Pages of Purpose: Navigating Life with Journalution by Sandy Grasons
EPISODE 239
In the latest episode of the Moonshots Podcast, hosts Mike and Mark dive into the transformative world of journaling through an insightful discussion about the book "Journalution" by Sandy Grason.
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In the latest episode of the Moonshots Podcast, hosts Mike and Mark dive into the transformative world of journaling through an insightful discussion about the book "Journalution" by Sandy Grason.
Buy The Book on Amazon
The episode kicks off with a glimpse into Sandy Grason's personal journey into the art of journaling. Listeners discover the origins of her passion and what motivated her to begin this transformative practice. Sandy's narrative sheds light on the profound impact journaling can have on an individual's life, making it a compelling listen from the start.
The hosts explore the myriad benefits of journaling in a captivating conversation between Lilou Mace and Sandy Grason. The discussion delves into the power of staying in the present moment, highlighting how journaling serves as a tool to foster mindfulness and self-awareness. With a duration of 1 minute and 21 seconds, this segment provides a concise yet profound insight into the advantages of adopting a regular journaling practice.
Listeners are then given invaluable advice from Lilou Mace and Sandy Grason on finding purpose and direction in life. Through a 2-minute and 39-second discussion, the hosts unravel the secrets of discovering one's vision, offering practical guidance to help individuals navigate their personal and professional journeys.
Sandy Grason delivers a compelling call to action as the episode draws close. She emphasizes the importance of journaling to connect with oneself and the world around them. Sandy provides prompts to inspire listeners, encouraging them to embark on their journaling journey immediately. With a duration of 1 minute and 52 seconds, this segment serves as a motivational conclusion, leaving the audience inspired and ready to embrace the practice of journaling in their own lives.
Listeners of the Moonshots Podcast will be inspired by the wisdom shared in this episode, gaining valuable insights into the art of journaling and its potential to transform lives. Tune in to discover the power of journaling and embark on a journey of self-discovery and mindfulness.
Buy The Book on Amazon
Transcript
00:00:46:15 - 00:01:23:03
Unknown
Hello and welcome to the Moonshot podcast. It's episode 238. I'm your co-host, Mike Parsons. And as always, I'm joined by the man himself, Mr. Mark Pearson Freelon. Good morning, Mike. Good morning, Mike. Good morning, listeners. Subscribe as and viewers. I'll tell you what, Mike, maybe I'll try a different tact today. I am still very, very excited. But man, this one I'm particularly excited about In episode 238, as you and I are launching into a brand new series.
00:01:23:03 - 00:01:48:24
Unknown
And this is a real topic that we've talked about a lot on the show, but I think it's now time that we do a deep dive into this world and this technique US So right, particularly excited. This is a whole new level for you. Mark I'm dying to know what book and what series that we study. Well, today listeners and subscribers, we are kicking off a brand new series.
00:01:48:24 - 00:02:17:11
Unknown
First of all, on journaling, journaling, being such an incredible asset tool and process that we've used and talked about on the show many, many times. But to kick off that season and series on journaling, we have The Artist's Way, which is a 1992 self-help book by Julia Cameron. Julia Cameron was a fantastic is a fantastic teacher, author, artist, poet, playwright, novelist, filmmaker, composer and journalist.
00:02:17:11 - 00:02:49:00
Unknown
Mike So if anybody that we've covered of the moonshot show had a lot of titles and accolades to them, Julie is definitely up. Maybe you made maybe map, maybe you left off one word. Overachiever. Overachiever. Well, I'll tell you what, If any of us want to try and get to the level of overachieving that Julia Cameron has done, I think the secret might be in her very, very celebrated an accolade in book The Artist's Way, which we're going to dive into today, Mike, on episode 238.
00:02:49:02 - 00:03:07:03
Unknown
Yeah, you're absolutely right. And if you are looking for a way to clear the mind, put the monkey mind to rest. This is the show for you. Or if you're looking to tap into a bit more creativity and find that creativity, you somehow, you know, it's inside of you, but it hasn't come out. And this is also for you.
00:03:07:03 - 00:03:33:13
Unknown
So if you liked Elizabeth Gilbert's big magic, if you liked Tully's power of now or anything in between, or if you would just like Mark and I, we were so inspired by Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. We devoted an entire series to doing this. This show is for you. So buckle your in your seatbelts. Get your pen and paper at the ready, because we are going to learn the Artist's way.
00:03:33:15 - 00:03:57:21
Unknown
That's right, Mike. So, look, I think we've try to pitch this as much as we can. So let's now hear from the author, an overachiever herself, Julia Cameron is having a chat with Fern Cotton on the value of writing to unlock your creativity. Why does it help people unlock their creativity? Well, I think that when we move our hand across the page, we end up with a handmade life.
00:03:57:23 - 00:04:41:08
Unknown
There's a direct connection between our hand and our heart. And I think that when we start to write, we are gently led. I think that it's powerful and it's hopeful. And people find themselves encouraged. And again, I want to say the word coaxed, gently coaxed forward. Yeah, I, I certainly feel that. And I really appreciate as I'm, you know, well, just before I'm about to start making my kids breakfast, I really like giving myself that time just for me to see what comes out of the pen, to see what happens.
