Sandy Grason
Find Your Passion!
By Liz Sterling

Journal-ution rhymes with revolution and Sandy Grason wants to revolutionize our lives, our passions and our creativity.

"My life purpose and vision statement," she says, "is expressing creative and inspiring ideas through books, film and music that move others in a profound way to find their passion, pay attention to the everyday moments, love more fully and live the life of their dreams." Well, thank you, Sandy, for coming along at the perfect time so our readers can initiate their own journey to fulfill their destiny.

The Catalyst
"I have been journaling for 20 years," she began. "It started when I was 21. On the outside, I looked like I had it altogether. I had a great job and I was successful-you know a good car and nice shoes but at the end of the day, I felt like something was missing. Maybe it was because my dad left when I was 7 years old and in the space of 14 years, we only had contact twice. I had gone through my whole life saying, "I'm better-off without him, it's all for the best, everything is okay (because that's what my mom was telling me). In truth though, I wasn't really happy. I was one of those people who was constantly searching for my purpose…asking, 'who am I?'

"One day, I was wasting time in a bookstore, waiting for a movie and I randomly picked up this book called "Adult Children of Divorce”. There was this quote that said, 'When your parents get divorced your whole world shatters because your parents are your world.' The author was 56 when she wrote that. I was 21 and this voice in my head said to get over it, but my eyes welled up and the tears began flowing. Finally, I had permission to feel sad and to feel my loss. My boyfriend, who is now my husband of almost 20 years, found me and asked me what was wrong and in that moment, I knew I had some important issues to deal with. So in my outside-looking-good life, you would see a happy, bubbly successful woman, but just beneath the surface, I had a lot of anger. When I would get angry, I would slam doors and throw things. This, I found out, is always a telltale sign there are unresolved issues."

Personal Healing
Sandy sought help. She went to see a therapist right away and on the first visit she was advised to get a journal and write a letter to her dad. This was not a send letter-it was strictly for Sandy's healing and releasing of her pent-up feelings and emotions.

"For 10 years, my journaling was angry—very angry. I noticed immediately how it felt like the page would soak up my emotions. I was becoming less reactive and angry. It was a very cleansing and cathartic process. I was calmer, more peaceful and more grounded.

"It took over 10 years until I was ready to send a letter to my father. It was six pages long and in it I told him about my anger, healing and about how I learned through the journaling process, to come to terms with my feelings and emotions. We met in a restaurant, my two young daughters, whom he was meeting for the first time, were twirling in delight. They were dancing around the restaurant and I had a private moment with my dad. I looked at him and said, 'What did you think about my letter?' And he said, 'Now's not the time.' In that moment, I realized he wasn't going to ever find the time and was just not capable of being the father figure I was searching for."

Finding True Happiness
"Even during the years while I was journaling my emotions onto the blank pages, somewhere I still had the fantasy that my father would come into my life, and join my family for Sunday dinners and become a grandfather to my girls. And it was a clear turning point for me-I knew in that moment, my happiness was within myself. I asked myself, 'What if you lost everything, what would make you happy?' And through journaling, I found my answers. Everyone will find their own voice through this process. My truth is unique to me-you truth will come from within you."
The Philosophy of Journalution™

"I do not believe you have to journal every day. I tried to follow the rules about journaling, just as the books guided me, but I never wrote everyday and I felt like a failure when I didn't follow the rules. I have so many shelves of half-filled journals, and each was a testimony to the fact that I didn't do a good enough job because I didn't write my morning pages everyday. The Journalution™ philosophy tells you to write when you feel like writing; be it once a year, a month, a week. You will determine what works for you and each time you write, you get a little bit closer to your soul and to whom you truly are. I always say…NO RULES—JUST WRITE!"

The Inner Critic
"As a recovering self-help addict, I have learned about our humanness and I know, even the people we have turned into gurus, have work to do. Everyday I meet my inner critic…it never goes away. The best authors and celebrities - Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, you name it — they have inner critics! These are the doubting voices that used to run my life and control me, but not anymore. Now, when I am getting ready to get up on the stage and present my work, or even be interviewed, I know deep in my heart, I am enough. I realize that going into any endeavor with an open heart is sufficient. I know absolutely every single human being on this planet has a purpose and if you have a whisper inside you that scares you but beckons to be heard…call it your inner wisdom, it will support you. Just by taking the first step, by writing it down, you will unleash your purpose."

As we begin the new year, buy yourself a beautiful new journal and begin your journaling journey with yourself. Sandy recommends that you unlock your passions, reignite your dreams and embark on the Journalution™ revolution to fulfill your destiny. Connect with your creativity with 10 tips for writing your way to a better and happier life:

1. No rules, just write. You don't have to write every day. You are giving your inner wisdom a safe place to surface. So no more guilt! Your journal is your friend.
2. Journal with prompts. Prompts are the magic launching pad that will get you writing and quiet your inner critic. A prompt can be anything-a word, a thought, or a phrase that encourages you to begin journaling such as: I don't want to write about "My soul yearns for" Find them anywhere, a poem, a line from a song or even a billboard.
3. Journal for a minute. Use a simple kitchen timer, write a prompt at the top of the page and begin. Just keep that pen moving until the timer goes off.
4. Journal when you're angry. Next time you find yourself frustrated or angry, grab a pen and your journal and let it rip. Allow yourself to write all the things you'd never say. Let the emotions pour out of you and know that no matter how awful the words seem, it's better they land on the paper than on fellow human beings.
5. Ask a question. Write a question and journal the first thing that pops into your mind. Don't edit yourself.
6. Journal a vision. Create a vision for one area of your life (career, relationship, financial, family, spiritual) and then move on to an entire life vision. No dream is too big or too small to deserve attention.
7. Journal with a group. Use journaling prompts then journal for 10 minutes, read and share and journal some more. To connect with a Journalution Group or for group journaling tips, visit the Journalution Community www.journalution.com.
8. Journal your gratitude. Expressing gratitude in your journal connects you to a state of appreciation that spills over into everything you do. Write down five things you are grateful for right now.
9. Journal with a higher energy. Write about a time when you felt particularly close to a higher power. Journal about how that connection felt. Did you feel guided in a certain direction? Did you hear a voice or a whisper?
10. Journal your joy. When was the last time you felt real joy-laughterbubbling up from within, a blissful stillness or feeling of contentment? Write about it. What types of things have brought you the most joy in your life? See if you can distill these moments down to one statement that sums up the theme of your joy.

Liz Sterling - Southeast Feature Editor
liz@balancemagazine.com

© 2006 Balance Magazine