How to use your journal
This isn’t rocket science. It’s not even bicycle science. But it just might be journaling science, which can take you faster, farther, and higher than bikes or rockets if you agree to one principle: nothing is impossible.
In the pages stacked at your right hand, you will encounter inventors, conquerors, saints, and scoundrels who left their mark on the world in their own way. We may think Alexander the Great and Orville Wright were nothing alike—nor Emma Snodgrass (arrested numerous times for wearing pants) and Louis Lassen (inventor of the hamburger), for that matter—but they all shared something in common. They all burned within from ideas they wouldn’t let die.
Most of you… no, I take that back… ALL of you reading this have ideas smoldering within that yearn for a sufficient gust of air to spark them into flames. When that happens… look out! I’ll need to update this journal to account for the day you achieved your dreams.
This journal is very simple to use. On the next two pages you will find samples of a Daily Page (e.g. July 31) and what I call the monthly Outro Page.
The Daily Page examines an historical event from that day in history and provides you with a writing prompt and an action prompt.
The Outro Page falls at the end of each month and is a place to record remarkable events that happened to you over the month. It also serves to set your sights on achieving your goals. Talk is cheap… action is priceless. So, get busy!
Finally, at the end of this book you will find three pages dedicated to writing about your 6-month goals, 3-year goals, and lifetime goals. If you’re not writing down your goals, you’re unlikely to go anywhere interesting in life.
So, the choice is yours: dutifully write in this journal every day and become the best possible version of you, or approach the task with yawns and bitter protests and become something less than that. I promise I will never show up at your door to twist your arm. The path you choose is entirely up to you.
Best success,
J.C.
JANUARY
INTRO
“You may find the worst enemy or best friend
in yourself.”
– English Proverb
JANUARY 1
On this day in 2019: The New Horizons spacecraft makes history with the flyby of Ultima Thule, a mysterious object 4.1 billion miles from Earth in the Kuiper Belt, a frigid outer region of the solar system.
Dive In: The event marked the farthest flyby of an object in our solar system. Pictures revealed Ultima Thule kind of looks like a red snowman!
Speak Up: If you could go somewhere no one has gone before, where would it be?
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Act Out: Go somewhere today you’ve never gone before!
JANUARY 2
On this day in 1906: Willis Carrier receives a US patent for the world's first modern air conditioning system.
Dive In: Early January is a strange time to be thinking about air conditioners, but the invention allowed millions of people to live comfortably in areas they might not otherwise have chosen to live, such as Phoenix, AZ (the fifth most populous city in the US).
Speak Up: If you had to live in the desert, what would be the one thing you would have to have (other than air conditioning)?
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Act Out: If it’s winter where you live, step outside of your warm house and into the cold air. Appreciate that people mastered temperature controls for your comfort.
JANUARY 3
On this day in 1496: Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine made of pinewood and silk.
Dive In: Ouch! It sounds like Leonardo may have suffered some bumps and bruises. But that’s the price of discovery. In order to achieve your wildest dreams, you will endure lumps along the way.
Speak Up: Are there any “bumps or bruises” you wouldn’t suffer to achieve your dream?
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Act Out: Design a paper airplane and see how far it flies.
JANUARY 4
On this day in 1959: Luna 1 becomes first craft to leave Earth's gravity. The Russians call it “Artificial Planet 1”.
Dive In: Ah, escape from Earth’s gravity! The idea has stewed in the minds of men since Isaac Newton first identi-fied the force of gravity while his school was shuttered because of the Black Plague pandemic of 1666. Many of you readers may be home from school because of a pandemic shutdown right now.
Speak Up: What world-changing discovery would you like to make during a shutdown of your school?
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Act Out: Go learn one other interesting fact about Isaac Newton that you don’t already know.
JANUARY 5
On this day in 1834: Kiowa Indians witness an event they record as “the night the stars fell.”
