For the last 30 days, I've been using the Thriving in Motherhood Journal. Before this personal challenge, I would use it about once a week when things were hard and noticed a nice lift to my week. But as this year has continued to surprise us I started to flounder and wanted to see what impact the journal would have in my life.
In this week's episode, I'll share some of the logistics and tips for using the journal, the impact it had on my life, and my invitation for you to give it a try for yourself.
You may be wondering what it actually took for me to stick to my 30-day challenge. Here are some things that I found helpful:
Have a pen ready
Have multiple windows of when you will use the journal and put it in the next likely spot (next to your bed, office, kitchen, etc.)
Be flexible with morning or night (or both).
Pick it back up when you miss a day.
Don’t pressure yourself to answer every question. Pick the relevant ones for that day and leave the rest.
Don’t worry about keeping the daily and weekly pages perfectly ordered.
When I started this challenge, I was floundering. We’ve had a hard year on lots of levels - health, jobs, lots of things going on, kids struggling with different things (including surgery), and the unexpected keeps popping up. I have felt exhausted.
Here are some of the positive impacts I noticed during my 30-day challenge:
Using the journal has empowered me through this season. I’ve been surprised at how much joy I have felt in the last 30 days.
I’ve been able to parent better, more consistently, and more confidently instead of pulling into myself and surviving through the hard days.
I’ve processed some hard emotions/situations so I could truly find peace and let go.
I did a lot more service outside of my home in 30 days than I did all year. Small ways, like helping return a grocery cart and carry food out to the car, and bigger things too.
I captured many magic moments during the last 30 days and now my days are full of them.
My health wasn’t great during this window but when I did my monthly review I discovered a miraculous amount of things got accomplished. I attribute this to the power of having the vision in my Thriving in Motherhood Planner and asking the daily questions in the journal about the next three steps for my priorities that week.
I got rid of mom guilt which normally rears its ugly head during hard survival times with the question, “What would help me feel successful today?” This question allowed me to pivot to what mattered most each day.
I have struggled with anxiety about facing the next day in the past and fret at night about what is to come, especially when I’m sleep-deprived. But this journaling process helped me live more in the moment each day and ending the day with magic moments, gratitude, big wins, and God’s involvement in my life made a big difference.
This process led me to naturally have a better routine before bed and get rid of tech when I was journaling.
I’d like to extend an invitation to you to pull out your Thriving in Motherhood Journal (or get yours today) and commit to 30 days of journaling. Watch and see the difference it makes in your life.
If you've already been using the journal, I would really appreciate it if you left a review on Amazon to help other moms find it and see if it would be a good fit for them. And as a special bonus, if you leave a review on Amazon, you’ll be entered to win a 2024 coil-bound Thriving in Motherhood Planner!
There are some amazing bonuses you can claim when you purchase the journal to help you get the most out of it so don’t wait to get yours!
How to Support our Children's Education with Teru Clavel [Episode 91]
Creating a Vision vs Goals and My Vision for 2020 [Episode 90]
Year in Review [Episode 89]
How to Walk in The Light [Episode 88]
Why and How to Choose a Big Three for the Week [Episode 87]
Finding Joy in the Lord with Sarah Molitor [Episode 86]
Creating Space to Get Ready for the New Year [Episode 85]
]The Fantastic Uncertainty of Motherhood with Dr. Sherry Zhang [Episode
Let Life Surprise You with Oakley Peterson [Episode 83]
Three Small Changes and One Tool That will Help you See Progress and Get Rid of the Overwhelm [Episode 82]
The Path from Surviving to Thriving [Episode 81]
Why My Kids Aren't the Priority [Episode 80]
How to Overcome Destructive Anger with Natalie Hixson [Episode 79]
Surrendering Our Children to God with Jeanette Tapley [Episode 78]
Rest is Part of the Work [Episode 77]
You Have Climbed Mountains [Episode 76]
How I Go on Vacation Every Day [Episode 75]
Learning to See the Value in Your Own Story and That You are Extraordinary with Jessica Dahlquist [Episode 74]
Where to Start When You Feel Overwhelmed by Your Messy House [Episode 73]
Finding Joy in the Truths of Motherhood with Valerie Woerner [Episode 72]
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Wild Interest
Dr. Laura Call of the Day
Focus on the Family with Jim Daly
A Princess of Mars
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Calm Parenting Podcast
Raising Parents with Emily Oster
Good Inside with Dr. Becky