Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - D is for...

D is for...Dare to Dream

When we are children we dream of becoming a pilot, or an astronaut or maybe even a celebrity. But what do we dream about as adults? To have more money? Fame? A peaceful existence?

In her book, The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron implores the reader to rediscover their creative selves. The dreams you had when you were young but were either too fearful to chase or were convinced that such a life was not the responsible thing to do.

There are many reasons why people suppress or ignore their creative sides. Time is one reason that many cites. But what if you made a commitment to explore that side of you again? You make commitments to many things: your work, your family, friends, other responsibilities...but do you make any commitments to yourself? Can you honestly say that by giving so much of yourself to others, and nothing to yourself, can truly lead to a path of happiness?

Here is my dare to you today:

Find an hour somewhere in this week, and book it in your calendar. Go to your room, a quiet spot in the garden, or secluded spot in the park - somewhere quiet where you can be by yourself. Leave your mobile phone and computer - or switch them off. Use pen and paper and spend a minimum of 20 minutes to consider the following:

1. What in my life makes me truly happy?

2. What do I miss doing?

3. How can I bring more creativity back into my life, even if only to please myself?

While writing your thoughts might drift to things you liked as a child, or a young adult. Explore the way that doing those things made you feel. Not every exploration has to be dramatic. It could be as simple as taking up reading again. Or going fly fishing with a close friend.

Make a commitment to yourself

If there is more than one activity, or you cannot decide which one, make a list and explore each one. The journey to find your activity in itself might lead you to where you need to go.

The number of activities is not important, nor is the amount of time that you spend doing it. The important part is that you need to be happy actually doing it.

On a personal note: I found my 'activity' when I realised that I could spend hours and hours doing something and not feel the time pass. It was the same for both my writing and drawing. At first, I painted too. Although I liked it, it was only once I did a very basic pencil drawing not intended as an outline for a painting, that I truly found my creative happiness. I also love reading.

So my list has three activities where I can lose myself with happiness. It is often difficult to decide where to spend my time, but I am working on that too. (part of my Live in Balance goals for 2017)

Be kind to yourself

Remember this is a journey, not a race. If it takes you days, weeks, or months to find that one thing where you can lose yourself for hours, don't worry about it. Note your journey and how each new activity makes you feel and grow.

Also, read Julia Cameron's book. There is a good reason why so many books about journal writing use hers as a reference.

I dare you!

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - C is for...

C is for Colour

We all need a little colour in our lives whether it be literally, or metaphorically. Today I am focusing on the literal meaning of the word. I am sometimes teased because my favourite colour is black. My engineering friends and colleagues (including Francois) constantly tell me that black is not a colour. Well, technically I suppose they are correct since black does not feature in any colour of light. Note: if you mix all the colours of the rainbow (in lightwaves) you get white, but no combination will ever give you black.

When mixing paints you do get black, but let's not argue that point.

Today I want you to explore your favourite colours in an art entry in your journal. I have done mine with the video clips you find below.

Before you watch (and dig in) a few pointers:

1. Wear an old t-shirt to protect your clothes. Most water-based paints will set permanently once dry and ruin your clothes. A lesson I learned once when I dropped a paintbrush covered in black paint on my favourite denim-blue tennis shoes. I went out and bought the eye-blindingly bright pink housecoat you see me wearing in the video clips (now I paint with those shoes!). It works, what more can I say.
2. You are most welcome to copy my designs for your journal or use your own. Keep it simple, something you can draw and paint in a matter of minutes.
3. If you want to use another medium or design that takes longer to be ready, allocate the space in your journal to glue it in later when it's ready.
4. Use the link here, to find your colour (or its closest match) and pen your thoughts about that. Remember to explore your emotions about the colour, as well as your experience of doing the art project for today's prompt.

Hints and tips:

• Put down a layer of plastic on your work surface to protect it from the paint. I used a plastic bag that I cut open. 
• Put newspaper on top of the plastic. It will absorb any excess moisture and prevent your artwork from unwanted bleeding across the paper.
• Try to use only the text part of the paper. Any pictures will create odd colours or shading of your design.
• Measure your journal's page size and cut the paper rectangles the same size or smaller. This way you know the end result will fit.
• Remove any jewellery from your hands. Paint sticks to everything and will dry quickly because of your body's heat. If your wedding ring has no gemstones, grooves or uneven surfaces like engravings, it may not be a problem, but the smallest crevice will be very hard to clean once the paint is dry.
• I put my hair in a ponytail because I have accidentally painted the ends a time or two and then the paint gets transferred to my face or glasses. But that's just me.
• Lastly, enjoy the art project!

