I keep a journal of failure and disappointment…Whenever something is really bothering me, I don’t just stew on it…I write it down in a few words what is bothering me…I reserve it for things that I’m genuinely worried and anxious about or that make me sad or angry…It is an extremely powerful technique called metacognition which means thinking rationally about my own emotions.*
Arthur Brooks

Stress and worry tend to be higher before you act. Without action, all you can do is worry. Once you begin, fear shrinks as you start to influence the outcome.**
James Clear

To write this down
is an action–

To open a notebook and place it ready
is an action–

To buy the pen and notebook^
is an action–

The thought or feeling
has some place to go–

One small action
will lead to another and another–

*Arthur Brooks’ The Meaning Of Your Life (Brooks leaves two spaces after each entry – returning after a week and a month to record the benefit that has come through whatever the painful thing is);
**James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter: On making the most of shortcuts, how to reduce worry, and the kindness of mastery;
^Digital is okay, analogue is best because of how the brain engages.

SOME RANDOM THIN|SILENCE
THIN|SILENCE FROM A YEAR AGO

The shape of our knowledge becomes the shape of our living; the relation of the knower to the known becomes the relation of the living self to the larger world.*
Parker Palmer

Two good places
for growing what we know
are here
and today.

*From David Brooks’ How To Know A Person.

SOME RANDOM THIN|SILENCE
THIN|SILENCE FROM A YEAR AGO

Dawdle (verb): 1650s, intransitive, “to idle, waste time,” perhaps a variant of daddle “to walk unsteadily.” Perhaps influenced by daw (jackdaw), because the bird was regarded as sluggish and silly. Not in general use until c. 1775. Related: Dawdled; dawdling, dawdler.

MORE SLOWJOURNEYS FOR THIS DOODLE

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Qualities of great wanderers: curious, inquisitive, non-conformist, rebellious, daring, revolutionary, innovative, visionary, self-sufficient.*
Keri Smith

*Keri Smith’s The Wander Society.

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Slowing down is about asserting the importance of contemplation, connectedness, fruition, and complexity. *
Lauren Elkin

Every so often,
I’ll be sharing
a portion of the images**
from my colouring book
Slow Journeys
in
the Same Direction–
You’re welcome
to print these
for colouring in–
Not quite a labyrinth
but they’ll slow you down
.

*Maggie Berg and Barbara Karolina Seeber’s The Slow Professor;
**The actual image is twice as large as this.

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When seeking guidance, don’t ever listen to the tiny-hearted. Be kind to them, heap them with blessings, cajole them, but do not follow their advice. If you have ever been called defiant, incorrigible, forward, cunning, insurgent, unruly, rebellious, you’re on the right track. Wild Woman is close by.*
Clarissa Pinkola Estés

Don’t listen to me–
Not yet–

One day, I’ll have something
to say that will be helpful–

I’m working on it–
Until then, don’t give up on me–

Don’t make it easy–
I grow most through difficulty–

Another day–
I step into the journey again–

*Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run With The Wolves.

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THE MISBELIEF: When things go wrong, your best option is to run away and start over somewhere else, hopefully in that place on the other side of the rainbow where troubles just melt away…Dorothy has brought her problem, and her belief system right along with her. Troubles never just melt away…*
Lisa Cron

Your habits will hold you back more than your enemies ever will.**
James Clear

“He’s behind you!”

I came to admit
the problem wasn’t out there
but in here–
I was the villain
who must be faced–

I wish
this was once and for all
but the villain
I am trying to escape
keeps turning up–

*Lisa Cron’s Story Or Die;
**James Clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter: How to find alignment, what holds us back, and the hidden trades we make.

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What leads to boredom? Inactivity. But activity does not exist for the purpose of our escaping boredom; rather boredom exists so that we will escape inactivity and do justice to the meaning of our life.*
Viktor Frankl

Who will give you the authority to feel what
you notice is important?
It will have to be you.**
Verlyn Klinkenborg

Gratitude serves as a bridge to the transcendent, connecting us to something beyond ourselves. At the heart of the human impulse to seek meaning lies gratitude. And at the heart of gratitude lies the sense of meaning…do you want to change how you see yourself and the world? Cultivate the practice of expressing gratitude.^
AleXander McManus

Here lies
a transcending pathway
in three quotes–^^

We begin with boredom–
We notice some things–
We take a good, long look–

We value what is being revealed–
Changing before our eyes–
We change too–

We find our way
from boredom to transcendence
through gratitude–

Beyond “some have gratitude
and others do not,”
We’re discovering–

Some will
develop gratitude
whilst others will not–

*Viktor Frankl’s The Doctor And The Soul;
**Verlyn Klinkenborg’s Several sentences about writing;
^AleXander McManus’ FutureU;
^^The quotes just happened to come together in my journal for today.

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Pet quirks…little eccentricities we see in the world that offer a cost free smile. Habit or interactions that always make us a little lighter on our feet and open the door to better…They’re easy to find, not hard to adopt and don’t take much maintenance. Where are yours?*
Seth Godin

To a large extent, the good life is justified by the good story. And the good life story is one of the most important gifts we can offer each other.**
Dan McAdams

A quirk
isn’t an angle
to get the world to bend to you–

It’s your way
for doing something
with a flourish–

Not an afterthought–
I see you being
most you–

What if
you didn’t have to
hide your quirk–

What if
you already have permission
to bring your quirk to whatever you’re doing?

A quirk
becomes a beautiful way to bring
something more to another–

*Seth Godin’s blog: Pet quirks;
**Dan McAdams’ The Stories We Live By.

SOME RANDOM THIN|SILENCE
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It’s good that you’re feeling bored.  Bored is an actual feeling.  Bored can prompt toward motion…Bored is what empty space feels like, and you can use that empty space to do something important…I’m glad you’re feeling bored, and now we’re excited to see what you’re going to do about it.
Seth Godin

Seth Godin’s blog: Thoughts on “I’m bored”.

SOME RANDOM THIN|SILENCE
THIN|SILENCE FROM A YEAR AGO