This is the roundup post for the 21-Day Journaling Challenge held in Nov 2011. The challenge is now over but you can do the tasks in your own time. Visit the overview page for all the challenge tasks.
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Hi everyone – Welcome to the final roundup post for 21DJC!
We’ve finally reached the end of 21DJC. :D
Day 21 Review
As a quick recap, yesterday’s question was: “What is Your Biggest Wish for the Future?“. (Read the responses.)
Here are the wishes from some of the participants:
“My biggest wish for the future is to be healthy and happy. I also wish to be financially independent and strong!” — Iva
“To see myself on the top. I wish to be one of the best Graphic Designer in this world. And I know, sooner or later, I will be one for sure because I’m on the right track and I know what I want from my life.” — Kamal
“My biggest wish for the future would be…. to live every day with no regrets, love whole heartedly , spend each moment living to the fullest, striving every day to challenge myself and be more than the sum of my parts!!” — Raven
“My biggest wish would be for the population of this planet to wake up and stop following traditions that are damaging to the planet.” — Glenn
“…I would wish for a utopian world with peace and harmony …..I wish for a long life, health and happiness for my family and to be able to live an evironment that allows us to reach our full-potential.” — Charles
“For myself, and obviously this includes my lovely little family of hubby and two kiddies: to find/create a spiritually rich, healthy, fit, growing and environmentally friendly way of life that is sustainable for us in the long run.” — Aletta
“My biggest wish for the future is being able to live my life as my ideal self. I feel like I’m starting to make progress and that momentum is building up and it feels really good.” — Bryan
“I wish to be more fearless, have more belief in myself and what I am truly capable of. Love and respect myself for what I am.” — Vibha
“My biggest wish would be to see the world, or even my community, come together in peace and understanding. My biggest wish is to live in a world where love is the driver of society.” — Laurel
“I wish for so many things, and the priority level of each wish fluctuates, but I consistently wish that my children are happy and healthy, that my grandson is able to shine even though (or maybe because ) he has Asberger’s, that I remain happy and fulfilled in my life path, that I remain healthy and not a burden to my children.” — Julia
“My biggest wish is to buy a house with my husband, and have a studio (instead of just a corner in a room) where I can work on my paintings whenever I want.” — Kimberly
“My biggest wish for the future is to have a real impact and a legacy for people in my country.” — melita
If you must know, my biggest wish for the future is to see the world united as one. It’s something I’ve written about in Two Important Things that Led to My Discovery of My Real Purpose.
I believe all of us (humanity) are parts of a bigger whole, and we are currently living as fragmented beings, as part of our individual life journey (though we are still connected to the same subconsciousness). The day when all of us achieve the highest level of consciousnesses (Enlightenment or whatever it is), I believe we will become united as one single consciousness – and that’s when humanity can move to the next stage of evolution.
Thank You!
I’d like to take this chance to thank all of you for your active participation in 21DJC.
This is by far one of our most successful challenges to date, in terms of retention rate and consistency of participation, and it’s thanks to YOU. This could have never happened without you.
Thank you for selflessly sharing your answers here, for the challenge would not be as rich if not for your sharing.
Thank you for holding true to your integrity and following through every day of the challenge, just as you intended to when you first signed up on Day 0.
Thank you for treating the questions seriously and answering them with earnesty, vs. dismissing them as just another age-old, cliche question. Because while I can meticulously craft the questions with the best intentions, they do jack if you don’t bother to put thought into them.
Thank you for making 21DJC happen so beautifully. I’m extremely grateful to all of you for your participation, and words can’t express how I feel.
Your Feedback Needed
As usual with all challenges at PE, I need your help to provide me feedback on the course itself, which will help me in creating bigger, better challenges in the future.
Regardless of whether you completed the whole 21DJC or just did selected tasks, I want to hear from you. I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes of your time to answer the following 4 questions (in fact, the more detailed your feedback, the better it’ll be):
- How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
- What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
- Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
- What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
As a recap, here are the posts/questions for the past 21 days:
- Introduction / Announcement: “21-Day Journaling Challenge” Nov 2011 (650 official participants)
- Day 1 – What Would You Do If You Have 1 Million Dollars? | 432 Comments
- Day 2 – If You Are To Do Something For Free For the Rest of Your Life, What Would It Be? | 373 Comments
- Day 3 – What is Your Ideal Diet Like? | 261 Comments
- Day 4 – If You Are To Travel Back in Time to 3 Years Ago, What Advice Would You Give Yourself? | 258 Comments
- Day 5 – Who Is the Most Important Person to You in the World? | 217 Comments
- Day 6 – What Frustrates You? | 248 Comments
- Day 7 – What is the Most Important Thing You’ve Learned in Life So Far? | 230 Comments
- Day 8 – On a Scale of 1-10, How Much Do You Love Yourself? | 212 Comments
- Day 9 – What Drives You? | 173 Comments
- Day 10 – Who Do You Enjoy Spending Time With? | 147 Comments
- Day 11 – Out of Your 5 Senses, Which is the Most Important to You, and Why? | 134 Comments
- Day 12 – What Are Your Biggest Goals for the Next Few Years? | 146 Comments
- Day 13 – What Do You Fear Most? | 132 Comments
- Day 14 – What Is Love? | 124 Comments
- Day 15 – What is the Most Painful Thing You Have Experienced To Date? | 165 Comments
- Day 16 – What Makes You Happy? | 114 Comments
- Day 17 – If The World Came To An End Today, How Would You Feel? | 101 Comments
- Day 18 – What Matters Most To You? | 102 Comments
- Day 19 – What Words Best Describe You? | 107 Comments
- Day 20 – What Limiting Beliefs Are You Holding On To? | 87 Comments
- Day 21 – What is Your Biggest Wish for the Future? | 84 Comments
Comments Closure
Note all comments will be closed on Nov 30, Midnight EST. That’s only 2 days left, as of the writing of this post.
