Victories journal

On the 12th of June I proposed a coaching client of mine to write her daily victories. I have had the practice of writing in my journal almost every single evening for some years now but I had my mind on the victories journal for a while. Because I wanted to encourage her to practice it, I decided that the best chance to achieve it is to do it alongside her.

I would like to share with you how this process went so far and I hope that you will be inspired to take upon this amazing practice.

Initially I started writing only for the week days, leaving the weekend off. But going through the notes, I saw that from the 1st of July I have started to share it every single day, with 2-3 exceptions.

I guess this came naturally, without proposing myself to do so. Because I considered that victories are all the things we do in life, they do not resume only for working days. And every day needs to be celebrated with what it brings and what it has to offer.

And secondly, I started taking a lot of value from it. The time I spend to go through the day and focus on the good things is a routine I started to care deeply for, so the practice shifted from “I have to do it” to “I want to do it”

This shift is a tremendous breakthrough with every habit you are trying to implement. First you have to try it for 1-2 or 3 weeks in a consistent manner so that you can see what you are taking out of it, what is the added value it brings into your life and how it makes you feel, how it changes you.nThis way, you will decide to stick to it, because you are gaining so much from it that you find you have too much to lose when you don’t do it.

What happened next, as the practice advanced, it that I started to switch from victories related to what I have done to victories related to what I have learned, how did I feel, what attitudes/convictions I adopted.

During quarantine, I have been writing a lot in my journal about switching from doing/having to being. Focusing on the life I live and not so much on the things I do, I achieve, it helps me to bring more awareness to my inner universe and how it reflects on the outside. This started to change the way I wrote in my victories journal.

Another beautiful thing I started in the last week of July is that I added a photo from the ones I took on that day, I want it to remind me of what that day looked like for me.

And this started creating even more pleasure to write in the victories journal, seeing all the good things and a beautiful photo, it looks amazing.

A means of higher commitment

Moreover, the victories journal has become also a commitment and responsibility tool toward the habits of challenges I take upon each month. I will mention some of them here as well:

1. Make sure I reach my optimal level of hydration. Alongside nutrition, sleep, exercises and the quality of air, hydration play an important role in my health and I make sure that I drink the best quality and therapeutic alkaline water

2. Since mid June when I started the victories journal, I started the challenge to eat no sugar and no dairy. It was on and off but July was completely without it. As well without caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or any other unprescribed drugs.

3. On 20th of July I proposed myself to write one article a day on my blog, or invest time to write other creative work, or transcribe previous work to be ready to publish it. Happy to say that I only missed one day so far and getting stronger in my commitment as the days pass, even though it gets harder as well.

4. On the 1st of August I set out to see the sunrise every day and run for 5km to reach the place. The hardest part so far is going to sleep at 22:00.

So all of these newly implemented routines I write them every day as a victory, and every day I celebrate the fact that I managed to keep my commitment.

Tips for starting a victories journal

This has been my experience so far, I would like to give you some tips in case you are thinking of giving this a try:

• I use my phone, a simple note taking app which you have from your phone will do, it is more accessible to me, before going to sleep, I do not want to open my laptop, nor do I fill fit to use my journal for this, my journal is dedicate to soul searching, answering big questions. But again, find that medium which best suits you, you should be comfortable writing so that there is no friction and no excuses there;
• Just commit to write initially 3 victories for the first week, then increase it to 5, and so on. Of course, if you feel like writing more, don’t stop by all means, but commit to it, don’t let a day pass without writing something down;
• No matter how bad a day was, there will always be something good in it, there will always be a reason to be grateful, a reason to be thankful for something which has happened, something you learned, even the smallest of victory counts, the fact that you got out of bed, etc.
• The fact that I had a partner with which I share my victories makes me stick to this no matter what. Our commitment increases when we make public our intention or when we can build an accountability system. Pick a friend, start sharing your victories, the way you will bond and relate to one another will incredibly enhance;
• Add photos to make it more interesting, make it more visual appealing and to feel even more connected to this practice, maybe just some text to scroll down is not so enticing, but I guarantee you that you will find it amazing to be able to see how your day looked like.

