“As Yourself Journals” is my print-on-demand journal business. I make journals, student notebooks, and guided reflection workbooks. The name “As Yourself Journals” is a reference to Christian Scripture. In Matthew 22:36–40, Jesus states, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself“.

People often interpret this scripture to mean that you should treat others they way you wanted to be treated. And while I think that is a good idea, it is not my interpretation. I believe when Jesus is commanding Christians to love people as their true selves. Loving others as yourself means that while you absolutely need to love your neighbor, you do not have to do so in a way that contorts or diminishes your true self. In other words, loving others is not the same as “people pleasing”. I believe that journaling has helped me become more grounded in who I am and more able to love others as myself than I was before I started a journal practice. So, I named my journal business, “As Yourself Journals” to remind myself of this learning. I hope these journals will help others develop a deeper relationships with their God and with their truest self.