FOCUS FLOWERS - how and why to track wellness in your art journal.

Would you rather just survive? …Or, Thrive?

How many times have you been asked, “How are you?” to which you have replied, “ok”, “fine”, “good”, “surviving”, “getting by”, “can’t complain”; or simply, in the case of my teenage sons, “Meh…”?

Perhaps wellness is just another modern catchphrase, perhaps it’s just that time of year for reflection and making resolutions, or perhaps it’s just my optimistic heart; but life has to be about more than just getting by… Doesn’t it? I say, ABSOLUTELY!!!!

I want to THRIVE! I want my family to thrive! I want my friends to thrive! In fact, I want everyone to thrive! Who wouldn’t? And this got me thinking. I wonder if there is already somewhere where those who live there thrive; and if so, how do they do it? Did you know that there are specific places on Earth where people live the longest? They’re called the Blue Zones (identified by Gianni Pes, Michel Poulain and Dan Buettner). These places include Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nioya (Costa Rica), Icoria (Greece) and Loma Linda (California, US). Of course a lot of their success with life can be attributed to diet and exercise but surprisingly too, each place prioritises happiness and health.

This got me thinking about how I could prioritise happiness and health; wellbeing and what wellness actually means. Of course, being me, I thought… I wonder if there is a book on it?Turns out, there were many books and I discovered that not only are there the 8 Dimensions of Wellness: physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, vocational, financial and environmental; but that tracking your progress in each is essential . In short, and in the words of the wonderful Douglas Adams, everything is connected!

My brain started pinging with possibilities! Maybe I could show those 8 dimensions visually. Maybe I could keep track of all 8 areas in my journal. Ooooh maybe I could use the tracking in my journal to make positive changes towards joy and thriving after all…..

There are many ways to track your progress towards your goals, but I wanted something beautiful and more organic than a rigid cookie cutter template.

So I got creative! I combined the 8 dimensions of wellness with symbolism into one design that I could use every day… and it worked perfectly! So, my Focus Flowers sprouted and bloomed all over my journal pages; and you can grow them too!

How to keep track of your wellness in your journal with my Focus Flowers!

For step by step instructions on how to create a Focus Flower just like mine CLICK HERE. I have created an online tutorial bursting with information on colour theory, symbolism and design using simple watercolour materials and techniques that anyone can master!

Why You Should Track Your Wellness

1.     “Where your attention goes, energy flows” (Robin Sharma).

If you are passionate about something and care deeply, you don’t need to be convinced to spend time doing it, you just do it. And the more time you spend doing it, the better you get at it and the more it improves. If you don’t focus on it, it doesn’t improve. No attention = no energy = no flow. Tracking guarantees attention and flow!

2.     Seeing is believing.

 Humans are visual creatures and tracking our wellness visually allows us to make sense of trends that might not otherwise be obvious, or, that we have been deluding ourselves about. It’s a great way of keeping score and rating how well (pardon the pun) we are going in a particular area.   

3.     If you see it, you’re more likely to change.

 You might have heard the joke that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. You’re much more likely to do something different, if the evidence is clear, for example, if you track how often you eat chocolate, you can use your tracking score to make decisions about changes you want to make to your chocolate habits. Likewise, if you track your workouts against your results, you’ll be more informed about changes you might want to make . You’re much more likely to keep going with a project so you don’t break your achievement streak.

4.     Your health and wellbeing is important so put yourself first!

I will always remember the profound advice from The Sunscreen Song, “Look after your body…it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own”. If you track your wellness, celebrate your health and make changes when necessary, you’re much more likely to be happier and healthier with lower health care costs, less sickness, AND, a longer life!

With so many good reasons, the real question is, why wouldn’t you track your wellness?

So… I challenge you to prioritise your health, and to reflect on and track your own wellness with beautiful blooms throughout your journals. You might be surprised by what you find!

If you are also chasing the joy, you might even find it.

I know I did!

Happy joy-chasing x

Become an expert Focus Flower artist - CLICK HERE

Centered -by Monique Taylor