Post your entries to all 21 days if you haven’t. Reply to other participants. Wrap up your final thoughts and share them with the group. This is your final chance to post your replies!
Next Up
Personal Excellence Forums
If you’re looking for a community of like-minded, passionate and driven individuals to grow in life together, be sure to join us at Personal Excellence Forums, where many Personal Excellence readers hang out, share their upcoming goals, create action plans and share their progress in life together.
We now have over 1,000 active members registered on the forums (meaning members who made at least 1 post and above), with a good number of them being regulars who hang out and post on a weekly basis. Many discussions on the forums are highly conscious exchanges which have undoubtedly triggered others to get working on their growth.
30DLBL, Dec 2011 Run
We are kicking off Dec’s 30DLBL in less than 3 days. If you haven’t joined us yet, now is the time to do so. Make the best out of your remaining 30 days in 2011 and get started on 2012 with a big bang. Stop hesitating – the longer you wait, the more you’re missing out on the opportunity to transform your life to the next level.
Sign up here: Live a Better Life in 30 Days Challenge for Dec 2011
Share Your Final Feedback!
Please share your final feedback via the 4 questions above! Thank you – I look forward to reading your answers! :)
Once again, all comments for 21DJC will be closed on Nov 30, Midnight EST.
We will be kicking off Dec’s 30DLBL on Nov 30 – I will be posting the Day 0 task in the private forums. For those who have already signed up, hop on to the private forum and post your introduction! Let’s get rolling on making the best out of our final 30 days in 2011! :D
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First I just want to say THANK YOU!! to Celes for organizing this journaling challenge and to all of YOU who have traveled this road along with me, especially those that were interested enough to give me comments and feedback along the way!!
1.How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
This experience has been enlightening, frustrating, surprising and very instructive to myself on who I am right now, where I have come from and where I’d like to be heading in the future. There are some questions I looked at and just groaned out loud but then made myself go back later and really give them thought and answer them as honestly as possible. This being a public and yet still relatively anonymous forum was very helpful to me be true to nature of being every time I answered a question. There was no to impress or to expect to judge from this group of people I do not know, who did not know me.
2.What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
Boy, this is one of those complex questions I was just referring to…I have learned that I have come a long way from where I thought I still was in how I see myself, how I see others and in how compassionate and empathetic I can towards others situations and hardships. I have learned that I have not fully forgiven myself for things that I do not completely know what they are but I now know that I need to pursue these areas to better love myself and to love all those around me. I have learned that I have a lot of help to offer people out there that are suffering from similar things now that I have in the past. Or even helpful things to try and words of hope for people are suffering from the same sort of things now that I am now. That I am not alone in my struggle and neither are they! That is reassuring at the same time is too bad that there are so many others with health problems and financial problems.
More importantly, I have learned that perhaps I need to get back to journaling. I clearly still have a lot to say inside me and this exercise has shown me that not only is it good for me to journal, it can even help others who read what I have written! That is all the reason one needs really to continue something healthy and therapeutic to the mind and soul….good for me and helps others.
3.Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
•Day 7 – What is the Most Important Thing You’ve Learned in Life So Far?”
This was a good one for me. It’s not one of those questions that was an epiphany for me but more reaffirmed that it really IS the most important thing and that I want other people to know and learn that truth also, hopefully without having to go through pain or loss in order to learn. That maybe by sharing my words and thoughts, they at least could learn it another way.
•Day 15 – What is the Most Painful Thing You Have Experienced To Date?
This was one of those questions I read in my email, went well great….and turned off my laptop and did something else. I mean it’s been years and we don’t talk about and know we want to talk about it!?! I already have little dreams and nightmares scattered all over these days, if I journal this as my most painful, won’t the dreams just get more and worse?? But that is not the case. It was really hard to type about it. To put it down on screen made it real. Meant it happened and isn’t just a little wispy memory we just forget and poof it’s gone. I was REALLY embarrasing :shy: to share it even though these people don’t know me or him. I was ashamed and embarrassed the whole time I was typing but I told myself if I was going to do this journaling challenge and get anything out of it I had to just approach each question with brutal honesty including this one. I needed to go there and now that I have I can see what I need to work through to be a better, happier me!!
•Day 21 – What is Your Biggest Wish for the Future?
This was an important question for me because it wasn’t a thing, it wasn’t a specific task like a job or project, it wasn’t the acquiring of an item or status….my wish was something that I could make come true over and over every single day!! :dance: Just think about that! Wish fulfillment of one big thing can sometimes even feel disappointing once the anticipation is over but once I really thought about what I wished for out of anything for my future and that of those I love, it was so much more attainable than I ever thought possible so THANK YOU CELES for allowing me to find that in myself. :heart:
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
4.What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
ONE thing!! Hah! This is like those questions where the list of things I could be in my answer would fill the whole forum. :lol:
I think the most obvious thing that I am going to do after this challenge is start journaling again. I have always been into writing, poetry, sometimes journal entries are harder for me but the questions really helped give me a starting off point instead of “this was my day” or “this is how I feel now I guess”. So maybe I will set myself a list of questions that I would like the answers to from myself and go from there.
