Journaling prompt: No small compromises
Life is made up of small compromises , we’re constantly being asked to make small concessions on our time, our attention or our energy. Sometimes people will ask us to be flexible on our boundaries, to ‘meet them half way’. Sometimes people will ask us to make small compromises to our deeply held values. To…
Journaling prompt: How big is your universe?
“Our universe is as big as our language“ – Bernard of Chartres In the world of emotional intelligence, you will often hear the phrase, “name it to tame it.” Naming emotions, and being able to recognise them when they crop up is a vital skill in better understanding what triggers certain emotions and being able…
Journaling prompt: Résumé values or eulogy values?
When I eventually shuffle from this mortal coil, I’m not sure I would want people at my funeral describing me as ‘a real go-getter’, who was a ‘great team player’. ‘Dave was a motivated and results-driven guy who often delivered results on-time and within budget.’ No, thank you. And yet, from a very early age…
Journaling prompt: The Köln Concert
On the 24th of January, 1975, renowned jazz pianist, Keith Jarett performed what would go on to be one of the best-selling piano albums of all time to 1,300 people at Cologne’s opera house. ‘The Köln Concert’ is arguably one of the most influential jazz albums of all time and demonstrated Jarett’s mastery of improvisation…
Journaling prompt: Benjamin Franklin’s thirteen necessary virtues
Statesman, author, inventor, printer, and scientist, Benjamin Franklin was one of the most extraordinarily talented men in all of history, and his autobiography gives us some clue to the way in which he used journaling to define his values and live a virtuous life, starying true to the ideals he had laid out for himself.…
Journaling prompt: Always think with your stick forward
Prompt: Always think with your stick forward The phrase Amelia Earheart painted on the side of her plane ahead of flying across the Atlantic were, “Always think with your stick forward.” I think it’s easy to misconstrue the wisdom here and assume the phrase means, just keep heading in a given direction, no matter what,…
Journaling prompt: How do we forgive ourselves for the things we did not become?
Prompt: How do we forgive ourselves for the things we did not become? This is a line from the Doc Luben poem, ‘14 lines from love letters or suicide notes’ It speaks to me on a deep level. We all have things we wanted to be or wanted to achieve or do. Goals we set…
Journaling prompt: Put your arse where your heart wants to be
Prompt: Put your arse where your heart wants to be Put your arse where your heart wants to be. I think about this quote a lot. It’s so simple and so effective. If you truly want something, you need to be present and putting in the work every day. The quote is from American author,…
Journaling prompt: Why should I fear death?
Prompt: Why should I fear death? “Why should I fear death? If I am, then death is not. If Death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?” Epicurus A beautiful philosophical exercise in logic and mortality. Why should we fear the things we don’t…