Dive In: On the wintery American plains nearly two hundred years ago, the light of so many shooting stars in the night sky awoke the Kiowa Indians who believed morning had come. When they saw the source of light was not the sun, but blazing meteors, they believed the end of the world was upon them.
Speak Up: If you ever witnessed an event like that, would you be afraid, or joyously make as many wishes as you could?
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Act Out: If the sky is clear tonight, see if you can spot a shooting star.
JANUARY 6
On this day in 1838: Samuel Morse first demonstrates the telegraph device in Morristown, NJ, USA.
Dive In: In an age of cell phones, tablets, texting and Zoom, a machine that can only communicate with beeps doesn’t sound like a big deal, but in those days it was the fastest way to communicate at a distance.
Speak Up: What’s your favorite way to communicate with people who are far away?
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Act Out: Build a “telephone” with a pair of empty cans connected by a string. Can you hear the person on the other end of the line?
JANUARY 7
On this day in 1610: Galileo Galilei discovers the first three moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, and Ganymede. These, along with Callisto, are known as the Galilean moons.
Dive In: While quite a feat for Galileo’s time, in our age anyone with a decent pair of binoculars can see these three moons, plus a fourth!
Speak Up: If you discovered a new world, what would you name it and why?
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Act Out: Grab a pair of binoculars and go find Jupiter. Can you see the four brightest moons around it?
JANUARY 8
On this day in 1877: Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their final battle with the US Cavalry at the Battle of Wolf Mountain (near modern day Birney, MT, USA).
Dive In: Long after the Lakota leader’s death, he was remembered for his heroics in battle, so much so that a memorial to him is being carved in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The monument, when complete, will be larger than Mount Rushmore!
Speak Up: If you could choose any way to be immortalized, how would it be?
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Act Out: Find out how many miles you live from the Crazy Horse Memorial.
JANUARY 9
On this day in 2007: Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the first iPhone with the slogan, “This is only the beginning.”
Dive In: Believe it or not, a time existed before the iPhone. Today, they are as ubiquitous as automobiles, but it took the imagination of Jobs to bring the touch-screen device to market.
Speak Up: Have you ever been told a crazy idea you had wouldn’t work? Did you give up on your idea? Why or why not?
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Act Out: Imagine an invention that would make the world a better place, even if you don’t know how to make it work.
JANUARY 10
On this day in 49 BC: Julius Caesar defies the Roman Senate and crosses the Rubicon River, famously saying, “The die is cast.”
Dive In: Julius Caesar’s action initiated a civil war which resulted in his appointment as dictator for life. Today, “crossing the Rubicon” means to pass a point of no return.
Speak Up: Have you ever done something which you were told not to do? Did your decision turn out good or bad?
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Act Out: Come up with a clever phrase you would say if you were passing a point of no return.
JANUARY 11
On this day in 1935: Amelia Earhart flies from Honolulu to Oakland, CA, USA.
Dive In: Adventurers come from all walks of life, but the common denominator is an individual’s desire to succeed even in the face of danger. Amelia Earhart demonstrated that desire as a pilot.
Speak Up: Flying from Hawaii to California is a long way (over 2,400 miles). Would you be afraid to take a trip that far by yourself? Why or why not?
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Act Out: Imagine a journey you might take by yourself to a far and distant land. Would you go by foot, horse, car, plane, spaceship, or some other form of transportation?
JANUARY 12
On this day in 2010: An earthquake destroys most of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing approximately 160,000 people.
Dive In: Earthquakes can be scary events, especially when they are strong enough to destroy entire cities.
Speak Up: Do you worry about natural disasters where you live, such as earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, or floods? Why or why not?
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Act Out: Prepare a backpack of items that would help you survive if you had to flee your home on a moment’s notice.
JANUARY 13
On this day in 1610: Galileo discovers Callisto, the fourth known moon of Jupiter.