00:04:41:08 - 00:05:07:11
Unknown
It's a really, really lovely feeling. And the other part of the artist way famously is the Artist states, As I said a moment ago, I haven't been as disciplined with that part of it, and it's kind of my personality, I guess, to shun free time that doesn't have this, you know, end result because I can be a bit of a workaholic.
00:05:07:13 - 00:05:36:23
Unknown
And I think also perhaps within the structure of British culture, we go, Oh, I haven't got time for fun or whatever it might be. We always think we've got to be working or achieving or doing something. Why all the artists are so important? Well, I think, first of all, we should explain what they are. Yes, it's a once a week solo expedition to do something that enchants or interests you.
00:05:36:25 - 00:06:19:17
Unknown
In other words, it's an assigned play and I think it's very important. Creativity, experts will tell you that concentrate and then release is what's necessary. And so with morning pages, we're concentrating and with our two states, we're releasing it says the flipped switch, the dial over from send to receive and we receive hunches, intuitions, guidance, and you're cheating yourself if you're doing morning pages and you're not doing our two states.
00:06:19:19 - 00:06:53:10
Unknown
So I want to encourage you to please try them. What I find happens is that people have a sense of a benevolent something. They feel a contact, and they will say to me, Georgia, I think I felt God, oh boy. You thought you were tuning in to the Mitchell's podcast for success habits and so forth, but we're just putting you in touch with the big guy upstairs, you know?
00:06:53:10 - 00:07:29:05
Unknown
Hello there, I guess. But but, but, Mark, there's a couple of things here. Like, there is something special about hand to paper, writing down notes, ideas, generalizing, die arising. But I think the important thing that we have seen in the Moonshots podcast is the it's the act of getting out of your head. And I invariably would relate it like this as soon as I go to write something down, I'm often becoming aware that the thought is only half baked.
00:07:29:07 - 00:07:53:14
Unknown
So, you know, when you write it down, you type it out and you're like, Hmm, I guess that's kind of the thought, but it's not the whole thought that I was trying to trying to do. And then you have to go back and work on it. That refinement is the beauty of writing, because when you see your idea transposed and then read it back, you're like, Hang on, That's not quite what I meant.
00:07:53:15 - 00:08:20:17
Unknown
You know, in my mind I have something and then you refine it and then you get it and it's when you get that aha moment, you've actually advanced your thinking. You've not just like created an artifact of what was in your mind. You've actually taken a step further. And this is directly akin to the sharing of ideas. As soon as you have a good idea and you share it often through that process of discussion, it comes back to you better.
00:08:20:19 - 00:08:42:07
Unknown
And sometimes people like, I don't understand, or some people are like, Wow, that's really interesting. Have you thought about this? And then you go on these new pathways. I think the thing is, get out of your head. Don't go crazy with all this stuff. Cooking up in your mind. And she said something really important like concentrate and then release and we're going to hear about the two practices related to that.
00:08:42:09 - 00:09:02:25
Unknown
You know, she talked about the morning pages. She talked about the out of state. We got a whole clip on that coming up. But I think, like right now, what we need to celebrate is the purge mark is the getting out of your head, get it down onto paper, type it out on your laptop, whatever it takes. Get your thinking out.
00:09:03:01 - 00:09:37:02
Unknown
Do not bottle all up. I think this is the single greatest thing we can take from this. What do you think that? Yeah, I totally agree. It is a process within a walk of discovery. Sometimes when I'm journaling and I love your description there, Mike around creativity, fleshing out ideas, trying to figure out how to communicate it. Sometimes when I'm referring to myself, when I'm journaling on something that maybe has been keeping me awake up a night, maybe it's a crucial conversation that I've been trying to having.
00:09:37:04 - 00:09:56:12
Unknown
Maybe it's a concern that I have with with something I'm working on, I'll often write it down, and in the process of actually writing it, I realize, Oh, I don't really mean that. That's not the thing that I'm struggling with. It's not actually as big a deal as I thought. Instead, it's something different. So this is very, very freeing.
00:09:56:16 - 00:10:20:23
Unknown
It's very, very liberating because gradually through the process of scribbling it down again, it can be computer paper. I opt for paper because maybe I'm akin to Julia. This hand to heart connection. But the act of just getting it out of your head, using your word purging then clears that mist and then you can start to see what it is, what else is out there?
00:10:20:23 - 00:10:46:01
Unknown
What are the things that I'm really concerned about? Yeah, why haven't I noticed those before? Sometimes it can be quite small. That's a small, actionable thing. Great. I'll go out and change it now. Or maybe it's something big that you want to come back to and reflect on even further. But this act of, you know, almost creating a map and discovering it slowly over time as you explore your own, you know, concerns.
00:10:46:03 - 00:11:16:04
Unknown
For me, it's been, like I say, quite liberating and quite exciting to do. Yeah. And I guess one thing I'd like to share with our members, viewers and listeners, is that if you're thinking about writing and you're like, you know, where where am I going to you know, where am I going to start on this? What I like is this like idea of prompts.
