The Journal Prompt

Insightful Journal Prompts Delivered Weekly.

Good morning!

Welcome back to The Journal Prompt, your weekly companion for introspection and personal growth. 🌿

This week, we’ll dive into Building Together.

Let’s get started!

In This Week’s Issue (6-minute Read)

💬 Quote of the Week

🖼️ Framing Your Reflection

✍️ Three Insightful Journal Prompts

🧰 Life Improvement Toolbox

🤝 Featured Photo & Affirmation

Framing Your Reflection 🖼️

Journaling is introspective in nature. And building the self-analysis habit is one of the greatest things we can do to improve our lives.

But habits can be tricky.

As we work on things we want to get good at (i.e. learning), our brains dump dopamine into the neurons involved with learning that thing.

This improves and prolongs neural activity, which results in better circuits, and our brains associating the activity as rewarding - that’s why it feels good to do the things we are good at, and learn about what peaks our curiosity.

So…where exactly is the tricky part in reinforcing introspection?

By habitually diving deeper into ourselves, we can inadvertently spend increasing amounts of time focusing on only ourselves, and thereby neglecting the higher calling of our nature - our obligation to each other.

We are social creatures - connecting with others releases good ole’ oxytocin, and solitary confinement is a punishment that society reserves for the worst of criminals.

We hinder our growth (and that of others) by neglecting to put equal vigor into connecting and cooperating with each other.

Civilization and country are things we have been building together for thousands of years. But they are by-products of the “small” interactions we have daily with our spouse, our family, our co-workers, our friends, our neighbors, and the list goes on.

Today, respect the fact that, given our connectedness to each other, people are depending on you - by definition.

And put that introspective growth you’ve built to use by bringing the best version of yourself to the Works in Common.

You have a beautiful contribution to make beyond yourself.

And the proverbial “We”, are excited for you to show up.

Three Journal Prompts ✍️

🔍 A Past Connection

What’s a project you were involved with in the past where you felt you were a part of something larger than yourself? Why did it make you feel good? Why did you stop? Looks for patterns.

🧠 Bringing the Thunder

Are you currently involved with something that goes beyond you? If so, are you bringing the full force of your Life Thunder into collaborating with others, or just checking the box?

🔭 Building Tomorrow

What’s a project you have been thinking about for a while which you feel would give you that collaborative connection? Why haven’t you started? You must ask yourself at least 5 subsequent “Whys”. See what answers you get.

Life Improvement Toolbox 🧰

📚 Reader’s Corner

At the heart of collaborating with others is connection…..not just communication.

In this gem, one of the world’s most respected leadership experts gives a blueprint for taking communication and turning into genuine connection.

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect - John C. Maxwell

P.S.

While reading is something we pretty much have to actively do, listening is fair game for dog walking, dish cleaning, chores, and driving.

Make more progress on the things you want to learn with audio books from Audible - check out how it works here. 🎧

📝 The Journaling Craft

A way that I have connected with my eldest daughter through journaling is by having a shared notebook which we ping-pong back and forth with artwork and entries.

It’s feels amazing to do it and to look back at older ones. Highly recommend. We use notebooks like this one because the pages give us maximum creative space.

🧠 Mind + Body Connection

Some of the best ways to connect with others is over coffee and tea. If you’re having someone over, and you want to get the connective juices flowing, check out high caffeine Zest teas.

They are like tasty lightening - simply awesome.

Featured Photo & Affirmation 🤝

Affirmation for Building Together

"We are made for collaboration, not isolation”

As we dive deeper into understanding ourselves, let’s remember that we are not alone.

Writing is healing and healing can hurt - reach out to friends and family. They are there for you.

Sending Good Vibes,

Ivan from The Journal Prompt Team

Found this issue useful?

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https://www.thejournalprompt.com/p/building-together

Happy Journaling!