Dive In: Wow! Six days ago, we learned that Galileo discovered three worlds on one day in 1610. Then, he discovers a fourth world, increasing the known number of celestial bodies in our solar system by more than 50% in less than a week.
Speak Up: If you could travel to any moon of Jupiter, which one would you visit and why? This requires that you learn something about the moons of Jupiter!
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Act Out: Make a list of items you would need to survive one week on the Moon.
JANUARY 14
On this day in 1514: Pope Leo X issues a papal bull (official document) against slavery.
Dive In: Slavery is the awful condition where a person is treated as someone’s property. Even so, slavery has been a common condition throughout human history.
Speak Up: When Leo X issued his condemnation of slavery, many opposed his decision. Do you ever lack the courage to say something because you think other people won’t agree with you?
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Act Out: Think of something you see every day that you wish wasn’t so. Now, list three ways you might convince other people to help you stop it from happening.
JANUARY 15
On this day in 588 BC: Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon attacks Jerusalem during King Zedekiah’s reign.
Dive In: For two-and-a-half years, Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. While the residents of Jerusalem fought valiantly, they eventually fell to the nation of Babylon.
Speak Up: Do you ever feel like you are in a situation that you can’t win? Do you continue to resist, or do you submit?
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Act Out: Today, Jerusalem survives as a city, but Babylon is buried in the dust of history. No matter how dark your future looks, take heart in the history of others who battled giants. Now, think of one way that you are weak and afraid and vow to make yourself strong and courageous.
JANUARY 16
On this day in 2020: The impeachment trial of US President Donald J. Trump begins in the Senate.
Dive In: Impeachment (recommendation to remove an elected representative from office) of a US President has only happened three times in history, with Andrew Johnson, William J. Clinton, and Donald J. Trump. None of the three impeachments succeeded in removing the President.
Speak Up: Even if you knew that impeaching a President would not likely remove him or her from office, would you still vote to impeach if you were convinced that person did something wrong? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act Out: Someone once said that you should speak the truth even if your voice trembles. Make a vow to yourself to stand up against any injustice you see in the world.
JANUARY 17
On this day in 1733: Captain James Cook becomes the first known explorer to cross the Antarctic Circle.
Dive In: Due to ice and fog, Captain Cook turned back, not realizing he was only 80 miles from discovering Antarctica.
Speak Up: Have you ever given up hope on some project or plan, only to later realize how close you were to succeeding?
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Act Out: Resolve that if you have a goal, you will not turn back from realizing it, even if the world tells you to go home!
JANUARY 18
On this day in 1535: Francisco Pizarro founds the city of Lima, Peru.
Dive In: Nearly 500 years later, the city of Lima still stands. Old cities like this always have a starting point, but over time we forget that they weren’t always there.
Speak Up: Can you think of something you see every day that you would miss if it wasn’t around? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act Out: Design a monument to the most important thing in your life (could be a drawing, sculpture, song, or poem).
JANUARY 19
On this day in 1883: The first electric lighting system using overhead wires, designed by Thomas Edison, is switched on in Roselle, NJ, USA.
Dive In: In the old days, when the sun went down, you built a fire or lit a candle to have light. Then, gas lighting came along. But lighting by electricity was a game changer because it offered an inexpensive and highly expandable way to light the darkness.
Speak Up: Are you afraid of the dark? Why or why not? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act Out: If you are afraid of the dark, stand in a dark place and say to yourself, ‘I have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ (That’s a paraphrased saying of US President Franklin Roosevelt.)
JANUARY 20
On this day in 1986: The first national holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dive In: Few people in human history made such an impact with so few years as Martin Luther King, Jr. He inspired a nation to not judge others “by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Speak Up: Have you ever judged someone based on something they could not control (the way they look, the way they speak, the place they come from)? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Act Out: Stand in front of a mirror. Now, tell yourself you look beautiful, you speak with the voice of an angel, and the places you’ve been matter less than the place you call home.