My first memory of journaling happened in third grade. I stopped and started over and over again for the next three decades. Then, a little over 10 years ago, I started a daily journal practice that brought me back to myself in a time when I wasn't sure who I was or what I was doing with my life. I sometimes refer to this chapter as my midlife-crisis-turned-awakening.
For a long time, I kept my practice to myself. I wrote longhand in a wide-ruled composition notebook with an extra fine Pilot V5 pen. Three pages every morning. I'd wake up before anyone else, tiptoe downstairs, let the dog out, make myself a warm drink, and sit down to write. I wrote about everything. What I did. What I was going to do. What I had to do when I really wanted to do something else.
After years of consistently giving myself the time and space to self-reflect, I learned who I was: what I did and did not want my life to be. Looking back, I think I started journaling because I felt I didn't have much of a voice and I didn't feel listened to. What I grew to realize was that it doesn't matter what others think of my life. What matters is what I think of it and how I choose to spend it.
For the majority of my work life, I felt like my talents weren't always the best fit. I played it safe. I ignored my creativity because I didn't want to draw attention to myself in that way. One day, I was talking to a friend and I said, If I could do anything, I'd be a professional journaler. I said it jokingly, but then I wondered if that was possible, and if so, what would that look like?
I knew I wanted to prioritize (Alpha) my creativity and wager (Bet) on myself. As soon as I was honest about what I wanted, the AlphaBet Journal was born.
