You’ve set your goals, but now you have to follow through and accomplish them. Some days that sounds like a tall order, and it’s hard to gain momentum. What kind of options do you have to get yourself inspired and accomplishing your dreams, goals, and intentions?
To accomplish your goals you will need continual motivation through mantras to keep you inspired on the days when you don’t want to lift a finger. The Top 10 Best Mantras To Accomplish Your Goals are extremely powerful forms of self love to foster that physical and mental energy needed to accomplish your goals.
In the past I’ve shared how I set my monthly goals, but I know sticking to those goals and accomplishing them isn’t always easy. Sometimes we literally don’t have time, but other times, we aren’t making the time.
SO today I want to share with you my Top 10 Mantras To Accomplish Your Goals. Not only are these going to lean into your Bad Bitch Energy, but they also going to help you build a strong & unwavering devotion to yourself. These mantras are also the top 10 most powerful self love mantras that I have ever written for myself & others. Who knew that accomplishing your goals with Boss Babe Energy was also an extremely powerful form of self love that helps you accomplish everything you set out to in life!
Top 10 Mantras To Accomplish Your Goals
And the Top 10 Most Powerful Self Love Mantras!
“I have devotion & discipline to read more to foster my Spiritual Nomad growth & creativity” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“savor sweetness” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I have devotion to my goals dammit!” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I will be the explorer” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I have devotion & discipline to strengthen my health” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo
Reconnect To Your True Self
Understand Yourself, Find Connection, & Grow Into Who You Were Always Meant To Be With These Easy Writing Prompts. Download this FREE printable below!
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“I have done a lot with my intuition” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I have devotion to my mental & physical health” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I am strength” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I have devotion to my true self” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo“I have devotion & discipline to unplug & explore” – Jenny Proczko from Owls&Indigo
In the Northern Hemisphere the full moon of June and The Summer Solstice corresponds with signs of the early fertility of the land, such as flowers and ripening berries, during the end of the month. Farmers begin to see the first signs of a successful planting from the spring, plants begin to show signs of ripening foods to be harvested soon. Farmers are also preparing for the first harvest and keeping an eye on the growing babies of Spring as they bound through Summer.
The Strawberry Moon is the full moon that happens on the date closest to the holiday Litha, which is another name for The Summer Solstice. This is the moon that told our ancestors who lived off the land that it was time to look for the first crop of berries and flowers to harvest. The most common signs of The June Full Moon are the flowers blooming, strawberries ripening, and the heat of the day and nights of Summer. This moon also served as a mid-way signal to the settlers. The June Full Moon reminded them to take stock of what has already happened in the growing cycle and what was yet to be done before harvest season.
The Summer Full Moon Names:
Strawberry Moon Hot Moon Rose Moon Flower Moon Lotus Moon Green Corn Moon Windy Moon Moon of Horses
Growing up on a Mid-Western farm, this was a hot sticky time of year. Our nights were reserved for playing outside in the coolness of the night catching lightening bugs and playing hide and go seek with out cousins. During the day we tended to the animals, making sure they had enough shade and enough water since the sun was especially brutal. I look back on those nights with endearment and remember seeing a sky full of stars, clearer than ever in the open fields of Illinois, crickets and cicadas singing, and running after flecks of light across our lawn with the cool grass between my toes.
Today is a New Moon and it’s time to set our goals for the lunar month. So lets go ahead and start with our new moon beginnings. I really enjoyed creating the my June Plan With Me and today I’ve taken my BUJO outside to the deck. So grab some tea and light a candle with me as we do some goal setting.
This month I’m using Spirit De Lune Guidebook and Deck. This layout is from my June Monthly Plan With Me. I like to start by shuffling the deck 3 times or whatever feels good, and then I cut the deck. This month for my journaling prompts I’ll be focusing on:
to have
to do
to be
I like to write down any notes that jump out at me from the guidebooks as I journal. For to have, I have the planting moon, to do, the waxing gibbous moon, and to be, the blessing moon. I’ll be thinking about my notes as I work on the opposite page where I figure out my challenges, goals, and how I’m going to accomplish them.
This month’s lunar theme is:
savor sweetness
My intention for this cycle is to start the 13 week wellness plan, time block my schedule, and share more with on camera videos.
My mantra for this cycle is:
“I have devotion & discipline to strengthen my health, unplug & explore, and to read more to foster my Spiritual Nomad growth & creativity.”
