When Camille and I first started the Journaling Collective, we did so because we saw the need for consistent journaling and reflection in our own lives.
The inspiration for this week comes from a similarly personal place. The theme was inspired by something that came up while I was in anxiety counseling for my son. He is only 8, but he already feels so much pressure to be perfect and do more and be better. I’m sure we can all relate to that feeling.
It makes me sad that at 8 he has already lost the sense of life being an exciting adventure waiting to unfold. The dark is crowding out the light.
It really got me thinking. When did I lose my own sense that life was an adventure? How do I reclaim the excitement of the journey? Is it possible to recapture that in my own life and in so doing help my family do it too?
These are the questions we will be exploring together this week. After a weird two years, we probably all have room to add a little more adventure, joy, and hope back into our lives.
Additional inspiration for this week was taken from Mastin Kipp’s book Claim Your Power. If this topic resonates with you, that might be a great resource for you to explore further.
“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”
- Joseph Campbell
Your Prompts
1. Does life feel like an adventure right now or more of a trudge? Why do you think it feels that way?
2. There are all kinds of stories that hold you back from living your adventure. Here are some common ones. Have you told yourself any of these stories in the past? Write down your top three stories that have held you back from feeling a sense of adventure and hope. Use ones from this list or make up your own.
- “I’m too old.”
- “I can’t balance it all.”
- “I don’t have enough time.”
- “I don’t have enough money.”
- “I will never be good enough.”
- “I’m too young.”
- “It’s always been this way.”
- “I have to wait till my kids get older.”
- “This works for other people, but not for me.”
3. Many of the stories we discussed yesterday are very common, so don’t be hard on yourself if you have had those thoughts before. The purpose of identifying these stories is to take away their power in our lives. Pick one of the stories you identified yesterday and write about how it has created limiting beliefs in your life. How has telling yourself this story affected the actions you take or the feelings you have about your life?
4. We usually aren’t aware of the limiting beliefs we hold. (That’s why they can be so tricky!) These beliefs are often inherited from our families, peer groups, and community. Think about these groups. What are some of their expectations of you? Do these expectations feel heavy?
5. We often tell ourselves these stories because they FEEL TRUE. Today we are looking for evidence that they are in fact false. Write about a specific person or event that proves your story wrong and how this example makes you feel. Think you are too old to follow your passion? Think of a person who was successful later in life like Julia Child. She was in her 50s before she ever had a cooking show. The example can be taken from your own experience/someone you know or you can research someone famous who broke free of this same story.
6. Use the weekend or additional days to free journal or catch up if you fall behind. You can also take the weekend off if that feels good to you.
Below you'll find a downloadable PDF for you to enjoy if you prefer to have these all in one place.
That's all for this week. We hope to connect with you in the Facebook group for daily accountability and additional prompts!
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