“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”

~Jesse Owens

In your journal, write about your dreams. What do you want to do with your life that you aren’t already doing? What would you like to achieve? Where would you like to go? Now, write about how you are going about making that happen. Are you determined & dedicated? Are you making a daily effort to reach for your dreams and beyond?

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“Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well too.”

~David Storey

In your journal, write about a few little things that you have done well. How did those build your confidence to move on to bigger things?

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“We must combine the toughness of the serpent with the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.”

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

In your journal, write about your own toughness. Is it something that has developed over the years? Looking back, do you believe that certain events in your life have contributed to your toughness? Has it overflowed from your mind to you heart, or do you still have a tender heart?

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“People can achieve meaning in their lives only if they have made commitments beyond the self — religious commitments, commitments to loved ones, to one’s fellow humans, to excellence, to some conception of an ethical order — you give life meaning through your commitments.”

~ John W. Gardner

What do you think? In your journal, write your initial reaction to John W. Gardner’s thoughts on commitment, above. Do you believe that your life is given meaning through your commitments?

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“If we put the emphasis upon the right things, if we live the life that is worth while and then fail, we will survive all disasters, we will out-live all misfortune. We should be so well balanced and symmetrical, that nothing which could ever happen could throw us off our center, so that no matter what misfortune should overtake us, there would still be a whole magnificent man or woman left after being stripped of everything else.”

~Orison Sweet Marden

In your journal, write about where the emphasis of your life is. Are you putting emphasis in your daily life on being well balanced and symmetrical, or is your intention on living a well balanced & symmetrial life, but, that intention somehow gets lost in the shuffle as soon as your day begins?

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“There are certain things that are fundamental to human fulfillment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase ‘to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy’. The need to live is our physical need for such things as food, clothing, shelter, economical well-being, health. The need to love is our social need to relate to other people, to belong, to love and to be loved. The need to learn is our mental need to develop and to grow. And the need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution”

~Stephen R. Covey

In your journal, write about your definition of fulfillment. Is it the same as Covey’s definition? Is it different? Do you prioritize your day around these needs? If so, how do you do it? If not, why not?

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“I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life a champion.”

~Muhammad Ali

What are you training for? Think beyond the box – further than training your body, or training for an athletic competition. Are you training yourself to control your temper? Are you training yourself to think before you act? Are you training yourself to act without hesitation?

What are you training for? Write about it in your journal.

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“Risk! risk anything. Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself.”

~Katherine Mansfield

In your journal, write about how hard it is for you to risk anything, and risk everything. For some, this seems to be an easy process, and others have great difficulty with any risk. Where do you fall on this sliding scale? Are you a risk taker or a risk avoider? Why? If you are willing to take “calculated risks”, how do you make the determination on which risks are “worth” taking?

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“I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.”

~Pietro Aretino

When you truly love someone, you also have a deep respect for that person. And, while sometimes it may be easier to lie to someone, to “protect their feelings”, there is also the fact that it’s better to tell them the truth than lie – if for no other reason than the chance (even the outside chance) that truth may be revealed leater, and cause more hurt than the original truth would have, if it would have been given to begin with.

However, it can still be so difficult. A struggle between loving & wanting the love returned, and taking the higher path of the right thing. In your life, have you experienced a time when you chose to tell the truth – even though you knew that it would be difficult and painful – rather than taking the easy road of lying? Write about that situation in your journal. How did it turn out? Was the truth (after it was revealed) really as bad as your mind thought it was to begin with? How did that time effect your life later on?

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“Unless your heart, your soul, and your whole being are behind every decision you make, the words from your mouth will be empty, and each action will be meaningless.”

~Anonymous

In your journal, consider today’s quote. Can you think of a time in your life when the decision you made was half-hearted or compelled by a desire to please everyone else, rather than because your whole being was behind the decision? How did that feel? How often do you think of that time? How did the situation based on that decision turn out?

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“Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.”

~ Orison Sweet Marden

In your journal, write about one or two common occassions you have experienced in the past that became extraordainry opportunities because you recognized and siezed the opportunity within them?

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“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title. Do not lose your knowledge that man’s proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it’s yours.”

~Ayn Rand

In light of the recent terrorist bombings in London, it may be difficult to remember that people are generally good. The ugly, cowardly, and mindless acts can have a dramatic impact on the way you view the world around you. In your journal, give some thought to the events today and how they effected you and/or those you love. Allow yourself the time and candor to really “let it all out”, so that the tragedy of the events will not quelch your inner fire.