JENNY PROCZKO, 6TH MOON mantra 2019
Reconnect To Your True Self
Understand Yourself, Find Connection, & Grow Into Who You Were Always Meant To Be With These Easy Writing Prompts. Download this FREE printable below!
Yay!!!! The link to this free download in waiting in your email!
Either by the moon or in the morning of each new lunar phase, I set a positive feeling based intention for each of the eight lunar phases. For this new moon I wrote:
“I set my intention to start the 13 week wellness plan, time block, & share more on camera. I feel my intention in my body.”
JENNY PROCZKO, 6TH MOON 2019, NEW MOON INTENTION
Then at the beginning of each moon phase for this cycle I will come back to this spread and write a new positive feeling based intention. I’ll be posting these little mini moon updates over on Instagram, so be sure to follow me there so you don’t miss them!
On the final Crescent Moon of the lunar cycle I do a Lunar Review of the entire month tracking my journey back to the new moon. First I think about what worked, what didn’t, and what I can improve. Then I reflect on the biggest wins of the lunar month.
This journaling and goal setting practice is something that I do the night before every new moon or the morning of every new moon. This practice of short term, achievable goal setting via the lunar cycle, has grown really dear to my heart. It’s something that I can’t imagine not doing.
Using tarot cards in this way gives me a new lens in which to look at my life. It’s also given me a lot of inspiration and closure by looking at my life through a different perspective. This practice has also helped me hone my focusing skills and has enabled me to quit second guessing myself. With this practical tarot new moon journaling prompt, I look forward to each lunar cycle and the start of a new chance to achieve my goals.
Now that we have completed this Monthly Lunar Goal Setting session, we can go ahead and bring our 5th Moon Practice to a close.
Subscribe so you don’t miss anything. To see how I make sure I’m on track with my goals for each Lunar Month check out the my Full Moon Check In.
There are two sides to any coin and six sides to any dice, which means there are a number of truths and realities, weather you see the validity in them or not. This week I want you to focus on seeking the truth in all situations.
This week practice seeking the truth in all situations, your truth and the opposition’s truth. What is true for someone else, might not be true for you. Pay attention to all sides and seek the truth in all situations. Listen to what others have to say, do your research, talk with others, just make sure you aren’t short changing yourself by jumping to a conclusion and shutting off your mind to the possibility that there might be a different truth in the situation.
Seeking the truth in all situations is hard when it comes to relationships with others, especially with your partner. I have heard many times from my partner that what I have said is not “their truth.” And that is a hard thing to hear, especially while disagreeing.
You have to stop and try to see things from all sides and figure out what holds true for each person. Only then will you be able to seek the truth in all situations.
Today I’m sharing with you my June bullet journal plan with me. Last month I talked about how I was merging my spiritual journal in my daily planner into one, and I have a little update for you.
I have actually been in really enjoying putting the two together. I feel like I have less to carry and keep track of. Putting them together has made me feel more connected to my daily life and to my spiritual life. It’s helping me blend the two together and actually create a more cohesive and holistic view of how I travel through my day.
It’s creating a more in sync and intuitive view with how I want to live my life. It also reminds me in an automatic and subtle to practice my spirituality, because it’s all in the same place. So every time I pick up this journal, I start to think about all of the practices that I have written down into this book that I have been tracking and that I actually want to do. So my journal reminds me to GSD not only in my work life, but also and my spiritual life.
Now that it’s finally June, I am actually really excited for my birthday month this year! This month’s theme for the 6th Moon is: “savor sweetness.” The flowers that I’m doodling this month are corn flour or a variation of bachelor’s button, I’m not really sure. This is a little flower that you can see along the roadside in the Midwest and is one of my favorite wild flowers.
The theme for the 6th Moon is: “Savor Sweetness”
Not only do I do goal setting every month, I also do goal setting eight times a year that coincide with the change of the seasons. So at every equinox and solstice I check in with my goals for the year to see how I’m doing.
I was inspired by label makers this month too. I’ve been wanting one for years and I was just dying to get one, so instead of just buying one immediately, I decided to just let it sit and sleep on it a little bit. I ended up not buying it… just yet. I had clear address labels that you can print your address on, and colored in the label sheets black, and then wrote the headings with a white jelly roll.
New Moon Beginnings: to have, to do, and to be.
For the New Moon Beginnings spread, I have three columns: to have, to do, and to be. On the next page is where I do my lunar goal setting, which is different than what I normally do. I was inspired by a lunar journal that I saw on Pinterest. It has four sections, and in the middle a moon and a sun doodle. The sections are titled, I am, I can, I’ve done, and I will. I’ll be thinking about these prompts when I do my 6th Moon Lunar Goal Setting video which is coming up next.
