Home » 🖊️ How to Take the Pen – A 40-Day Practice That Changes Everything

🖊️ How to Take the Pen – A 40-Day Practice That Changes Everything

(If you haven’t read the story behind this, I encourage you to read The Day I Took the Pen first. It explains the moment that changed everything for me.)

Owning your day isn’t about getting organized. It’s about taking responsibility for your life—one page at a time.

After that counseling session—the one where the counselor held up a blank notebook and told me I was holding the pen—I knew something had to change. But I also knew it wouldn’t change just because I wanted it to.

I needed a practice. A rhythm. Something I could do every day that would help me live like the truth he handed me was actually real.

Here’s what I started doing—and what I still do, more than 40 years later.

📓 The Practice: Reflection and Planning that Actually Changes You

This is not a 5-minute “make your list and go” routine. It’s deeper. And it’s worth it.

Plan to spend 30–60 minutes each morning—not because you have extra time, but because it will give you back more than it takes.

Here’s what that rhythm looks like:

🧭 Step 1: Reflect Before You Plan

Use a journal. Any notebook will do. What matters is what goes in it. Here’s a daily process you can follow (or cut out and tape inside the cover of your journal):

🙏 Daily Reflection & Planning (Christian Version)

  • Read a short passage of Scripture—not for volume, but for insight.
  • Ask: “God, what are You saying to me today?”
  • Write something you’re thankful for.
  • Review yesterday. What stood out? What did you do well? What needs to change?
  • Think about your relationships. Anyone to forgive? Anyone to ask forgiveness from?
  • Pray for others. Or ask: Who needs my help or encouragement today?
  • Now plan your day. Prayerfully choose 1–3 priorities. Write them on a 3×5 card.

🌿 Daily Reflection & Planning (Non-Christian Version)

  • Read something character-building. A paragraph. A quote. Something real.
  • Ask: “What insight or truth do I need to act on today?”
  • Write something you’re genuinely thankful for.
  • Review yesterday. What can you learn from it?
  • Consider your relationships. Who needs your forgiveness? Who needs encouragement?
  • Now plan your day. Pick 1–3 things that really matter. Write them on a 3×5 card.

🗂️ Step 2: The 3×5 Card + 40-Day Challenge

At the end of each day (or the next morning), ask: Did I do what I said I’d do?

Then place your card in one of two stacks:

  • 🟩 Victory Days – You completed your top priorities.
  • 🟨 Lesson Days – You didn’t. Reflect and reset.

Do this for 40 days. Then look at your stacks. What kind of story are you writing?

🔁 One Day Becomes a Life

If you take this seriously—even if you miss a few days—you’ll start to notice a shift. You’ll walk with more clarity. More purpose. And more integrity.

It’s not because your days will be easier. It’s because they’ll be yours.

Start Now

Want the full lesson? This blog is drawn from Lesson 2 in the Principles of Life & Leadership course.
Or begin the challenge with your own journal today—and let us know how it goes.

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#YouHoldThePen #40DayChallenge #DailyDiscipline #LifePlanning #OwnYourDay #PrinciplesOfLifeAndLeadership