And most definitely I will continue to never take for granted the support system that I am blessed enough to have here when so many other people have to face hard times alone these days.
I guess I did my thanking at the beginning but I just want to wish all the best to my fellow travelers on this road of self-discovery, appreciation, understanding, growth and a big one Self-love. I wish you all the best in this world and the next and I love all of you for sharing of yourself with me. That is a great gift and is not to be over-looked and will not be forgotten. :hug:
:heart: Raven
1. How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
It’s my first time participating in an open platform, sharing and revealing my secret thoughts and feelings. I was not quite sure at first how to share something so personal and private with everybody. I am shocked to uncover some of the stuff that’s been buried in me. I am also pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed to receive love and support from fellow participants.
2. What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
* That writing down my thoughts is a way of seeing things more clearly. Once I can see it clearly, I will be able to take appropriate action, as necessary.
* That I should ask myself questions like the ones you have here and also at the 30DLBL as a way to track the progress in my journey.
* That basically all of us have the same hopes, desires and fears.
* If I think that I have suffered, there are others who have suffered or are suffering worst pain than me.
3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
The question “What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?” — I revealed that I wear the hijab and was afraid that people would judge me based on my appearance. I’ve never shared this with anyone before as I feel it’s a sensitive subject and was not sure how people would react. However, the love that I receive is overwhelming. Glenn, and later, Karman Warner, responded by reminding me to wear the hijab with pride. I do wear it with pride — but to be told that by someone who is not a Muslim strikes deep in my heart. I will continue to wear it with pride and will remember what both of them said.
Thank you, once again, Glenn and Karman and all the rest who have silently shown support to their comments. I didn’t expect to receive so much love. Awesome! :hug:
4. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
I will ask myself focused questions periodically to track the progress in my journey.
Thank you once again, Celes for organizing this journaling challenge. :clap:
Love and peace! :heart:
Many thanks for the mention Asni! :hug: In certain areas of Sydney with a larger population of Muslims, I see a lot of girls wearing the hijab, so it’s normal for me. And most still look beautiful regardless of their hair being covered, so I have a lot of respect them :)
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
Literally amazing. Although I answered some of the same exact questions just a few days ago before the actual one on this blog, it was great to see how others responded too.The time spent journalling was really worthwhile because I feel that I am more aware of who I really am.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
Definitely I’ve learnt about myself, how I understand life as, my desires for life, and my big goals.
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Day 4’s question: what advice would I give my younger self 3 years ago. I’ve learnt that whatever happens, I can learn something from it. It may be small, but it helps my life later on, whenever it is.
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Coincidentally, the thing I’m going to do differently is to review the past on what mistakes happened, how I overcame them and lastly, what I’m going to do differently to try to avoid that mistake again. :)
By the way, Celes, thank YOU for organising this challlenge! :clap:
1. I enjoyed the twenty one day journaling experience. I have been journaling some on my own writing down things I learn from books, blogs, and my bible study. I reflect on my journal how I can add these self-improving things to my life and also let go of hurtful remarks that fly my way sometimes from others. My journal is about goals, self-improving ideas, and letting go of petty remarks from others. The journaling event I just participated it was a fun distraction for me I was very honest with myself in my answers very genuine, true to myself about how I really felt about the questions that were asked. I found these questions inspiring and motivating to my being. It was also motivating to read others responses.
2. I feel that I am in a different part of the journey than others. Sometimes I am still driven by pain but I am also driven by love. That was one thing I learned. I also learned more about imposed ideas that make us think we are to go after careers or ideals that others have. When to truly make ourselves happy we must go after what we want. One thing I would like to add from my bible study because I am on the topic of something I have been thinking about. I tend to do things for others and not always for myself and this is something I am working on. Although I do focus a lot of time on myself for improving my heart. I am thankful for Celes and a ministry bible study I follow it has improved my life. It makes me happy to do things for others but at the same time we must also do things for our self. There needs to be a balance in all areas of life. I learned from this that it can be a positive distraction at times. I have been through some unusual things lately and came out just fine it was just worrisome events. Glad that everything came out fine though. This journaling helped me snap out of some stressful events that were about to make me depressed. Like I said it was a positive distraction. Helped me refocus on what I am working on.
3. What limiting beliefs are you holding onto? This question seemed the most beneficial to me. I answered the question but gave a more thorough answer in my head. I reflected on this question for a few days. A question I had thought about before but never reached the thorough answer I did till recently. I felt like I had a bit of a breakthrough on this question even though I did not fully share it in my journal entry. I acknowledge an issue that I knew about but I didn’t fully put it together that it was holding me back somewhat.
4. I will be participating some in the forum and will also be paying for some of these courses to come. I also learned that I have a lot in common with the people that participate in this blog and want to stay in contact with them through the excellence blog. I feel that we can all learn from each other because we are on the same path.
Another thing I have taken from this is a greater love for myself and others.
