Journal ideas are a great way to grow in personal development.
And personalized gifts like journals with specific themes or words inside are unforgettable gifts.
I have a friend who has the gift of giving memorable personalized gifts (where she would write something nice or attach a thoughtful card).
I knew she had the gifting gift from the first gift she gave me which was a blank hard-bound Hallmark journal with heavy ivory parchment pages (that’s thicker than resume paper).
It had this popular in the day vintage book pattern, but with a mint green color. I don’t think Martha Stewart would mind me showing off one of her cookbooks I’ve held onto.
I remember my friend even said she didn’t think I would like a diary with a locket.
Looking back, journal ideas would have been different when you know it wasn’t read by someone else.
Those were the old-fashioned letter and journal writing days for memories.
Today, journal ideas on paper are good for purging emotions and a form of meditation. They are productive way to release thoughts and feelings, gain revelations, and a quiet practice to slow down.
Journal Ideas for Personal Growth
If you’re feeling stuck in life, writing in a journal or composition book… or typing thoughtful words on a computer is a great exercise to help you gain clarity.
It’s an easy action step that can give you the next breakthrough.
And you feel accomplished and calmer when you address areas of your life you may not have if left in your brain.
Journaling can be a good means to an end and help process what you haven’t figured out just yet.
Written details bring out solutions.
Gratitude Journal Ideas (#1): So one area you can start with is appreciation.
You can write a gratitude journal that lists out what you’re grateful, small and big.
So if someone showed kindness, you could write that down. And your mind will blow that up.
After then after you process or noodle through your journal ideas, thoughts, and feelings, you don’t need those in-between or bridging memories anymore.
So you could toss them out in our growing paperless world, and that can be freeing like burning a piece of clothing that you no longer wear or an old identity you were holding onto.
You can use prompts like:
I am grateful for ___________ today.
I appreciate _____________ in my life.
Revelation Journal Ideas (#2):
Reviewing your old journal writing you wrote can be eye-opening and fun.
You can laugh at life and discover who you’re becoming.
We are meant to grow and change.
You’re no longer in the process of where you were when you wrote the journal entry.
Your habits have changed and you’re in a different season.
the sadness stings or hardships have changed and hopefully lifted.
Some things you wrote could even put a smile on your face. Some are worth repeating (like re-reading) for the laughs.
And some journal ideas could be reminders for a future dream you can pickup today.
Prayer, Quotes, and Hope Journal Ideas (#3):
Using Scripture, quotes, and heartfelt mantras can be super helpful for uplifting, encouragement, and reminders that we all need.
They can get us to our next moment when situations are tough.
We can lean on others’ ideas that helped them through similar troubles that got them through.
That adds a ray of hope. 🌅
And you can use your journaling for shadow work. Sometimes we didn’t get what we needed in our past.
So we can add reminders like:
I am loved.
I am never alone.
S.W.O.T. Journal Ideas (#4): Using the SWOT Method In Your Journaling
S.W.O.T. stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
SWOT is a tool for strategic decision-making that I learned in my later college years.
We drew a lot of grids in business school and this one I’ve used for many areas of life to slow down and make decisions without regret.
I’m more practical than impulsive, but this is also great for those who are.
When applied to a writing tool, like in journaling, it can help you to process thoughts and evaluate from a more objective (higher) point of view.
You can count the pros and cons (and probably save time and money from hiring help) to make better decisions.
It can help you slow down (to ultimately speed up) and help you avoid making a wrong choice.
You can start by thinking of what your current strengths and focuses are today.
And then, what could hold you back (weaknesses and threats) from going all in?
Sometimes you discover it’s nothing or it something you can grow and change in you… that’s the best kind of SWOT journal ideas…
Then write what opportunities you have to move forward on.
Look for answers to know where you’re headed in your destiny and next steps.
If you want to transform your life, and you don’t have a chance or want to take a radical sabbatical now, you could meditate and journal for a few minutes a day in this season that can help propel you into the next one.
Bird of Paradise yoga pose is one that should be celebrated. I love this pose for several reasons I share with you below.
Firstly, it’s a mind challenge in a good way… and maybe you want to take the journey to discover more about you and your body!
