Tag, you’re it! What will you choose to do with the opportunity of each day? What love, joy, and blessings from this day would you like to remember?

I created this journal practice in two versions (a year-long TAG, I’M IT! AND a  three-month TAG, I’M IT! ). Both will ground you in two important habits: keeping your focus on appreciating and celebrating the good in your life and intentionally accomplishing what matters most to you.

You’ll also create a record of your most meaningful, happiest events and experiences. The year-long TAG, I’M IT! AND three-month TAG, I’M IT! journals provide a simple yet meaningful way to recap and celebrate the very best of each day of your life. The practice of writing out your “T’s” (things you’re thankful for), “A’s” (actions you can acknowledge yourself for), and “G’s” (gifts you’re grateful for) is a transformative one, especially combined with the final step, I’M IT!, in which you intentionally choose three do-able, most-important-to-you actions you’ll take the next day.

Start your journal—or restart, if needed—whenever you like. (Though a new year is a perfect time!)

An introduction with tips and ideas will help you make this practice your own. Soon, you’ll notice that you’re living your days with more joy, presence, purpose, and intention.

Learn more about/purchase  the year-long TAG, I’M IT!  journal.

Both my year-long TAG, I’M IT! AND three-month TAG, I’M IT! journals, offer, in five to fifteen minutes,  the opportunity to:

• be consciously thankful every day for the good in your life
  (and the gift of getting to be alive)
• acknowledge that, even on the least productive, most difficult
  days, you accomplished at least a few things that mattered
  to you, and most likely someone else as well
• keep a record of (and savor!) the most uplifting “gifts” of your day,
  including stuff like an email from your brother praising something you wrote,
  a warm smile from a stranger  as she held a door open for you,
  the cup of coffee your husband brought you as you were working,
  the compliment paid you by a friend, etc., as well as actual, physical gifts
  you may have received
• read a hand-selected, thought-provoking or inspiring quote each day
• choose three small, do-able, most-important-to-you things to accomplish the following day

After making the year-long version (find out more about it and purchase here), I got great feedback from readers that it would be nice to have a smaller, more portable version for traveling, and it also occurred to me that people might want to try the process out before investing in a journal that lasts a whole year Plus, it’s less expensive, always a nice option. (Find out more about this version and purchase here.)

The three-month version, like the year-length version, is 8.5″ x 8.5.”

Learn more about/purchase  the three-month TAG, I’M IT!  journal.

Here’s an entry from my own TAG, I’M IT! Journal:

Got an email from Catherine F: “TAG!! This made me think of the wonderful work you are doing with WordPlay and sharing your creative ways of living with intention and gratitude.” Her words were followed by the January 13, 2019 edition of Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, titled “Tag, You’re It.”

And here’s what was in that Sunday Paper:

Shriver shared that she was “really moved . . . and inspired” by Jeff Bridges’ acceptance speech upon winning the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2019 Golden Globe Awards. In his speech, Bridges told a story about walking into director Michael Cimino’s office the day before the filming of the 1974 crime film Thunderbolt and Lightfoot:

“I said . . . ‘Mike, I’m sorry but I think you made a terrible mistake. I’m not feeling this guy at all, I feel so inadequate. I’m giving you late notice, I know. Please fire me.’ And he looked at me, and said, ‘Jeff, you know the game tag?’ I say, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘You’re it.’

I said, ‘What do you mean I’m it?’

And he said, ‘You are the guy. You couldn’t make a mistake if you wanted to. The life of this character is coming through you, it’s a done deal.’

I said, ‘Oh, all right, that’s a wonderful vote of confidence and a great perspective to look at this thing.’ And I used it, of course, in that film and all the other movies that I’ve done, as well as my life. I’ve been tagged.”

And then Bridges went on to say, “I guess we all have been tagged! We’re all alive right here right now, this is happening.” Shriver followed her recounting of Bridges’ speech with these words: “I really loved Bridges’ authenticity. . . . And, I agree with him. We are all ‘tagged.’ We are all ‘it’ in the game of life. We’re ‘it’ not just because we are alive, but because we all have the power to chart our own paths. We all have the power to steer our lives however we choose.”

What a gift Catherine’s email was to me! The timing was incredible. I was doubting myself, doubting whether this TAG, I’M IT process would be of value to other people, and, voila, here came this inspiring affirmation. I hadn’t known about Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper. If Catharine hadn’t thought of me when she read it and cared enough to take the time to send it on to me, I wouldn’t have read Shriver’s words or listened to Jeff Bridges’ acceptance speech and felt so encouraged.

Check out the year-long TAG, I’M IT!  journal.
Check out the three-month TAG, I’M IT!  journal.

Interested in Learning More?

Dr. Sara Rose recently featured me on her podcast, RoseCast. She’s uses TAG, I’M IT! herself, and this episode is largely a conversation about the TAG, I’M IT! process. You can find it at this link online: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/rose-cast-with-dr-sara-rose/e/65202933. It’s also on Apple Podcasts.

Dr. Sara Rose, Ph.D., is a national board-certified and licensed professional counselor operating in private practice in Charlotte, NC. Her work aims to help individuals live happier, healthier lives with her unique approach to therapy and counseling. She graciously featured me on RoseCast, not once, but twice!

In the other podcast, which aired first, you can learn a few secrets about my path to becoming a writer and teacher by listening to the first episode: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/rose-cast-with-dr-sara-rose/e/65037194

And here’s a little background about how TAG, I’M IT! came into being:

i created the TAG, I’M IT! daily journal last January so that I would have the exact format I wanted for this daily practice I’ve been using on and off for many years. The practice itself  grew and developed from its beginnings as two separate lists—one a synchronicities list inspired by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, the other a gratitude list inspired by Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance. Years after that, a course for entrepreneurs by Christine Kane propelled me into keeping these lists nearly every day. Over time, this process expanded, and I got tired of writing my headings over and over. I kept envisioning the format I wanted, and finally realized I could make it myself!

I’ve been delighted to hear from WordPlay clients and students and friends (and friends/family members of students and friends)—and even complete strangers via Amazon reviews—that other people are finding this practice makes a real difference to them, too.

On Thanksgiving, in The Daily Word (a small daily devotional I use), I saw the perfect words to describe TAG, I’M IT!: “As my day winds to a close, I take time to appreciate and celebrate each moment of the day that has touched my heart.”

What a gift it is to engage in this appreciation and celebration on a regular basis!   Both the year-long TAG, I’M IT!  journal and three-month TAG, I’M IT!  journal make great gifts. And the process is even richer when shared with a friend or loved one.

And now, there’s a special version for Lent, too,
The TAG, I’M IT! Lenten Practice: An Invitation to Draw Closer to God through Thanksgiving, Acknowledgement, and Gratitude 

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT
THE TAG, I’M IT! DAILY JOURNAL AND PRACTICE

5.0 out of 5 stars This journal is “user friendly” as well as inspirational.