be a very boring place. Our differences add so much color to our lives. And this is such a great part of living!

So spend some time today thinking about someone in your life that differs in many ways from you. By putting yourself into their world and practicing compassion and understanding, you can begin to see that they are just doing the best they can with the tools that are available to them. This is true for each of us. We are each good at our core, and our differences are there to help us learn empathy and compassion. They are also great simply to show us another path – another option available to us. There are so many ways to spend our time on this planet – let’s celebrate our differences instead of seeing them as threatening. Let’s enjoy how unique we all are. They do say that variety is the spice of life. 🙂

Choosing to Change

Posted on May 18, 2011 by admin

(This was originally posted on 5/12/11. I’m so thankful that it wasn’t lost when Blogger reprogrammed their site. Here it is again!)

Today’s writing prompt comes from Journaling Within: 50 Prompts for Self Exploration:

If you could change one thing about your life,

what would it be?

What I love about this question is that it empowers you to look at the possibilities for your life. It puts you back into the driver’s seat and allows you to create the life that you know you are meant to live.

It’s so easy to shy away from change and think that you couldn’t possibly recreate your circumstances. You may feel that there are just too many external factors working against you, too many reasons why it’s just not a good idea to change.

Maybe it seems too overwhelming and too scary.

Maybe you just don’t feel strong enough to mix things up and break free of the constraints you have put on yourself.

When we take responsibility for our own lives, stop blaming everyone else, and find the strength to change whatever isn’t working – miracles start happening.

If your inner voice is telling you that something needs to change – listen.

If you feel that a part of your life just isn’t working the way you would like it to – act on it.

If your soul isn’t being nurtured and fed in every part of your life – do something about it.

If you are still breathing, you have the power to change.

And yes it can be scary, but that’s how we grow and learn.

And that’s also how we build up our own self worth,

which is the key to true and lasting happiness.

So get out there and start consciously creating the life of your dreams!

Planting Some Roots

Posted on May 1, 2011 by admin

It’s a beautiful spring day here in Oregon – the sun is shining and the birds are singing.

Dan and I moved to this area two years ago (wow, time sure flies!),

and I am so grateful that we did.

We were living near San Francisco at the time while he finished graduate school. Because we work from home, we really could choose anywhere to live – exciting! We both had a great feeling about southern Oregon. I had never even been here but felt a strong pull to this area. And so we moved. And I have to say that trusting my intuition and planting roots in this area has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

For the first time in my life I truly feel that I have found my forever home.

I found this writing prompt from our Journaling Within book, which I thought was a perfect exercise for this particular day!

Describe where you would most like to live.

If you don’t live there now,

what steps can you take toward achieving this dream?

Take some time and really think about where you would like to plant roots.

What about this place draws you to it?

The weather? The people? The landscape? The opportunities?

Write about what it feels like to live there.

And then create an action plan to make this dream your reality.

As long as you are living and breathing,

you always have the power to make changes and create your ideal life.

You can make your dreams come true if you visualize, stay on course, and take action.

Have fun with this exercise!

Spend this beautiful day dreaming about where you would most like to live.

If you already live there, write about how grateful you are and appreciative you are to live in such a wonderful area that truly reflects your best self.

This is a great way to get clear about what you want for your life and what you can do to make that happen.

P.S. – This week’s poll results are in! Most of us read to relax and recharge! Second place went to spending time with pets. Third place was a tie for napping and watching tv or a movie. Thanks to everyone who participated – I love polls, and I think it’s so interesting to see what everyone chooses. (Be on the lookout for a new poll tomorrow!)

You Make the World a Brighter Place

Posted on April 29, 2011 by admin

Today’s writing prompt comes from our Journaling Further Within book:

Think of a friend or family member

whose life is better because you are in it.

How do you make their life a little brighter?

We frequently impact our loved ones’ lives more than we know.

This is a great exercise to do when you are feeling great about yourself, and then you can go back to it and reread it whenever you need a little self-esteem boost.

If you aren’t sure what sort of impact you make on their lives, ask them.

I’m sure they would love to share how wonderful you are, how much joy you bring them, and how happy they are to have you in their life.

This is a great way to bring you closer together, too. And positive feedback and warm fuzzies are always so good to hear and feel.

You matter, and you are definitely making a difference in someone’s life.

And that’s such a great thing!

P.S. – Thank you to everyone who has answered our weekly poll so far! It’s in the top right corner, and there is still time to answer. It’s about the things you do to relax and recharge, and reading and spending time with pets are the top two choices so far!

Embracing the Good

Posted on April 12, 2011 by admin

I love choosing one of our Soulful Journals and randomly picking a writing prompt.

Today’s question comes from our Journaling Further Within book:

When something good comes your way,

are you able to embrace it or do you sabotage it?

If you do sabotage yourself, can you think of why you might be doing

that and what you can do to change?

Why Sabotage Yourself?

You might be wondering why we would ever sabotage ourselves from receiving something good into our lives.

It could be for a number of reasons:

Maybe you were comfortable with how things were going in your life.

Maybe the unknown is scary – even if you know that the unknown is a good thing.

Maybe you feel that you aren’t really worthy of this good news or good fortune.

Maybe you are afraid that now you will have no excuses – nothing is standing in the way between you and your own happiness.

Maybe you are waiting for the bubble to burst or the other shoe to drop.

Maybe you think that something this good definitely couldn’t truly happen to you,

and you wait for it to go away.

The Right Emotion at the Right Time

It’s okay to not be completely ecstatic when good news appears in your life.

It’s okay to take some time to take it all in.

It’s okay to sit with it until you understand the ramifications of how it will change your life.

It’s okay to notice any feelings of fear, anxiety, or uncertainness that surface.

It’s okay to be in whatever emotional state that you are in.

As long as you are aware of your emotions and are able to delve into why you are feeling the way you are, you’ll come to see that any reaction to any circumstance is just right.

Embracing the Good

By truly believing that you are worth all of the good fortune that you are receiving, you will open yourself up and be able to embrace all of the wonderful things that come your way.

Hopefully after spending some time calming down your own saboteur and building up your self esteem, you will come to realize that you truly deserve happiness.

You can start to embrace all of the good that enters your life!

You’re worth it! 🙂

Make Someone’s Day

Posted on March 2, 2011 by admin

A writing prompt from our Journaling Further Within book:

If you could wave a magic wand over one person’s life, who would you choose?

How would you help them?

The great part about this question is that the possibilities are truly endless – you have a magic wand, after all! Dream big and really think about how great it would feel to help someone in need!

After you’ve spent some time brainstorming, take some time to write about what you came up with.

And even if you don’t have a magic wand in real life, you can always help someone with what you do have: your words. You can tell someone how much they mean to you today, give someone a compliment, thank someone.

Spread the love today – we all know a little bit of love and gratitude goes a very long way!

Journaling Within – Describe Yourself

Posted on February 27, 2011 by admin

I thought it would be fun to post questions/writing prompts from our Soulful Journals from time to time.

A question from our Journaling Within book is up first!

If you had to describe yourself to someone,

what words would you use?

Really take some time to think about this and then write what words come up.

If you would like to take it a step further, write about how you feel about these words.

Did any surprise you?

Are there any that you are proud of?

Are there any that you would like to change?

Would you want to be friends with someone who had these traits?

Have fun getting to know yourself – that’s what it’s all about!