00:11:16:06 - 00:11:49:21
Unknown
And I'm not talking about quite here, I'm talking about journaling prompts. I wanted to share a few good ones. For example, if you want to start writing, answer these questions. What's going on for me right now is don't what makes me happy is if I knew I could not fail, I would. The last time I felt this way, I what's not working for me right now is and there are millions of these kind of prompts.
00:11:49:23 - 00:12:19:14
Unknown
So if you really want to, like, get something going, think about a prompt. Think about a word that can spark you into action. And even something we've talked about if your writing is starts with only one word, that's a win, because maybe tomorrow you can do two in the day after three, right? And so stick at it and clear the clear the head, and then that's where you go to discover your creativity.
00:12:19:16 - 00:12:42:16
Unknown
There is actually another group of people who've discovered their ultimate creativity, and that's how members. Mark Yeah, that's right. Individuals who maybe might have read the artist way, or maybe they're just channeling their inner creativity and really vibing with the ideas that we're going to be discovering within our series on journaling or our much loved and well-respected members.
00:12:42:16 - 00:13:08:22
Unknown
So please, without further ado, let me introduce Bob Maslin, Ken, DeMar, Marjan, Conner. Rodrigo and Lisa said Mr. Bonduelle Pool, Berg Kalman and Joe Christian Samuel Out, Barbara and Andre, Eric, Chris, Deborah and Lisa, Steve, Craig, Daniel, Andrew, Ravi, Evette, Karen and Raul, all of whom are our annual members. Thank you again guys, for your continued support and membership.
00:13:08:24 - 00:13:39:06
Unknown
Hot on the heels include PJ Knickerbocker, Ola and Ingram, Doug, Emily, Harry and Karthik Venkatesh, Marco Jet, Roger, Anna, Role Nick Milan and Diana Kristoff. Dennis, Laura, Smitty, Corey, Bertram, Daniella and Mike, Dan, Antonio, Vanessa, Zachary, Brian, Kathy, Austin and Fred. Thank you so much guys for your continued support for the Moonshots show. And apart from that, Luna Luna powered good karma, which has been scientifically proven.
00:13:39:06 - 00:14:04:07
Unknown
Mark Let me tell you that it has very scientific, you also get a whole additional podcast podcast for us, the Moonshot Master series, we release it once a month. It's a huge deep dive into a theme. So it's not just one author or expert. So head over to Moonshot Studio, hit the members button, Join in. We are so grateful for all of your support and hopefully you'll be grateful for this next clip because we teased this out.
00:14:04:09 - 00:14:30:04
Unknown
We talked about this idea of two key practices, the morning pages in the United States. So I think, Mark, it might be time to dive into that. Yep. Let's hear a great breakdown done by tofu Goop is going to give us a breakdown of those two areas right now. So one of the first sections in the book will introduce you to the basic tools of the book, which are morning pages and artist dates.
00:14:30:04 - 00:14:55:06
Unknown
So morning pages are three pages of writing. Whatever is on your mind. Sometimes I will find myself writing about my deepest, darkest thoughts and other times, like this morning, I am writing about how my mantra tastes kind of weird and how that makes me sad. I personally have never in my life been able to consistently journal something about the book telling me to do it has really helped me become a journalist.
00:14:55:08 - 00:15:20:09
Unknown
I did it all throughout the 12 week course and I haven't stopped since. Like I am still doing these to this day. I find them very helpful, but I struggle to articulate why, like it might be because it just like empties my thoughts out of my brain every single morning. Or maybe it's because it takes all of these like thoughts that are floating around in my head and like, puts them concretely onto a piece of paper.
00:15:20:11 - 00:15:42:23
Unknown
I'm not sure what it is. Something about them now I like, I like them. They're good for me. I don't think that they work for everyone and that's okay. I think that's kind of a theme throughout this book. Like there's a lot of tools, lots of tasks, lots of pieces of advice. I think they give you a lot in this book so that you can kind of pick and choose what works for you, if that makes sense.
00:15:42:23 - 00:16:16:18
Unknown
So the second basic tool in the book is artist dates, and this is basically where you take yourself on a little play date and you can really do anything as long as you are alone and without distractions. I think the goal with these is really to spend quality time with your self and therefore your inner artist. I found these to be the hardest part of the book, hands down, like carving out the time to go do something just by myself was difficult and on some weeks felt literally impossible.
00:16:16:18 - 00:16:45:06
Unknown
The way that I approach things was to keep my expectations very low. So instead of like taking myself out to an art museum, I would just go to the shop down the street and look at art there, or I would go to a thrift store and just look at stuff with a more like artistic eye. Or sometimes I would just go on a very intentional walk out in nature and like take pictures of flowers that I like so much to dig into here.
00:16:45:06 - 00:17:11:19
Unknown
So like, let's, let's just frame it so everyone knows where we are. There's like essentially two ideas, the morning pages in the United States. And what we heard earlier in the first clip is the idea of the morning pages being about concentrating and purging, getting it out, whereas the artist states are a creative opportunity to release your inner creativity.