The benefits of keeping a victories journal

would like to mention the benefits I have felt with this practice but I am sure that with each person, there will be different things to enjoy from this practice. so here it goes:

• The most important one, you educate your mind to think positively, to see the full half of the glass, since we are champions of seeing only the negative, criticising and thinking that only bad things happen to us, that we cannot do anything, that all is bad, etc;
• You increase your self esteem by connecting each day with the things you managed to do, managed to solve, sometimes we are running so hard to finish that endless to do list, that at the end of the day we might feel that we have not achieved much. Take a closer look. Your self trust is connected with the sense of accomplishment and achievement, keeping your promises to yourself and to others;
• More commitment towards your life, your objective, for being productive, proficient, making the best out of each day. Just the simple fact that you have in mind that you need to write down those victories and send them to somebody at the end of the day makes you go and do things. And the more you achieve, the more you get energy, motivation and momentum to achieve even more, it creates a beautiful upwards spiral;
• You connect to a deeper level with a person with whom you choose to share your victories. Having a person knowing what is important to you, what you are striving for, what you want to achieve, and how your days look like is a powerful vulnerability exercise on one hand, and on the other hand, it is a beautiful way to let yourself be seen deeply be somebody else.
• I started sharing my victories with my lover as well and I realised it has a tremendous impact n the way we relate, the way we understand each other, building a closer and stronger relationship, by letting him see how my day has beed. A sort of checking out of the day with a lot of information to share. Sometimes he shares also and it makes it all even better since I also get the chance to see what matters to him, to understand him better, and why not, be able to support him in whatever is important to him.
• I am planning at the end of the month to print all the victories, and have a retrospective of my month, this way the planning of the next month will go much smoother, and also I will be able to have a beautiful account of my year, when it is time to review what has happened in the last 12 months and plan the year ahead. And it is also a nice way of being able to remember the life you lived each day of the year;
• And also, it is an amazing way to celebrate the life and the fulfilment and the growing in each day, week, month or year.

I hope that I have you enough reason to want to give it a try. Let me know in the comments what do you think of it, and if you will give it a chance.

A day in my victories journal

If you are interested how would a daily entry would be in my victories journal, I leave you here with one example, with no editing whatsoever, so you can see what my daily victories are.

Some are small, some are not, it does not matter, just write what makes your heart sing and what you are proud of. This day was the last day of my stay in Portugal, and I am glad how it went.

Victories 29th of August 2020

– woke up and started the 5AM Club meeting at 6AM, was ready in the car to leave for the sunrise, it is hard to have a meeting on the road but extreme circumstances call for extreme measures

– I kept my positive attitude even though I was waiting in the car for 20 minutes and realising we were not starting and not knowing why, being pressed by time to reach the place we sought for seeing the sunrise, kept my cool when we had to turn back to take Luis’s laptop charger, when we went on a road not knowing where we are going, when the most important part of the meeting came and I had to persuade my team mates and the car was beeping loudly because we were going in reverse so I had to stop talking, I am really proud of my attitude towards all the bottlenecks

– I enjoyed the sunrise and tried to take as much as possible from it, feel the fresh air, see the beautiful light, even though I was just standing in the middle of the road

– when we were about to go, because a car was waiting, I faked that I was pushing the car, I realise that I am starting not to take life so seriously and have a positive attitude about it, laugh and take everything lightly, the guys from the other car immediately came out of the car to help out and they laughed when i told them it was a joke

– tried to lighten Luis’s mood and I think he was stressed about how I would react about not seeing the sunrise, we had planned for the last sunrise a really beautiful location, and I assured him that I understand and I am not at all upset because I proposed myself to have this attitude, whatever it may come

– had breakfast at home and pancakes and we could properly say goodbye, so in the end it had positive sides the fact that we could not go to Lisbon

– told Luis that I am there for him, he was in a bad mood and slowly he also started to smile again, I am glad I can be there for him in this way

– met with Amalia and saw some graffiti, had an interesting conversation about facial hair and about my insecurity with it so I decided to do a Frida Khalo experiment