Bird of Paradise yoga pose is a good metaphor for removing thinking overwhelm and mind blocks.
It’s a personal growth exercise pose.
And one you can practice annually on #InternationalYogaDay to measure your yoga milestones.
Bird of Paradise yoga pose (BOP pose) is great for mind-body balance.
It stretches your arms, legs, buttocks, and shoulders while you’re standing on your yoga mat.
If you’re injured somewhere between your head and toes, this is not one you want to try until you’re fully healed…
I mention that because I recently was injured, and I couldn’t do the pose.
I had a left foot injury where I often had to stand on my right foot without a crutch. I must’ve looked like a flamingo with my one leg propped up behind me resembling the number “4.” 🦩
With injuries, the last thing on your mind can be working out. After you start getting on the body healing path, you can get back, restore, and find ways to work out parts that work.
Working on strength is healthy.
So a good way to ease back into physical activity is with gentle stretches and yoga poses.
When you’re ready, one of these can be the Bird of Paradise yoga pose that helps build strength in your legs.
It also helps with your balance, especially when you need to rely on one side of your body over another.
That’s why it’s good to maintain and build body strength as you never know when you will need the extra gusto… and flexibility and muscle strength in the right places come in handy (even for a small framed person).
To get in the Bird of Paradise yoga pose on one side, let’s say your right side first…these are the steps:
While bending down at your torso, you weave or wrap your right arm under the same side/right leg and then grab behind you, your left hand.
Then without letting go, stand up and lift your right leg straight up. Either let that right bent leg rest on the back of your right arm or aim it up into the air at a pointed 45-degree angle (if you can and wanna show off ;-).
I know it can sound like a game of Twister with yourself, but it’s simpler than the instructions are once you get the hang of it!…
You’re basically hiking that shoulder behind the same side leg — so it can be done in two simple steps. Your leg in the air is more like a front, dangling handbag strap. 👜
That’s where you can overthink the pose. If you’re a newbie at the BOP pose, it can take a few steps like if you were twisting dough into a pretzel form.
…at this point, I’m not sure what you’re thinking about this pose… but hopefully you’re inspired to attempt (and not scared to try)?
If it’s new to you, it was new to me too. I first learned of the pose when they would teach this one in Hatha yoga classes I attended.
We all try and fail and then before you know it, you’re doing it!
And it’s worth trying because besides the stretch benefits, it teaches you to let go.
It’s a good exercise to teach yourself to lighten up and not take everything so seriously. That’s a side benefit.
And when you do that, you’re n the Bird of Paradise yoga pose.
Because when you’re first starting out, you can overthink the pose and not fully get off the ground (floor). Or, you can wobble or fall out of the pose somewhere in the process.
Here’s how you can bypass overthinking the pose… 🧘🏻♀️
You start off standing. Then bending over and taking one arm and threading the same side shoulder underneath the same side knee.
Then stand straight up with the entire leg and same side arm in one fell swoop. It’s that easy.
You probably got that part the first time, but where people get hung up (and I know I did in the beginning) is focusing on the arm and leg and how it would gracefully look instead of just looking straight ahead and trusting all the parts are where they need to be.
It’s about surrendering.
And before I surrendered, I stayed stuck and bent over on the ground.
I was ready to get up.
So I attempted again the next day without giving the pose much thought.
The next time I looked up slightly, and straight ahead with more confidence.
From there it became easy, breezy, and smooth sailing, as I know it will for you too. ⛵️
Also, if you stay in intentional present mindfulness, the success rate to bloom into a flower Bird of Paradise is high. 🦩
If you think of yourself as the flowering bird of paradise planted in life, 🪷 then you can aspire to achieve this advanced mind challenge yoga pose pose more eloquently and efficiently (bypassing negative emotions and confusion).
I’ve done the pose in linoleum floor office workplaces wearing stretchy leggings and riding boots… and I’m no superwoman, so getting off the ground if you want to, can happen for you too! 😊
Just a few final notes and words of encouragement before I close out here…
If you’re on the computer most of the day, the Bird of Paradise yoga pose is a great shoulder opener.