00:17:11:21 - 00:17:41:17
Unknown
Now, I thought it would be interesting to tackle something that she said in the clip, which is Journaling every day can be hard. Let's start there. I know what she's talking about, Mark. I have to to It is hard. Oh, my gosh. So let me share with you a quick breakdown on how I do my morning pages slash journal.
00:17:41:19 - 00:18:25:24
Unknown
So I use an app called I'm a Writer, so there's many good writing apps available in the Apple ecosystem. One of the reasons I like I write writer is is not trying to be everything like Evernote and notion is just the clean, honest writing interface I've ever seen in my life. That's number one. Number two, I can use a writer on natively in the app on my iPhone, iPad and my Mac, which means that I don't have, you know, that terrible feeling you have sometimes where you jump in and you're like, Oh, I don't have the app, or I can just sit on my iPhone, you know?
00:18:25:24 - 00:19:00:08
Unknown
Oh, okay. So there's obviously Apple notes. That for me is just all bits of information and content. When I want to write Mark, I go to a writer, it takes over the full screen. It's insanely minimal. It is just raw and beautiful. And I write and I will generally give myself a big break. Okay, We talked about the prompts, which is the subject matter earlier, so I won't double up there.
00:19:00:12 - 00:19:24:14
Unknown
What I want to do is come back to this other idea, which is I will, if I've had a busy morning and I haven't felt like, for example, I sometimes have calls with the US at 6 a.m.. So obviously my morning routine is vastly different. If I'm then walking after that, I will dictate my journal entry into my phone, into the app.
00:19:24:16 - 00:19:51:02
Unknown
And here's the interesting thing. I don't do any grammar checks, no spell checks. I just get it out into the app. And then when I do have a morning where I've got my proper routine, I sit back and I go and clean up my old journal entries. Because here's another key thing about journaling. What we discovered from Matthew McConaughey is rereading them some three or four months later is insanely powerful.
00:19:51:06 - 00:20:25:24
Unknown
Okay, so let's come back to this thing. If I could give people a starting point that is different to pen and paper and just having a notebook and scribbling some thoughts, if you're a little bit more technically orientated, get an app that is on every platform phone, tablet, desktop or PC. And I obviously the thing is when you have the time in the morning, you sit there, you type, you have your coffee, you're all good, but it's always the busy days that catch you out where your routine is under challenge, right?
00:20:26:00 - 00:20:53:03
Unknown
So my breakthrough has been that having the app on my iPhone, iPad or Mac means no excuses. It's always there. And secondly, I just dictate a little bit of it. I get it all out of my head so people look at me like I'm crazy, or hopefully they think I'm on a cold. So I'm not being too weird, but I'm walking down the street talking to myself in my headphones and whatnot, and then I'll just come back and get it to me.
00:20:53:05 - 00:21:14:13
Unknown
It is 90% getting it out of the system and then I go back and clean it up a little bit the following day or the day after. Does this kind of ring true to you? Like trying to find a universal way to do it, like to reduce all the friction we learned in atomic habits? It's like the environment is so important for a habit.
00:21:14:15 - 00:21:37:20
Unknown
So sometimes I'm not in my studio, I'm not sitting there in the beautiful sunshine of Sydney ready to write. Sometimes I'm on the road right now I'm in my fourth country, so I'm like, I'm a bit of a crazy tree. So like, yeah, I just get it out in the phone. I actually dictated my journal this morning on the way to the gym because I knew I wouldn't have time.
00:21:37:22 - 00:22:06:22
Unknown
Hmm. I think my experience is a little bit more traditional, I guess. You know, I still stick with I've written digitally before and I've utilized apps like Apple Notes, as you've already mentioned, and I've tried Google documents as well. But the problem with both of those for me is that I spend a lot of time behind my screen during the day, and actually it's quite liberating for me to pick them up and take it.
00:22:06:22 - 00:22:29:15
Unknown
Maybe with me if I've got the pleasure of sitting in a cafe or whenever I'm on holiday, I'll always take it with me and try and change the scene, try and change the scenery. And right there you have for me is a way of removing those digital distractions, I suppose is the best way of putting it. However, what I really like, Mike, about the build that you've done, that is the voice dictation.
00:22:29:17 - 00:22:54:09
Unknown
I think that's a really interesting addition that I think you can maximize within this whole practice. Yes, because it's very, very therapeutic for myself as well as colleagues that I've worked with. When you have a problem and you try to figure it out, you can't quite see what the problem is. Maybe it's a tricky client or whatever it might be sharing that problem as they say, is a problem halved.
00:22:54:14 - 00:23:30:03
Unknown
Yeah. Now obviously in this case the intention is not necessarily to show it to somebody else. Rather it's something that you're reflecting on. I still think that the value that you get out of sharing, that's something that's keeping you up at night is going to be achieved by voicing it or writing it or whatever it might be. But the voicing aspect is a really nice way of maximizing your time when you're out walking the dog, going on a walk, whatever it might be, maybe running and and sharing anything, any concerns or pleasures, positivity, notes.
00:23:30:08 - 00:23:58:03
Unknown
Yeah, I think that's something I'm going to incorporate, actually. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. With the artist pages, this is about dedicating time to creative pursuits. One of the ways I try and make that easy is I buy beautiful books, right? Oh yeah. And I buy beautiful books. Not some like if anything that we cover on the show, That's Kindle for sure.
