Journals for Gratitude, Service, Productivity + stress Management
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Introduction
Welcome!
Today’s lesson is all about personal development, specifically in the areas of gratitude, service, productivity, stress management, and emotional self-care.
That’s a lot of areas to cover! But these are short bits that are easy to digest.
We’re avoiding overwhelm by only looking at a little information at one time, so I have some interactive materials for you to enjoy!
See below for a preview of each component of my latest course and coaching pack, “Confidence Journals: Design Bundle.”
[Free Workbook] Gratitude Journal
[Free Workbook] Service Journal
Throughout this course and interactive bundle, you will find a range of materials that you can either print off, or save to your computer or phone.
I created this course and these individual materials for anyone who wants to track their goals, stay accountable, and basically have fun with self-improvement.
The journals are accessed by enrolling in the course, but it is not a timed course — you perform at your own leisure. You can also just enroll in the course just to get the downloads if you’d like. It’s $27.
Once enrolled in the Confidence Journals: Design Bundle, you receive:
Gratitude Journal
Service Journal
Useful Terms List
Anxiety vs. Truth Pages
To-Do Lists Pack
Weekly Planner
Self-Esteem Exercises
You also receive video tutorials throughout the journal pack!
BONUS MATERIAL! Once you enroll in this course, you will also receive a BONUS course - the How to Design Your Wellness Website Course + Content Creation Blueprint.
Another BONUS - You receive access to discounts on legal templates for your website, if you choose to set one up.
All for $27, this course bundle is just so much fun.
Now, scroll down for information on each component of the course! (Journals + Workbooks)
Gratitude Journal
Read this article: [Free Workbook] How To Use Your Gratitude Journal
Gratitude: “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness,” according to The Oxford English Dictionary.
Background
Experts have said that expressing gratitude can actually signal chemical reactions in your brain, improving your quality of life.
During my research on gratitude, I learned a lot from Dr. Shainna Ali’s book, The Self Love Workbook: A life-changing guide to boost self-esteem, recognize your worth and find genuine happiness.
Dr. Ali is a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Florida, a nationally-certified clinician, and an approved clinical supervisor, according to PsychologyToday.com.
You can find more information about her and her work, HERE.
“The kinder you are to yourself, the easier it is to allow positive statements to flow and nourish your soul. You are also able to create space to humbly deny perfection while you patiently practice acceptance, forgiveness, and gratitude,” Ali says in her book, The Self Love Workbook, [page 115.]
Ali also suggests that you can begin expressing gratitude from within, by highlighting something you appreciate about yourself. [p.115]
You can then work outwardly, and write down notes about someone in your life you are thankful for, or even a non-living object, such as a place, thing, or your community.
In addition to Ali’s book, I also found notable research from Dr. Joe Vitale in the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne.
The following excerpt was written by Vitale:
“What can you do right now to begin to turn your life around? The very first thing is to start making a list of things to be grateful for. This shifts your energy and starts to shift your thinking. Whereas before this exercise you might be focusing on what you don’t have, your complaints, and your problems, you go in a different direction when you do this exercise. You start to be grateful for all the things you feel good about.”
Here is another quote about gratitude: “If it is a new thought to you that gratitude brings your whole mind into closer harmony with the creative energies of the Universe, consider it well, and you will see that it is true.” — Wallace Wattles, 1860-1911
The Bible has this to say about gratitude and being thankful:
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
How are you expressing gratitude today?
How to use your Gratitude Journal
Now, go ahead and grab your Gratitude Journal! [Click here to download for free.]
I created this simple Gratitude Journal for busy women who want to track the good things in life, and create more abundance.
You can print off the journal or take it with you on-the-go.
Here is what some of the Gratitude Journal pages look like:
The Gratitude Journal is just a simple reminder for you to write down 1-3 things per day you are thankful for.
Next, let’s talk about the Self-Esteem Exercises.
Self-Esteem Exercises
The Self-Esteem Exercises are great for when you need to take a step back and re-evaluate your situation and re-set your mind.
Dr. Ali says in her book, The Self Love Workbook, “Self-esteem is the result of how you view your overall self.” [p. 14] Dr. Ali recommends that people evaluate themselves in following seven areas [p.15]:
self-esteem
self-respect
self-growth
self-kindness
self-awareness
self-care
self-exploration
The simple Self-Esteem Exercises that I created for you inside of the Confidence Journals: Design Course are great because if you are new to this type of personal development, you can complete the tasks incrementally and not feel defeated!
Grab the Self-Esteem Exercises inside the bundle, HERE.
Take a look at some of the pages of the Self-Esteem Exercises you will receive in the course:
Here is what The Bible has to say about self-esteem and confidence:
Psalm 27:3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Let’s move next to the Service Journal.
Service Journal
I created the Service Journal because I know so many of us have ideas about how we can develop our ministries, volunteer, or give back to our community in small and large ways.
