Journal nuggets, Vol. 1

I cannot stress enough how important it is for writers to actually spend time EVERY day writing. Journaling is an easy way to do this. Set a timer for four minutes or ten minutes or half an hour and just write! Write about whatever is on your mind. There are no wrong answers because no one is ever going to see it. That really frees you up to pull a Ms. Frizzle and take chances, make mistakes and get messy.

I journal first thing in the morning. First, I recount any dreams I can recall. Then, I list ten things I’m grateful for and set my intentions for the day. If I journal later , it’s usually to work out my anxieties, but sometimes I copy down something from lectures or books I’m listening to/reading. Sometimes I write down books or movies I want to check out. Sometimes poetry and haiku move through me.

Every Sunday, I reread my entries from the previous week. This morning, I walked to a nearby cemetery to do this. As the day’s early sun crept around the shadetree, the light of epiphany hit – I could use this as a series for this site!

Okay, so maybe sometimes what you write will be seen by people. But only if you choose!

These are some nuggets of wisdom [citation needed] from the week of June 28 – July 4.

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JUNE 28

• “Love says, ‘I love you too much to let you treat me this way. It is not good for you or me.'” – Gary Chapman, The Five Love Languages (affiliate link, and below)

• Patterns can neutralize patterns. Are my thoughts useful? How do they behave? This came from this TEDx Talk:

• Book: Evolving Beyond Thought: Updating Your Brain’s Software / Gary Weber, Ph.D.

• You are not the mind. Your awareness is moving within your mind.

JUNE 29

• Don’t waste yourself.

• Woke before my alarm with thoughts of you-know-who on my mind [yes, it was Voldemort]. Was thinking of her last night too. I wish her peace. I wish her happiness. I wish her to be filled with lovingkindness. Thoughts of her aren’t useful because they take my mind off my purpose. How did it behave? It was just kinda there. It wasn’t invasive or intrusive. It wasn’t misbehaving. It just appeared. [I included this because it was about applying something I had learned the day before, and it worked!]

• I now use unhelpful thoughts as motivators.

• Got drunk and puked Sat night. Felt foolish, but then I got over it.

• <Friend> told me to get my shit together. He hasn’t seen the inner progress I’ve made. His perception is limited, but I know he meant the best.

[Below is a conversation I had with my brain. We decided he would be named Bartholomew, or Bart for short – but def not Barty. When I write as Bart, I write small to differentiate. I also write with my inner critic, my inner child and my Heart. This has been a huge part of mastering my mental health and I highly recommend it. This is useful for anyone, not just writers.]
Me: Bart, how are you?
Bart: I am well.
M: That’s good. Are you ready to change our lives?
B: Yes I am! I like the idea of being the best us we can be, of being aware of how I behave.
M: But don’t get it twisted – you are not the thoughts. You are simply the thinker of thoughts.
B: And I can think better, more useful thoughts.
M: Ross knows you’ll work hard today, Bart, & he appreciates you & loves you.
B: Thanks Ross. I love you too & to show you, I reset the intention to only have useful thoughts.

[After Bart and I had our talk, I had a lil chat with my inner child. His name is Sam. When I write as Sam, I use my non-dominant hand.]
Me: Sam, how are you?
Sam: Excited for the day. Proud of you for deciding to get your shit together. I love you Ross. You’re doing the important work to make your mind a safer place.
M: Love you too Sam. I set the intention to keep you safe. Ross resets the intention to keep you safe.

[Then I did my intention spell. It changes sometimes, but this is the basic format. Feel free to borrow this format to set your own intentions, just replace what I have italicized below with whatever it is you want your intention to be. Yeah, it’s a bit wordy, but I’m a writer – of course I’m going to be overindulgent with my words.]
THAT’S ENOUGH! ROSS SETS THE INTENTION TO MAKE HIS MIND A SAFE PLACE. NOW THAT ROSS HAS MADE UP HIS MIND TO SET THE INTENTION TO MAKE HIS MIND A SAFE PLACE ROSS ISN’T GOING TO DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT HE’S MADE UP HIS MIND TO SET THE INTENTION TO MAKE HIS MIND A SAFE PLACE BECAUSE ROSS HAS SET THE INTENTION TO MAKE HIS MIND SAFE PLACE.

• Reverse engineer yourself – be the you that has better thoughts.
• When you aren’t your true self you’re denying the Universe the opportunity to experience itself fully.

[That night, I did a past life regression meditation. I’m not sure if it worked, but I got the impression my legs have been or will be crushed somehow. This got Bart all worked up, so we had another chat.]

JUNE 30

• What most needs to be felt? Anxious about? The day? Being the me I was born to be. Why? Because I’m so used to bondage, & not in the sexy way. I know wanting to stay trapped is the ego trying to keep me where I am. I know this is one of its final tricks. Ego, we aren’t living our best life with you in control. I am grateful for all you’ve done, but it’s time for me to return to innocence.
• Our challenges help us grow. When we grow we learn & when we learn we become more. I’m not going to let my mind derail me.