00:23:58:05 - 00:24:38:08
Unknown
And it's only like my absolute favorites where I might get like a boxset like Ryan Holiday. However, I love architecture, right? So I have great fondness for product design and so I have a data rums coffee table book and full biography. Same with Zaha Hadid. And not only do I put them near my desk, I have this practice of leaving them open at a page in the studio, so not just closed like normal, but I actually leave them open.
00:24:38:10 - 00:25:00:11
Unknown
So right now my studio, I'm I have bought a beautiful book on data visualization. Strange topic, I know, but trust me, it's cool. And I leave it open at these different visualizations to inspire me with no agenda. It's not like I'm working on a data visualization project. I'm just think it's interesting. Yeah. So see how I like hurrying.
00:25:00:12 - 00:25:24:15
Unknown
This is my little artist pages trying to bring that stuff to me. But I have to admit, I do agree with this clip that we just played structuring and making a date for creative Time. It's so out of the ordinary and it feels a bit odd and a bit indulgent. Like, That's hard. That's really different. It's really hard, I think so.
00:25:24:18 - 00:25:55:06
Unknown
I think it is. And I must admit, the solo dates that I've done for myself, where I'm going to look at to experience something, you know, traditionally creative is quite few and far between. Just because and it's probably true for a lot of us, it's very, very difficult to fit that into your schedule. However, what I liked about that clip we just heard with tofu goop is the way that you can interpret creativity and how you can find it in a lot of the other aspects of your life.
00:25:55:09 - 00:26:35:05
Unknown
For example, if you're going on a walk and you're appreciating the architecture or you're appreciating the nature, or maybe you're just appreciating a great cup of coffee, I think the idea for me that Julia Cameron's communicating with artist dates is forcing yourself, and I'm using the word force because I think it's it's more so important than encouraging, forcing yourself to just take time out, take time to go on a solo run or take time to go on a walk around the block and really give yourself the intentional thought to maybe find something that gets you going.
00:26:35:07 - 00:26:53:17
Unknown
Maybe it's something that, you know, you think is kind of cute, or maybe it's something that, you know, you're really surprised by. But the point is, I think that Julia Cameron's trying to tell us here is get something that kind of gets your heart beating so that you look at things in that different way. You're more intentional about what you're experiencing.
00:26:53:19 - 00:27:14:06
Unknown
Yes. And therefore, you're going to be able to reflect on that later. I really like it. Yeah. The other thing I really like is these days, if you want to give a review of the mentions podcasts in the Apple Podcasts app, that's really easy. But Spotify is getting a little bit better too, so you can respond to the answers, leave comments on shows now so it's getting better.
00:27:14:12 - 00:27:35:10
Unknown
So I really do encourage our listeners, members and viewers to jump into those respective technologies. Of course, if you are listening to this, you can come and watch this show at YouTube. If you're watching this show on YouTube, you can listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. But I think the key theme is we need your feedback, comments, your ideas.
00:27:35:12 - 00:28:01:13
Unknown
I think the key slogan we'd pitch you is Just do it, Mark. You just do it. Get in touch with us. There's so many different mediums now and platforms that we're on. Let us know your recommendations. Let us know what gets your heart beating and whether you're inspired. Just like we are with this series on journaling, as well as many of the other shows, all 238 of them, which are your favorites and what we want to hear more of.
00:28:01:17 - 00:28:26:02
Unknown
Yes. So get at the pen paper, you know, pigeon message, you name it. Send us some, send us feedback. Just do it. And that theme is where we're going to next time. That's exactly right. So next up, we've got Martin Shetterly. He's going to tell us a little bit more about sticking to and keeping Julian's routine, First introduced to the idea by a playwright that I really admire.
00:28:26:02 - 00:28:41:23
Unknown
His name's Sebastian Bunch. KOVAC We'd been at a writing workshop at a place in Scotland called Money and More. This is a really lovely place. If you get a chance to go, I'd really recommend we're at the end of the course. He was one of the tutors and just he was preparing to leave. Standing there with his suitcase and his coat on.
00:28:41:23 - 00:28:58:19
Unknown
He mentioned morning pages and showed us his notebook to use and he pointed to the lines and he said, These are the bedrock of everything I've done. And I thought, Blimey, I'll have some of that. We'll crown around and look at these scribbled lines. And someone had noticed he'd written. And so it goes over and over again a few times and sort of asked him what was that all about.
00:28:58:20 - 00:29:13:24
Unknown
He said, Well, if I'm writing my morning pages, my mind goes blank for a moment. I just kind of writes. And so it goes over and over again until something else clicks in. And this is because one of the most important aspects of writing morning pages is that you don't stop. You just keep the pen or pencil moving across the page.
00:29:14:00 - 00:29:35:17
Unknown
You don't stop, you don't think, you just write. And the thing is, it's easy to say. You just keep writing. But what I discovered is that this isn't actually that easy, especially when you first start in to do morning pages. We're so used to thinking about what we're going to say and what we're going to write and how we're going to say it, that we automatically censor ourselves without realizing that's what we're doing.
