FAQs

The Choose Your Attitude Journal is a tool which Debra developed nearly 20 years ago and has been using consistently ever since. Debra was taking part in a rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean when her rowing partner and ex-husband—a 6'5" international oarsman—developed a phobia of open ocean and had to be rescued from their tiny plywood boat. Despite her inexperience, Debra chose to continue alone, rowing over 3000 miles and encountering 30' waves, sharks, and force 8 squalls.

In Debra’s words: “Partly out of desperation, but mostly out of a desire to survive, I forced myself to find a load of attitude enhancing tools that helped me to control my mindset and I journaled every day in my ‘Ship’s Log’. This kept panic at bay and helped me to cope with the stress of the situation. The attitude tools stopped me thinking ‘I can’t’ and forced me to think ‘I can’. They helped me to find joy in the most unexpected place—way outside of my comfort zone and skill level.”

Having delivered keynote speeches at over 1,000 events across the globe, Debra realised that her journaling practice could be used by anyone, anywhere to help them to achieve their dreams. We put together a focus group who helped us to identify the best bits of journaling practice and then hired an incredible book designer called Julie Karen who made Debra’s idea a reality.

It’s Debra’s hope that the CYA Journal will become an essential part of your daily routine, as it is for her, and will help you to find more joy and more balance in your life.

Use the hashtag #CYAJournal to share your journaling successes with Debra online.

This Journal is for anyone who feels dissatisfied with an area of their life and wants to take action to address it. We know that the practice has worked for CEOs and managers of global corporations through to entrepreneurs at the beginning of their start-up journey, retirees, stay-at-home parents and students.

There’s no denying that there are loads of amazing journals on the market. The Choose Your Attitude Journal is different because it’s a combination of Debra’s experiences as a professional adventurer, her work as a motivational speaker and leadership development expert, and solid research into positive psychology (there’s a huge list of scientific journals and references at the end of the Journal).

We’re here to help! As well as a chapter about each section of the journal, we’ve also included a quick start guide which summarises the whole process. We’ve also put together some video tutorials and sample entries which you can access for free by signing up at www.debrasearle.com/resources

Yes! The CYA Journal can definitely be used by teenagers. They might like to check out the free videos on www.debrasearle.com/resources or watch Debra’s story here to get inspired.

Some of the language might be a little complex for young children, but you can definitely apply the principles of the journal to conversations with them. For example, Debra’s 9 year old Molly likes to start each family meal by going around the table and asking everyone to share three things that they are grateful for. Watch this space for more resources for kids and families.

Once you are in the habit of journaling, filling out a page can take as little as 5-10 minutes. To get the most out of your journaling practice we recommend working through the ‘Goals’ section at the start of the Journal as this will help you to fill out your Journal with more purpose and clarity. You can always revisit the Goals section at a later date if you want to get stuck in to daily journaling straight away.

Yes! We are in the process of creating a workbook for managers and team leaders which will help them to support a team who is using the cya journal. If you would like to be one of our beta-testers for this, please get in touch (hello@debrasearle.com).

Yes! If you would like to buy 10 or more copies then please contact our Ops Manager Stef on hello@debrasearle.com and she will give you a quote. The Journals include 20 blank pages for notes, making it the perfect delegate gift.

Unfortunately our Journals are stored in a warehouse which Debra doesn’t have frequent access to. We are working on this and hope to make signed copies available soon. If you are buying in bulk for your team or conference and would like Debra to sign your copies, please contact us on hello@debrasearle.com and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

The interior of both journals is exactly the same: the only differences are to the covers. The grey cover is made of a 'soft touch' material and has the title embossed on the front, it also has an elasticated band to keep it closed. The teal cover is a traditional hardback book with a quote printed onto the front. Both versions are 'lay flat' so that they are easy to write in.

• Lay flat design is easy to write in

• High quality paper so biro won't show through the pages

• 2 ribbon bookmarks

• Pen loop

• Extendable envelope at back

• Printed on 100% recycled FSC certified paper

This is currently only available as a physical book. If you would be interested in a digital version, please let us know via social media (links at bottom of page) or drop us a line on email – hello@debrasearle.com .

Check out the links on the bottom left of this page to learn more about shipping, returns and other policies.