Without awareness, most of us have a habit of leaning forward and caving our bodies inward that isn’t great for our bodies.
Especially by our old age when we need support to balance our bowling ball-like weighted heads (and our shoulders are part of the main muscle group that helps with that cause).
So to counteract or correct bad habit postures, to undo them, bend them in the opposite direction from time to time. That’s a good overall rule of thumb for stretching practices.
Keep challenging and amusing yourself and others around you with your standing poses like Bird of Paradise, Tree Pose, and Dancer Pose. These are other favorite poses of mine..
And if you are having seasonal internal-body symptoms that are preventing you from doing a Bird of Paradise yoga pose, be sure to check out the Body Balance Quiz to learn more about restoring imbalances.
In my life, I first noticed my performance anxiety early on when it came to test-taking time in school.
Since then I figured out that performance anxiety comes from panic, perfectionism, and overthinking. Those all had one thing in common – my mind.
That’s where it all started when I believed I wasn’t prepared enough.
That set my subconscious mind sending unclear messages that left me in an internal nervous frenzy and blowing up into anxiety and panic, which further prevented productive rational conscious thinking (and maybe this has happened to you also).
All through childhood, I grew up achieving ideal perfectionist standards that aren’t so easy to shake off as an adult, even with constant reminders.
But doing it imperfectly and progress over perfection is the better mantra way, that has also changed in schools.
In school terms, that’s being a “C” student and passing, over being an excellent “A” student as the only successful path.
A few years ago, I may have cringed at that thought. But we’ve turned into a more empathetic world that allows us to be brave and follow Nike’s long-running ad advice, just do it.
There are still times when you’re asked in your work to strive for perfection. On those occasions, you’re asked to nail the performance or delivery, and you’re not gonna turn down the ask if it’s your employer.
But if it’s self-imposed, then that’s something to be observant about and look out for.
You can ask yourself why you didn’t hit send or complete the intended task imperfectly. That’s what I do as checks and balance along with believing, love is in detail (the positive side of perfectionism).
In our gray decision-making world and in finding our own individual balance, we can get better at when to turn it on or off for different scenarios.
In a test-taking performance environment, overthinking test questions and re-writing subjective essay answers can hurt a test taker.
Usually, your gut instinct and the first thought are better than second-guessing. If you’re not sure, stick with your first guess.
When you combine these complex dimensions of growing panic, aiming for perfectionism, and overthinking, those elements mixed together are a recipe for performance anxiety and a test-taking disaster (and in my scenarios all I could do was hope for the best and move on).
Performance Anxiety on The Great British Baking Show Competition
Alice – Season 7 Finalist
David – Season 7 Finalist
Steph – Season Finalist
On the topic of combining and mixing, in The Great British Baking Show series, the invited competitors are challenged to create great bakes, that require overcoming performance anxiety on top of great talent and skill.
They’re the nation’s best bakers.
If the contestant can wow the judges week after a week staying in the competition, stay calm, keep emotions in check, and not lose his or her marbles, they move onto the final rounds.
By the final week, nerves can grow for each contestant, as you would expect. The final ones that get in their heads with worry and anxiety are the ones that end up making mistakes and messing up because of their overriding emotions and minds sending mixed messages.
They can have the greatest talent and high skills under low-pressure conditions like baking at home, where they could create perfect masterpiece bakes.
The gifts of imperfection are not found in holding onto perfection. I learned the hard way in and around the area I grew up in…
If the U.S. Capitol were a cake, it would have perfect lines, and these were the standards in the schools and household I grew up in.
If you change your perfection ways, you can discover the gifts of imperfection over perfection. You can achieve bigger and better things.
Perfection can create unwanted side effects like anxiety and self-pity (that you can overcome). If you’re an overachiever, you know how aiming for perfection can create performance anxiety.
Thankfully “progress over perfection” replaces “practice makes perfect” in our delicate world.
Because early on I wasn’t perfect in school. I attended the #1 highest ranking public high schools in America (in the DC suburbs) at the time, and that didn’t help my cause. Let’s say I ended up doing well, but that didn’t seem perfect or good enough at times especially when applying for top colleges.
