Ever found yourself wrestling with the pressures of life? I've been there, and it's through this tough journey that I've found solace in the transformative power of journaling. In this episode, I bare my heart about my personal journey from a stressful 2021 school year to a winter of self-discovery, 2022, guided by the wisdom of the inspiring life coaches Cathy Heller and Colleen Arneil in a program I took part in, Abundant Ever After. Along with counselors outside of the program, healers and friends, deep shadow work, and prayer time with God, they showed me how to unburden myself and rediscover the joy of being me. I invite you to journey with me as we explore the insightful depths of journaling together.
Have you ever considered what it means to let go of the labels and identities given to us by others? It's a powerful release that can lead us right back to our true essence. We dive into this topic in the second half of the episode, providing a mindful moment of journaling to the soothing sounds of Masood Taj's "Unconditional Love" track.
Interact with today's chapters, Authors Notes 1 &2, Embodying Joy: A Heart Journal-A Memoir for Body, Mind, & Spirit Health (Amazon 2023). https://tinyurl.com/embodyingjoyaheartjournal (Updated, new format, third edition, available 8.3.23!) or venture on a standalone journey of self-expression by responding to today's journal prompt at timestamp 10:15: "What labels/versions others have created of me can I release in Joy today, returning to my Essence?" Journal for five minutes or extend your experience with music from my accompanying Spotify playlist: tracks 1 and 4-Hop over to listen! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1BKHHSFspfTqv7G7smvYVP?si=2c045ed4df6a443e
This episode is not just a summer sojourn but an invitation to tap into the joy within you, a gentle reminder to honor your inherent worth, establish healthier boundaries, and choose thoughts that truly serve you. Join me in this self-care sojourn as we get gritty and journal our way to the other side-sheer JOY.
Did you know that I'm also an International Bestselling Author in four categories, three countries? Ignite Your Faith, Ignite Publishers, released with my co-authors in June, is sure to light a fire in your heart. Proceeds from the book will build a Classroom of Hope. Read it here or order an autographed, deluxe paperback. DM me to order. Here's the Kindle link! https://mybook.to/igniteyourfaithbook
It's story time. Welcome to our Summer Sojourn on the Joyful Journaling Podcast. We're so thankful that you're here. In the upcoming weeks, we will have guests here and there experts in the field of journaling and people who have experienced tremendous growth and transformation in their lives thanks to the role of journaling in their lives. Today, we are going to focus on author notes 1 and 2 in my own book, embodying Joy A Heart Journal, a Memoir with Journal Space for Body, mind and Spirit Health. Welcome to your Summer Story Sojourn. Authors note 1,. Authors note 1, stop, breathe, live. Reflections from 7 to 22.
Speaker 1:
When we don't choose rest, rest eventually chooses us, and that it surely did. I had been telling my students for years quote you matter, end quote. Yet I had become a hypocrite, putting my own self last. The 2021 to 2022 school year taught me egregious tenacity. It felt like no one was there for me, as my health, marriage, insanity all came to a frightening pause. For closer inspection, i came to a crossroads be drowned by life or learn to float upon the waves. I chose riding the waves, even though I'd never learned to surf. I heard something new that I had never considered before this past February, thanks to my coaches, kathy Heller and Colleen Arneal. We are all part of the same ocean, not competing, but enjoying the same warmth of the wind and the waves along the journey. They said something to this effect many times.
Speaker 1:
Throughout our coaching experience, i had to let go of everything with egregious tenacity, flagrant disregard, to separate myself from the herd, to find myself again, to return to the root of who I am. The lies we tell ourselves, the spoiled dictation of our tired minds, arrows set deep within our brains toiling as we overthink, poisoning the landscape of our essence, our very hearts. I am a sunflower soul, tender. I am tea light to your fragrance in the world. I am devoted to the pause, mining language together to reflect your voice. Once more, i invite you to pause with me here.
Speaker 1:
Since I was eight years old, journaling has seated my own authentic adventure. Frankly, it has saved my life. Recall your voice with me here too. Recraft your best life. You owe it to your tender soul. Call me by my name. I once heard almost audibly and it was so loud within my mind, while preparing to journal in Spring 2020. What name, i wondered. That name is for each of us to find. What is your essence called For? now come sojourn with me and journal. Yours is a story to tell.
