Tuesday, July 1, 2014

5 Reasons to Keep a Journal

1. A journal is a place where we can keep personal thoughts, without storing them up in our minds.

At times, our minds carry the weight of the world. So many ideas, hopes, and fears all fighting to exist in one place. Samwise Gamgee, from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien once said to his best friend, Frodo Baggins, "Share the load." Let your journal be your Samwise Gamgee. Write down your worries and your concerns. Transfer your frustrations from your mind to that piece of paper and leave them there. Trust me, you'll feel loads better!

2. Writing down our hopes and our dreams is one of the major steps to realizing them.

No dream was ever fully realized until it was written or drawn out on paper. A cartoon character doesn't just pop out of its creator's mind. It has to be drawn out. The words in a book may be created in the mind of an author, but the world and characters aren't fully preserved until they make it onto paper.

Write down what you want most out of life. What are your dreams?

I recently read a book called The Jackrabbit Factor by Leslie Householder. It's a fictional story about a man name Richard who is trying to figure out what to do with his life. He is talking to a man named Andy about what he wants and how he can achieve it. Andy answers, "Okay, then. It's simple. You'll need to write it down, and know that the mere act of doing so causes unseen things to happen for your benefit."

3. While we often remember the significant changes in our lives, sometimes we forget all about the little moments leading up to these.

When you look back on your life, you don't just want to remember the milestones, you want to remember all the lessons you've learned and the trials you've gone through to get there. A journal is a great place to record life lessons. These will not only be an inspiration to yourself as you look back, but to your posterity as well.

Which brings me to my next point...

4. Shouldn't we want our children and our children's children to not only remember us when we've gone, but to know how we became who we were?

What are the significant points in your life that helped you become the person you became in life. These are the sorts of things your children down the line will look up to. They will read about your courage, your successes, your failures. They will learn from these personal moments and build upon the story.

Bilbo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings is a great example. He wrote his story. His nephew, Frodo Baggins then wrote his. Then, having no children of his own, Frodo passed his journal to his best friend, Samwise Gamgee. Their bravery and heroics became immortalized simply because they were written down.

5. Personal Satisfaction

Don't just keep a journal for reasons like the ones listed above. Keep a journal because you want to. From my own personal experience, keeping a journal has been one of the most satisfying things I do each night. There is nothing more pleasing than to see yourself immortalized in a book.

-Thomas Stanley, Jr.-

Attributions: J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, books and films). Leslie householder (The Jackrabbit Factor). Thank you for your inspiration.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Smile the Storms Away

If I have learned one thing in life, this is that it doesn't do anyone any good to be sad. Life is so short. Don't waste it away with a frown. Smile a bit. You will find your courage, and you will go through life witnessing and even bringing miracles to all those wonderful people around you. Storms will come, but don't let them stay. Smile them away and live your dream.

Thomas Stanley Jr

Sunday, March 23, 2014

The Key to Success...

...is to realize that nobody is above you and that nobody is below you. Know this and you will have a clear vision and determination to live your dream. Not only will your dream be realized, but also the dreams of others.

There will always be those who place themselves above others, who believe they are more important, smarter, or wiser. This is but an illusion that takes place in the minds of the selfish.

It does not matter how much knowledge you have or how much experience you have gained, you are no better than the next man.

Yes, man is given status in life. Some people become Kings and Queens, CEO's and Managers, Teachers and Politicians, etc. These and many other titles deserve respect, but even the best of these do not think themselves above others.

The great men and women of our world have worked alongside those whom they were given stewardship over. The worst men and women in history were those who thought themselves better deserving of life and all its glory than others.

Remember why we are here on this Earth. We are to uplift and inspire each other, but this is only possible if each man and woman views their own life and the lives of each individual around them as the equals they are.

Thomas Stanley Jr

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Misunderstood Creatures

At the edge of the forest a magnificent creature quietly walks, watching, waiting in shadow.
A deer, a sheep, anything to fill the stomachs of its pack.
Another day, another hunt, its purpose in life.

Out in the fields, farmers till.
Mothers watch as their children play in the yard.
Another day, another joy, their purpose in life.

Little Anne strays too far.
A forest lies at her feet.
Mother yells, but Anne is scared.
A wolf stares into her eyes.

An innocent girl.
A hungry wolf.
Both stare, watching, waiting.
Each unsure what the other will try.

Mother runs, stick in hand.
Mother strikes, but the wolf just cries.
Little Anne, not an option.
The wolf understands.

"Beast!" the mother cries.
Anne in her arms.

Silently, without malice,
The wolf moves on.

-Thomas Stanley Jr-

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

A Note from the Author

Dear Followers,

Please accept my apology. I have been absent from my blog for far too long! Many of you have expressed interest in my writing and have asked for more. I will admit I got a little lazy last year. I used to be a member of an online blogging community which shut down. Since then, my blog's hit count diminished significantly, causing me to be a bit discouraged. However, finding a new blogging community, keeping up Junior's Jrnl, and pulling in many new followers is on my list of resolutions for 2014.

I have already begun my next piece. It will be posted sometime this week. I do hope you enjoy it just as much if not more than my previous work. This new piece is a topic of interest in which people have asked me questions about...one that I hope will cause you to discover more about the author of Junior's Jrnl ;)

Thanks again to all you faithful followers! I look forward to once again reading your comments and discovering what each you like (or even dislike) about each post.

Sincerely,

Thomas Stanley Jr