Watch the short YouTube Videos!

Introduction

Drawing and painting a flower

Finishing the leaves

Preparing the design

Finishing the design in my journal

My favourite colours, what they mean, and my thoughts on that

Black

According to the website, it is a colour of mystery and secrecy. While I would like to think that I am mysterious and secretive, the closest I ever get to that are the mystery novels I love to read. Deep down I don't think I want to be mysterious.

Perhaps because I am an introvert who is happy to be on my own or left alone to do my own thing. Took me years to figure that part out. Only when I got to know other writers, did I begin to understand this part of myself. Interesting thing to discover in your early thirties, I can tell you.

But knowing this also allowed me to more easily accept this part of myself. Understanding it has been a journey, but I feel that understanding this part of me, helps me define my path to happiness.

Purple

This is the colour of creativity. My mother used to tell me that it is the only colour where you can wear any shades of it together without clashing with yourself. I am no fashionista and have no interest in dressing fashionably (if I do, it is pure luck), so I don't know if that is true. What I do know is that creativity is something I am still learning about every day.

After reading The Artist's Way, it opened even more doors in my mind. While I love my art projects, I have not experimented much simply because of my (mistaken) notion that painting (irrespective of the medium) was the only true expression of visual art, excluding sculpting.

Logically, I know that is not true, but until recently painting was all I did. I liked it, but it didn't grab me by the throat to drag me to the blank canvas. Only once I started experimenting with pastels and pencil do I feel as if I have truly found my art. I have a lot still to learn, but learning is easier for me if I have a passion for the subject.

It was the same for my engineering studies until I discovered electromagnetism in my third year. But that is something to explore at another time.

Jade

The closest colour to jade (or teal) on the website is turquoise. According to the website, it is the colour of balance because it sits right in the middle of the rainbow (mix of blue and green).

Sheesh, was I surprised when I read that the first time. There is no way I can convince myself that my choice of jade as a favourite, can have anything to do with my Live in Balance motto for this year. I have always loved this colour (it is also one of the few colours that both my mother and I liked equally), so the meaning cited on this website was pure coincidence, but not an unwelcome explanation!

When I think about my three favourite colours and their meanings, I am quite happy with the combination. Of course, there are negative connotations too, but I prefer to focus on the positive. I am striving for happiness after all!

👉 What have you learned today about your favourite colour(s)?

Live In Balance: A to Z Challenge - B is for...

B is for Books

Since I am not a trained therapist (of any kind) my perspective on journal writing comes purely from years of experience and a lot of reading on the subject. I read wider than only journal writing - one does need a wider perspective in my view. Writing a journal is a simple exercise of taking a pen and writing in a notebook.

The problem with keeping a journal is that people very often start but do not keep up with the practice because they want to achieve something, set a goal, get to it and then you are done. Journal writing is not about achieving some goal. It is a process and as such can be difficult to keep up, unless you find another reason for doing so.

For me, it is the pure pleasure of writing. Of having a means to work through an issue in my head. Our subconscious minds are powerful and often we don't let it do the work it can - helping us make decisions, or sort through an issue we are having difficulties to define to ourselves. Journal writing helps me with putting the issue out there, even if I don't understand it or don't have an answer yet.

To my mind keeping a journal is not something I do, it is something I am. Whether it is a prayer entry, a whining and moaning day, or just recording some events because I feel I have to, my journal is a part of who I am; a part of who I have become. Even if the changes I have seen in myself over the years have been subtle or dramatic, I wouldn't hesitate to attribute at least some of that to my journal.

If you have recently started to keep a journal but find it hard to keep up the practice, you need to find something in the practice that you like. Writing with a beautiful fountain pen? Time to yourself, if only a few minutes? The way you feel after you let go of the stuff in your life that keeps you down or lifts you up after realising that something good has happened. We live such busy lives and it is only when we sit down to take a breath to take stock that we can see what is lacking; to see what we need to find our own happiness.

That is one reason why writing a journal by hand allows you to slow down and spend the time with yourself.

Books and articles I like that may also help you find your journey to happiness through journal writing:

• You Love What You Invest Yourself In 
• “Mind Surgery”: My 10-Day Silent Meditation Retreat

• Persist. It Matters
• 50 Ways Happier, Healthier, And More Successful People Live On Their Own Terms
• The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
• Flow - the Psychology of the Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan B. Peterson, Ph.D
• Creative Journal Writing by Stephanie Dowrick
• The Journal-Writer's Guide to Staying Started by Nathan Ohren

... and there are many, many more.

