Monday 29 August 2011

A Week In Your Life Challenge - How Did It Go?

Did you participate in last week's challenge to record a week in your life? If so, I would love to hear how it went. 


For me personally, I discovered or rather re-learned few things:

  • I journal a lot, so it wasn't an effort to journal. But at times, I had to remind myself to focus on specific topics, because I was supposed to record my days
  • I quite enjoy recording facts. I don't do this regularly, and probably don't do it well, but I like it. It especially makes for good records, and makes looking back at journals far more rewarding because it practically transports you back to that day.
So now that this experiment is over, each day, I am going to try and make sure that my entries do cover at least some of the seemingly ordinary, mundane things that happen to me in daily life. 

What have you learned? 

Thursday 25 August 2011

Two New Blogs

Hello Peeps! 

A little advertisement is in order...

I have two new blogs. 

Four Hour Body - A Vegetarian Experiment
Is to record my experiment with slow-carb diet based on Tim Ferris' book "Four Hour Body" plus general comments about weight loss, fitness, healthy eating. Hoping this to be a record for striving for a long-term healthier habits. 

Language Dabbler 
This is a blog to record my love of languages, and attempts to learn new ones. Methods, madness, resources, facts and fun....anything to do with any languages. 

If you have interests in either of those areas, I hope to see you at my new homes too. 

Saturday 20 August 2011

Your Life Not Worth Recording?

People comment sometimes that they don't keep a journal because their lives are boring, ordinary, and nothing record-worthy ever happens. Is that you? Do you ever look a pretty journal and worry about defacing it with your mundane life? 

Well, if you won't listen to me about worthiness of anyone's life for journaling, I do hope you will listen to Mark Twain.


There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy. 
                         - Mark Twain 

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Journaling Challenge - A Week In Your Life

I'm going to start a new journaling challenge, and I hope some of you (or maybe many of you) will join me.

We journal for different reasons and in different styles. I know that my journals include far more introspection, rather than facts and things that go on in my daily life. So I have decided to record a week of my life in minute detail.

So this will be what is generally a diary entry - logging things that happen. Actual events. People you meet, things you see, things you eat, time you go to bed....as many details as you wish.

That doesn't mean that you can include the usual things you journal. So for example, I will still no doubt include my introspection, my feelings about various things, lists and tasks and whatever else comes to mind. But the main thing to make sure is that you record your week as it truly happens, so that years from now when you look back at these entries, you will know exactly what this particular week was like.

Don't worry if it feels mundane. Most of us live through mundane days, but so did all the people whose lives we now find fascinating.

I will be happy to post excerpts from people's entries so feel free to send them to me.

The challenge will be for August 22 to August 28. It begins at midnight on August 21, and ends at Midnight on August 28. So entries for this challenge must be from this time period. I hope you will join in, and we can share this journey together, and share some of our entries or discuss how we found the experience, and what we learned if anything.

Sunday 14 August 2011

Journal Writing Prompt 25 - Curiosity

Today's prompt is Curiosity. 

Curiosity of mind. Curiosity of heart. Curiosity of life. Do you have it? Do you yearn for new knowledge, new experiences? If so, are you getting them? Journal about them.

Or are you comfortable just staying as you are now, with what you have, and not keen to get out of your comfort zone? Journal about why that might be.

Each of this topic has two sides - positive and negative. See how it affects you. Journal freely...don't worry about labels and headings and breaks. Just write: Curiosity, and then free write and see where your words take you.

Sunday 7 August 2011

Journal Writing Prompt 24 - Gratitude

We often think about all the things we would like to have in life, but today's prompt, let's focus on what we have.

What are you grateful for? It could be material items, like a comfortable house, enough food, nice clothes, a car. It could be emotional aspects - people who love you and care about you, friends who support you. It doesn't matter how little or how big these things are. Make a list of all the things that you are grateful for.

Count your blessings! And by the time you are done, your life will feel the richness of your life.

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Journal Writing Prompt 23 - Here and Now

Focus on the present. Where are you right now in your life? You can journal about the physical location if you wish too, but think about your overall life. Are you happy in your present, or do you keep wishing for the past or the future? What would you like to change about your present? What you like to keep in it? 

We spend far too much time in non-present (or maybe it's just me), so let's bring our journals and our minds in here and now. Dig deeper. Dwell in the present.