Is keeping a journal a key to success?

14 years ago

When I was a PC tech I would write in one little A5 book which I could always flip back to find details I made notes of. It came in handy. I suppose keeping a notebook handy might have some uses. As long as you don't torture yourself to maintain it daily. I sometimes come up with good headlines and stuff which I later forgot because I didn't act on them. Keeping a notebook and pen near the bed and in the bathroom is always a good idea as many good ideas come when you are near water.

Journal - yes, diary - no.

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phil.wheatley

14 years ago

Sometimes I will jot my ideas down on the notepad of my phone.

Something else I did a while ago which I found useful relating to the original post, is I sat down with pen and paper recently, and wrote down all the websites/projects I tried, and looked to see which bombed and which worked. I then looked at the common elements between those that worked, and based my future sites on those points.

Phil

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RHert

14 years ago

Keeping a journal can help you motivate yourself. When highly motivated and excited you tend to write more. I have often gone back and reread those entries and found myself catching the same enthusiasm I once had. Journals are definitely worth keeping.

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Newbie Japan

14 years ago

If you want to be able to get enough sleep, then the knowing that your valuable (or even off-the-wall) stuff is resting on the pages and available should you have the need to go back to retrieve it again is a peaceful feeling.

Just remember to remember where you keep your journal.

A lot of people have difficulty in starting a journal. Some kind of resistance resides in us for some forgotten reason.

So, it is fine to start our journal by writing,

"For some reason, which I may or may not discover, I feel some resistance in starting this journal. I will make another entry tomorrow, or when ever I feel like it, and say what's on my mind at that time."

By taking the pressure off our self, we are able to start the process of writing. And, it is O.K. if we do not continue. I took Anthony Robbins Unleash the Power Within and "Fire Walking" more than two decades ago. While it may be so that Tony kept a journal, he had difficulty too in getting his first (few) started.

So, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff--and it's all small stuff regarding whether we do or don't keep a journal.

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RobBritt

14 years ago

I keep a journal that has notes and ideas in it. I don't look at it much, but once in a while I read it and find something to take action on. Some of the ideas I have I don't know how to implement at the time, but later maybe I've learned something that helps me to make it happen.

I think keeping a date book with deadlines and appointments in it is maybe more important, and I have a whiteboard that I put projects on to remind me of what is important.. and timely.

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scortillion

14 years ago

I find keeping a journal is relaxing and helps me look at things from a different point of view. Some times when I reread my journal something I wrote will give me a new idea for a new topic to write about.

Sometimes my journal is just a place for me to vent and unload my fustrations

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ChrisKahler

14 years ago

I keep two separate forms of "thought on paper". One is a journal, the other I call my Game Plan (It's a 1" 3 ring binder instead of a notepad though). I write a lot in my journal, one page after the next, whatever I think needs to come out of my mind. It can get to be a bit jumbled, so I like to put the important pieces that need to stay at the surface of my mind in my Game Plan.

The Game Plan is a more strategic combination of my ideas/thoughts/goals that allows me to zero in my focus, review what I'm doing, and track my overall progress. I don't write in it daily, but I do read it daily. I also put my top values right behind my goals in a prioritized order so that I always act according to my core principles and my goals are always in harmony with my core values.

It's a good one-two combination to have... I write a lot in my journal, and listed a TON of goals/life purpose elements to achieve over the entire course of my life. What I do now is transfer the ones I'm immediately working on in my Game Plan, along with any current projects, clients, products, whatever that's related, keep track of it, log what I do periodically (every day, two, at most three), and review the Game Plan once a week to see my progress.

It isn't stressful but it does add a whole new dimension to keeping a journal and when you finally make keeping a journal an everyday habit it's a good NEW habit to add with the journaling habit.

It's kind of funny, I started doing this on my own and then listening to a 2 day seminar from Jim Rohn, he mentions doing the same thing!