– recorded with Amalia a video for my coaching client Carmen because I had the idea to organise a femininity and sexuality empowerment retreat together and she replied with a video as well and was excited about idea, said that I am a treasure and it went to my heart to hear her appreciation. Amalia was also letting me lead the process completely trusting the way I can facilitate it

– had a really good talk about Luis’s flatmate and about the situation where Alex had to move and we cleared out together some big topics, issues and I am freaking proud of myself for my maturity, for my approach, for my openness and this is all due to the 4 Agreements book

– went to an Indian restaurant and had a really delicious lunch. Two sauces were with sugar and yogurt and I am glad I asked about it and refrained from eating since I am on a no sugar, no dairy diet. I also consciously chose not to eat meat, just vegetables and that is also a win.

– got to see some more super amazing graffiti and Luis was really making this happen for me and it was such a happy filled experience for me, I really do love murals and he was great for taking care of everything

– said goodbye to Rosario and she really got to me, made me emotional, in this visit she started to grow on me, I even had a moment when I was reminiscing her embrace, and it felt so good, almost felt like she was my mom

– satisfied about the video I sent to Diana about getting things done, no excuses, and make sure she strives to do her best. I had it in my mind to send it since yesterday and I am glad I found the time/emotional availability to send it

– read 40 pages from the practical guide of the 4 Agreements and it is feeling amazing, completely life changing, wrote 8 pages of journaling answers,I will be writing a separate post with these ones as well

– gave Luis my buff and pillow so that he can sleep well, and was jumping over him in the plane when I was going to the toilet, not bother his sleep, I wanted him to rest and felt happy that I can help him, he really needed and deserved it completely

– took all the precautions with disinfection on the plane, in the airport, made sure I kept my distance and tried not to touch anything, nor my face with my hands.

– realised that I had actually managed to resist eating for 2 weeks pasteis de nata which is my favourite dessert from Portugal and the awesome good cheese I discovered there. There were some moments when I wanted to, but I didn’t! And this is a mega win for me!

– reestablished the interview with Elena and the time frame is more achievable this way for both of us, I want to ensure we both have good experience and we enjoy recording it

– Answered Iunia about my bio as Integration Game facilitator and I am glad I am part of this team, and I will be able to impact communities to have deeper and more authentic conversations

– no sugar, no dairy day, achieved my daily water intake

See below the photo I have chosen for this day to include in my victories journal, with the beautiful graffiti I got to see in Lisbon, this one was made by a Romanian artist, Nicolae Negură, depicting the reality of wearing different masks in our online presence.

I hope this inspires you to start your own victories journal! So don’t wait to much, start writing today like there is no tomorrow!

5AM: Tribul oamenilor nerezonabili

Acest sfârșit de săptămână am avut teambuilding și întâlnirea de planificare pentru următorul sezon de 5AM Club. Dacă nu ai auzit până acum de club, este o platformă de dezvoltare personală deschisă între orele 05:00 – 07:00 pentru cei care își doresc să își îmbunătățească performanța, să împlementeze obiceiuri productive și să ducă o viață împlinită.

Clubul este în vacanță, o să avem redeschiderea pe 1 septembrie, până atunci aș vrea să împărtășesc câteva din răspunsurile pe care le-am pregătit și împărtășit cu colegii mei de echipă, la întâlnirea noastră 🙂

De ce sunt moderatoare pe 5AM Club?

Atunci când intru în club, îmi încep rutina de dimineață, cu hidratare, inspirația zilnică, scrierea obiectivelor anuale, priritățile zilnice, practica de recunoștință, mic dejun și sport. În acest mod îmi hrănesc cele 4 inteligențe: fizică, mentală, emoțională și spirituală.

În funcție de perioadă, ordinea obiceiurilor variază, dar această rutină mă ajută să îmi încep ziua cu cea mai bună stare posibilă. Iar faptul că am o comunitate de oameni cu aceleași interese mă responsabilizează și motivează să mențin aceste obiceiuri productive.