I am… I can… I’ve done… I will...
My full lunar month circular spread has every single day of the lunar month and each of the moon phases decorated with the same simple wildflowers. I also like to use dutch door spreads on this lunar layout each month. I have a space for my full moon check in, my intention for the month, my monthly mantra, and then on the outside of the dutch door flaps, a space to write down what I’m looking forward to this month and on the other side, space for my 6th moon lunar review that I do at the end of the month.
My black cat Olena absolutely loves my watercolors… I think that’s because she likes to steal my water whenever I have a glass, putting her paw in it and trying to get her head in there for a drink. You can see her in the video trying to get into the watercolors, so you’ll see me pushing her aside a couple of times to get her away from the watercolors to make sure that she doesn’t get into them.
This next section is my daily planner. This is the same setup but I had last month. It’s a really simple dutch door layout with one week on each side of the dutch doors. This helps me for scheduling because I can see two weeks at a time. There is also space on the left side for a quote and notes for some important things that I need to make sure that I don’t forget this month. On the right side I have my focus for the month, my goals, and anything that’s upcoming for the month.
Last month I didn’t really use the master to do list, I think it was because I couldn’t see it. This month I made tabs for my master to do list that I can see from the daily planner section.There is a section for notes, work tasks, and on the backside of this page I have my personal to do’s and then also space for any creative projects.
The very last spread of the month is my “unravel your month” pages. My words this year are flux and flow. Underneath this section is where I write out my monthly journaling prompt that I share with you every month.
The questions I ask myself at the end of every month are:
what am I grateful for most? how did I challenge myself? what did I learn?
And the last and most important journaling prompt is:
What connects you to your spirituality?
Let me know in the comments down below what connects you to your spirituality or email me! Is your answer similar to mine? Is it totally different?
For some reason I wasn’t thinking, and I ended up using a marker that, after the fact, I knew would bleed through the page, it just didn’t occur to me when I reached for this marker. I just knew that it was the darkest one that I had and that’s what I grabbed for. Has that ever happened to you? When I flipped to the back of the page I noticed how how much it bled… and it didn’t actually look that bad! It reminded me of a grungy 90s vibe that I actually really enjoyed.
This month’s spirituality journaling prompt: what connects you to your spirituality?
Last month we talked about what does spirituality mean to you? And this month I’d like you to reflect on what connects you to your spirituality.
Let me know in the comments down below what connects you to your spirituality or email me! For me there are three things that come to mind that help connect me to my spirituality. Self care which helps me practice compassion for myself and helps me practice compassion for others. The second thing is scent which I use to transform my space and to get myself into the right head space when it comes to spirituality. It also helps me be in the moment. The third thing is mindfulness, which helps me consciously shift my mindset, my viewpoint, and the lens through which I’m viewing the current situation, into a different view. Which can be shifting my mindset to the views that I strive to have, and also pulling me out of those negative mindsets that sometimes we just automatically fall into. Mindfulness helps me to reset the view of my world.
What connects you with your spirituality? Is it practices or is it little triggers throughout your day? Or is it even goal setting? I can’t wait to see what connects you to your spirituality.
Recently, I shared a journaling prompt that really resonated with me and gave me the ability to get outside of my head and get a real birds eye view of the arc of a lifetime, my life. So today I want to share with you How I Reflect on my Past, Present, & Future. These are the yearly life lessons that I have learned, are learning, and want to learn in my coming years.
What started out as an impromptu self care practice turned into a truly healing experience. And it all started with an image I saw on Facebook and Instagram. If you have found yourself not knowing how to process the past or plan for the future, I really would like to suggest that you try this journaling exercise. It has given me a stillness and acceptance that I didn’t have before. It has connected me back to my spiritual center by giving me a holistic view of the theme of each year of my life.
