January has a particular energy to it. It’s a doorway, a threshold, a place where possibility meets intention. Many people enter the new year with resolutions, yet most resolutions fizzle out before momentum ever forms. Why? Because resolutions speak to what we think we should fix.
Guiding principles, however, speak to who we are becoming.
A resolution tries to correct. A guiding principle realigns.
Guiding principles act as an inner compass—steady, personal, and timeless. They support growth throughout the year, instead of collapsing under pressure within a few weeks.
Why Nature Journaling?
Traditional journaling is powerful, but nature journaling adds something deeper. Nature doesn’t judge, compare, or rush. It listens. It reflects without opinion. When we journal in relationship with the natural world, we gain perspective that isn’t available when we’re sitting at a desk trying to think our way into clarity.
Nature journaling transforms a list of desires into a lived possibility because:
- Writing creates space for clarity and flow.
- The subconscious can surface solutions that thought alone cannot.
- The elements offer distinct ways of seeing ourselves and our patterns.
People don’t struggle because they lack dreams. They struggle because fear blocks direction: fear of failing, fear of succeeding, fear of being judged, fear of not knowing how to begin. Working with nature provides a way to move through fear without forcing anything. Change becomes organic instead of overwhelming.
The Heart of My Journaling Method
In my 30 Days to Positive Change class, I teach a process that takes limiting beliefs and transmutes them into something more supportive. It reframes the internal narrative, so the focus shifts from “what’s wrong” to “what’s possible.” When that method is paired with nature, the journal stops being a notebook—it becomes a mirror.
Suddenly, identity, desire, and potential don’t feel theoretical. They become embodied.
The Elemental Lens
Each element offers a way to explore a different aspect of self. These questions can be used throughout the month as prompts for your nature journal.
Earth
What beliefs or habits need rooting, composting, or restructuring?
-Connect with a favorite tree, flower, or rock. Hold or touch them. Ask for guidance, ask a question, and then listen for their response.
Air
What thoughts, stories, or possibilities want space, clarity, or breath?
-Get outside, if you can and spend some time watching the clouds. What do you see? Ask a question and listen. What are they telling you?
Fire
What part of identity or desire needs ignition? Where does passion burn or fear consume?
-Light a candle and focus on the flame. Soften your gaze, ask a question, and pay attention to what you receive, whether it’s a thought, a sensation, or emotion.
Water
What emotions need to move, soften, or be witnessed?
-Pour yourself a glass of water. Hold it in both hands and speak your desire, hope, or wish. Focus on what you want to manifest while you hold the glass of water. When it feels right and complete, drink the water slowly and thoughtfully. Allow the water to work its magic.
Aether
What inner knowing wants a voice?
-Close your eyes and focus on your breath for a few minutes. Connect with Spirit and ask for a message or answer to a question. Allow the answers to come in whatever form they choose.
When you allow nature to participate in this inquiry, you’re no longer alone with your thoughts. You’re in conversation with something vast, ancient, and steady.
Who Might You Become After a Month of This?
Someone who is clearer.
Someone who is grounded.
Someone who knows what they want—and why it matters.
A month of nature journaling doesn’t just document your life. It changes it. It offers a foundation for lasting transformation by teaching you to view your experiences from multiple perspectives. You begin to respond, rather than react. You see possibilities where obstacles once stood. (Click here to download a simple Nature Journal)
The Quiet Promise of January
A shift in perspective.
A return of life energy.
A guiding principle that carries you forward.
January is not a reset. It is an invitation. Nature journaling is how you say yes.
Ready to take this deeper?
I’m opening a brand-new micro-course: Nature Journaling for Personal Transformation. It’s designed to help you create meaningful change from the inside out. Through guided meditations, elemental journaling prompts, and printable pages you can use all year long, you’ll learn how to turn your thoughts and desires into direction. No resolutions. No pressure. Just a gentle, nature-based path to becoming who you already feel yourself growing into. Click here to be added to the waitlist
And if working with Nature and the Elements is calling to you, you may feel drawn to go deeper.
Earthworking: The Sacred Path is an 8-week live journey beginning in February, where we consciously remember our relationship with the Earth, the Elements, and her Allies. Through guided practices, elemental attunements, and shared exploration, we move from remembering… into embodied connection and lived practice.
This path is for those who feel the quiet nudge of something ancient, steady, and alive — and are ready to walk in deeper partnership with the living world.
Your year doesn’t start when the calendar flips. It starts when you change the way you see yourself.