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
Sometimes it isn’t possible to convey your deepest feelings with just words….i hope that with my growth and ensued determination in this forum/challenges….i would be able to repay the debt i owe to Celes for first invigorating meditation and now journal-ling into my life….the experience has been like a thrilling roller coaster, its just that this one wouldn’t come to an end as i self-promise to pursue this charms in my life till the day i leave the face of the Earth
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
I’ve learnt to be confident in my writing, where many a times i’d fear expressing what i want to say incase i make a mistake in the grammar….
I’ve learnt more so ever to build my love and trust to this website where i’ve grown so much spiritually over the 3 challenges I’ve undertaken
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Each of the questions have been introspective in their own way, though i particularly liked the question on what are your limiting beliefs as it help me delve into where not the world around me, but where i as to the world go wrong with my ways…
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Review the writing part of my life and make amends as to where i may falter in not using the power of the pen {keyboard actually here ;)} in my life
Thank you Celes……loadsa love
These 21 days have been very challenging indeed. I asked myself the same questions many times, but I never gave it too much thought and never took the time to write it all down. I think I developed a great habit and I will continue to work on it. Spend at least 1 hour every day talking to my true-self and never lose contact with myself again.
I read my answers once again and I happened to see new solutions, new possibilities, nuances and feelings that were deep hidden in my subconscious mind. I experienced a lot of signs and premonitions, “coincidences” that brought more insight and clarity. Each question triggered a lot of buried, unresolved issues and I hope I’ll be able to make peace with everything and to be honest to myself, no matter how disturbing and dark the answers might be.
Thank you, Celes, for this helpful experience and thank you all for sharing and letting us know we’re not alone in this. May all your dreams come true :)
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
The experience has been fine, Did not usually have time to read all posts, but read very many. Shorter posts were read more than longer ones.
I learned some things about the participants through their posts. I found a couple of points in my posts that are re-occurring – The focus on Now. Enjoying and Appreciating Life Now. Love for my Family.
Favorites:
:Biggest Goals” question – It is always good to refine and distill goals periodically. Here one can summarize so much of everything else they might be thinking or feeling – in to a prioritized action plan.
also –
” What makes me Happy” – It;s such a pleasant thing to think about, it feels good to just think of the answers.
Visit more with my family is one thing I will do as a take away from this 21 day challenge.
Thank you all for sharing.
Thanks Celes.
and Please accept my apology on behalf of all sane Americans, for the knuckleheads that treated you so rudely on your visit here.
(One of my major frustrations – “The inmates are running the asylum, and we can’t get the keys back”)
I do regret the fact that I wasn’t able to take part in 2DJC as actively as the 30BBM. Things had been a little too busy in my family and school life. It was a choice between this and sleeping late versus studying for my exams and sleeping on time. I wish I could have taken part, but on the other hand, I did peek at the comments from time to time and it made me happy to read some of them.
I wish every participant the best of luck in the hopes and dreams they’ve expressed. I also hope they’ve gotten the valuable gift of self knowledge from doing the challenge.
As for me, I plan to choose a 21 Day period in the near future when I can do the challenge on my own. Though I won’t be able to post my responses, I’m sure that reading others’ responses will inspire me too. Best of luck to you Celes in all future challenges! And I hope to join many more! :dance:
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you? My life is wonderful just as it is. Nothing in the past has to be changed to make me happier. Everything has had it´s place.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days? I learned, that my goals and dreams come also with limitations. This is to identify and to let go. These limitations are my next step.
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why? My limiting beliefs. I had almost none of them in my mind until now.
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC? Making some things out of my comfort zone and identify my limiting beliefs.
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
Very insightful. It got me writing something everyday again – which has helped with the writer’s block that keeps attacking of late. It was also really interesting to consider some of the questions (some of which I’d never really thought about before), and to read the answers of others; it was nice to realise that I am not alone in thinking or feeling a certain way, and to read our different ideals and dreams for the future.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
To stop hurting myself by holding myself back. I copied and pasted my answers into a document, so I could keep them – and to remind myself of what I’m hoping to gain out of life! I was surprised by how many times I referred to “worrying” or issues I’d had in the past – even just to say I was over them. I think sometimes I am too sensitive to others and what they think of me, and the above-mentioned issues; this was evident just by how much I mentioned them in passing. I think it’s time to learn to let them go, and embrace being happy without worrying.
3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
What advice would I give my former self, what words describe me, what beliefs are holding me back (see above!) and wishes for the future. These were a few that made me consider things in a different light.
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
4. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
It’d be lovely to say “just let things go!” and go on my happy way…I think at the very least, to figure out what I need to do to let these worries of mine go. So on a very basic level, I’m just to take care of myself more: relax more, eat better, look after my mind and body. I think by doing this, the rest will come more naturally. I’m also going to write more again; I enjoyed writing something everyday, and it was nice to put some structure back into something I love, as opposed to my usual sporadic bursts!
Thanks for this; it was nice to take part :)
Thank you for this mind-opening personal challenge . Probably will post the replies to most in the remaining days of the challenge.