1986 created me. 1987 age 1 – gave me an animal companion. 1988 age 2 – gave me that first touch of wild. 1989 age 3 – had me playing in the snow on the farm. 1990 age 4 – had me playing at the orchard. 1991 age 5 – gave me my first school friends. 1992 age 6 – disrupted my world, and gave me head trauma. 1993 age 7 – shook my foundation again. 1994 age 8 – told me I was a terrible student. 1995 age 9 – solidified that I was slow and dumb, but also gave me Molly and Smoky.
my teens
1996 age 10 – scared me, but also gave me a little world of my own to decorate, my first locker. 1997 age 11 – made me bleed. 1998 age 12 – gifted me music. 1999 age 13 – freaked me out. 2000 age 14 – gave me hope. 2001 age 15 – give me rejection. 2002 age 16 – solidified my self-doubt. 2003 age 17 – made me confident. 2004 age 18 – made me excited. 2005 age 19 – gave me freedom.
my 20’s
2006 age 20 – made me wild. 2007 age 21 – gave me love, Daniel. 2008 age 22 – moved me forward. 2009 age 23 – scared me. 2010 age 24 – began losing me. 2011 age 25 – give me entrepreneurship and Nate and Ally. 2012 age 26 – took me to New York City to see a llamasu. 2013 age 27 – was supposed to be the end. 2014 age 28 – shocked me that I was here. 2015 age 29 – united our love.
my 30’s
2016 age 30 – gave me a new era, 30s, hearing. 2017 age 31 – broke me and began rebuilding me. 2018 age 32 – open my eyes and gave me Zoya and Olena. 2019 age 33 – I’m coming back.
2020 age 34 – will give me understanding. 2021 age 35 – will give me peace. 2022 age 36 – will give me hope. 2023 age 37 – will probably give me more to love. 2024 age 38 – I will find life satisfaction. 2025 age 39 – 10 years of marriage.
my 40’s
2026 age 40 – experiences will be more memorable than stuff. 2027 age 41 – 20 years together. 2028 age 42 – I will learn that there are no grownups. 2029 age 43 – I will find forgiveness. 2030 age 44 – I will learn to love my skin all over again. 2031 age 45 – I will have already found my tribe. 2032 age 46 – confidence is beautiful and powerful. 2034 age 47 – laugh lines are worth it. 2035 age 48 – sometimes you have to suck it up in the name of love peace and harmony. 2036 age 49 – 20 years of marriage.
my 50’s
2037 age 50 – we are always evolving. 2038 age 51 – 30 years together. 2039 age 52 – confidence. 2040 age 53 – everyone is responsible for their own life story. 2041 age 54 – you’ve still got the second half of your life. 2042 age 55 – I’ll have a great sense of who I am. 2043 age 56 – feel happier than ever. 2044 age 57 – still a thrill seeker. 2045 age 58 – feel in tune with the divine. 2046 age 59 – 30 years of marriage.
my 60’s
2047 age 60 – life isn’t serious. 2048 age 61 – 40 years together. 2049 age 62 – I’ll be embracing life. 2050 age 63 – Little things won’t matter. 2051 age 64 – I’ll know how to play it by ear. 2052 age 65 – I’ll let go more. 2053 age 66 – I’ll retire to the woods or lake side. 2054 age 67 – I will have joyfully less fucks to give. 2055 age 68 – I will have found life satisfaction (again). 2056 age 69 – 40 years of marriage.
my 70’s
2057 age 70 – I will take living seriously. 2058 age 71 – 50 years together. 2059 age 72 – there is still more to come. 2060 age 73 – I’ll know that my life is meaningful. 2061 age 74 – I’ll be bold. 2062 age 75 – I’ll be taking life and love gently. 2063 age 76 – I’ll be gaining interests. 2064 age 77 – live with purpose. 2065 age 78 – I will have beautiful white hair. 2066 age 79 – 50 years of marriage.
my 80’s
2067 age 80 – I’ll be exercising. 2068 age 81 – 60 years together. 2069 age 82 – I’ll gleefully say anything. 2070 age 83 – I’ll be engaging my brain. 2071 age 84 – I will have accepted my past. 2072 age 85 – I will be outside watching the birds and animals. 2073 age 86 – I’ll be loving more. 2074 age 87 – I’ll have kept myself young. 2075 age 88 – I’ll still be creating. 2076 age 89 – 60 years of marriage.
my 90’s
2077 age 90 – I’ll be staying the course. 2078 age 91 – 70 years together. 2079 age 92 – Ill be sharing my wisdom. 2080 age 93 – I’ll be a maven – one who knows. 2081 age 94 – I’ll be in credibly happy and fulfilled. 2082 age 95 – I will have found a new kind of peace. 2083 age 96 – I will make my happiness. 2084 age 97 – I will have loved. 2085 age 98 – I will nap like a cat. 2086 age 99 – 70 years of marriage.
2087 age 100 – will give me the centennial club. 2088 age 101 – I will happily let go I will be becoming a tree.
