Lesson 1 Enrich Your Life
The Magic of Morning Pages
Welcome to my ____ Good Habits!
This is Regan, ____ podcast host.
Today, I’m going to talk about a way of starting the day that many people, including ____ find enormously useful.
It’s a kind of journaling called “the ____ pages.”
There is no age ____ which it is too late to form this habit.
I started eight years ago ____ a high school student, and that’s why today’s episode is especially for my teenage subscribers.
The morning pages are three pages of “free writing,” ideally done first ____ in the morning.
The concept is simple.
Get up every morning, pick up a pen and a notebook, and write ____ crosses your mind until you have filled three pages.
The technique was originally developed to help writers and artists overcome a loss of creativity, but anybody can ____ it to create a better life.
There is no right or wrong way to write your morning pages, but ____ are two rules.
First, don’t judge your writing as good ____ bad.
These pages are meant to be a “brain cleansing,” ____ don’t worry about writing correctly.
Second, keep your writing ____ private.
It is ____ for you to write freely and honestly.
You’re even ____ not to read your writing yourself for weeks.
Now, let me share ____ experiences of some people I interviewed.
David
David, a chef and kitchen ____ who has been writing morning pages for two years, says:
____ job tends to be very stressful.
When I started writing morning pages, I just wrote a lot of ____ about my hard life.
Later, I began to ask questions, like “What would ____ my life easier today?”
“How ____ I improve my recipes?”
Sometimes, I keep ____ questions until I reach a sort of “click moment.”
It feels ____ a door opening to great ideas.
Nowadays, I feel less ____ enjoy my job more, and am more productive.
Now, let’s listen to Yuna, a high school junior:
____ I started this exercise last year, I simply wrote random thoughts like this:
I’m sleepy. A slight ____ starting.
I need to ____ the math assignment today …
I don’t know what more to write ____
But ____ I found I had deeper and deeper thoughts.
Now, I normally start ____ writing about today’s tasks or worries.
After that, I write about my dreams and how to move ____ them.
I often come up with great plans and a ____ sense of purpose to start the day.
Most ____ I’m much happier than before.
I can totally relate ____ these two people because their experiences are similar to mine.
Like Yuna, I started ____ journaling during my first year of high school.
At that time, I felt lost, stressed, and unsure ____ the future, and it wasn’t easy for me to concentrate.
When I first tried writing three daily pages, I ____ expect to stick to it.
____ I did, and it changed my life!
Releasing my feelings
Releasing my feelings onto paper every morning helped relieve ____ emotional tension.
I ____ more inner peace, which improved my schoolwork performance.
Like David, I asked many questions, for instance, “Why was I ____ angry yesterday?”
“Why are ____ less fun these days?”
Then, I started raising more challenging ones: “What could ____ me happier right now?”
“What ____ my ideal future? Can I reach it? How?”
Answering these questions showed me what kind of person I was and what my needs, values, passions, and talents ____
More importantly, I came to know ____ I truly wanted!
I remembered my childhood dreams ____ being a writer, songwriter, and radio host.
Gradually, vague ideas became ____ plans. Years later, here I am, a successful podcaster and vlogger!
I’ve also published ____ book and a music album.
My morning pages, which I still write every day, ____ given me the drive and ideas to achieve these aims.
Dear subscribers, will you try writing your morning ____ too?
You never know what creative energy or ____ you have until you start exploring.
Don’t be a ____ though. If you miss a few days, simply open your notebook and start again!
The ultimate aim is to improve your mental health and help you lead ____ happier, more creative life.