Speaker 1:
Embody joy. Why not start today? Quote there are two ways of spreading light to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. End quote. Edith Wharton Which will you be, candle or mirror, or bypass them? Be both. Be light. That's what you are, after all, a gift to start us itself. Be the light.
Speaker 1:
Now I return to the root of what egregious means as well. According to Old Miriam Webster, egregious in its Latin form means quote out of the herd, something that stands out, outstanding, remarkable for good quality. End quote. Return to the root. Why do we ruin our own language? Why do we lose sight of our own voice, even in our own lives? Why do we spend so much time in our lives reaching toward achievement when the greatest prize is within? our time has come. I am so proud of this eight-year-old little girl.
Speaker 1:
Authors note two new beginnings reflections from 11, 11, 22. I have come to realize that joy is releasing things that no longer serve the purpose God gave me, respecting my inherent value, choosing peace and knowing who I am in the infinite arms of love. Joy is setting boundaries, choosing thoughts that feel best and most helpful. Each and every moment. I felt these whispers years ago and on many stops along the way. It's time to share them with you now. May you also greet challenges with surrender, compassion and joy. I am, we are. All is full of love and, yes, it is everywhere. To discover Life is good indeed. You don't always have to be productive. You never have to produce anything to be a value. The fact that you are here, the fact that you were born and exist, is a miracle. You are the product of God, a fresh and expanding creation daily. Have you ever thought of yourself like that? I certainly hadn't. It took taking back into my journals a nearly fatal crashing of my dreams, extreme poverty and judgment, and letting go of many I thought loved me to lean in and find myself again. This time I met who I was meant to be all these years ago. God's timing is always perfect. So here I am, not even close to late for this party. I'm so thankful I documented the process. Journaling is all of this, and you can document your story too. I have trunks of stories to share with you, but these are the ones that came to visit me as I was healing in winter 2022.
Speaker 1:
I am a former English teacher and writing specialist, i have an advantage here in writing this book, but I know this one isn't perfect, although I can honestly say I did the work At 47,. I am learning to hear my own voice, discover my author's persona and to set my writing free. So forgive any errors and know I tried my best. I wrote this in pure love. The others made journal and hear their voices too. I longed to write a great trilogy, like Tolkien, or a collection of poetry like Shakespeare, but a memoir, especially one that focuses on journaling. That was not what I expected God to give me for my first book. So here are my imperfect pennings straight from the heart.
Speaker 1:
Friends, life can be hard sometimes, especially when you are breaking generations of toxicity and false subconscious beliefs, beliefs of poverty in mind, heart and spirit. I stood up last year and said No more. This ends here. My birthright is the love of others family, blood or not who don't say challenging times are, quote sob stories and that mental health is their call to diagnose and treat. Labels are labels, stickers on the whole package. Inside this package is a healing soul. I believe you can heal too. Mental health isn't something to judge another by or to take lightly. That's how friends and family die. Care. Don't condemn what you don't understand. Provide in tough times. Don't let the ones you claim to love struggle and literally wither away. You may read about their funeral on social media. This way, you chose not to care. Love is the ticket I needed after paying the price of admission for far too long, and it was free all along. I wholly surrendered to God's love again and the healing began.
Speaker 1:
This past autumn I discovered how to embody versus beckon joy. Today, daily, always. Life is in an axthoron contest and everyone's progress, not their past, should be celebrated. We are all in the making and know you are never alone. Today is all we get, so we better believe this is the best it's going to be, because it is, until it isn't And then it is no more Presence, the real gift, the best present, thankful to be here, right here, right now, aren't you So get in? All we have is now Thanks be to God, embody joy. Let's take a moment to ground ourselves before we complete today's journal prompt. Take a deep breath in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. Today's journal prompt. What labels or versions others have created of me can I release? and joy, returning to my essence today Again. What labels or versions others have created of me can I release and joy? returning to my essence today, let's take five minutes and journal to the beautiful music of Masoud Taj and think on this prompt.
Speaker 2:
Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music, music Music.
Speaker 1:
Music, music, music, music, music, music, music, music, music. Thank you for joining us today. Have a beautiful rest of this July week. Joyful journaling to you.