This journaling exercise connected me to my core, my spirit, and my soul. It may not be for everyone, but for me it was a truly, truly, uplifting spiritual experience that made me feel connected with myself, life as a human on this Earth, and the human experience. I felt an overwhelming sense of healing and calm after finishing. I may not make it all the way to 101, but based on my family I know that I will get close.
This week I want you to focus on developing your tolerance, patience, tact and consideration for others.
By developing your tolerance, patience, tact and consideration for others you are not only taking them into account and fostering your relationship with others, you are also fostering your ability to feel compassion and empathy for others. You are essentially bettering yourself while caring for others. Tolerance, tact, and consideration also gain you respect.
“Consideration is the quality that links tolerance, patience and tact together.”
Jenny Proczko, owlsandindigo
tolerance
Tolerance is a difficult thing to develop when it comes to interacting with people who are annoying or those that you don’t respect. Try to put yourself in their shoes, and ask them for an explanation. Consider why you are feeling intolerant and learn to accept the uncertainty that can come up in these situations. You need to be able to “sit” with that uncertainty and not let it get in the way of being understanding and tolerant of the other person or the situation at hand.
patience
Patience, ah it’s a virtue isn’t it? This a quality that everyone could use more of, no matter how great our willingness to endure is. But you can master patience with two steps, it really is that simple.
#1 Slow Down.
#2 Think Before You Speak.
Its not easy to do either other these steps, but with time, and practice, you are going to reap the benefits of having patience and see the effects it has on all of your relationships.
tact
Tact is the ability to communicate in a way that considers the other person’s feelings and reactions. Start fostering your tactfulness by being positive. Make sure its the right time to talk for the other person, don’t start talking because its a good time for you, put the other person’s needs first. When you are talking with them, make sure the non verbal communication matches the words you are saying to them. Don’t cross your arms and make sure your body language is inviting.
An important thing to remember is to show interest in what they are saying to you. They are going to remember how engaged you were when they look back on the conversation, so make sure to make them feel like what they are saying to you is the most important thing in the world at that moment.
Finally, a good way to foster your tactfulness is to practice discretion and always be gracious when talking with others. It doesn’t hurt to be humble as well.
consideration
Consideration is the quality that links tolerance, patience and tact together. Once you are considerate to others you become tolerant and gain patience and tact. A considerate person innately carries these qualities.
When I was a child, I was a terror, because I didn’t understand what was going on around me or how to cope with my confusion and angry feelings. I didn’t know how to ask for help, all I knew how to do was lash out.
As I look back now, twenty-some years later in my early thirties I realize how little I believed in and how misunderstood I felt as a child. And how much easier my life would have been had I known then what I know now.
Here is some of the advice I wish I could have given my childhood self, and some things to keep in mind for kids who act out. What would you tell yourself if you could turn back time?
1. Everything will be okay.
This is a hard one to believe, I know. But its the only thing that you ever have to know. Everything will be okay, if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
2. You will find Love.
I. Was. Boy. Crazy. There is no doubt about it. But none of the boys liked me back. So my pursuits were yes endless, but they also became steeped in self loathing and self doubt as the boy’s reactions and opinions of me seeped into my mind instead of rolling off my shoulders. I wish that I could tell my younger self that I would find love, a real, true love as an adult.
3. You are loved, even though it doesn’t seem like it.
Oh man, I just want to scream at myself on this one. Your parents love you! They really do! Remember that parents are people too! They can’t always be happy so stop thinking they hate you when they’ve had a long day. Your parents work extremely hard and love but they do, but they are human too.
4. Keep making art.
Don’t ever stop making art. You gave it up for years and your world turned gray and your heart slowly bled itself dry. Please never stop making art. Art feeds your soul and keeps you alive and connected to your spirit. Never ever stop making art.
5. Believe in what you want to be when you grow up.
You wanted to be so many things when you were younger. And I want you to know that each of them was COMPLETELY possible. Choose any of them or all of them, just don’t give up on what you see as the vision of your future.
6. I love you.
My heart breaks knowing how sad, lonely, confused, and broken you felt, because I felt that too. I love you, which means that you love you too. Always love yourself and show yourself that you do by doing what you love and by practicing self care.
7. Love your brothers, don’t hate them, they love you.
I know it was hard being an only child and having Mom all to yourself. I went through that too. Those little boys loved you so much which is crazy. Love them back. They will turn out to be some of your closest and best friends when you are an adult.
8. Stay away from people who force you to do things that you know are wrong.
Please… just take this advice. Trust your older self, that “friend” is not worth it and is also the reason why you never speak to your childhood best friend again.