Now about the replies to your specific questions:
Q1. How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
A ns. I was not very regular in replying to all the questions on a daily basis but followed the challenge regularly and noted the questions for self . The experience was one of re-self-discovery and reiterating the facts which I always knew were important to me but which were not gettign priortised due to the daily routine of life. Still coming to grips about soem of the personal insights reached. :)
Q2. What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
Ans. I learnt that life is truly beautiful and I am not doing too badly in terms of reaching life goals . And I learnt that where and what I did that has distracted me from becoming the person I want to be.
Q3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Ans. All questions were thought provoking and added to the self-discovery. However for me at this stage of life, for personal reasons, I found these questions very meaningful :
Q. If you are to travel back in time to 3 years what advice would you give yourself? The advice I should have given myself then…has now been given and accepted by me :) .
Another question which shook me up and surprised me as I attempted to answer it , was : Q. What do you fear most? I realised I had absolutely nothing to fear . God has been kind to me and all I was fearing was fear itself. Bit of a cliche’ , but apt.
Q4. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Ans. As I said , most questions were thought provoking and I have yet to answer all of them in writing. So now after having gone through 21 DJC , I think I will be able to focus more on what is really important to me in my life to make me and my loved ones happy . I will be able to think of life ‘problems’ in their right perspective and do the required.
Thank you
Archana
First of all, thank you Celes for all of your hard work. I never thought I would have a role model so much younger than me, but you’re it! :-)
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
It’s been good. I was surprised at how easy it was to do and I looked forward to every day’s questions.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
That I definitely want to keep journaling every day.
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
I liked the one about what drives me. My response surprised me, and forced me to ask myself some tough questions.
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
When I do my own journaling, I will start to ask myself more focused questions, and give myself a topic to write about more often, rather than just writing random stuff that pops into my brain (although that has its place as well.)
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
1) Overall this has been a great experience! The questions were short and easy to catch up on when I missed a few days. I really enjoyed reading others responses to the questions as it helped me see my answers in a different light.
2) Over the last 21 days I’ve learned that many things can change and that I’ve came a long way over the last few years. It was very interesting to see some of my responses to a few of the questions. Many of the questions were unique and real thinkers.
3) The questions I found the most meaningful were:
– What advice would you give yourself 3 years ago? I thought this was a very unique question that really made me think about life. I also enjoyed reading others responses to this question.
– What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far? This was my next favourite, because I enjoyed reading everyones most important thing.
– How would you feel if the world came to an end today? This was definitely a life changer for me. It forced me to want to make changes in my life today for a better tomorrow.
Feedback
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
It has been an enlightening experience, where I have learnt more deeply about myself and others seeing how we share many common traits and characteristics. It has been warming, touching and informative. I was touched by Asni and agree with her comments about us become more tolerant of each other’s culture and religion. One of my goals is to learn more about each others religion and culture, learning a language is also a good introduction to people’s culture, religion and traditions.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
I have learned a lot about myself and how I understand life. I realise that I am constantly learning, I cannot survive alone and that I do not know very much. I feel humbled and appreciative of being part of such an experience.
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Day 4 – If You Are To Travel Back in Time to 3 Years Ago, What Advice Would You Give Yourself?” – I found this question meaningful because there is so much advice I can give myself. It emphasised again how much I can learn from every situation, there is something to learn from everything, it is in the details, to tune my senses to be finer and more receptive for each little detail. Then of course is applying what I have learnt.
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Review my daily learning experiences even closer and learn from my errors in judgement.
Thank you Celes for this challenge, I think a good daily dose of self reflection is necessary to learn about myself and others. I was deeply moved by some of the stories about the most painful experiences, enlightened by what makes people happy and inspired by the candid frankness of the participants led by a wonderful kind sensitive and caring leader Celes. :hug:
Thank you for the mention, Bob.
I’m so glad that by revealing my limiting belief had opened up people’s thinking to learn more about each others’ religion and culture. Understanding, respect and tolerance will lead to greater peace in the world, don’t you think?
All the best in your journey!
Love and peace. :heart:
Hey Asni, many members don’t realize what they share here has immense benefits to others, more so than they can imagine. Your open sharing about your limiting belief on Day 20 was earnest, authentic and real, and touched me as well. Thank you so much for sharing.
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
Its been good, because I had some time to reflect something on my life everyday. Some of the goals were clearer. There was some amount of progress in each area of my life.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
A bit more about myself and I realize that I have much more to learn and progress.
Integrity – I had committed to myself to being an active participant of this challenge. So, I feel proud of myself that i have achieved it
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Goals… because this is the root of our existence. We are here on this earth to achieve something in life
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Reflect on self frequently and take necessary actions to grow further
Thanks for the wonderful challenge
It was a great experience. The questions you asked were thought provoking and insightful. I opened doors in my thinking that had not been opened for many years.
The insight did help me decide and start a regular radio show on disabled and elder care that has excellent promise.
It was a great effort. I stayed with it and answered all the questions. Thank you for the experience.
Thank you for your participation, Sailingawaytoday. :)
Celes,
Thanks for organising this challenge. I didn’t respond to each day’s questions but I did gain some insights from the time I spent and valued the feedback that other people made. Some of the questions I found too bizarre or irrelevant.
However, based on my earlier experience with “Morning Pages” (as described by Julia Cameron in her Artists Way book) I prefer to write my journal pages long hand and write them first thing in the morning away from the computer. I much prefer this than writing on the computer.
Also, I don’t want to share on a forum a lot of what I have written as it is very personal.
