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June 2006
LifeJournal Newsletter
June 2006
I've been thinking recently about how I can alter my state of mind, shift my perspective.
Twice a week I go on a 25 mile bike ride with three or four friends.
When riding in a pace line--concentrating on staying within 12 inches
of my fellow bicyclist's back tire, staying mindful of nearby traffic,
spinning my legs constantly in a rhythmic, repetitive motion--I enjoy
periods of time in a meditative state. I'm focused and in a trance
simultaneously. I can do my best thinking while biking.
But it's hard to write when I'm biking. So, at times I try to reach a
meditative/trance-like state when I'm not riding a bicycle but sitting
in a chair in front of my computer. It's not as easy for me to enter
that meditative state while in front of a computer. (Of course I
haven't tried putting a stationary bike in front of the
computer...maybe I'll try that.) However, I have successfully gotten
into a very calm trance-like state through practicing guided
meditations at my computer.
I've also learned other less aerobic ways to alter my perspective: A
journal writing technique--the Victory Log--helps train myself to see
life from a positive point of view.
In this newsletter you'll find links to guided meditations websites, and instructions about creating a Victory Log.
Best,
Ruth Folit
Chronicles Software Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guided Meditation Online
Keep a Success Log
End quotes
How to Purchase LifeJournal Products
Guided Meditation Online
At times writing in my journal is simply reportorial--just the facts,
not a lot of interpretation or inner searching. However, other times, I
want to shed my "in the world" skin and find out how I'm really
feeling, what's really going on deep in the bedrock. Sometimes those
feelings are just bursting to come out and other times they need a
little coaxing. I find that deep relaxation or centering is a nice way
to get to my core.
I've found two good websites that offer free guided mediations: The guided meditation at http://www.selfhealingexpressions.com/meditate.shtml
works specifically with healing and disease. There is a gentle audio
background with choices of photographs of peaceful images from which
you can select, and written text to follow.
The guided meditation at http://www.beliefnet.com/story/3/story_385_1.html is a ten-minute Buddhist mindfulness meditation. There is an audio of a woman's voice and a set series of images that appear.
I open LifeJournal and then go to one of the websites. I take about
10-15 minutes with the guided meditation, and then relaxed and
centered, I turn to LifeJournal and start writing. It's a cleansing
process and I like how I feel after such a journal writing session.
Keeping a Success Log
Like most of us, I find that at certain times my life seems to be going
well and smoothly: I'm feeling strong, optimistic, and opportunities
abound. Then there are other times when I'm struggling: Difficult
issues with no easy solutions clutter my inner landscape, time feels
pressured and tight, and my outlook is bleaker than I'd like.
I believe that what is going on in my inner world is reflected in my
outer, so I do my best to shift out of negativity. Plus, it just isn't
fun to be caught up in worrying. The question for me is how to get
through those negative times and turn around my perspective.
During those downbeat times, I turn to a journal technique called the
Success or Victory Log. The idea is to write about what you did well
that day, to observe and note even a shred of positivity you can find
from a situation. To write in your victory log, you don't need to have
won a Nobel Prize, landed the job you have been pining for, or suddenly
found your dream partner. Write about even seemingly minor triumphs.
For example, today I'm writing about (1) completing the task of moving
my phone line from one phone company to another, (2) finishing the
draft of this newsletter a few days before deadline, and (3) helping a
neighbor who is a new mother coping with her cranky newborn. None of
these are earth-shattering events, but I do value and feel good about
each of them.
Then after writing about my successes, I select (click and drag the
mouse over) the text and click the topic "Log>Victory" in the Topics
List. (Log [top level] and Victory [sub-topic] is found in the Topic
List by default.) When I'm looking for evidence and encouragement that
I'm moving forward in my life, that I'm making good decisions, and that
I am making progress in attaining my goals, I go to LifeJournal and
perform a search on just the highlighted passages of Log>Victory. A
document appears with a listing of every success I've written about.
Reading that listing encourages me to keep me pushing through the daily
list of tasks necessary to keep a household and business running
smoothly.
Sometimes, simply by being on the lookout for successes to record in my
journal, I'm training myself to find the positives. Over time these
encouraging thoughts do make a difference in my outlook and bring me
back into positive territory again.
End Quotes
"We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are."--Anais Nin
"Find the good -- and praise it."-Alex Haley
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Educators, or LifeJournal for Staying Sober.
There are three ways you can purchase LifeJournal 2 or upgrade to version 2.0:
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PO Box 220
Sarasota, FL 34230
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