În foarte multe dimineți m-am simțit cu adevărat împlinită pentru că în sistemul meu de valori se regăsește și dezvoltarea și evoluția, valoare pe care o împărtășesc cu mulți membri pe de 5AM Club, oameni care își doresc s învee ceva nou în fiecare zi, oameni care își doresc să fie mai buni pe zi ce trece.

Faptul că pot contribui la dezvoltarea celor din jurul meu mă face să simt că aduc o contribuție pozitivă și valoroasă în societate. Creștem împreună prin vizionarea resursei inspiraționale pe diferite tematici de pe TED.com, pe baza căreia discutăm și facem schimb de impresii și rezultate din practică în fiecare zi. Valoarea adăugată este schimbul de informație, idei, oportunități și feedback care ne ajută să ințelegem și să integrăm diferite informații mai bine.

Cel mai mult din povestea lui Harap Alb, îmi place jăraticul pe care i-l dă calului, care îl ajută să crească într-un an cât alții în zece, iar acest lucru simt atunci când accesez oportunitățile oferite de această platformă, cresc exponențial, la o viteză incredibilă, mă uit în urmă de la începutul anului la cât de mult am reușit să învăț, să mî dezvolt, să avansez în ceea ce mi-am propus și asta pentru că am avut alături de mine o cuminitate care să mă sprijine să fac aceste lucruri.

Programele pe care le-am accesat prin intermediul 5AM Club, și anume Wildfit, m-a ajutat să înțeleg care este nutriția potrivită pentru mine pentru un stil de viață sănătos, mi-a dat strategii relevante și pertinente pentru a include cât mai mult din acele alimente care sunt benefice pentru mine și să le înlătur pe cele nocive. Mai mult decât, am descoperit cum pot gestiona foamea și mâncatul emoțional. A fost o experiență valoroasă pentru mine, care merită conversații întregi pe temă.

Iar programul de testare gratuit a apei alcaline, ionizate Kangen m-a ajutat să beau apa de cea mai bună calitate, prin PH său ridicat, prin potențialul de oxidoreducere și de combatere a efectelor negative ale radicalilor liberi și prin filtrarea de toate impuritățile pe care le găsim la apa de la robinet, printre care și foarte mult clor.

Împreună cu schimbările pozitive la nivel de nutriție, am complementat cu cunoștințe și practică zilnică în ceea ce privește hidratarea optimă. Iar acestea sunt doar două exemple, foarte pe scurt, despre programele pe care le-am accesat, de anul trecut și de la care încep să culeg roadele la nivel de vitalitate și energie, stomac ușor, claritate și o stare de bine. Iar efectele o să continue mai departe, zi de zi, pentru că reușesc să îi dau corpului meu ambrozie și nectar 🙂

Sunt în comunitatea 5AM încă din 2012 de când mi-am început cariera, și am început să lucrez cu Dan Luca la 5AM Productivity Coaching. Să încep să lucrez pentru o firmă de coaching la primul job a însemnat să mă dezvolt extraordinar de mult prin toate cunoștințele pe care le-am accesat la nivel de productivitate, să reușesc să dezvolt conținut și experiențe de învățare pe acestă temă și să am cel mai bun mentor posibil. Și aș fi făcut toate aceste lucruri fără să fiu plătită.

Faptul că mi-am început cariera cu această oportunitate m-a pus în poziția în care să am un standard ridicat de profesionalism, cunoștințe și așteptări legate de performanța mea și a celor cu care colaborez. Mai mult decât atât, am încățat cum să lucrez eficient, singură și cu alte persoane, cum să comunic spre a stabili relații productive și cum să ofer și să primesc feedback  constructiv.

A fost dream job și continuă să fie pentru mine acest lucru din moment ce această colaborare continuă și astăzi, de aproape 8 ani de zile. Sunt recunoscătoare pentru toți oamenii valoroși care au intrat în viața mea din acel moment, tot ce am reușit să dezvolt la nivel de carieră și omul care am devenit astăzi.

