Series 1 Volume 1 2009

I started a new journal today and I would love to explain the feeling but I don't know if I could put it into words; I think you would have to be a journaler to understand. I open the pages of the new book and it is exciting, "What will I write?" "what will it's purpose be?"

Series 1 Volume 1 2009 is what I labeled it. Is there any significance to that? Nope; it is what came to mind right before I typed up a label on my label maker. I have hundreds of journals I have filled up over the years and they have different labels: Spirit, notebook, inventory, even Journey through Chaos and Rapture. I even have a bunch that I didn't label at all, my most recent notebook was red so it didn't need a name. This one is a large Moleskine standard ruled notebook and it happens to be named Series 1 Volume 1 2009; the next one might be Volume 2 or it might have a completely different name.

The first thing I wrote after dating and numbering the page (just in case I have to reference the page in other notes) was,

"What is series 1, volume 1?"

I wrote that I wasn't sure what it was going to be but I knew exactly what it wasn't going to be; a collection of random lists and junk. It also would not pertain to other work, it would not contain book notes, class notes, work notes, or project notes. I may write about those things in this notebook but it would not be a a book to bury random notes in. It would be more of an outlet, a place to empty my mind and keep it flowing like the stream I want it to be.

It would also not be a catolog of my day. I have written these kinds of journals before and they can be very rewarding but I didn't want to make a commitment that I didn't think I could keep. I can commit to having a notebook as an outlet and writing in it often but I wasn't willing to commit to a daily catolog, this seems like welcoming a battle I cannot win. I would commit to keeping the journal on me and keeping a GTD context in my system @journal that I could write about appropriate musings but not for project planning or writing (my book).

So by defining what it isn't I have defined what it is. A series of thoughts journaled regularly, an outlet for my feelings and higher level thoughts and a place to develop my writing from a different side of the brain. A place to live at 30,000 feet and higher

I expect nothing

I am doing the centering exercise in Coaching the Artist Within again and now i am focusing on the second breath.

(I expect) (Nothing)

What does this mean exactly? Expect nothing. I have read Zen kōan's about emptying one's cup and walking into a situation without expectations but how does one do this? Aren't we always going to develop preconceived notions about a situation? I will have to think about this further.