00:29:35:19 - 00:29:57:02
Unknown
A lot of people also worry about the fact that, you know, someone might find this writing and read it and what then they're going to just ridiculous. Well, this is all part of being too concerned with what other people think and letting that fear influence what we do. Morning pages are a chance to release ourselves from these kind of constraints, but this is something that we have to learn to do.
00:29:57:07 - 00:30:12:13
Unknown
I recently introduced the idea of morning pages to a writer I'd met and she said I didn't know its start. And I said, Well, that's where you start by just writing that you don't know where to start, and then you just see what comes next. You just know you might be free. Just let go and follow the writing.
00:30:12:15 - 00:30:45:05
Unknown
It's this letting go that can be difficult, giving yourself permission to write absolutely anything because it's just not something where we're really allowed to do in life. It's this freeing up that makes it this journey of self-discovery. We're not controlling. We're not consciously creating. We're just kind of really along for the ride. It's important not to get too hung up on this being of any value as well, because it might not be right in these pages that you're not actually in the process of making something, but it can be cleansing an outpouring.
00:30:45:10 - 00:31:06:06
Unknown
Don't forget that this is private writing, writing this just for you. You can say anything you want, anything. And it's the real benefit. The real benefit comes from those unexpected words when you learn to let go right in morning pages really is a bit like meditation. It doesn't matter if they're repetitive or trivial or don't seem important. You just do it.
00:31:06:08 - 00:31:28:02
Unknown
As Julia Cameron says, you know, there's no right or wrong way to do them. Guess another way of looking at that is the fact that however you do them is the right way for you. You just do it well. Gosh, that was like we sat in a classroom with Brené Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert teaching us simultaneously because Brené Brown said, Stop trying to be perfect.
00:31:28:02 - 00:32:01:00
Unknown
And Elizabeth Gilbert says, around creativity, every idea is original because it's coming from an author and a creator, and no two people are the same. So no two ideas are exactly the same. So it's time to break through our greatest battles Fear, self-doubt, fear of failure. Forget about it. Just do it. This bias towards action. Make it a habit and before you know it, like the difference that journaling and mindfulness in the morning makes for me.
00:32:01:00 - 00:32:29:03
Unknown
Mark is Tara mendes. It is really, really tremendous. And once you start getting used to expressing yourself in a journal or in your, you know, your daily pages, you know, the thing is you get so addicted to it, it's going to feel incredibly odd when you haven't done it. So when I've been traveling, I've missed one or two days literally because I've skipped days on the calendar or gone backwards in time.
00:32:29:03 - 00:32:49:09
Unknown
You know what it's like, Mark, When you travel from from the southern to the northern hemisphere, it's like it's like inception. Yeah. Here's the interesting thing. Like when I have missed a day, I'm like, Oh, oh my gosh. Like, it's so unusual now for me to miss a day and it's, like, so important. And sometimes I can really get after it, right?
00:32:49:10 - 00:33:17:12
Unknown
Like, right Pages. Other times I'm like, I'm going to have a good day today or I've got a huge event today. I'm super focused. I will succeed and that's it. That's all I wrote for that whole day. Yeah, Yeah. It can be super sure, can't it? For me, the area that sticks out in that great clip we just heard is this idea of censorship and being worried about what people might say or think if they were to read your notes.
00:33:17:14 - 00:33:42:11
Unknown
And that's obviously, I think, probably quite a common concern for a lot of people who are who are writing. And for me, what I've really found through the act of journaling is that sense of freedom that comes when you do set yourself away from your presumptions on what you should or shouldn't be Writing. This idea of censorship, for me at least, has has lifted.
00:33:42:13 - 00:34:14:07
Unknown
And what I've found through the act of being able to, you know, take time and write down a few pages each day is an elevated sense of confidence. Yeah, and an elevated sense of being able to communicate what it is that I'm trying to say or do to other people. Because without having, you know, purged and without getting all those cobwebs out of my head, those distractions, I find it very, very challenging sometimes to really focus my full attention on a particular task or deliverable or even a conversation, perhaps.
00:34:14:09 - 00:34:40:10
Unknown
So once I've managed to get everything down, you know, paper or screen, voice dictations, whatever it might be, whatever medium it might take it that allows me to feel more grounded, more comfortable, more able to give an individual or a task my full attention because I felt less censored and I feel less worried about what it is that I'm trying to hide from other people.
00:34:40:15 - 00:35:08:08
Unknown
Because the truth is, everything's down on paper, so there's nothing else for me to hide. Yeah, which is a great relief, isn't it? It's like taking off a heavy weight early, and that's why there's a sense of peacefulness that can come from your writing. Plus, what you alluded to is when you achieve that, that sort of calmness, that is the perfect environment for your creativity, expression and ideas to come out.
00:35:08:10 - 00:35:39:10
Unknown
Your great creativity will not come out. If you're feeling stressed, right, it will be right. It's not coming out right. So yeah, I think the call to arms here is clear. The mind purged of the monkey, mind purged of all those crazy thoughts. And then allow your creativity, your intuition to call you towards things that are of interest, of curiosity to you and let your creativity flow.