5AM Club mai reprezintă pentru mine o platformă în care pot împărtășii diferite acțiuni, inițiative din zona societății civile, să sprijin și să încurajez acei oameni care aleg să se implice, să facă o schimbare pozitivă în comunitatea și societatea lor.

Asociațiile care sunt aproape de sufletul meu și pentru care voi fi ambasador în orice moment și context sunt Asociația Pentru Liberate și Egalitate de Gen care sprijină victimele violenței domestice și abuzurilor sexuale și militează pentru egalitatea de gen, Asociația Cu Verdele-n Sus care luptă împotriva tăierilor ilegale și  are în îngrijire păduri plantat copăcel cu copăcel de câțiva ani buni deja, Platforma pentru consum colaborativ și economie circulară pe care am înființat-o și Asociația Liberated care luptă împotriva traficului uman.

5AM mai reprezintă pentru mine o fabrică de îndeplinit visuri, pentru că aici ai ocazia să împărtășești cu oameni valoroși ceea ce îți dorești să realizezi în viață și găsești resursele de care ai nevoie pentru a porni pe această cale. Unul dintre visurile mele este să scriu, iar 5AM Club m-am ajutat să pun cărămidă, după cărămidă, atunci când mi-am luat un angajament față de membri să încep să scriu.

Acum postez câte un articol în fiecare zi pe blogul meu și dezvolt procese de journaling de reflecție și deavoltare personală, iar acest lucru este pentru mine o realizare fenomenală. De asemenea, toate celelalte proiecte pe care le-am deavoltat ca freelancer au putut să crească tocmai pentru că am găsit un incubator, o comunitate care să mă pună în poziția de a găsi resursele și de a dezvolta abilitățile de care am nevoie pentru a le realiza.

Închei cu ultimul motiv, și anume posibilitatea de a influența și de a avea un impact asupra productivității, calității vieților antreprenorilor, managerilor, liber profesioniști, profesori, și a celor implicați în societate civilă. Iar faptul că aceși oameni conduc, colaborează sau educă la rândul lor alte persoane mă ajut să multiplic și să catalizez impactul pe care îl pot avea.

Sunt atât de multe de spus, dar mă rezum la aceste motive. Dacă ai reușit să citești până aici, îți multumesc tare mult pentru atenția ta și îmi doresc să ne cunoaștem. Dacă nu ești deja pe 5AM club, poți cere o invitație la 5amclub.ro și ne vedem pe 1 septembrie, iar dacă ai vrea să îți reactivezi contul, trimite un email la dan@5amclub.ro 🙂

Yes, you can!

You can do it when you know you can!

I recently had started a treatment which implies to break small glass vials which contain my medicine. I had not done this ever before in my life, and just the idea to break something running the risk that it might break in my hands was really out of my comfort zone.

So I asked my lover to help me out, because I was far from being courageous enough to try. It is the same like blowing into a balloon until it pops, even though it is something harmless, I just can’t put myself to do it. He did break them, but they broke completely into a lot of pieces and shards of glass, fortunately it did not hurt him. It was like this for the first vial and for the second one.

Next day I had a visit to my doctor to discuss the treatment and I complained about those vials, how should I cut them, the instructions were mentioning a sort of special file which I could not find. Basically she assured me that nowadays there is no need for a file, just take a towel, and put enough pressure in the right direction with the thumb and the slender neck of the vial will cut by itself.

When I got back home, the next time I did the treatment, I had to try it because I was about to spend the weekend away, and I could not have the help of my lover, basically I had to do it myself. But being reassured by the doctor that I can, and it is easy, I went about it, according to her instructions. The vials broke evenly and gave in easily and I was amazed.

In the end, the difference was that I trusted that I can do it, when the first time I could not even bring myself to try. The sense of empowerment, even if it was such a small thing, and that I can do it myself, was immense and it came with the realisation that I just need to trust in my potential and capacity.

This is just a very simple example, but I am sure we all have experiences in our lives, big or small, when the difference between succeeding and not lays in trusting ourselves and ultimately knowing that we can do it.

Journaling for empowerment

Once we know we can do something, because we had done it before or because we have all the resources we need to do so, then the second time, there is no doubt, no hesitation.