Read widely and explore with your journal, what these topics could do for your journey in life.

Live in Balance: A weird week

A weird week

The past week had been odd because every time I had to buy something I had to use my credit card. While that may not sound weird to most people, Francois and I have an agreement that only items we both need to pay for (e.g. groceries or things for our dogs) will be bought using our credit cards. It just makes it easier to figure out who is responsible for what expense. For my personal things or buying gifts for him, I would use my debit card.

But the bank made a screw up when they issued my new card - they linked it to his personal savings account. So yeah, I had to get that sorted first, which I could only manage yesterday. The next credit card statement is going to prove a challenge to sort out.

Staying on track

On my Live in Balance goals, the only thing I am really happy with this past month was my weight-loss. Nothing dramatic, but that is a good thing. Keeping my blood sugar levels stable while adjusting my diet is important. And clocking a consistent loss so far is something I am quite happy with.

April and its challenges

The blog challenge is proving to be a true challenge for me. To be honest I am a bit nervous about the response some of my posts might get, because it is more than a blog challenge; it is a journey. The daily entries are but drops falling into the river of life itself.

My journal writing has been on this journey for more than thirty years and yet some days I feel as if I am just starting out. But that is how it should be, otherwise, I would stagnating instead of growing as a human being, an artist, a writer.

Even with my goals for this year, my journal forms a significant part of the journey to Live in Balance. April is the month dedicated to my journal, yet it never functions as if it is a separate entity in my life.

The A-to-Z Challenge posts for the coming week will be as follows:

Monday: Letter B…for Books

Tuesday: Letter C…for Colour (simple art prompt)

Wednesday: Letter D…for Dare to Dream

Thursday: Letter E…for Explore

Friday: Letter F…for Forgiveness

Saturday: Letter G…for Gratitude (prompt)

See you then!

Live in Balance: A to Z Challenge - A is for...

A is for Architecture

Architectural design is based on a few basic rules and a whole lot of creativity. The same could be said of journal writing, especially if you have never done it before.

Here is a basic guideline on how you can start your entry for the day:

Suggestion	Example
Note the date and time	1 April 2017, 7h13
Note the place where you find yourself	At home. Got my feet up in the living room because I am home alone today. F already left for a photo shoot in Jo'burg. Coffee brewing in the kitchen and making my mouth water.
Note your physical well-being	Knee is aching like a bitch. Tried to be careful in my work-out this week, but will need to carry on with the anti-inflammatory meds the doctor gave me on Monday. Although I am happy with...
Prompt for the day	……
Conclusion	Today I wrote about.../ that my experience…/I learned…/I have to…

There is no right way of doing this, but you can start with the suggestions above and work from there.

Drifting thoughts?

It is alright if you start off on one thought and then progress or jump to another. Don't think about it, just let the words come. Single words. Bullet points. Short or long sentences, it does not matter. What is important is that you let your thoughts come while you write.

Time?

Most authorities on journal writing recommend that you do so first thing in the morning, for about 20 to 30 minutes. Give your mind a chance to clear before you start the day.

There is no fast rule for early morning writing, as you might prefer to reflect late at night, or before you go to bed.

Tools of the trade

There are many beautiful and elegant notebooks available today that you can use, but that is not necessary. Any notebook, cheap or expensive, will do exactly the same job: record your thoughts when you write them down.

The same goes for the pen. Personally, I like using a fountain pen (I have several that I acquired over the years) but on some days I like to use a simple ballpoint pen. You can use whatever writing instrument feels comfortable in your hand.

Different colour pens can be used too. If you feel particularly happy, use a blue pen. Or when you're thinking about an issue, use a black pen.

Finding a particular entry again

When I write in my journal, I sometimes get an idea for a blog post, an art project, or a story. I write it down, but it can easily get lost in the words around it. So I came up with a simple system to mark specific entries that I might want to go back to. I use a fiber tipped pen to mark the pages on the edge. If the journal is closed you can spot the marks on the side of the pages and they are then easy to trace.

This is your journey

Whether you choose to follow a prompt to direct your thoughts, buy an expensive notebook or not, this is your journey. Start today and make the most of it. You will be surprised when you open yourself up to this new experience.

Live in Balance: Challenges Ahead

Despite all my efforts to not-write (Haha!) in April I will force myself to make up for that. Since I cannot resist a challenge, the next month will see me taking part in two writing based challenges – at the same time!

