Building a Better You

Journaling can help you make improvements in your life. With Commitment Day 2016 coming up in less than a month, there are some things that you can do to get started ahead of time.

First, the important thing to understand is that journaling isn’t always about deep, personal thoughts. It’s more about consistency and you determine what that means to you. It can be daily, weekly, or merely a place to keep ideas as you’re inspired. The practice alone will have revelatory implications as you continue to develop your journaling habit.

Turning Ideas into Reality
It’s often said that writing your goals, thoughts, hopes, and dreams on paper makes them real. Reflecting on those entries will help you focus your mind and keep you on task and help you realize the life you aspire to have.

Here are 8 journaling strategies to help you achieve your goals and make 2016 the best year yet.

1. Be honest with yourself. If you can’t be honest with yourself, there are other things you need to work on in 2016. Write your fears, dreams, and desires to make them real and use your journal as a personal sounding board. You’ll be surprised how helpful it is to objectively look at your thoughts.
2. Set goals and reflect. Take the time to outline your most important self-improvement goals in your journal. Over time, reflect on your entries and goals to see how they align. If not, take active steps toward achieving them and get back on path.
3. Write quickly and don’t fret over typos. Getting your ideas out is the most important thing. Writing quickly in a stream of consciousness will help your goals and dreams materialize.
4. Write regularly. Formulate a routine to keep your journal flowing. Try setting a daily time to write or attach the activity of writing to another habitual activity, like eating breakfast.
5. Mike Wallace yourself. Okay, I’m showing my age a little bit with this one, but ask yourself the tough questions. Where did you expect to be at this point in your life? Are you happy in your job? What would really make you happy? Self-reflection is key to self-improvement and your journal will be a great asset in the process.
6. Review your journal on a regular basis. If you have a bad day, reflecting on the small victories you’ve had will remove stress and doubt. Reflecting in your journal will help you identify bad habits and allow you to make corrections quickly.
7. Measure your progress. Use your journal to create milestones that you can build towards. Look back on your goals and see how far you’ve come. This is most evident in a fitness journal or a diet journal. Success is a journey and seeing small victories reinforces your success and helps you stay on course.
8. Find the journaling tool that’s right for you. While I’d love for you to use JRNL because of technological benefits like the mobile app and publishing, it’s really important to discover what works for you. Journaling doesn’t have to be difficult. Find the method that makes journal writing a reality for you.

Journaling can be powerful and empowering, but it’s only effective if you’re actually doing it.