Whose journals inspire you? — Inquiry Of The Day (IOTD)365

Mirror-image cursive encompassed 13,000 pages of notes and drawings. The topics compose a mini encyclopedia. Detailed studies of flying machines, plants, architecture, babies, emotions, and drapery, are a sampling of the journals Leonardo da Vinci wrote. Many of his studies are written in a manner to make publishing easy. This genius is human; the journals include lists of debtors and weekly groceries.

In 1994, Bill Gates paid over $30M for 18 sheets of paper that contain 72 pages of da Vinci's journal, known as the Codex Leicester. I haven't journaled flying machines, but I have journaled grocery lists, so I have hope for my journal.

What journal author inspires you to document the events, thoughts, and feelings of your life?

Political and military leaders: President Harry Truman or General George S. Patton

Artists: Andy Warhol or Curt Cobain

Writers: Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, or Virginia Woolf

To read the last journal entry of British explorer, Captain Robert Scott before he and his two remaining companions froze to death on their return from Antartica, is chilling.

What journals have you read? How does your tone, style or structure resemble those you appreciate? What published journal is on your reading list?

What elements of your journaling do you want to improve? Are you satisfied with the consistency, length, depth you have written? What is your primary obstacle to improving? What is one step you will take on your next journal entry, to deliver the journaling practice you desire?

What subjects have been taboo, is it time to delve into them? What would need to change for you to begin opening up about these topics? If the journal is not the right forum, who can you talk to about these off-limit areas of your life?

I have been encouraged to read journal entries of the world's elite and learn they don't know everything, haven't mastered all areas of life, and still, have to make a grocery list. Try journaling the mundane, you might become more self-aware today, and maybe tomorrow, someone will pay a fortune for the original.

Engage

These INQUIRIES are here for you.

My intention is for you to ask better questions and think deeper.

Our fast paced, always on, society provides little time for reflection.

After answering the initial inquiry, dig a little deeper and follow-up with a bit more thinking:

What do I think about it?

How can I make it better/worse?

How does this influence my life and those around me?

How can I be more generous?

April 30, 2017

How have cultural expectations shaped you?

People like us don't do things like that. You should or shouldn't do what you are about to do.

Our culture provides an onslaught of must do's and better not's, but are they really for our good or just a set of guidelines to be considered.

I am a fan of "men being men" and the differentiation between the sexes, but what did the common refrain from the John Wayne era movies, "boys don't cry" actually deliver? Did the fruit of this mindset give rise to the silent veteran forbidden from openly...

April 23, 2017

How do you fast?

Fasting is generally received with a sideways glance of disapproval or a beeline for the ice cream cooler. We rarely seek out the uncomfortable and saying no to food is on the list of taboos.

Ten years ago I fasted every Tuesday for a year. Somewhere in there, was a 5-day fast. Tonight I conclude a 72-hour water-only fast (I did cheat at hour 62, with two tsp of coconut oil). The weekly fasts were for spiritual reasons and the last few days have been primarily to understand the physical implications for me.

Compounding scientific studies conclude...

April 16, 2017

What are your family memories?

My how times have changed.

I borrowed the family history from a 96-year-old friend. She recorded the stories of her husband and his sisters, in 1996, before they passed away. The story started with a wedding in 1909 and chronicled life growing up on a Maryland farm outside of DC.

The first description to capture my imagination was from a rare trip to West Virginia to visit family. "There were no surfaced roads in the mountains, just wagon trails. The kids would get out of the car, and stand on the running boards, on the upper side of the car to keep it from...

April 9, 2017

How are others showing love to you?

A review of our social media highlight reel makes it easy to recognize how lovable we are. After all, look at all the selfies in just the right light, with the perfect smile. We have curated just the right online profile that shows us at our best.

We may be working on being generous to ourselves, but at least we know how we give and receive love.

What happens when we think we deserve love from those around us and it...

April 2, 2017

How do you know your commitment will last?

I have read a lot of books and attended countless conferences. My emotions carry me away with each turn of the page or charismatic speaker. I make grandiose plans to stop doing some things and start others. The resulting commitment lasts about as long as a New Years resolution.

The newest lifestyle decision I made that stuck, had a notable characteristic. I have dabbled with the gluten-free choice for several years. Two months ago, I decided to move forward and restrict gluten from my diet. The notable feature was the...

March 26, 2017

When do you expand your vocabulary?

Every new job comes with a new round of acronyms and the secret language of the existing culture. The new love interest is different than the last and leaves one yearning for King Ptolemy to commission another Rosetta stone and share the cryptic expressions of love. Learning a foreign language is well, like learning a foreign language. We listen intently to piece together the unknown and known.

A friend was reflecting on her relationship with her daughter and wanted to take decisive steps to improve this connection. She decided to start with...

March 19, 2017

How do you forage for positivity?

Buried treasure was just waiting to be found. I knew it had to be true. Inside the back cover of my comic book shined a full-color advertisement, of the perfect metal detector. Dials, lights, and gauges decorated the shiny control panel. The muscle-bound treasure hunter, walked down the beach, with the prized metal detector in one hand and a bag of riches in the other. The surprised expression of his bikini-clad girlfriend squealed another discovery was imminent.

The possibilities were endless, and I knew the beach would reveal its buried treasure. However, my beachcombing dreams were dashed. My father...

March 12, 2017

What are you encouraged about?

The world presses in with news of pending doom. The evening news can only afford 30 seconds to the uplifting because there is too much bad news to tell you before bed. The Internet trolls somehow know the precise words to get you riled up. The month seems to have more days than the account has funds. The tendrils of darkness are too strong to resist, and you sense the slide down the slippery slope is inevitable.

With all the rust, decay, brokenness and messed up circumstances swarming around us each day; what breaks through the gloom?

What are you encouraged...

March 5, 2017

How can you use your constraints as an advantage?

The professor asked us about our working environment. We spent five minutes outlining all our challenges. The constrained budget, compressed timelines, suppliers failing to deliver on the requirements, and a myriad of other problems.

This discussion was during the first class of an executive crash course at a top-tier business school. It felt good to get this off our collective chest, as we shared the common difficulties. Knowing the school's reputation, we were counting on the answers to all our problems.

The professor paused and asked, "how can you use these constraints to your advantage?"

The question stripped us of...