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“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope”

~Winston Churchill

I love this quote. It’s one of many that adorn my work area. The great things in life truly are the simple things. As Churchill points out, many can be expressed in a single word. Yet, there are others than need – no, deserve – more than one word expressions. In your journal, take some time to describe a few of those great things in your life that are so simple, yet, so very vital.

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Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

You know, sometimes I welcome failing on a task – it gives me the opportunity to learn something and forces me to look at that task in a new light.

In a society that hates failure, it seems strange to welcome failure. But, think about it – if we never failed at anything, how would we learn and grow?

In your journal, consider one of your failures. What did you learn from it? How did you grow from it? How did you overcome it?

Bonus Journal Writing Prompt: If you’ve experienced a grand success that came as a (direct or indirect) result of failure, take a few more minutes in your journal to explore that situation. What was it in the situation that poised you for success?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”.

-Anonymous

Sometimes, we have the mistaken belief that courage is something that roars like a lion – we mistake courage with heroism. And, while heroes certainly show courage, sometimes we forget that courage comes in quieter packages too.

In your journal, think about quiet courage. Each of us has experienced it at some point in our lives. Pick a time of quiet courage in your own life and write about that.

Bonus Journal Writing Prompt: There seems to be certain things that are always present in courageous acts. One of them being the refusal to give up – in the face of an obstacle. What obstacles have you faced recently that you determinedly, courageous faced, refusing to give up?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.
~Walt Disney

All of us, at some point in our life, have done something that someone told us couldn’t be done – or more specifically – that you couldn’t do.

Write about a specific time in your life when you did the impossible. Was it, as Walt Disney said, fun? What did you learn from the experience?

Journal Writing Prompt Bonus: The “I told you so” is one of those phrases that we sometimes love to say but hate to hear. Thinking about the time in your life when you did what those around you said was impossible, what “I told you so”’s would you like to say? Write them in your journal (leave out names, please – we don’t want to get cruel!). If you could give the “It can’t be done”’s any advice, what would it be?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within.”

~Albert Schweitzer

In your journal, take a few moments to list the person or people who have rekindled your spark. To get you started, think about the following:

• Who was it?
• What was the situation?
• How did it change your life?
• What was that person like?

Journal Writing Prompt Bonus: List 10 things or people that you are grateful for, and why.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

“Life is filled with detours, the secret is to enjoy the scenery.”

~Anonymous

Consider this in your journal. What detours have you had recently – unexpected turns in your life road? Looking back, what was the scenery like? If you weren’t able to enjoy the scenery, due to the nature of the detour, think hard, and picture some of the scenery.

Bonus Journal Writing Prompt: What tips come to your mind that may help you better enjoy the scenery during your next detour?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

“We speak about creation as if it were over. Creation is taking place every moment of our lives.”

~Anonymous

In your journal, write about a little bit of creation that you witnessed today. Maybe it was a flower that finally bloomed, or possibly you noticed a baby bird in a nest in a nearby tree. Take some time to consider the beauty and awe of the creation that is taking place every moment of your life.

Bonus Journal Writing Prompt: Nature is an obvious source for you to find creation taking place every moment. But, creation takes places every moment of your life – in your actions, in your thoughts, in you creativity itself. Take some time in your journal to consider this “less obvious” creation that takes place in your every day life and write about it in your journal.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

“You gain strength, courage and confidence from every experience which makes you stop, look fear in the face, and do the thing which you think you cannot do.”

~Anonymous

In your journal, write and consider something that you have done in the past that you thought you could not do. Write about the experience itself, and then continue your journal entry by reminiscing about what you gained from the experience. How did you grow stronger, more courageous, or more confident from the experience?

Bonus journal writing prompt: What is one thing that you are facing now that you think that you can not do? Write about it in your journal, then consider how much you could grow from the experience.

Happy Journaling!

Dee

“Time gives good advice.”

In your journal, consider this quote. What “advice” have you gotten from time? If you were to pass wisdom along to future generations, what would it be?

Bonus Journal Writing Prompt: Think back to when you were younger, what was one thing that you were sure you were right about, that time’s advice showed you otherwise?

Happy Journaling!

Dee

“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”

What are your special abilities? List them in your journal. Are you using them? Or, are you allowing them to lie dormant until you “have time”?

Take some time to consider this in your journal. If you are using them, expand on that, and write about how you are using them. If not, explore why you are letting them lie dormant, and work on a plan to start using them today.

Happy Journaling!

Dee