What I am going to do in the future is restart my morning pages/journalling – but after the 30DLBL challenge as I will be using the time first thing in the morning to deal with the challenges. I have
printed a copy of your 101 questions from the PE web site and will use as writing starters.
Charles
I didnt really answer Celes’ questions:
1. How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
I gained insights when I made an effort to respond to the questions. Maybe I would have gained insights from the questions that I thought were rather left-field. Time spent journalling is worthwhile especially when it is done in a quiet time and place
2. What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
An awareness to seek out happiness and let go of frustrations. Spend time doing the things I love with the people I love – life is for living.
3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Q6 – frustrations – thinking about these helps me devise strategies to overcome these frustrations so I don’t get frustrated.
Q9 – what drives me – use this is a reminder to keep me heading in the right direction.
Q16 – what makes me happy – a useful checklist!
4. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Restart the daily journalling process – but writing by hand.
I enjoyed this challenge but I also like very much to sit quietly by myself and write on paper my thoughts and feelings. I had a journal assignment in English in high school and I put everything into it. It, of course, had to be hand written in our notebooks. We had questions such as where do we see ourselves in 10 years. I loved this class but my favorite part was the “free days” when we could write about what ever came to mind.
Salamat (that’s thank you in Filipino) for the opportunity to participate. I didn’t think I’d be able to join and enjoy being in this same space as the other journal mates! I am glad I took the step, and would like to join future challenges. The topics got me to think of my own take of the matters at hand. I want to review my answers and entries some more, as I want messages from my High Self to come out of those lines and speak to me once more. Journaling helped me be clear of where I am in the here and now. The topics that drew me in are those for days 5, 8, 10, 14, 15. There were days when I wasn’t able to write. But I will, on my own. Again, thanks you. Best to all! Namaste!
Wait a minute, Celes. First, let me thank you for setting this up in this first place. You didn’t have to, but you did. Thanks. :) Now, per your request:
**How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
I’ve enjoyed myself. Having contemplated a few — but certainly not all — of these sorts of things before, I found some answers came quickly, whereas others I had to dig out of myself. I like being forced to do that. I liked not knowing what was coming next.
**What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
I’ve probably learned as much about other people as I have about myself. Whilst I’ve got my daily/weekly/yearly act well together, I could do a better job of tapping into my softer side that I may have repressed a bit. Also, writing helped me to solidify my thoughts on a number of topics. I’ll keep that forever.
**Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
I liked the Drive question. I had to ponder the Love question the most. I thought the Pain question elicited the most touching responses. You didn’t ask, but I found the Senses question least “deep” (but that’s fine and it looks like it worked for many).
**What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
I’ll try your next program.
Celes, you also didn’t ask for ideas specifically, but one to consider to complement this very introspective challenge would be an action-step challenge. For example:
“What’s the biggest day-to-day habit that’s holding you back — and what’s one daily action you can take to break it?”
I just made that up, and there are probably better examples. Not all action steps are bite-sized into daily increments, of course, so simply identifying the action could be a noble target in many instances.
Just an idea, and a big thanks once again :)
1. How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
• On day 1 I had the experience of “Wow, I can actually fit this into my very hectic lifestyle! This is very important as I now have the impetus to carry on journaling daily. For this very reason I decided to do the 30DLBL challenge as that will keep me in the pattern of having to do this daily and then to be able to do this on my own afterward.
2. What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
• The most important lessons I’ve learnt were the following:
1. I’m on a spiritual journey and questioning what I’ve been taught. Some of these things I’m happy to keep and some I’m happy to discard. I’m also willing to expose myself to new thoughts and challenge these.
2. That I do have dreams that actually scare me! They’re so big I’m not sure where to start and need to get to a place where I convince myself that I should!
3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
• What would I do if I had a million dollars, because it set me free to think of what I’d really want to do and I had the distinct ‘knowing’ that it’s not the money I need, but the will and wanting to achieve those goals. Money is not the obstacle
• If you are to do something for free for the rest of your life, because this brought me to what I’d really like to do with my life
• What is your ideal diet like, because it brought me closer to what I’ve been thinking about all along
• On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love yourself, because it just confirmed the fact that I have issues here to work with and as I’m able to talk about it, it means that I’m becoming ready to deal with it
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
1. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
• I’ll set time aside daily for myself. Previously I’d just push through the day without allowing myself any ‘me’ time.
Hey Aletta! I’ve designed 21DJC so it is very low maintenance and manageable, so I’m glad you had successfully worked it into your hectic lifestyle. As busy as we are, it’s important to consciously set aside time for self-reflection and growth; else it will always take the backseat as with our Quadrant 2 tasks.
I saw your purchase for 30DLBL, by the way – awaiting your sign up at the forums. Look forward to a wonderful 30DLBL run together in December. :)
1. How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
This has for me been an interesting experience. I seldom share all my thoughts publicly because I don’t want them to ever haunt me professionally. However, I think I will take these questions, place them in my private journal that is Eyes Only and expand upon the thoughts I already have formulated. A Journal is a private list of expressions and thoughts just for my personal awareness and some of them do not need to be shared with the world, but this has given me a spark to get started again.
