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!

"F" is for Frank - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Frankly, I wouldn't say that frankness plays a significant role in my communication style -- with others or with myself. I would say that "meandering" is more my speed. I like to preface my comments with long explanations, provide lots of helpful context, and cushion any uncomfortable directness with an abundance of comforting qualifiers. Kinda like this first paragraph, actually.

I could go on (and on) about the advantages and disadvantages of frankness in conversation, about the people I admire for their awesome ability to call it as they see it -- no meandering, straight to the point; blunt, yet endearingly sincere. All of which would, frankly, just be my way of avoiding the undeniable fact that frankness is way, way outside my comfort zone and that I really don't know how to answer the prompt that I'm going to pose to you at the end of this post.

Paradoxically, this is what I LOVE about reflective journaling. I love the way it challenges me to adopt different perspectives about the littlest details (like a frank assessment of my day), which almost always gives me a better idea of the bigger picture (like how I interact in the world), and to explore new and different ways of being.

I hope you'll find that today's journal page, which tackles fibs and fiascoes in addition to frank assessments, gives you the opportunity to explore your world in new and uncomfortable-but-also-paradoxically-rewarding ways.

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

"E" is for Emporium - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Something about the letter e brings out the eccentric in my journaling. For example, my daughter and I had such fun imagining our all-things-us emporiums.

Hers would feature an entire department dedicated to storage boxes of all shapes, colours and sizes. No matter what you need to organize, you'd find exactly the right box for it in her emporium. There would also be an owl deparment (no actual owls, just books about owls, owl-related designs and owl softies), an overalls and fun socks section, and an all-day food kiosk serving her two favourite dishes: her grandmother's molokhiya soup and creme brulee. For your viewing pleasure, the shelves would all be color coordinated.

My emporium would carry a vast collection of handmade papers from all over the world, notebooks of every shape, size and function (of course), a fully stocked moisturizer and lip balm department, a wide selection of mixing bowls and measuring cups, long and short-sleeve t-shirts in every colour of the rainbow, and a handmade items gift shop.

How about yours?

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

"D" is for Different -- New alphabet-inspired journal page

Before we get to today's d page, could we chat about your colossal emails and comments on last week's post for a sec?

Here are three things you taught me:

1. Putting a colossal effort into your projects, big or small, very often leads to equally colossal results that make all of the hard work worthwhile. Yay, you!

2. Taking a few moments to think about where you're devoting your time and energy is a great way to evaluate whether you're making the most of both or whether there could be other ways to make a difference for yourself and for others. Yay, you once again!

3. The word itself, colossal, had a way of clarifying how hard you're working toward the things that matter to you. It was an amazing reminder of how gratifying it is to find a word that describes exactly how you're feeling or exactly what happened. It makes your experiences tangible and meaningful and that's what journaling is all about!

Now, on to the d page! The first prompt is all about noticing the variety of experiences you encounter from day to day. You'll also find doodads, doohickeys, and the deep sea, among other things!

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

"C" is for Colossal -- new alphabet-inspired journal page

The letter c gave me some trouble. It's not that there aren't enough c words. There are. My 1983 edition of the Gage Canadian Dictionary* features 136 pages of c words while there are only 79 pages for b and 78 pages for a.

I made a list of the words starting with c that seemed promising and tried to ignore any I've used frequently in the past like curiosity, change, community, and conversation. (It was really hard to ignore curiosity -- such a great word and so much to be curious about!)

By the time I got to czar, my list had 95 words, which is plenty to work with. I wrote a bunch of a different journal prompts over a couple of days, but almost all of them felt forced or vague or complicated. Luckily, this is a familiar part of my creative cycle -- the part where I start to second guess myself. Maybe this whole alphabet project is too weird, plus it'll take too long and also it's too repetitive. And onward in that direction.

But there's another side. The truth is I'm really enjoying sitting with my ancient, coverless, yellow-paged dictionary on my lap and wandering through its thin pages. I love the challenge of working with new words and playing with letter shapes.

