There’s a reason that the best self-help books ask you to take out your journal periodically and work through exercises yourself. Their authors know that you can’t make lasting change in your life by sitting on the sidelines. You have to jump into the middle of the action.
Writing journals is a powerful tool that can help you overcome challenges in all areas of your life: health, relationships, career, or money. Use these five steps to keep you motivated, focused, and accountable.
1) Clear your Mental Clutter.
Modern life is full of distractions, both internal and external. It’s nearly impossible to imagine new possibilities when your brain is chock-full of the here and now.
Productivity guru David Allen encourages his students to have “a mind like water,” calm and ready for anything. A great way to accomplish this is to get everything off your mind and into your journal: your worries, your to-do lists, or those bright ideas that pop into your head as you’re falling asleep.
Clearing your mental clutter makes way for your creativity to blossom. It lets you notice new opportunities that come your way and envision new possibilities instead of dwelling on what exists now.
Journal Prompt: “What’s on my mind right now?” Write, without taking your pen from the page, until you’ve purged your thoughts.
2) Set your Intention.
If you don’t have a clear picture of what you want, how are you going to get it?
You may know that you’d like to have more money, for example. But do you know how much you personally would need in your bank account to feel comfortable? How would you like to spend that money? Close your eyes and imagine how it would feel to have the amount you envision.
If you can’t do this, you have some work to do. If you imagine what you want clearly and invite that thing into your life, you will probably find that it comes to you. It may be simply the Law of Attraction, or that you’re more attuned to opportunities in line with your intention, but either way you will channel more of your energy toward making that clear desire a reality.
Journal Prompt: If I had X in my life, I would be happy. Now write a page in your journal that describes a day in your life with X ($500,000, or a perfectly matched partner, for example) in your life, and how it makes you happy. Focus on the feeling you get knowing that you have the thing you want.
3) Create SMART Goals.
Now that you have a crystal clear picture of what you want, you can set goals to make it happen. Your journal is the place to write down SMART goals.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Based. It’s a straightforward system, once you get the hang of it.
Specific: Be as clear and detailed as possible.
Measurable: You’ll know whether you achieved it or not.
Attainable: It’s within your reach, setting you up for success.
Relevant: This goal gives you joy, and you’ve created it by choice, not out of obligation.
Time-Based: Give yourself a deadline to meet it.
SMART goals don’t have to be complex and wordy. If you’ve used your journal to imagine yourself living a healthy lifestyle, you could write down the SMART goal “Quit smoking by the end of this February.” Go down the checklist: Is it Specific? Yes. Measurable? Yes. And so on.
Once you’ve written down your goals, write the next action you will take toward accomplishing each one, such as “Google Stop Smoking programs in my area.”
Journal Prompt: Write three SMART goals relevant to your intention from step two. Write the next action you will take toward each. Breaking them down this way will make them more achievable.
4) Hold yourself Accountable.
Regularly check back on each of your written goals, journaling about the progress you’re making and ensuring that you’re doing what you committed to.
5) Celebrate your Victories.
Cross off your accomplished goals. Use exclamation points and smiley faces liberally. Congratulate yourself and take a moment to see how far you’ve come.
Documenting your vision and goals in your journal will make them more real than if you just daydream about them vaguely. Clear your mind of distractions, clearly state your goals in writing, and revisit them frequently. You’ll be surprised at how effectively you can master challenges with the help of your writing journals.
Need some more ideas on how Journaling helps you master your life? Drop by for a visit!
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