2. What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
I have learned that I still have some pretty significant trust issues that I need to examine so that I can move past some of the experiences in my life. I have learned that many people struggle with much of the same things I struggle with. I have learned that writing my thoughts down on a piece of paper helps me get them straight in my head. I have learned that if I want for something to happen in my life I am going to have to get up from my computer and get my butt busy.
3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Day 4, If you were to travel back in time to 3 years ago, what advice would you give yourself?, was a very pointed question for me to have to answer. Three years ago was a very difficult time in my life. As I sat and answered this question I had to deal with some emotions that I had kept buried so as not to have to deal with them. It made me finally face my hurt, loss, and grief. Day 5, who is the most important person in the world to you?, was another question that made me face some reality and truth. It made me acknowledge feelings that were there, but not expressed. Day 15, what is your most painful experience to date?, also caused me to face the pain of my broken heart where my mother’s death was concerned. It forced me to realize that I was and still am really upset with my family due to the lack of consideration they had for me, expecting me to be as strong as I always was in the face of loosing her. Everyone wanted comfort and failed to offer me any. Experiencing these emotions again has made me realize that I have to tell them how I feel about it or it will again fester and cause me internal pain.
4. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
One thing for sure that I am going to do differently is that as of December 1, 2011 I am going to get up and start making things happen in my life. If I want something to happen I am going to have to do the work it takes to get it done, I have to stop waiting for it to be handed to me. I have to be the change I want to see in my life.
I have enjoyed the experience and I am so very glad that life did not get in the way of completing this adventure as it did the last one I attempted. Thank you for your hard work in this…. :heart:
Hey Karman, kudos for sticking with 21DJC for the entire run! I find writing my thoughts out plays a significant role in getting them clarified in my head too, which is partly why I started 21DJC – journaling is a highly useful tool in personal growth. I’m glad the journaling has brought awareness to those areas you mentioned – I feel you are a very highly conscious and developed individual, and I have no doubt you make great progress in them moving forward.
Boring.
Prion, I’ll appreciate it if you can provide feedback via the 4 questions listed above, or at least elaborate on why you found it boring, vs. just post a dismissive, one-word comment? I’ve put in due effort in creating the challenge, and while I do not expect that everyone can benefit from it in the same way, I think it’s in quite poor taste and poor spirit to post a feedback in this manner, that’s neither constructive nor helpful for me or the other members reading this. I do not ask any of the participants to pay for this course and have provided it completely free, and I expect at least some form of courtesy or respect to my time and effort put into creating and conducting this course.
The entire 21DJC experience was wonderful for me. I have always enjoyed keeping a journal and writing as well, but this challenge ask a question and gave me inspiration on what I am writing about.
I learned things about myself as I wrote for this challenge. I also learned what matters most to me and what some of my goals are.
The most meaningful questions to me were ‘what has been the most painful experience to date’ and ‘words to describe me’. I was able to think through my painful experiences and also see them in a different view. I am also happy with the words I chose for myself, even the negative ones, because several years ago, I’m positive they would have been different.
After doing this challenge, I am going to keep up with my goals, practice the things I wrote about changing, meditate for sure, and just simplify and enjoy life.
Thank you so much for this challenge Celes. I truly enjoyed it very much and I think you are a terrific person!
Enjoyable; helped me realize that with some discipline I could get in the habit of writing something every day, something I have wanted to do for a long time. Thanks for the push!
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
Great! It got me writing something everyday. Sometimes this would end up being a long post, and other times short. The questions were simple enough to answer too. Some required more thinking than others, and a few I realised I could have written better afterwards. But I didn’t want end up on a path to perfectionism writing these journal entries, so I just wrote them the best I could at the time and posted them. I enjoyed reading other’s journal entries also. Quite a variety too. Thanks for putting this together Celes!
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
Probably that I’m able to answer more difficult questions and write about my experience or thoughts on any particular question more easily than I thought I would be able to. Some of my longer journal entries were actually written in a short amount of time. Which tells me I should continue writing on a daily basis.
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Any questions that enabled me to write based on what I have already experienced or how I currently see myself. ‘What drives you?’ for example, or ‘What makes you happy?’, ‘What is your most painful experience?’ and so on. The ‘what if?’ style questions probably appealled to me the least. But most of them were still fun to write about.
And in the spirit of 21DJC, here’s one final journaling question:
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
To double check anything I’ve written for typos or bad grammar. Checking just once doesn’t seem to do the trick :)
Hey Glenn, I love that you focused on answering the questions as best as you could within the day, and just posted them. Many would get stuck in their quest for perfection and end up slipping away/dropping out of the challenge altogether, which is only detrimental to them in the end, and a huge pity because they miss out on insights they could have gained.
Thanks so much for your wonderful participation. :hug: I believe many participants appreciated your replies and found them very useful, so you had been a real great contributor to the community. Look forward to a great Dec 30DLBL run ahead with you and the rest. :)
Thanks Celes, I’m looking forward to that too!
I feel immensely touched, helped and inspired having read all the entries for the various questions. What a gift each day. There’s something so comforting and uplifting about other people honestly sharing their thoughts. The whole experience has been a significant one for me.
I have learned to appreciate how fortunate I am and realize that I really do want to make the very most of the rest of my life. I have deepened my appreciation of my life.
