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!

M is for Merry - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Isn't it perfect that we've arrived at the letter m and m is for merry? Even in the midst of the most difficult challenges, and this year has been full of them, a few moments of journaling here and there offer a delightful opportunity to focus in on the good stuff.

With that thought in mind, I've used this lovely, holiday season-y, merry coincidence to create a journal page that celebrates the little joys you find around you and the ones you create for yourself and those you love.

If you'd like to journal the letter m, 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!

L is for Lovely - New alphabet-inspired journal page

This week's alphabet-inspired journal page begins with one lovely thing about being you. It's a variation of a question I've been exploring for a while now: What does it feel like to be you?

I haven't considered the question in quite this way before and do you know what I noticed while I was journaling my one lovely thing? Gratitude. Which surprised me a little because it wasn't my initial intention with this prompt. Originally, I thought it would be more about getting to know yourself from an inward-looking perspective, which I know can be a little uncomfortable, scary even. I thought writing about a lovely thing might be a lovely way in. It was, but it also took me in a direction I didn't foresee, which happens ALL THE TIME while journaling! It's what makes it so worth the effort -- and the scary bits here and there.

And wouldn't you know it, it also gave me an idea for answering this prompt. If looking for one lovely thing about being you it feels a little too sensitive to approach directly or if the answer feels elusive, why not start with gratitude? For example, is there a special someone you're grateful to have in your life? Perhaps that can lead you to one lovely thing about your relationships. Is there a project you're thrilled to be involved in? Perhaps that reveals one lovely thing about the work you do or the adventures you're drawn to.

I hope you'll find all sorts of lovely surprises in your journal today!

If you'd like to journal the letter l, 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!

K is for Kaboom! - New alphabet-inspired journal page

As soon as I added kaboom! to my list of potential k-words for this page, I knew I wanted to use it. I pictured that comic book illustration, you know the one, with the bold kaboom! lettering and puffs of smoke and stars bursting out from all sides. It's such a fun word, especially when you add an exclamation mark!

I settled in to write an exciting new journal prompt and quickly discovered that all of my initial ideas involved destruction. Things were going kaboom! all over the place. And, just like that, it didn't feel like fun anymore. For a while, I replaced kaboom! with other words and wrote other prompts.

But I kept coming back to it. Maybe I could turn it around or upside down or inside out. After all, thinking about opposites and contradictions is one of my favourite ways to explore new perspectives in my journal.

So, I turned my attention to things that don't go kaboom!. Which reminded me of the hero of the story (that's you, by the way!), who swoops in, uses their superpowers to keep things from kabooming! all over the place, and saves the day. Suddenly, I had a new prompt!

I hope the kaboom! on this page reminds you of the ways you persevere, overcome, and follow through on the projects that matter to you.

If you'd like to journal the letter k, 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!

J is for Jettison - New alphabet-inspired journal page

I used to think of the word jettison in simple terms, as a synonym for throw away or toss out, but after coming across it in my dictionary while working on today's alphabet-inspired journal page, I realized I've been missing an important part of its meaning.

Yes, it's about getting rid of something, but it's the why that makes it special. Jettisoning is about removing something in order to lighten the load. It's the thing you do to keep a heavy cargo from bringing the plane down or sinking the ship. It's the thing you do to keep going.

It has interesting parallels when you think about it from a personal perspective. Are there parts of your day, for example, that weigh you down? Things that make it difficult to get to the end of the day feeling like you're still in one piece? If you could jettison one of those things, even just for today, would it lighten your load and make it easier to keep flying?

In my own planning, I've been thinking about it in terms of narrowing my focus. What's one important thing I want to accomplish today? Is there anything on my to-do list for the day that makes it more difficult to accomplish that one thing? What would happen if I jettisoned it?

Poof! It's off the list! Not necessarily forever, just until I get the important thing done. Then I can circle back, but with the added confidence and motivation of having achieved something that matters to me.

How about you? Is there one task, big or small, you can jettison from your day in order to lighten your load?

If you'd like to journal the letter j, 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!

I is for Impromptu - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Impromptu is one of my favourite words. I love the feel of it. No pressure. Totally spontaneous. No planning, preparation, or organization. Just throw something together -- a meal, a get together, a creative project -- using whatever you have on hand and see what happens. Experience the moment as it unfolds.

The first prompt in today's alphabet-inspired i page is all about creating an impromptu moment for yourself that adds delight to your day. Unplanned and unrehearsed. Grand gestures not required. A smile will do. A kind thought or word to yourself or to someone special. A favourite song, a treat, a good memory. Just to remind yourself that an impromptu detour -- however brief -- can be part of your day.

For my part, I've been itching to make something colourful with my hands -- away from the computer. That's my impromptu delight, dipping into my craft stash and playing for a few delightful moments.

Another impromptu-ish thing about this page: over the past few weeks, you've started sending me suggestions for words for future pages, including today's. Thanks to a lovely suggestion from a fellow journaler, the word illuminate is included in this page. This is such a fun way to explore the series together! I'll be curious to know what she thinks of the prompt!

Would you like to suggest a word for a future page? If so, please do! I'll do my best to include as many suggested words as possible and I'll always let you know which words have been included in future pages. Who knows where it might lead?

If you'd like to journal the letter i, 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!

H is for Happiness - New alphabet-inspired journal page

The first prompt I wrote for this week's h-inspired journal page was about the headquarters of your home. Headquarters remind me of multinational corporations and skyscrapers and command centres, so why not apply it to our homes and see what happens? (So far, two rooms in my home are in the running, but I'm going to narrow it down to one.)

Then came humdinger (such a fun word!) and handbook. Then historic. That one tugs at me almost as much as the last one: happiness. At first, it felt like happiness might not be a good choice for this series, which is all about stretching beyond common words and themes, so I considered going with hubbub. But happiness is such a deep and awesome and uncomfortable subject, I felt like I couldn't leave it out. Even though I kind of wanted to. (Which is why I didn't.)

One thing I know about my own happiness is that it feels like it doesn't come naturally. I know I have to work at it. (It's something I've written about before.) I also know that even though a lot of my time is spent with thoughts and ideas, I'm happiest when I'm doing something about them, like experimenting with new ways of living and working, making colourful journal pages, and chatting about life's challenges and its wonders with journalers like you.

But why journal about it? Ultimately, I think, to figure out what it means uniquely to you. So that you can recognize your own happiness when it happens. (Because sometimes it's hard to recognize.) And so that you have a better understanding of how to repeat it or at least how to create the conditions under which it can happen again.

If you'd like to journal the letter h, 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!