Sunday Journal Prompt

 “Do you want room with that?”

 – Starbucks barista

 
Not a coffee drinker myself, I was confused when a barista asked if I wanted “room with that” when I ordered coffee for a friend. What she meant, of course, was room for other things—space for milk or cream, for instance. “Yes,” I said. “I want room.”

We fill our lives to the brim with job, family and social activities, rarely leaving ourselves room. Sure, there’s a rush we feel when we knock items off of our to-do lists or spend time with people we love. But my experience is that there can be a cost, too.

Excitement can mask our exhaustion, so sometimes we don’t realize how wiped out we are. Or perhaps we realize it but don’t give ourselves permission to really rest—to retreat. Recognizing my need to retreat from a packed schedule, my husband surprised me with a portable futon that has become a sanctuary for me—a place to write, think, read and nap. We’re calling it the “Zen Jen,” and it’s become my version of milk or cream.

In what ways can you give yourself more room in your life?

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Energy comes from four main wellsprings in human beings: the body, emotions, mind and spirit.”

– Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy, The Energy Project

 

A Harvard Business Review article entitled “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” shares that our energy comes from four main wellsprings: the body, emotions, mind and spirit. No doubt, we need our rest to feel recharged. But sometimes, even after a full night’s sleep, we still feel drained. That’s where emotions, mind and spirit energy sources come in. Ten years ago, when I worked as a freelance reporter covering city council meetings, I often felt emotionally exhausted after work. However, my spirits lifted when I took a continuing education creative writing class—even when I was physically tired. Craving more of the energy boost that creative writing classes gave me, I pursued a master’s degree in the field.

We can renew our energy by establishing specific rituals—behaviors that are “intentionally practiced and precisely scheduled, with the goal of making them unconscious and automatic as quickly as possible,” assert authors Schwartz and McCarthy. For me, engaging in creative writing continues to energize me. The authors share how one person set an earlier bedtime and gave up drinking, which had disrupted his sleep—changes that “transformed his life.” 

 

 

What behaviors can you intentionally practice to tap into a wellspring of energy?

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

- Vince Lombardi 

Each Sunday morning during the fall, tens of thousands of high school and college football players across the county watch films of their performance from the previous day. It’s a time in which coaches and players evaluate what went well and what didn’t—and, most importantly, make adjustments to the following week’s plan based on their analysis.

Few vocations demand a designated period of time for this level of reflection, especially on a weekly basis. It takes time and effort, but work like this contributes to long-term success.

As you reflect on the previous week, what adjustments can you make to your plan for the week ahead?

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Positive emotions undo negative emotions.”  

– Dr. Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

 

University of Pennsylvania professor Dr. Seligman, known for his groundbreaking work in the field of Positive Psychology, deters people from devoting a lot of effort to correcting weaknesses. Instead, he urges us to focus on making the most of our signature strengths—kindness, curiosity, loyalty, zest, perseverance, fairness, bravery, to name a few of the 24 traits he’s identified.

“I believe that the highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths,” he writes. He urges us to use them as often as we can in as many settings as possible. To take his free strengths-finder quiz, visit www.authentichappiness.org.   

 

What are your strengths and how can you use them to “buffer against your weaknesses and the trials that weaknesses bring”?