9. Begin learning to let go of what you think should be, and live in the moment of what currently is.
This one is hard even for me now. But if you start now, you’ll be able to help us both be able to live in the moment and let go much easier.
10. Tell the people you love that you are grateful for them.
Life isn’t short, it is long. But life can end unexpectedly. Tell those that you love how grateful you are for them and how much you love them every chance you get. Don’t regret having not said something. Let them know you love them.
What advice would you give your childhood self?
If you are struggling with depression, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, or PTSD. There is help. Please call for help:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Call:
1-800-273-8255 or call 911
They’re available 24 hours everyday and even have an online chat if you can’t bring yourself to talk about it out loud.
I have depression, anxiety, & PTSD. Thankfully after years of help, I’m able to identify my triggers. Living with depression is draining, deafening, and can be deadly.⠀
What started out as an impromptu self care practice turned into a truly healing experience. And it all started with an image I saw on Facebook and Instagram. If you have found yourself not knowing how to process the past or plan for the future, I really would like to suggest that you try this journaling exercise. It has given me a stillness and acceptance that I didn’t have before. It has connected me back to my spiritual center by giving me a holistic view of the theme of each year of my life.
I never had a plan for myself growing up. Sure I wanted to be a veterinarian, an artist, and a singer. But I never had a plan for those things. I never felt like I could achieve my childhood dreams, there was always some sort of psychological or monetary barrier to those dreams of a little girl. I had no idea where I was going to go to college, what I would major in or what I would do for the rest of my life. I wasn’t lazy or pessimistic, I just honestly could not see the next day of my life let alone my future as an adult. I was living for that day, that moment, whatever need I had in that tiny speck of time. There was no long term for me in my mind.
I also had a few assumptions in my life. I figured I’d be barefoot with a baby on my hip and done having kids by 22, living in the same 1,000 person town I grew up in, married to a local farmer. We probably wouldn’t have much, but we’d have our children. Then that marker came and went. And I found myself in college living wild and free convinced that I would live fast, love hard, and die young.
Now I’m almost 33, very much alive and still very young, no children, live two states away married to a man who works in marketing. And have no idea what to do with the rest of my life. No plan for the future and no idea how to plan for the future. Then this image kept popping up in my social feeds. And it gave me an idea for a self care journaling prompt.
Not only did I write down the past three years, but I went backward in time and wrote about what each year of my life had given me or taught me so far. I wrote things like:
“1986 Created me & gave me Ginger (my first pet and best friend),”
“1992 Disrupted my world,”
“1999 Freaked me out,”
“2000 Gave me hope.”
But I also wrote descriptions of the years that weren’t the happiest:
“2002 Solidified my self Doubt,”
“2009 Scared me,”
“2017 Broke me and began rebuilding me.”
That alone was cathartic. I finally felt like I had a birds eye view of what my life had been so far. It wasn’t as horrible as I thought it was, yes there were stretches of truly hard experiences, but for the most part it was a normal life experience of family, beauty, life, let down, growth, and love. I could see that it truly was a beautiful ride.
With only a few lines left on my page I decided to write out the next few years in pen, and in pencil write out my age and what I thought I would learn in the next few years. The page was filled, but I felt the need to keep going. I got out two more sheets and penned in the years all the way to 101, where I penciled in that I would “finally let go.” Then I wrote completely in pen below it, “102, I will be growing into a tree.” Which is my end of life plan, to be cremated and planted with the seed of a tree, with a sapling, or at the roots of a tree.
Looking at these three sheets of paper I could see my life, past, present, and future. It wasn’t scary or looming. It gave me a sense of calm, because I could see that there is a future. I knew what advice my grandparents would have given me for their 70’s and 80’s. I could hear the quips of my parents about their 50’s and 60’s. So all I had to do was research pearls of wisdom for my 30’s and 40’s which was entirely doable, given the digital age we live in.
I wrote things like, “I will find understanding,” “I will have already found hope,” “I will have beautiful white hair,” “I will have a great sense of who I am,” “I will still be creating.” And probably one of the better reminders “You’ve still got the second half of your life.”
This journaling exercise connected me to my core, my spirit, and my soul. It may not be for everyone, but for me it was a truly, truly, uplifting spiritual experience that made me feel connected with myself, life as a human on this Earth, and the human experience. I felt an overwhelming sense of healing and calm after finishing. I may not make it all the way to 101, but based on my family I know that I will get close.