At home, my dad was a high achiever, a hardworking Harvard architect who graduated at the top of his class, earned an impressive scholarship, and the whole nine yards. He had high ideals in life and I got the passed-on message about those ambitious expectations.
Perfection was a value and I was more like an Eton Mess than perfect.
You can make your own Eton Mess (steps on how to make below) to help you remind you that imperfection still creates a form of edible perfection that tastes great.
I didn’t always know what the expectations were but I knew I fell short, so I bagged the perfect model concept early on. The problem was I had nothing to replace with, like progress over perfection. Or fail forward means you’re trying.
But I kept going and so did you…
If you’ve carried perfectionist ideals along your journey, I know where you’re coming from. It’s not easy to shake off the past… with the good, bad and ugly.
And thing that did help me was knowing that no one on earth. There was only one and he’s no longer on earth.
So I decided that good meant keeping high standards and wanting to make achievements in life (and valuing the gifts of imperfection).
Naturally, you want to do your best but the wheels do fall off sometimes in our fallen world.
And when you become obsessive in the process of an outcome, that can be self-destructive and unhealthy.
Perfectionist behaviors can also negatively rub off on other people or into blame situations.
The ego or Imposter mind can be crafty and find coping ways to urgently nourish your soul and body if you let your mind run and ruin your life. Keeping your mind separate from you and your spirit can help your journey.
Re-defining and embracing imperfection is the healthier way to a happy life.
The Gifts of Imperfection at Work
Remind yourself that being imperfect is better. Maybe, that’s getting things done is better than none.
Remind yourself how you made imperfection work for you in the past. That people embraced your imperfect work.
…If you forgot to do something, as we all do, you’re no longer perfect so that helps you to rule out perfection as always. Our ego loves to use “always” and “never” when it’s usually more like “sometimes”, “often”, or “rarely.”
You may not even have missed out on this activity in any impactful way.
One of the best things you can do to let go is to fail at something and see that: 1) you survived, 2) you’re okay, and 3) something good came out of your scenario… maybe it was that you learned 1 and 2 and can repeat. Usually you can find a positive if you want to that helps your outlook and growth.
You can embrace: Good is good enough. When I embraced this mantra, it helped me to hit “send” and “publish.”
You get more done and are happier taking the stress and pressure off yourself. Because what will be, will be. So many factors are out of controls anyways.
Being imperfect sets you up to keep going, doing, and trying…. and eventually finding your purpose or destiny.
Catching and correcting written spelling and grammar mistakes is good but is different than making sure every word is perfect to your mind’s satisfaction. There’s a fine line between valuing your work and what you do, and obsessing over the quality because of what that would represent if you didn’t perform well in some way.
Your performance isn’t as important as those youu impact. That’s the lesson from the movie Burnt where Actor Bradley Cooper’s Type-A and chef character learns that letting go of his perfection for a calmer teamwork environment brings home the additional Michelin star success.
The supporting kitchen staff actors are empowered to do their jobs without feeling like they’re walking on eggshells in front of their boss.
You may have also learned this lesson as an employee working with others and working towards climbing the organization ladder.
And you may have found that those promoted weren’t necessarily the hardest workers who delivered flawless work. Some weren’t even as qualified as the person who should’ve gotten the promotional job, but they were trusted with their work given to them (as part of the gifts of imperfection).
Most importantly, they worked at building relationships and connections while others focused on producing the best work.
Building good rapport is a skill that’s valued and can be even more difficult than keeping the head down doing work. People want to work with those they know, like, and trust. So letting your guard down some and letting them know a personal side of you can help you win points.
It’s not just in what you say or how you say it. There’s an energy that you give off even when you’re sitting in front of your computer that you may not even know you’re giving off.
Everyone has a part they can play no matter what special personalities they display. Your non-judgment of others and focusing on their positives is what will create a good work environment for you…
Not necessarily being the person who does perfect work. Perfection is an illusion. What you do today, will be obsolete tomorrow or forgotten by most, years from now. Who you showed up as, and your progress contributions will be remembered.
So, what if you’re caught up in the perfectionist trap?
If you find yourself falling for perfectionist obsessive ways, being self-critical or beating yourself up, here are some smart steps to take:
Be perfect.