[After I set my intentions for the day, I had a lil chat with my Heart. We haven’t come up with a name or gender for Heart yet, but it does have a predominantly feminine energy. When I write as Heart I write in cursive with my non-dominant hand.]
Me: Heart, are you awake?
Heart: Yes.
M: Can you help me get rid of the ego?
H: The ego does not exist. You can’t get rid of something that does not exist.
M: That’s a good, confusing point. Thank you Heart, I love you Heart, & might I add your handwriting is looking superb.
H: Thank you! I love you too. Now get on it.

• “Only loving thoughts are true & everything else is a cry for help & healing.” – A Course in Miracles
• Gratitude is a powerful healing energy. Healing offers you everything you’re looking for. Let go of pain & anger. Do it. Heal yourself. Do it to be free – freedom is your birthright.
• THAT’S ENOUGH! ROSS SETS THE INTENTION TO NO LONGER IDENTIFY WITH HIS MIND. NOW THAT ROSS HAS MADE UP HIS MIND TO SET THE INTENTION TO NO LONGER IDENTIFY WITH HIS MIND ROSS ISN’T GOING TO DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT HE’S SET THE INTENTION TO NO LONGER IDENTIFY WITH HIS MIND BECAUSE ROSS NO LONGER IDENTIFIES WITH HIS MIND
• Ego, your filters are no longer necessary. Thank you for all you’ve done. I’ve really loved being with you but I was thinking of making a comeback back to me. You’re in the way of that.
• I don’t need to live from the ego’s POV anymore.
• “There is no peace but the peace of God, & I am glad & thankful it is so.” – A Course in Miracles
• Felt my dad’s love a lot today. I liked that. I am so thankful that I can now feel his love everyday. I’m so sorry love that I couldn’t feel you before.

JULY 1

• Happy July. What an inty year it’s been. I’m grateful for the lessons & the opportunities.
• It’s okay not to understand something. That’s what learning is for.
• The ego is not your sense of self. The ego is your false sense of self.
• When you detach yourself from the ego, you will never return to it.
• “How does one overcome illusions? Surely not by force or anger, nor by opposing them in any way. Merely by letting reason tell you that they contradict reality. They go against what must be true. What merely is needs no defense & offers none. Only illusions need defense because of weakness. Everything that needs defense you do not want. For anything that needs defense will weaken you.” – A Course in Miracles
• Ross is so grateful for all the good things that happened today. Ross is so grateful for the rest of what happened today because it was part of his experience.

JULY 2

[Here’s my list of what I was thankful for today]
1. Zipcar
2. Libby
3. Sleeping as well as I can
4. Being present
5. This bed
6. Changeable mindstates
7. A nap later (potentially)
8. A sunrise to film
9. Kind drivers
10. 20 followers

[I really do appreciate each and every one of you reading these words. You make my heart happy.]

JULY 3

• My happiness is not dependent on someone else.

[Below was a turning point in the mastery of my mind, and I’m excited I get to share it with you]
Me: Sam, how are you?
Sam: Sleepy, but excited to start the day.
M: Bart, are you there?
Bart: Bart is unable to answer right now
M: Cool
[This was inty because it was the first time since Bart began talking with me that he didn’t have something to say. Even as he moved through me I wasn’t pressing as hard on the pen as I normally do.]

• I no longer give attention to my old stories. No thank you!
• Ross is surrounded by his dad’s love. Thank you Universe.

JULY 4

• Today is supposed to be challenging [according to my horoscope]. If I keep saying that it will be. I welcome the day with open arms.
• All identities you have of yourself are limitations that will keep you from realizing the infinite joy of your true nature.
• Fish are only aware of water when they’re taken out of it.
• What am I struggling to believe right now? That I’ll never get this. BORING. You already have this. You just need to remember. It’s hard because it happened before the ego formed. Sharing it with others will help you. Remember, the ego cannot see the true self, only the true self can see.
• I want to believe I am already enlightened. I want to believe I am the Universal Self. I want to believe there is nothing to get. There is nothing to get; you are already it.
• To have infinity you must have unity. To come from the Universe – from Intelligent Infinity – means that you are part of everything else that came from it. You are writing these words because you were created by that Intelligent Infinity. To be here, writing these words means that the Intelligent Infinity is experiencing itself thru you. For you to be here experiencing your experience, there must be Unity. As there is Unity, it means you are a part of everything else that comes from that Intelligent Infinity & that everything else is a part of you.
• What you see is a reflection of how you see yourself.
• I want to believe that I no longer want my old reality. My beliefs belong to my mind.
• How you feel about yourself dictates your circumstances.
• I am grateful for these lessons. I see the parts of me I’ve been neglecting. I’m sorry for neglecting you. Please forgive me for neglecting you, for thinking you could have done any better @ the time. Thank you for your teachings. I love you because you were part of my experience.
• Don’t ask yourself what am I not getting because there is nothing to not get.

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Phew!

I’ll tell you what, dear reader, I did NOT plan on exposing the soft underbelly of my psyche to you today, but I felt no resistance once I got going. That leads me to believe this series will be a way to provide value with the site.

I hope you found something useful here, either from what I wrote or a technique I used. What are some of your journaling techniques? Let me know in the comments below! I encourage you to WRITE EVERY DAY. Don’t think about it, just do it. Talk with the emotions raging inside you. They will offer you insight if you ask for it.

Have a wonderful Sunday, dear reader. I send you positive energy to carry you through the upcoming week. You’ve got this – whatever it is.