9 Lessons from Journals of Martin Luther King Jr

Dr. King, Jr. is pictured reading and reflecting at home in May 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama.

There is more to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy than the recognizable “I have a Dream” speech. One hidden gem of Dr. King’s legacy is in the depths of his 10,000+ journals, diaries, sermons, letters, and notebooks left behind. Together, these journals and writings, provide an intimate glimpse of the youngest person (up until 1964) to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. Like other successful people who kept journal, Dr. King maintained this habit throughout

Continue Reading

What the Journals of Thomas Edison Teach Us About Productivity, Creativity, and Success

Edison was, without a doubt, one of the most productive inventors of all time. He was awarded 2,332 patents—the third most of any American—including many that continue to affect our lives today: the electric generator, electric pen, fuel cell, storage battery, and motion pictures. Edison’s success didn’t spring from a single moment of inspiration—rather, it was the result of a deliberate approach to changing the world. Throughout Edison’s life, journaling was a consistent practice, capturing not only the his inventions

Continue Reading

3 Self-Improvement Tips from the Journals of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin by David Rent Etter (1835). Source: NPS

In my quest to study the journals of successful people, Benjamin Franklin has not only been near the top of my list but also has been most request by many of you who kindly write to me. Franklin has intrigued me due to his self-made success, start starting from humble beginnings and rising to become a successful printer, writer, musician, inventor, and, of course, Founding Father of United States. Many, including myself, are aware of Franklin’s life accomplishments. But I wondered what processes he

Continue Reading

What Einstein’s journals teach us about Focus, Play, and Creativity

Time and time again, from their writings and journals, I have come to realize that the heroes that I look upto are shockingly human under their “hero disguise”. That is a humbling find as I continue my quest to learn from the journals of these perfectly human heroes. This month I studied the journals of Albert Einstein – a man who needs no introduction but certainly needs to be recognized for his less well known meticulous journaling habit. The rest

Continue Reading

Observing the journals of Leonardo da Vinci

Despite being most well-known for his paintings, as time passes, his true legacy has become his journals (aka notebooks) – so much so that Bill Gates bought a collection of them for $30 million dollars. Unlike Bill Gates, I don’t have millions of dollars to buy da Vinci’s original journals but I did still spend the currency of my time reading his biography and observing his journals so I can improve my habit of keeping journals. Now, wanting to understand

Continue Reading

Analyzing the Journals of Successful People

As many of you know, I quite enjoy keeping a journal. As years pass by and my journals pileup, I am keen to improve this habit of journal keeping. To do that, I have decided to study the journals of successful people to extract tips and wisdom you and I can use for our journal keeping. I am quite excited about this project as journal keeping is one of the most shared habit among the successful people I have studied

Continue Reading

Wisdom from the Journals of Bruce Lee

“Above all, I am hoping to actualize myself to be an artist of life.” – Bruce Lee You and I most likely know Bruce Lee (1940 to 1973) for his action filled martial arts’ films, however, he was also an unappreciated philosopher of his time who constantly articulated his thoughts in his many journals – to constantly grow through life. In fact, many of his quotes that we know today, such as the one on the top of this page,

Continue Reading

Site Footer