1-1-1: how to find your "why"
read about the importance of self awareness and find important journal prompts for any stage of your journey
may, 2023
edition 18.
brb I am having post-college withdrawals!!! the lack of stimuli at home is exhausting in its own way.
a new life update is that I’ve (re)discovered the library?! to be fair, I’ve always associated library with the academic library of my college and/or studying, but my local library has books published in 2023! and so many books that I’ve been wanting to read for ages! so I know how I’m going to spend my summer…
you can expect one email from me every week containing:
one quote that has been inspiring me
one journal prompt
one piece of advice*
* = if you want to submit a question for my upcoming emails, you can find the form here.
podcast
this week’s podcast is about romanticizing your life and making the most of summer — listen here <3
& please consider supporting me to keep this content free — learn how to subscribe to the podcast here.
one quote
“listening to yourself takes an immense amount of courage. we don’t talk about this enough.
the world is so loud.
it’ll tell you exactly how to be, how to look, how to exist, how to work, how to be good, how to be bad, how to do anything and everything. what it won’t do is encourage you to listen to whatever feels right and true and light and warm within you.
it’s the hardest thing, to find a slice of solitude quiet enough for you to hear your own needs, wants, desires, thoughts. it takes so much bravery and self-trust to follow what feels true instead of what you "should” do.
it’s brave to grow when the world seems to want you to conform. it’s brave to do what feels right to you when it seems like everyone else is going in the opposite direction. it’s rebellion. it’s going against the tide, the status quo.
and I want to commend you for doing it. because it’s hard. sometimes it’s lonely. but most of all, it’s intensely rewarding. a lot of the bravest things usually are.”
—jamie varon
one journal prompt
see the advice below <3
one piece of advice
“How do I figure out my why?”
this is suchhh a good question. for those who are confused, your ‘why’ is your motivating factor: why are you choosing this lifestyle for yourself? why put in the work when your current habits are so, so much easier?
I’m not exactly sure what ‘why’ you’re referring to, so I’ll answer this question in the context of mental health and my personal recovery journey.
my “why” for recovery is extremely personal and is in constant flux. it reminds me why I’m choosing the discomfort of learning and unlearning. it is the single most important thing for anyone trying to recover in any capacity!
these are some questions I asked myself:
think of (or list!) all the things you want to achieve in your life. what headspace do you need to be in to get those things done?
what are places you want to travel to? the types of people you want to meet?
what is your ‘dream life?’ think about this in as much detail as possible, as all of these details can contribute to your why.
if you don’t know where to start: what kind of pet do you want? what do you want your day-to-day to look like? what does your house look like? where is it?
my personal why is connected to the type of person I want to be, the life I want to live ,and the type of impact I want to make on other people. it’s constantly changing as I am constantly changing.
the key part to finding a why is having self awareness. if you don’t know what you want, how are you expecting yourself to go out and chase it?
reading updates
currently reading: one last stop by casey mcquiston, what money can’t buy by michael j. sandel
finished this week: the clue in the old album by carolyn keene (nancy drew #24), mystery of the moss covered mansion by carolyn keene (nancy drew #18)
if you want to keep up with my reading throughout the week, this is my goodreads :)
enjoyed this edition?
until we meet again,
katie