In this sense, I started thinking about what we actually think we can or cannot do? Henry Ford said „Whether you think you can do a thing or can’t, you’re right!”

In this effect, we should carefully pick the thoughts we want to feed our mind. I created a journaling process, in which I invite you to complete the following phrases, so that you can put yourself in the mental state: „Yes, I can!”

Take your time, and give as much details and elaborate upon your answers, feed your mind with the messages that empower you!

I believe I can be…

I believe I can do…

I believe I can have…

I believe I can manage to…

I believe I can hope for…

I believe I can dream of…

I believe I can create…

I believe I can solve…

I believe I can reach…

I believe I can achieve…

I believe I can heal…

I believe I can let go of…

I believe I can separate…

I believe I can forgive…

I believe I can overcome…

I believe I can go…

I believe I can learn…

I believe I can teach…

I believe I can see…

I believe I can hear…

I believe I can touch…

I believe I can taste…

I believe I can smell…

I believe I can feel…

I believe I can live…

I am really curious about your answers, and what do you think of the power we hold, to tap into our potential through what we think. On the other side, we can get paralysed with fear and not be able to do the things we want to do.

Marianne Williamson has an amazing quote which I keep close at heart and I try to remind myself of it every single time, and I would love to end this article with it:

„Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”

Daily writing: The habit of playing with words

Have you always thought that you would like to write a book? Do you have a story inside of you, waiting to come to life? Do you dream of being a writer? Did you start writing a book but never quite finished it yet? Do you have a blog waiting for you every single day to put something new for your readers? Do you want to build your personal brand? Are you thinking of creating a closer relationship with your clients and potential ones by writing about your products or services?

Surely some of you might answer yes to at least one of these questions! Because I really do think that each and every one of us have millions of stories inside, waiting quietly to receive a voice of their own, the power to unravel its mystery to us.

The habit of daily writing

The best way to start your writing journey is to commit to writing!

…every

…single

…day.

With no exception! You cannot possibly write down your amazing thoughts, bring forth your incredible ideas if you do not build up your writing muscle.

Writing every single day helps you become familiar with words, see them as a reliable instrument to bring to surface the stories, characters, the life lessons or the day to day observations that you have kept locked up for so long.

The constant act of writing will help you hone your own style, hunt down your own words, find your own voice and get that creative juice flowing!

Get real about writing!

In order to build up your daily writing routine, you need to be very specific about it. To help you start off on the right foot with your new habit, you can check off the following items:

• Choose your dedicated time for writing. It is very simple, pick a time that best suits you to be able to write uninterruptedly. It can be early in the morning, during the evening or late at night, just pick the time where you have the energy and the proper space for writing.
• Decide how do you plan to measure it. Do you want to achieve a daily word count or do you want to spend a specific amount of time each day writing? Choose which way fits you better but decide upon your target. Example: I will start writing each day at 7AM for half an hour (writing time 07:00 – 07:30) or I will write each day starting at 7AM no less than 500 words.
• Find your writing environment. Prepare your favourite instruments and your preferred environment. Do you like writing with a pen on a smooth sheet of paper or do you prefer the tic tac of your laptop’s keyboard? Or do you fancy the idea of using a typewriter? No matter which tool and medium you use, make sure it is the one which allows you to make the most out of your writing experience.

See below what inspires me to write in my journal each evening before going to bed! I make sure to hydrate properly so I can be completely focused on writing, I have a special pen, an amazing Moleskine notebook and I listen to calming music to get in the mood for pouring my heart onto the paper. If you are going to write, then write in style! 🙂

Be like Jerry Seinfeld!

But how do you keep up with your daily practice and never miss a good day’s writing? Jerry Seinfeld developed his own method to keep him writing on his stand up material. He decided to mark each day of writing practice with a big fat X and commit to achieving the longest streak of his writing habit.

If you happen to miss out a day, get back to writing the next day with no blame or beating yourself up. But then you have to start with your chain from the very beginning. Try to set up for yourself to write for a whole month, every day.