Each season of life brings its challenges, responsibilities and schedules. Perhaps you do not have time this season for a particular volunteering endeavor you’d like to take part in — now, you can write down all of the ideas you have for service, right here in the Service Journal!
Here’s another perk of the journal — if you are a mentor to young people, or you’re a parent or have young children in your life, you can record ideas or things that you have done to give back to the community, and you can easily track and share these ideas with them.
You can also write down your plans for the future, like outreach projects you want to start, and places where you want to go to serve others. For example, you could plan out an upcoming mission trip, or even plan an afternoon where you will be sewing blankets for those in need. The opportunities are endless.
You won’t forget anything, because you will have written it all down in the journal.
Download the Service Journal in the bundle, HERE!
Here’s a sneak peek at the Service Journal pages:
Let’s move on to the To-Do Lists.
To-Do Lists
Some people prefer not to use to-do lists, and use time-blocking and scheduling instead. I simply created these colorful pages for writing down things, just for fun. You can print them off, or save them on your phone or computer and write on them digitally.
David Allen is the author of the book, “Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.”
Allen says, “Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”
That’s so true!
When you write things down, don’t you feel like you can “think” more easily?
This is not an accident!
Allen goes on to say, “Suffice it to say that something automatic and extraordinary happens in your mind when you create and focus on a clear picture of what you want.”
That being said, when you write things down, you’re focusing more on that which you are writing. That means you’re getting a more clear vision of what you want. Therefore, you’re more likely to achieve it.
Grab the To-Do List Pack in the Confidence Journals: Design Bundle, HERE.
Here’s a quick look at the To-Do Lists Pack:
Time to move on. Let’s talk about the Useful Terms List.
Useful Terms List
I created this list as an extra resource for those who are focusing on a certain area of personal development.
This is simply a 4-page list that features words related to our areas of focus, and their definitions.
How to use the list: pick one word per day, and make that word a focus.
For example, “Perseverance.” Make that your focus one day.
Next day, choose another word.
There are a variety of words to choose from, and this can also be a great tool to use with the children or young people in your life.
Even though we all might be familiar with these words already, this is a nice and simple way to re-visit how we can implement good practices in our daily routines.
Here’s a look at a couple pages of the Useful Terms List, below.
Heart Journal + De-Clutter System
The Heart Journal + De-Clutter System is really like 8 journals in one!
This is one of my favorite components of the Confidence Journals: Design Bundle.
The Heart Journal comes with the following items:
De-Clutter Plan
Self-Care Worksheets
Anxiety vs. Truth Exercises
Daily Reflection Prompts
Affirmations Page
Inspirational Poster
Weekly Planner
Vision Board
Weekly Planner
I included a Weekly Planner inside the Confidence Journals: Design Bundle because, who doesn’t love a new planner?!
Here is a glimpse of the Weekly Planner:
Each day in your planning journal has a focus.
For example, in the pages above, the focus topics are: Gratitude, Strength and Resilience.
You have a Planner Prompt, your “Must-Happen List.”
You then have space for writing down people you will see that day, and places you need to be.
The Weekly Planner is a new feature I added because it really helps keep you in line as you go through the other workbooks in the Bundle!
Anxiety vs. Truth Pages
The Anxiety vs. Truth Pages are where you can take time to reflect on things that bother you, are stressing you out, and really take a look at the truth of the situation.
For example, let’s say the “anxiety” (the problem) is that you keep failing to wake up early in the morning.
That goes in the “anxiety” space of the worksheet.
Now, in the “truth” section, you might say something positive about the day.
For example, “I hit snooze again on my alarm…BUT the truth is, I got [XYZ] done today anyway, so my day was not a total loss.”
Basically, you turn the “anxiety” (problem) around into something good you did, or something good that happened that day!
Another example: “I am a terrible public speaker.”
First, put that into the “Anxiety” column.
Next, ask yourself, is the thought serving you? [Probably not.] Next, is it even true?
You can then process the stressful feeling by saying, ‘okay, maybe I need to work on public speaking. But I am extremely good at [XYZ.]”
You then replace the stressful thought with a TRUTH about yourself — a positive truth!
The positive truth about yourself can replace your stressful and negative thought about yourself.
The point of the exercise is to write out the problems you are facing; release them; and move on in a productive way that serves you.
Here is a look at the Anxiety vs. Truth Pages:
How to download the journals and workbooks:
We’ve talked about how you can use your new journals, so now the fun part — let’s get them into your hands!
Grab the entire Confidence Journals: Design Bundle, HERE.
Click below to access the following free journals:
BONUS:
Workout Playlist for Motivation
7-Day Creativity Boost Challenge
I hope you enjoy using this bundle of personal development journals! Send me a message and let me know which workbook you like best! [Send message here]