And your emails. Can I just say . . . they are awesome! No two are alike. You have your own wonderful perspective on the world and it is such a thrill to cheer you on in your journaling.

So I'm done second guessing. I pressed on with my list and put together 5 new prompts that I quite like and hope you'll like too.

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

* This is the dictionary that lived on the family bookshelves when I was a kid. It's undeniably dated and I mostly use online dictionaries now, but I can't part with it. (The bookshelves, by the way, were floor-to-ceiling teak and featured an angled shelf for displaying magazines!)

"B" is for Baker's Dozen -- new alphabet-inspired journal page

Did you know that it's perfectly okay to end a sentence with a preposition? At least, Merriam-Webster's online dictionary says it is:

There is nothing wrong with ending a sentence in a preposition like to, with, for, or at. English speakers have been doing so since the days of Old English. The people who claim that a terminal preposition is wrong are clinging to an idea born in the 17th century and largely abandoned by grammar and usage experts in the early 20th.

This came as happy news to me! I was definitely taught by 17th century grammar enthusiasts.

Of the five prompt ideas starting with the letter b in today's alphabet-inspired journal page, three of them are sometimes prepositions: behind, before, and beside. They don't make their appearances at the end of any sentences, but I made sure to end the last prompt on the page with a lovely little of -- just for fun!

As I mentioned last week, this project feels even more experimental than usual. I'm sharing the process (and the pages!) with you as I go and I'd love to know your thoughts along the way.

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

"A" is For Announcement -- an alphabet-inspired journal page

I've always wanted to create a set of alphabet-inspired journal pages using huge, colourful letters. For a long time, a vague idea of the series was as far as I got: single letter pages, lots of colours and journal prompts. Every once in a while, I'd open a new file and try to sketch it out, but I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

Truth be told, I'm still not entirely sure how to make it work, but these days I'm more motivated to try. I've got a bunch of pages sitting in my journal files and they're all stuck at various stages of completion. I feel like I need to try something new. I'm looking for a creative way to work with words I don't usually use and ideas I haven't fully explored before. More than that, I'd love to loosen up my process a little, create more daring prompts, and push the boundaries of my usual approach to journaling.

Long story short, after lots of back and forth and still some uncertainty about the end result, my first single letter journal page is ready to go.

This project feels even more experimental than usual. It's possible that by the time I get to m the pages will look completely different. For better or worse, I'd love to share the process (and the pages!) with you as I go. I'd also love to know your thoughts along the way.

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

Look for the Good Things

I know I write about looking for the good things A LOT, but if I don't remind myself pretty regularly that they're out there, I forget! A few weeks ago, I made this little reminder using a watercolour background I painted ages ago.

There are three letter-sized pages in total, which include:

• a set of tiny cards for tucking into a journal or using as tags,

• quarter-page prints for turning into postcards or bookmarks or for writing a list of good things on the back, and

• a full letter-sized version, for . . . well . . . because I just love all that colour!

If you'd like to print these at home, I'll send them to you!

In the comments below (or by email if you’d prefer), tell me one good thing in your world today. That's it, just one. I'll reply by email with one good thing from here and attach the printable PDF file with all three colourful pages.

P.S. I wrote all about these pages and more of the new things I’m working on in my newsletter. If you’d like to receive it, along with my free e-book 10 Good Reasons to Journal, click here to sign up!

What I'm Thinking About While Creating New Journal Pages

Here’s a short video of some of the things I'm thinking about when I'm creating new printable journal pages and journaling in my own journal. Spoiler alert: it's all about reflection!

New Journal Pages on the Way

As ever and especially now, it seems to me that the most important, most compelling, most meaningful details are found in the littlest things, moments, and thoughts — the ones that zip by as we go about our days, the ones we don’t even notice, can’t bear to notice, or used to notice, but don’t anymore.

I’m working on a new set of pages that dives deep into the details in search of new and fascinating discoveries.

Speaking of discoveries, I’ve also decided to offer these pages in a way I haven’t before. It’s not entirely worked out, but it will involve interactivity and a few secrets along the way. I hope you’ll stay tuned!