Try to match your previous uninterrupted streak or even surpass it. The point is to start again and again every single time you miss out, getting back up is the most important thing here. Remember that nobody is perfect but practice makes perfect! But ticking that box at the end of the day can be the most satisfactory thing to do before going to sleep!

After a week of uninterrupted writing streak, decide what reward you are going to give yourself. Because you need to build up positive emotions around this newly implemented habit so that you do not oppose resistance and actually come to look forward to.

Choose something that you really enjoy! It might be a book you wanted to read, a CD of your favourite singer or a massage at a spa, whatever makes those endorphins flowing. What will be be for two weeks? Or for one month? Increase the stake so that it matches your effort! But most importantly, give yourself the credit for every single win, a proverbial pat on the back or a victory dance, but notice every single win!

 

Inspiration to start writing

Haruki Murakami, a controversial Japanese writer, decided at 33 years old to close his coffee house and jazz bar and dedicate himself completely to writing. He gave up smoking, woke up early and started running every day. He created a daily routine for writing.

He started his writing career when he was 29 years old, exploring fiction as a genre. Before writing, he considered himself as being an ordinary person. ”I was running a jazz club and I didn’t create anything at all.”

He was inspired to write Hear the Wind Sing, his first novel, while watching a baseball game. During this particular game, Murakami realised that he could write a novel. He went home after the game and began writing that very night. He worked for ten months in very brief stretches after working days at the bar to complete his first novel. He sent his work to a literary contest, winning the first prize.

You can get more inspiration by reading his book What I talk about when I talk about running by Haruki Murakami. But most importantly, start believing that you can write as well, as good as you think your readers deserve to lay their eyes on!

Start writing today! What are you waiting for? 🙂

Journaling: how to start your practice today?

Journaling is an easy daily practice which you can start today! It practically requires a low budged, close to zero, a dedicated time ranging from 5 minutes to 30 minutes and no previously required abilities. Nonetheless, the benefits it brings, from an emotional, mental, health and development point of view, are priceless.

In the first article published on this topic, Journaling your way towards personal success, you can find more details about the practice of journaling, such as:

• What is journaling?
• Why would you want to start journaling?
• What are the health benefits of journaling?

In this second article, also dedicated to the journaling series, I will detail how you can get started with this practice, by offering you a step-by-step process. This helps you if you are new to this area or if you have tried journaling in the past, but for one reason or another, you stopped and now you want to renew this practice.

In case you feel prepared to start your practice, I still recommend that you peruse the content of this article as it may give you new and interesting perspectives.

The step-by-step process of getting started with journaling

1. Find the reason for starting this practice

As I mentioned in the previous article, it is very important to know why you would like to implement this habit. This way you ensure that it will be an enjoyable activity for you, and not perceive it as a task you impose on yourself. In the same time, you increase your chances of getting the most out of the entire experience.

In order to explore this part, you can take a few moments to answer several clarifying questions. Write down your answers on a paper so you can come back to them later on, when you might need an extra boost of motivation.

• What is the main purpose you have for starting writing in your journal?
• What is the need you want to address by starting a journaling practice?
• What problem can this practice solve for you?
• What are the results you want to see with implementing this habit?
• How do you plan to make use of writing daily on your chosen subjects?
• How do you want to feel while journaling?
• What do you want to experience through this practice?
• How does this practice fit with your current reality?

Once you have answers for these questions, you can always come back to them when you feel you are faltering in your practice, and rediscover the “WHY” behind your choice in the first hand.

In the meantime, if you have finished writing the answers for these questions, congratulations! You have already started journaling without even knowing it. I am convinced that it wasn’t even as difficult as you imagined it to be.

2. Choose the type of journal that best fits you

Once you are really clear on your motivation for starting this practice, find the most suitable format and type of journal to suit your purpose. In order to do so, settle between:

• What are the trends or the topics that kept on surfacing while answering the questions from the previous point? This will surely give you an image on the type of the journal you are looking for.
• What is the silver lining of all your journaling entries? What is the common element which will connect all of them?
• Do you want to address a specific topic or you want to write in a stream of consciousness whatever comes to your mind?
• Do you want to create your own questions or journaling prompts or you want to answer predefined questions and prompts?
• Do you want to have a structure you follow each day or you want to have a totally different approach each time you write?
• Do you want to use only words or you are considering drawing, doodling or using mixed media?

