The Art of the ‘Battle Cry’ Journal: How to Write Down Affirmations So They Actually Stick

Let’s talk about your journal. Is it a precious, leather-bound book with a little ribbon marker? Are your entries written in neat, polite cursive with a fancy pen? Do you try to make your thoughts look pretty on the page?

How’s that working for you?

If your affirmation journal feels more like a boring homework assignment than a source of power, there’s a reason. Your Perfectionist Gremlin has hijacked the process. It’s turned a sacred ritual into a performance. You’re trying to create a historical document of your enlightenment instead of a messy, living testament to your power.

It’s time to burn the rulebook. Welcome to the Battle Cry Journal.

This journal is not an archive. It’s an arena. It’s not for pretty thoughts. It’s a place to do battle with your demons, to channel lightning through your pen, and to physically carve your new reality into existence. This is where you write things down so they actually f*cking stick.

Part 1: Why Your Polite Journal Fails

Writing "I am a confident badass" in neat, tiny script is an act of observation. It’s a thought about being a badass. It doesn’t carry the energy of being one.

Your analytical brain does the writing, while your emotional meat suit sits on the sidelines, bored and unconvinced. When you focus on being neat and perfect, you are strengthening the Gremlin that whispers, "Don't mess up. Don't be too loud. Don't take up too much space."

The Battle Cry Journal does the opposite. It’s a full-contact sport. It bypasses the analytical mind and engages your whole body. It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s physical.

Part 2: The Battle Cry Method — A 4-Step Ritual

Let go of the  "dear diary" mentality. This is a tangible rage ritual for transmuting energy. Grab a pen—or five. Let's go.

Step 1: Get a "Shitty" Notebook

Go find the cheapest, most basic notebook you can. A spiral-bound one from the grocery store. A legal pad. Something you don't give a sh*t about. Why? Because you can’t be afraid to ruin it. A precious journal invites precious thoughts. A cheap notebook invites raw, unfiltered, chaotic truth. This is your training ground.

Step 2: The Gremlin Purge

On the first clean page of your session, you’re going to give the enemy a face. What is the ugly, core belief you’re fighting today? Write it down.

But don’t just write it. Scribble it. Let it be as ugly on the page as it feels in your head. Write it small and cramped in a corner. Write it over and over until the ink gets smeared. Give all the negative, anxious energy a place to live on the page, trapping it there. This is the demon you are about to exorcise.

Step 3: The Sledgehammer Salvo

Now, turn the page. This is the clean battlefield.

Take your Vibrational Sledgehammer—your powerful, weird affirmation. You are now going to unleash it.

Write it once, normally. "I attract clients with the magnetic force of a supernova."

Write it again, but press down harder. Feel the indent on the page beneath.

Write it again, but BIGGER. Let the letters take up half the page.

Grab a different color. Write it again, right on top of the last one.

Write it in all caps. SHOUT ON THE PAGE.

Keep going. Write it diagonally. Write it in bubble letters. Write it so many times the words become an abstract pattern of pure, energetic intent. Let it get messy, chaotic, and unreadable.

This is not a cognitive exercise. You are using your hand, your arm, your physical force, to etch this new reality into the world. You are performing a spell. The page should look like a beautiful, energetic disaster.

Step 4: Seal the Spell

When you feel the energy shift—when you feel you're done—seal the page. Draw a symbol over your chaotic script that represents the affirmation's power. A star. A lightning bolt. A spiral. An eye. A simple, powerful shape.

This is the final act. It’s you, the Spacebird sorcerer, placing your seal of approval on the energy you’ve just unleashed. Close the notebook. The ritual is complete.

Don’t Document Your Life. Design It.

Your Battle Cry Journal is a weapon. Use it.

In the morning: Use it to obliterate the Dread Gremlin before your day begins.

Before a big event: Use it to charge yourself up with the specific energy you need to bring into the room.

When you feel a Gremlin attack: Use it as an emergency intervention to process the fear and rewrite the script in real-time.

Stop trying to write a flawless story of who you used to be. Grab a cheap pen and start violently scribbling the blueprint of who you are becoming.

Journaling FAQ

Q: Does it really have to be messy? My brain craves order.

A: Yes. The messiness is a feature, not a bug. It’s how you bypass the 'Orderly' Gremlin that keeps you playing small. Your craving for order in this context might be a form of control. The goal here is to let go of control and tap into raw, chaotic, creative energy.

Q: What kind of pen should I use?

A: Whatever feels good. A ballpoint pen you can press hard with. A thick, juicy marker that bleeds through the page. A crayon. A handful of colored pencils. The medium is part of the magic. Use whatever tool makes you feel powerful.

Big love, -Heath Co-founder

Big love, -Heath Co-founder

About the Author

Heath Armstrong is the Co-founder of Rage Create, an artist, and a firm believer in using unconventional tools to smash through creative blocks. He's dedicated his work to helping people escape spiritual fluff and get into tangible, weird, and joyful action.

Rage Create helps creative maniacs (like you!) laugh loudly

and think deeply on this funky creative journey through space.