Spotlight on the “I Want You to Know” Journal

Ta-da! I’m extremely excited to announce my new journal: I Want You to Know: My Portrait of You. I’ve never done a journal like this before.

Speaking for myself, I cannot wait to fill out multiple copies to give as holiday gifts this year.

Some background: Ancient philosophers and modern scientists agree that a key—perhaps the key—to happiness is strong relationships with other people.

But if you’re like me, you may find it hard to put loving feelings into words—to express yourself openly. Or, in the business of everyday life, you find it hard to take the time to share funny or significant memories.

This journal will help you to put your loving feelings into words, and by making that record, it allows you to create a meaningful keepsake for someone you love.

The questions will prompt you to capture the things you’ve always wanted to say and record your favorite memories.

I’m planning to use this journal to create birthday and Christmas gifts. It would also make a great keepsake for a wedding, a graduation, an anniversary, a Valentine’s Day gift, a retirement, or any milestone moment. Or just as a spontaneous gift!

I wish this journal had been ready so that I could’ve filled it out and packed it in the “blues bag” I gave to my daughter Eleanor when we dropped her off at college.

It would be fun to give a blank journal to a child so that they could fill it out for a parent, grandparent, or best friend as a “handmade” gift.

I worked with a brilliant team on this journal—the design is gorgeous and the questions are very thought-provoking. Here are just a few of my favorites:

One of my first memories of you is….These songs make me think of you:A habit of yours I secretly find endearing is…Knowing you had made me…This quotation makes me think of you:

As you see, the prompts are open-ended, so you can pick the vibe that works for you—tender, humorous, whimsical, nostalgic.

Expressing ourselves creatively can be a very important element in a happy life, and I’m very interested in everyday creativity—how we can express ourselves imaginatively without needing a lot of time, energy, money—or even skill! The design of this journal makes it easy to create something that, while not taxing in execution, is nevertheless extraordinarily meaningful and creative.

Once you get the journal, here’s a practical note: Read through all the prompts before you start filling in the pages; you may find that a particular story or detail fits better in a different prompt.

I’m sure that people will come up with inventive ways to use this journal that I haven’t even considered. I can’t wait for it to make its way into the world.

I Want You to Know: My Portrait of You is available for pre-order now, and ships by late October. Click here to visit the Happiness Project Shop to learn more and pre-order your copy.