The A to Z Challenge will kick-off on Saturday with the letter A and in keeping with my theme, I will be using the letter A for Architecture. I can just hear you go, huh? What does that have to do with the Journal to Happiness theme?

Bookmark this page and have a look on Saturday. My posts go live at 1 am (GMT+2) my time.

Speaking of Saturday. I will be giving away 4 books and 4 ebooks to 8 lucky subscribers to my mailing list. Have you signed up yet? If you are worried about spam or constantly being bludgeoned by promotions, don’t be. I don’t promote my books unless there is new one (and it’s not coming as soon as I had hoped) and that only happens (if I am not procrastinating so much) once a year. So, your inbox is safe from me.

Now onto the second challenge I mentioned: Camp NaNoWriMo. The practice event for the main course in November. 

I am very excited to once again be working on a new book project. Although I will be using the blog posts of Journal Writing in the Pursuit of Happiness, the blog challenge will only be the start. After the incredible feedback I got on Negotiating the Maze (my book of the month coming in April), tackling another non-fiction book project seemed like a good idea. Non-fiction requires a different approach, and I found that I like that too. Never too old to learn, I think!

This coming week is going to be super busy for me, but may yours be filled with happiness and success! 😁

Live in Balance: The Blog Challenge theme reveal and a giveaway

Picking a Theme for the challenge

The theme for my A-to-Z Blog Challenge in April is not something I dreamed up for the sake of filling my blog with 26 posts. In fact, it is an outflow of my Live in Balance goals for this year.

Since I have been keeping a journal for more than 30 years, I wondered why it took me this long to came up with the idea for the blog challenge. I have also been reading up on the topics of happiness and creative journal writing and would love to share with you some of the things I have learned.

So here goes...from 1 April I will be posting about Journal Writing in the Pursuit of Happiness in 26 parts. A post for each letter of the alphabet. Keep an eye out for posts on Sundays to get a preview of the posts coming that week.

The three Ps

A-B-C is perhaps not the best acrostic to explain the concept of Creative Journal writing. Instead, I decided to use three Ps instead:

Private: Journal writing is not a group activity. You don't share your journal. Make sure it is kept in a secure place to ensure your absolute privacy.

Personal: This is about you. Your personal issues, experiences, observations, growth, musings, etc. We seldom make time for ourselves, but we need to and journal writing is one way of doing exactly that.

Process: It may sound weird, but journal writing has no end goal. There is no target to be achieved, either in the individual entries nor any time frame that may exist in your mind. It is a process: of self-discovery, observation of yourself, your environment, and your experiences of your world. It is what you want to it be: a sympathetic ear, a prayer book, a companion, a therapist, or all of these and more. And the best of all - you decide what kind of journal you will keep, and you can change the style, the depth, and your method of journal writing whenever you want.

I have noticed that often people say that they don't know what to write about. If you feel panic setting in at the thought of keeping a journal, there is absolutely no need. There are many books, and even more online resources to help you find your way.

The most important part is just to get going. A pen and any notebook will do that job. No fancy writing instruments or elegant notebooks (although some people prefer them) required.

What we are going to write about

This is the blog series I mentioned on 6 March. I am inviting you to explore the concept of happiness through journal writing with me. I will also provide a prompt upon occasion.

The prompt will be for a written and/or and art entry for that day. Keeping a journal can also be a creative outlet, and I will provide all the instructions, and pictures, to show you what you need.

Artistic skills are not required.

I mean, you can tear out a piece of newspaper and make a colourful mess on it, can't you? It will be that easy. No drawing, or complicated painting, or sculpting required. If you do know your way around a paint brush, or a charcoal stick, by all means, explore the prompt in your preferred medium or style. There are no rules, nor any limitations in keeping a journal. The only rule (if there ever was one) is being honest with yourself. This journey is for you, and only for you.

And there goes my pants...

When the word 'prompt' appears in the title of the post, be sure that the post of the day will also be my response to that same prompt. *gulp*

Of course, it will be the same as taking my proverbial pants off in public by doing that, but what would be the point of taking a risky journey if there is no risk taking involved?

Subscribe to win

About the book -> http://buff.ly/2nzMZ4y

A last word... as mentioned in my previous post, four people stand a chance to win a small swag pack by signing up for my mailing list before the end of March.

• The swag pack is limited to South African residents only.
• However, for international friends signing up, I will give a discount voucher to an additional four winners of the ebook version of JOURNEY.
• You don't need to take part in the Blog Challenge (but I would love it if you did!) or buy any of my books to be eligible to win.

So, are you brave enough to embark on this journey to happiness with me?