“Your future self is not someone you discover, but someone you decide to be.”
-Benjamin Hardy
Years ago, I was part of a mastermind group whose focus was on leadership development. We had a guest speaker talk to us about his journey as an entrepreneur leading his company through tremendous growth. When asked what made the biggest difference for him, his response was, “Journaling.” He said “it activated a part of my brain that otherwise was underutilized…literally making me a better leader.” I was intrigued.
Up until that point, I had done some occasional journaling, but I suspected the effectiveness of my writing suffered because I lacked consistency. I decided to commit to doing it more frequently and for a longer period of time. I’m glad I did… I honestly don’t know how I had managed to keep my sanity as a leader without it. (Maybe I was kidding myself in thinking that I held any form of sanity at all prior to journaling.)
But what, exactly, does journaling do to make a difference? Some insight came the other day while listening to Angela Duckworth’s “No Stupid Questions.” She quoted from an NIH study:
“Expressive writing may help individuals develop insights that can aid emotion regulation and perceived control of stressful situations, thereby offloading worries and freeing cognitive resources that can be used to optimize performance.”
I wholeheartedly believe this is what journaling has done for me.
While journaling certainly hasn’t been the simple “key to great leadership” that was originally advertised to me all those years ago, the gifts this practice have given me are even more important and relevant to my life in a broader context. It has opened my mind to possibilities and preferred futures I would very likely have ignored or missed otherwise. In a 2020 HBR article “Take Ownership of your Future Self,” Benjamin Hardy says “Your future self is not someone you discover, but someone you decide to be…one way to begin that imaginative process is through journaling.” I couldn’t agree more. I’ve had this quote on my wall in my office for the past 3 years as a reminder to myself.
In my experience, the power of journaling is undeniable. And because of this, I offer my gratitude to the designers and creators sending us notebook and journal print projects that always delight us with inspirational covers, lush stock selections made for ink and pencil, and surprising production techniques. Thank you for creating powerful opportunities for transformative (and therapeutic) reflection. Your work makes a very positive difference in the world.
Cheers to Creativity and Beyond.
Liz Richardson
Indigo Ink Co-Founder
Journal/Notebook Printing Tips
Choose an uncoated stock for interior pages to prevent ink from smearing
Allow for a score at a 1/4″ from the spine on Perfect Bound Books to prevent cracking and to accommodate the gutter
A flat size of 8.5 x 5.5″ or smaller will allow for more pages printed per sheet (which means lower costs)
Interior pages don’t necessarily have to be blank… we’ve seen some interesting page elements printed including grids, rules, quotes, and doodles