00:35:39:12 - 00:36:10:11
Unknown
I think the lesson here, though, is if you don't if you don't really get into this idea of Odyssey dates or morning pages, either way, you might not purge or you might not allow that creative potential to come out so bonkers as it sounds, create the creative outlets, expressions the formats that will encourage you, give you the permission that this is a moment you can be creative because you've kind of cleared the head.
00:36:10:12 - 00:36:56:22
Unknown
So now you can be creative, do these things. And I think there's enormous liberation. I mean, you said it, you feel more confident. And when you feel more confident, all of those things get better, your inflections get better, your creativity gets better, and you can go, I truly believe this is from a mindfulness perspective and mindset perspective. We are getting you on a path towards doing the things that you should be doing, not just thinking, searching for where you can be good, but finding the forum for where you can be great, where you can find purpose, where you can find reason and meaningfulness in your life.
00:36:56:24 - 00:37:23:00
Unknown
Because it is all about getting it right up here, isn't it? Yeah, it is, isn't it? It's this idea of ownership I think has really come through in the clips that we've heard so far, this idea of taking back control it. And we've got another clip, Mike, that we're actually going to, sadly, I should say, close the show on because I've really enjoyed everything that we've learned so far is going to be coming from Julia again.
00:37:23:02 - 00:38:06:11
Unknown
He's now talking to Russell Brand. And this next clip, I think is a really great demonstration on being able to take control and seek out the things in your life that you really, really love. When we now we're in this and extraordinary time, you've already so brilliantly metabolized. And I would say, you know, sort of create it's so much original content, but like it comes in from your description, at least from a place of spiritual awakening and spiritual journeying, but it specifically applied to creativity.
00:38:06:13 - 00:38:31:21
Unknown
How do you consider that these ideas can be applied now that we find ourselves in a very particular moment, in a moment of, you know, isolation, a moment of anxiety and fear? How do you think that this work and the principles of recovery and the principles of the artist way and your other work apply in this very unique time?
00:38:31:23 - 00:39:12:25
Unknown
I think actually it's a wonderful window for creativity. Many of us are sort of trapped indoors. We're restless, we're we're feeling claustrophobic and we're feeling that events are beyond our control. And what we do have control over is taking the pen to the page and, writing three pages of how we feel and what we care about. And I think there are many tools in the Book of the Irish Way Beyond Morning pages, although that's the bedrock tool.
00:39:13:01 - 00:39:57:12
Unknown
And I think as you do those exercises, I'm I'm thinking now particularly of one which is numbering from 1 to 25 and listing 25 things that you love. And you can't actually go on an artist estate right now, but you can recall the things that you loved and as you recall, the things that you love. You you gain confidence and you gain security and you gain enthusiasm and you gain hopefully a little bit of frivolity.
00:39:57:14 - 00:40:34:25
Unknown
And right now we desperately need frivolity. What a sweetie. Right? What an absolute esprit. So I think if we go back to Stoicism and some of it, God told his work, you really do control your thoughts. But that truth can be hard to accept. You might not control the things that happen around you and to you, but you can control how you think about them, how you react to them, and how you choose to respond to them.
00:40:35:01 - 00:41:01:05
Unknown
And in the end of the day, if you have your thoughts and your faculties, you can always get out pen and paper and start writing whether life is good, bad or otherwise. You can do this, right? Yeah. Isn't it funny? We've all got so many responsibilities with our jobs, with our families, our lives. But something as as simple as this.
00:41:01:05 - 00:41:26:15
Unknown
And a lot of us probably take notes daily, whether it's Post-it notes, what am I going to buy from the shop or whether it's something more substantial with work? We all do this type of activity pretty much every day, regardless all that we're trying to, I think, uncover. And what Julie calling us out on here is utilize that medium and really focus on the things that matter to you.
00:41:26:17 - 00:42:04:19
Unknown
Really call out those things that are making you feel overwhelmed or all other things that you're really enthusiastic about. You know, Mike, I'm called calling back to our series on happiness. Actually And I know that the Dalai Lama book was really focused on thinking of happiness as a muscle and something that you've got to keep trained. Yes, I believe that where Julia, I think one of the things that we can learn from that last clip that we just had from Julia, they're about listing, you know, your top 25 Things You Love is is an exercise in gratitude and is an exercise in being able to notice and reflect on those things that when you are
00:42:04:19 - 00:42:33:06
Unknown
then out and about you on your artist date, or maybe you're just on a work trip and you're traveling to four or so countries, you're able to look around and think, I appreciate this. And that's such a wonderful, I think, freedom that comes with working on yourself and working on understanding and learning about yourself taking ownership of one of those things where I'm really good and what are the things that I want to get a little bit better at.
00:42:33:08 - 00:43:10:19
Unknown
It's so freeing, isn't it? And so empowering when you take the time to delve into that, reflect on it and put it into practice. When you're out and about and you start noticing things. Yeah, it really is. It's, you know, I think however you choose to write, however you choose to express yourself, to clear the head and to be creative, It is like an ancient art that we can always return to, to get ourselves sorted.
