Hello - my name is May Flaum Archer & Olive Brand Ambassador, and I’m here to pump you up! My first article for A&O was all about journaling concepts I use when I’m feeling low energy. Today we’re going to discuss a concept I touched on in that article (see it here) and video about leaving yourself notes or writing notes to your future self.

This idea will work for you no matter what your style, if you want to leave notes within your notebooks or do what I do - and make an entire dedicated journal all about inspiring, motivating, and otherwise boosting yourself up in the future!

For supplies any A&O notebook, pen, and anything you so choose will work! This is extremely flexible. 

Be your own cheerleader!

Who knows you better than anyone else? Who knows what makes you feel motivated, energized, happy, and full of hope? That’s right - it’s you! So who is better equipped to leave yourself notes, happy quotes, and otherwise build a collection of pages within your notebook that can help boost you up when you need it? Yep - you!!!

What if I’m not good with words?

As you’ll see in my printable below we have only one rule here: we have no rules! So whether you’re wanting to quote other people, use single powerful words, or even use stickers to send messages - there is no wrong approach. When I am higher energy is when I tend to leave myself little thoughts/rants/my own musings. At lower energy times I may be surfing the book to feel better… or I might add a quote from a song, movie, or that simply speaks to me. They don’t have to be your own words to inspire!

What if I’m shy/embarrassed/feel weird doing it?

Look this is a pretty bold thing and something that can seem like a lot at first. So start small! Tear off a page from a notepad and write something then tear it up if that helps. Write a text to a friend. Heck start a computer doc type something and erase it. It doesn’t have to be permanent, and you certainly don’t have to commit to a whole book full of affirming and uplifting ideas or statements.

What are some examples?

If you’re looking for specific examples of what I do - I’ve got you covered! From affirmations to music lyrics that move me - it’s all here and it is all most certainly good. Here is my video where I am digging in from the past few weeks and showing you exactly what I’ve been adding this month to my own collection.

Did you notice that I very often am working fast, using a simple brush pen, or even being rather messy about things? I have some limits especially in the winter with my dominant hand and wrist, and years ago when this injury/issue was new I decided to embrace this less thinking just do it approach that I have. On the worst days I may just simply have some scratchy ‘ugly’ few words. Guess what? The quality of my art, the precision or design I choose matters far less than getting those positive words, those affirmations and powerful statements down for myself so that when I need them in future they are there to me.

I wanted to show you some of my fastest ideas in this video so you could see it’s alright if it doesn’t all look picture perfect. Some of my pages end up really pretty, others not so much and I love them all the same. What would I talk about? Want a recap of what I’ve shared within my own journal, and the kinds of things I write about to myself as well as my all important rules? I’ve got a printable for you!

I hope this article, video, and PDF file have inspired you to get out there, make, and be your own biggest cheerleader. This is an idea that you certainly could take and evolve to include notes for your friends, loved ones, and those who might need a boost!

If you need permission to simplify, let go of expectations, or just get crazy with wild ideas once in a while I am always here to support you! Please feel free to reach out to me @craftwithmay on social media like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok! I love chatting and am always happy to root for you and cheer you on as well as help you troubleshoot. If you try any ideas from this article and post to social media I encourage you to tag @archerandolive, @archerandolive.community and use hashtags #AOShare and #archerandolive so that the community can see your work as well.