In the next articles on this subject I will focus on the types of journals you can choose from, and offer examples of prompts to kick start your writing, so do not miss them.

3. Settle on the best time of the day

Increase your chances of journaling each day by establishing the starting point and the duration you estimate for this practice. When you give your mind an estimation of time for each project, it is easier to grasp the needed effort and it will not sabotage you.

For example:

I start journaling each day at 09:00 and I write for 15 minutes.

If you are a morning person, and you prefer to set aside the “you time” at the start of your day, you can establish the starting time of this practice at early hours.

If you work better during the evening, and you want to relax after each day with documenting the experiences you had had, you can choose your starting point and include it in your evening routine. Nonetheless, do not put it 30 minutes before going to sleep, as your mind needs time to rewind and stop processing feelings, thoughts, and experiences before shutting down.

Morning time best fits for intentions and gratitude journals, while evening time best fits reviewing the day and taking out the main learning points.

It is really important to choose a time that best suits your purpose and your preferences, and estimate the duration so that you will have a clear structure to follow each day and not slide from this practice.

4. Prepare your tools and space

First you have to decide whether you will be writing in cursive, or you prefer digital.

There are many studies advocating for choosing the pen and paper, since writing is activating a specific part of the brain – the reticular activating system (RAS), which is responsible for filtering and bringing into our sphere of attention the information we are handling and focusing on.

Maud Purcell, a journaling expert, states that “I find that most of my patients intuitively know that hand-writing their thoughts in a journal is more effective than composing them on a laptop.”

In the end, you should choose the environment with which you feel the most comfortable with. Give a try to cursive writing if you haven’t written by hand in a long time, but if it does not serve you, then opt for the most easy way for you, it should not be an obstacle of starting the practice.

Concerning the place, make sure that you find a location which is both quiet and private, meaning that you can write without being disturbed. If you work better with surrounding noise, and you can journal in a coffee place as well, just make sure you will feel at ease with people passing by your table.

Whatever style and location best fits your needs and purpose is the right one, and, in the end, it should be the needed facilitator for your writing experience.

5. Identify what is holding you back from starting this practice

You might be just considering to start this practice, or you might have heard about journaling, think it is an interesting practice, but kept on postponing that moment in which you sit down and start writing.

Either way, it is necessary for you to identify what are the obstacles that stand in your way of writing. Most of the time, these obstacles that prevent you from not starting now, are your own limiting beliefs.

Here are some examples of limiting beliefs, and how to overcome them:

• I was never good at writing;

Journaling does not require special abilities in mastering words, nor does it imply creating a literature masterpiece. Journaling is a simple reflection of what you feel, how you think and what you are experiencing, expressed in written words. Do not spend time thinking how talented you are in writing, this is something that does not matter at all, when starting a journaling practice.

• Everything needs to be perfect before I start;

If you are a perfectionist, then you might be waiting for the perfect time, for the perfect mood, for the perfect pen, for the perfect paper, for the perfect everything. And even though all these can help your practice, do not get stuck in the process of finding them, make do with what you have at your disposal at that moment, and enhance the practice in time.

• I don’t want to open up old wounds;

It might be difficult to relive stressful moments, bad experiences, negative emotions, or painful events. But writing them down does not hurt more than keeping them inside of you and letting them grow even bigger than they are. If you are in such a situation, start writing and take a break when you feel you’re getting overwhelmed. Take a deep breath, calm down and continue with writing.

Find out what is stopping you from starting this wonderful practice. Ask yourself if these limiting beliefs are really true. Come up with solutions to deal with them, otherwise, you might find yourself postponing something which can bring you countless benefits.

This was the second article from the journaling series. In the next article I will develop on the different types of journals that you can start with and what they imply.

These being said, start your journaling practice today!