00:43:10:19 - 00:43:38:02
Unknown
And I think that for many of our listeners, I'm going to imagine that they have some sort of knowledge, work a job, and we are processing so much to what you mentioned just then. We are processing directly what we're working on the relationships around. So if you've got the functional work, the behavioral collaborative teamwork stuff around it, then you've got, oh, hey, I should probably be thinking about other stuff.
00:43:38:04 - 00:43:58:18
Unknown
MM. And long term in terms of my work, then you are thinking about what skills you need to develop for work. Then you're thinking about your friends and keeping in touch with them, organizing in everyone's busy lives. Time to get together. Then you think about your family, your direct family, whether you have partners, children, parents, you've got obligations.
00:43:58:18 - 00:44:20:17
Unknown
They're your wider family. Then you oh, by the way, you've got your health. If you think about the myriad of things that you process and I sometimes I'm journaling about my health about insights into diet or exercise right That's a lot to process so just to consider what is required what can go into your morning pages is all those topics.
00:44:20:19 - 00:44:52:06
Unknown
But then Mark we then we get to your creative potential to think differently, to combine, synthesize ideas and opportunities, things whether they're products, services, people, or whether they're creative outlets in hobbies, in arts and crafts, whatever it is that is your creative passion. You've got to pursue it. Because what I notice is when I'm not pursuing creative activities in endeavors, I feel like there's something missing.
00:44:52:11 - 00:45:14:24
Unknown
I feel a little hollow, right? So you need to clear the head. You need to unlock that creativity, I think. Isn't it amazing to think we started with this idea of let's find out more about journaling. And once again, we come full circle to mindfulness and creativity. Huge things of the show right? I know. Yeah. And ownership as well.
00:45:15:04 - 00:45:38:18
Unknown
Yes. So this ability you're willing would probably be high fiving Julia Cameron right now because is so demonstrated within his work as well. Just take control, take ownership and just start doing it. And I think that's why I really enjoyed that third clip we had about writing down. And so it goes. And so so there's going to be plenty of blockers.
00:45:38:18 - 00:46:17:16
Unknown
And the truth is we've all experienced those blockers. We've all found days when it's tough to write more than a couple of words. And I think that shared experience is also quite freeing, knowing that everybody has probably gone through a similar process on their journey to, you know, freeing up their mind or purging or more like Elizabeth Gilbert, really focusing on being able to dispel any concerns you have around what other people have done and instead go at your own way again, calling back to that idea of censorship, I think it's just so powerful.
00:46:17:18 - 00:46:36:06
Unknown
It's such a powerful means of helping yourself be able to focus and do your best work. Yes. Is is this journaling aspect, isn't it? Yeah, it is. It actually reminds me a little bit of the was it the five second rule by now? Mel Robbins. Right. Has she said, if you have an idea, you've got to write it down.
00:46:36:06 - 00:47:01:22
Unknown
You've got to do something, you've got to get it out in 5 seconds. Right do right now. This propensity towards action. We've heard from Brené Brown with stepping in the arena with Mel Robbins. Mel Robbins, that was a fantastic series that was really action orientated. And I think Julia Cameron sits up there as well because she's encouraging us just to pick up pen or put your fingers down on the Queen or on the keyboard, or just pick out your microphone and start recording.
00:47:02:02 - 00:47:32:25
Unknown
Yes, not today. Yes, Yes, it's true, Mark. So many topics, so many ideas. But we come to that point where I say to you, of all of those, what is the one that has garnered your attention for tomorrow? Look, I think the this series is going to be very, very interesting for us because we're advocates for journaling. But I think we're going to find out a lot of new tips and tricks and encouragements to keep us honest and keep us journaling.
00:47:33:01 - 00:47:53:17
Unknown
I think for me, the thing that was revealed today was that idea of just doing it and even if you've run out of words, just keep on writing, just and so it goes in. So it's stoic. Yeah, yeah. That's a new tip that I that I think I'm going to put into my repertoire of, of work that. What about you, Mike?
00:47:53:17 - 00:48:12:17
Unknown
What stands out to you? Because I know how passionate and diligent you are when it comes to journaling. It's a scream out of states. I got to get I mean, I got to get started on that stuff. Yeah, I've got the nice books to inspire me, but do I'm falling short on them at once. Yeah. Yeah, you're right.
00:48:12:17 - 00:48:41:10
Unknown
That that's a really nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, Mark, I want to say thank you to you and thank you to you, our members, viewers and listeners here today on show 238 of the Moonshots podcast, we studied the work of Julia Cameron and the Artist's Way was the book. It was our Bible, and it started with coaxing yourself for enjoying that magic of writing and letting it flow.
00:48:41:16 - 00:49:05:00
Unknown
And there were two key practices, morning pages, all about the concentration of states, all about the release. And when we try to build a habit, our greatest enemy is ourselves, our will and our resilience. The key thing is just do it. And so it goes. NGOs, NGOs do these things and you'll be able to seek out the things that you love.
00:49:05:01 - 00:49:19:23
Unknown
You'll be out of find fulfillment. Satisfaction will be out to be the best version of yourself. You'll be able to learn out loud with us. And that's what we're all about here at the Moonshots podcast. That's a wrap.