Do you freeze when you get your hands on a new journal? 3 ideas to help you get moving

This week I have been excited to share how to start with a new journal. It’s an interesting thing that so many of us see a new journal with an element of fear and its easy to freeze and keep this beautiful journal pristine without any of your marks or mistakes. 

I frequently hear stories about people who have a collection of beautiful unused notebooks filling shelves, stickers that are not stuck and creativity which is bursting to get out but not given the outlet. 

Is this you? If you have the unused books and the unstuck stickers then I am 100% sure that you are filled with creativity, because lets be honest if you didn’t have the creativity you wouldn’t have given yourself the books, the stickers and the opportunity.

There is a block inside you some how, they are hiding there and stopping you from letting this creativity escape. 

But why? Why do we have these blocks and how did they get there? Now theres a question!!

Why do we fear starting something and how can we get past the block?

The blocks.... 

• ‘I’m afraid I’ll do it wrong’ - We are so often taught that mistakes are bad and we should avoid and hide them from view. Its easy to live in that world. Our lives are filled with these messages and its not unusual for us to absorb them. So how can we get past this?
• ‘I want to try this and that and that one there but which one to try first?’  - There are so many ideas out there but how do I filter down what to do and add to my journal? 
• ‘I don’t know where to start and what to do or how to start!’ - and then you don’t and the book goes back on the shelf.

Do any of those things sound like you?

There’s  nothing wrong with that and it’s not unusual but there are ways to help yourself and in changing your thinking in this, I believe it helps starting us thinking in other ways that make us more open to trying new things. When we have spent that time beating these blocks then we have the power to beat other blocks in other places.

So how do we beat these blocks and set our creativity alight?    

Three ways to help beat those blocks...

1. Self kindness - this is such an important part of this process. Having a positive self talk makes a huge amount of difference. Allowing yourself a quiet moment from time to time and actually starting takes kindness and self care that allows you to create!
2. Acceptance - getting ready to make mistakes and work with it will help you in so many ways. Telling yourself that mistakes are happening BECAUSE you are learning, BECAUSE you are trying. If you don’t do it you wont make mistakes and you wont move forward!
3. Just start - this sounds simple but I something we often don’t do, we wait and wait and just don’t do it. - grab a pen and just write something in your book. Doodle, its a lovely thing to do! Set your mind to make, draw write just for the sake of making marks on the paper.

It breaks my heart when I hear people say they cant do it because journaling is not some black art, its writing in a notebook, its doodling, its writing lists and creating something that makes your heart sing. Yes you can do this! Take those books off the shelf and write, write letters write lists just write something!!

You can do this and I truly believe in you so try, you learn by trying. 

Try these tips, think through whats going on, or you can try my new ebook which has a more in-depth set of instructions and help when you have that journal in your hand. If you are ready to start creating then lets do this!!

I have created an ebook filled with tips and ideas and practical pages that will help, there are pointers as to how I journal, there are templates to follow and words which I hope will inspire you to let that creativity spill out!

Who knows where it will take you!!

Get your ebook here for £6