Whaaat? Yes, be perfect. It’s all in your mind. When you force yourself to NOT do something, you unintentionally end up doing that behavior. Because your subconscious brain doesn’t hear NOT.
It picks up that you are focusing energy towards that area. It’s not always helping you, and your eyeballs can even skip over the words “not,” as part of the process if you’re reading words on a page.
So you’re trying not to be perfect, can backfire. (I’ve deliberately highlighted the word “not” in several ways here to catch your attention).
Instead in self-awareness, catch yourself and realize that you don’t want to do that anymore. Because before you probably didn’t see it when you were acting that way, but now you’re aware.
So give yourself grace to take two steps forward and one step backward in growth.
In the beginning, it can be like an internal dance you’re trying to figure out. But you’ll get it because you’re trying to make it better than the old ways that didn’t work the way you hoped.
Your trying can shift over to your growing out of perfection instead of toward your output.
Imperfection takes less effort, and caring less sometimes is the answer if your mind is running the show.
Eventually the gifts of imperfection outweigh perfection with your desires and efforts.
But, there are exceptions and times when you do want to shine and be as perfect as possible. So you don’t want to lose all your perfection traits if that’s what comes naturally to you.
Like when you have a performance or presentation to give and want to wow the critics. Or you have a test or an interview to ace. The difference here is that these aren’t everyday occurrences and they’re solo acts you want to nail.
Back when I had school team presentations, several times I was disappointed when the group didn’t do the part they agreed to. Letting go of the idea that everyone was as dedicated, I learned later to do every piece of their part and mine, as though it were performed and turned in solely by me…
That was my backup plan.
If the team came through on their parts, then I would rely on them. And when they did, I realized that we had better information as I could chime in with additional insight in their areas and mine because the research was done.
I gave my best and that’s all I could do. And that’s the attitude to embrace for progress over perfection.
Stay Authentic
In make or break situations, stay authentic to your deeper, healthy self desires.
Let go of worries.
Striving for high standards is a better way of living.
Be happy with your imperfect message and letting your caring, human side come out.
You can come back and change your thoughts. You don’t have to nail every point flawlessly the first time. We think we never have a chance to do over.
That’s true only if you think it is. If you came across as serious before, you can come back as light-hearted or funny in a pivot around new audiences.
Be comfortable where you are and your confident energy will shine through. Keep showing up the way you want to be perceived.
You get to be who you want to be as human, not perfect (remembering the gifts of imperfection).
If you think these tips could help someone grow, please share with them.
And here’s how you can make your own Eton Mess dessert that could be a good metaphor to embracing your authentic creativity and imperfection inside you.
fruits (raspberries, blueberries, lychee, cantaloupe shown in photo)
Instructions
Shape meringue to liking on a baking sheet. Bake in oven on a low temperature around 250°F/120°C or less until marshmallowy soft but crisp. You'll be able to see when the edges are starting to toast.
Let the meringue cool and break off on your plate in a mess. Add and pile on fruits you would like to use to create a modern art dessert plate.
“Don’t worry be happy” is not just a song made famous by Bobby McFerrin. Your thoughts can try to make you worry and overthink. You have a better choice that helps you calm worry.
Worry less is something you can transform even if you’re born a worry wart (aka Vata mind). I know because I did. And if I can do it, you can too!
8 ways to get calm (and don’t worry be happy):
1. Don’t focus on what could happen, focus on what is.
When awake, your mind doesn’t naturally silence. When your mind gets ahead of itself or starts to attach a fantastical made up story line to your thoughts, that’s when you have a chance to take a pause, get present or distracted and busy.
How does that old saying go?… “the past has already happened, the future hasn’t occurred, and all we have is now.”
If only we could stay focused on the present moment (not the past or future).
If you’re multi-tasking, you can miss it and let worry settle in. Mindfulness brings your awareness back (and you’re doing just fine if you let go of the past and future uncertainty).
2. Lower your standards to worry less.
We all have an idea as to what life should be and how we should be. Our expectations create a set of worries and disappointments when we face a setback.
There is not a perfect human on this planet. Accept that progress is made through your getting things done.