All of the questions were meaningful but the one that had the most impact on me was ‘ On a scale of 1-10 how much do you love yourself?’ I had a ‘eureka’ moment of realizing how futile and damaging it is to keep being so self punitive. The ‘which of your five senses do you value most?’ question brought up huge amounts of gratitude and appreciation, whilst the ‘what do you fear most?’ question brought out an unexpected answer: me!
One thing I am going to do more differently from now on is to to keep journalling – I want to ask myself these questions again and further deepen/clarify my answers. I did not really give myself enough time to respond. I have more faith in the process now.
Thanks Celes, for being so generous, and thanks to everyone else too. Have a fab 2012 xxx
1. How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
I loved the experience, and almost felt like 21 days was not nearly enough. The challenge also really opened up my writing flow again, it had been blocked for so long!
2. What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
I don’t know that I gained any new information, but I was able to organise my thoughts a bit better, and that in itself will definitely help me in the future.
3. Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
Day 14: What is love?
Day 19: What words describe you?
Day 20: What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?
Day 21: What is your greatest wish for the future?
These questions are the ones that really made me thing and delve into my heart, and I will probably hold on to them and ask myself these questions again periodically in the future.
4. What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
Keep answering the questions! I’ll probably privately answer the questions from the challenge more extensively, and also write down and answer new questions that these draw up. I’ll also probably go back to writing essay style entries about whatever is on my mind again, as I did in the past. (Don’t know why I ever stopped,<<")
Hey Laurel, it did seem the 21 days went past really fast, didn’t it? :) I’m glad the challenge opened up your writing flow – it seems like it did too for the other members. Thank you for your amazing participation – you have been integral to the success of the challenge, as with the other members who were sharing so readily and openly. Thank you to all of you – I really appreciate it.
For your personal journaling, you may want to use the list at 101 Important Questions To Ask Yourself in Life.
How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
I really enjoyed participating in this challenge. I have been writing in my own journal for quite some time now (about a year and a half), but 21DJC made me really think about more than just the everyday stuff. Some of the questions really made me consider things I had never thought of before, such as my limiting beliefs, my favourite sense, what I have learned from the past and what I really want for the future.
What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
I really learned to appreciate everything I have and to value my life, myself as an individual, and the limited time we have on this earth. Unfortunately, 21DJC started just before there was a tragic death of a relative in our family. That experience and the questions themselves have made me realize how important it is to not waste time, to cherish every moment and love with all my heart.
Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
There were a couple that really made an impact on me. “Who is the most important person in the world to you?” really hit home because it was just after our relative passed away and it made me realize how much I truly love my husband, and how devastated I would be if I lost him. “What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?” was another one that made me really dig deep and consider why I don’t accomplish certain goals or why I don’t always stand up for myself.
What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
One thing that I am already doing differently since starting 21DJC is speaking up when I need to and making the most of every opportunity. This journaling experience and the events of November have made me realize that time is precious, and if there is something I believe in, I have to fight for it. Now that 21DJC is over, I am also really looking forward to doing 30DLBL for the first time so that I can take what I have learned about myself from this challenge and apply it to my goals for the future.
Hey Kimberly, I’m very sorry about the loss of your relative. That is tragic and very unfortunate – My heart goes out to his/her loved ones. I’m proud of you for sticking on to 21DJC despite all that was going on – the things you gained (from 21DJC) would not have happened if you didn’t stick to it.
Thank you for your wonderful participation. :hug: I really appreciate your open and selfless sharing in each day’s task – you may not realize it, but you have helped countless people who read your posts. You have been a wonderful part of the community and I look forward to connecting with you more during Dec 30DLBL.
Great Experience all in all.
Thanks a lot, Celes for moving us forward and getting us better.
Hey Alban! I’d appreciate if you can provide your feedback via the 4 questions provided above, which will provide me more insights on how the experience was for you. Thanks!
Okay, hereafter my feelings:
Question 1: How has the whole 21DJC experience been for you?
Answer 1: Great and memorable.
Q2: What have you learned throughout the 21 days?
A2: Consistency is one of the keys to personal development.
Q3: Which question(s) did you find most meaningful? And why?
A3: No preferences. The 21 questions were all meaningful and interestingly part of the past PE challenges.
Q4: What is one thing you’re going to do differently after having gone through 21DJC?
A4: Keep on Journalising which is now part of my daily habits.
Like I said beofre, this experience has a great impact on my life. Unfortunately, I do not have a Paypal account (Live in Ivory Coast) in order to participate to the 30DLBL challenge. But, on December, I will re-do (already done it on April) the 30DLBL challenge as part of the private forum.
Thanks again, Angel, for leading us towards our best self.
Dear Celes and all my fellow-writers and bloggers,
First of all, thanks to Celes for starting this fabulous challenge! :clap:
I was just going through the overview, the questions and the answers- and I feel so buoyed already! I always thought I was pretty self-aware compared to my peers, but I just realized how much more I have learnt and grown in the past month! I am sure everyone else feels they have learnt a lot too, so Hurrah to all of us! :dance: :clap: :dance:
Somehow writing my innermost thoughts and reading the responses from others has made my goals clearer than before. It feels good to see that there are others who share my hopes and aspirations to a better life, and that I am not alone in my fears. When I read about others who have suffered more pain and yet emerged triumphant and wiser, I feel inspired to work harder and make the most of my life, too! So thanks to all the other bloggers- wish you all the very best in all your endeavours. May success crown all your efforts! :hug:
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