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My kindergarten teacher changed my life with one assignment: A dream log. I remember writing down a dream about myself, my friend Laura (who I had a crush on), a bridge, and a monster. When the monster came up the bridge to scare us, we hugged each other and our magical embrace stopped the monster from attacking us. The sun came out from behind some dark clouds, and I think Laura turned out to be a princess. Page after page, I wrote and drew everything I could recall to the best of my five-year-old ability. The activity revealed to me that I enjoyed the process of taking ideas from my head to paper, especially as I enjoyed coming back to read the story later.
At eight years old, I committed myself to retraining my mouth and brain out of a speech impediment, and this goal required constant effort and attention. The only time I could speak without a stutter or failing to pronounce my r’s was when I read poems and verses aloud in church. Inspired by my dream exercise, I thought, why not write down my thoughts and read them aloud to people? That would make conversation easier, right? It didn’t take long for me to learn this wasn’t going to work because I couldn’t take the time to write down my responses every time it was my turn to speak, but the experiment reminded me there was value in writing for myself. I started my first journal, and the anxieties and emotions associated with my speech impediment lessened.
I continued writing infrequently throughout middle and high school. The drive to journal rapidly increased in my freshman year of college. Poems and peace; these fueled my writing. I desperately needed peace in my mind amidst the stress of life and school, and poetry came to me at unexpected moments, consuming my thoughts until I expelled the words to paper. Journaling became my lifeline. It gave me an outlet when I needed to turn down the noise in my head, and a log of information I could reflect on later. Every entry served as data I could use to better understand myself, and I used this data to track my goals. I learned about patterns in my thought processes, discipline, productivity, and consistency.
Now I have a stack of journals that spans over three decades of my life. I continue journaling to this day and encourage others to do the same.
It’s one of the reasons why I’m grateful HarperOne asked me to write a guided journal after publishing my personal growth book in 2022. We wanted to create a resource that would help people either begin journaling or journal in new ways, drawing inspiration from nature to promote peace, balance, and harmony in one’s self. Now, two years later, that journal is coming out.
Here’s more about Seasons of Growth: A Journal for Well-Being Inspired by Trees:
“Using the central metaphor of a tree, Bridgewater explores how to undergo personal transformation in our minds (the leaves), in our bodies (the trunk), and in our spirit (our roots). Just as a tree yearns to grow, so do we. But as Marcus makes clear, “writing a single journal entry and expecting your life to turn around is like asking for fruit from a tree you planted yesterday. Growth doesn’t just happen—it’s a never-ending process, something we should welcome and embrace.”
In this beautiful self-care journal, we can discover powerful and healing practices organized by the seasons, each mirroring different stages of our growth process:
SUMMER: learning how to pace and keep tempo
FALL: opening ourselves to embrace transition and practice gratitude
WINTER: taking time to rest, reflect, and prepare
SPRING: discovering inspiration, keeping momentum
Like the rings of a tree marking every year of growth, our journal can become a log of lessons learned throughout the seasons of our lives. Featuring journal prompts, activities, breathing and mindfulness exercises, and bite-sized bits of knowledge to help us slow down, experiment with new wellness practices, Seasons of Growth can lead us to find inner clarity, harmony, and peace.”
Seasons of Growth is available everywhere books are sold. If you preorder it today, you’ll be able to start the FALL section in perfect timing with the season.
Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter! Please enjoy this uplifting video — I hope it reminds you to be kind to yourself as you grow.
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Read my personal growth book inspired by plants, “How to Grow: Nurture Your Garden, Nurture Yourself.”
Have a beautiful day!