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scortillion

14 years ago

Originally Posted by ChrisKahler

I keep two separate forms of "thought on paper". One is a journal, the other I call my Game Plan (It's a 1" 3 ring binder instead of a notepad though). I write a lot in my journal, one page after the next, whatever I think needs to come out of my mind. It can get to be a bit jumbled, so I like to put the important pieces that need to stay at the surface of my mind in my Game Plan.

The Game Plan is a more strategic combination of my ideas/thoughts/goals that allows me to zero in my focus, review what I'm doing, and track my overall progress. I don't write in it daily, but I do read it daily. I also put my top values right behind my goals in a prioritized order so that I always act according to my core principles and my goals are always in harmony with my core values.

It's a good one-two combination to have... I write a lot in my journal, and listed a TON of goals/life purpose elements to achieve over the entire course of my life. What I do now is transfer the ones I'm immediately working on in my Game Plan, along with any current projects, clients, products, whatever that's related, keep track of it, log what I do periodically (every day, two, at most three), and review the Game Plan once a week to see my progress.

It isn't stressful but it does add a whole new dimension to keeping a journal and when you finally make keeping a journal an everyday habit it's a good NEW habit to add with the journaling habit.

It's kind of funny, I started doing this on my own and then listening to a 2 day seminar from Jim Rohn, he mentions doing the same thing!

Great Points and Jim Rohn was the BEST!

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Alex and Elijah 14 years ago

Chris that sounds like an excellent idea. I've been keeping a journal on and off for a few years now. And, it definitely has been beneficial in exploring my own mind. Just thinking about it makes me want to journal more.
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tbdigital

14 years ago

Journals are amazing. Great for planning, focusing and concentration on your work. The are also a great way of keeping track of what you have done in the past. They can tell you what you have done in the past that has worked and not worked.

Terry

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joekyut

14 years ago

I agree that a journal will help keep you in focus but the ultimate key to success lies in discipline. If you don't discipline your self to write it down and act according to what you say then it's all useless. Using a journal is normally challenged by one thing procrastination and indiscipline.

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Trafficsniper

14 years ago

Yes for me. It helps..

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melltonroper

14 years ago

I dont think it is effective but yeah it can give a little help...

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neeralt

14 years ago

Originally Posted by scortillion

Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, and other success coaches, I've read and listen too, believe keeping a journal is one of the important keys to becoming and being successful.

I found that when I keep a journal that it helps me organize and focus my thoughts. It also helps me see what I follow through on and keep track of important ideas and thoughts of others.

The best part is that it improves my writing skills, along with my spelling and vocabulary. I use to be a very bad speller, but from keeping a journal and writing every day I've become much better; and that's success that can be seen.

I agree that keeping a journal is an important key factor towards success. You can have a look at what you did and what you have reached so far. You also can make post mortem report by looking at the activities you have done before if you didn't get the goal you set.

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scortillion

14 years ago

Originally Posted by neeralt

I agree that keeping a journal is an important key factor towards success. You can have a look at what you did and what you have reached so far. You also can make post mortem report by looking at the activities you have done before if you didn't get the goal you set.

One of the things a journal helps me track are things I stated I wanted to accomplish but haven't. I can look back at these and then figure out what the reasons where that I didn't complete my task.

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jamesgrimes

14 years ago

nice share...thanks

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scortillion

14 years ago

Here's a link to a electronic journal that I've started using and have found very useful:

http://www.warriorforum.com/mind-war...n-looking.html

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Illuminations

14 years ago

Keeping a journal is a good way to remind and motivate yourself to do something positive. However, if you yourself are lazy enough to get motivated, things like these won't work. IT's all about the mindset. No matter how we look fr motivating factors to help us if our cognition tells us otherwise, then all your efforts will just go in vain.

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Justin Finkelstein

14 years ago

Keeping a journal helps me measure my long term progress. If I don't do that I forgot how much I have accomplished, since most of my focus is on short term objectives.

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scortillion

14 years ago

By keeping a journal I am able to track my long term success. I take small steps that may take months and are not noticable right away; but reading my journal I can see the remarkable improvements I've made over a short period of time that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

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Jeremy Miner

14 years ago

It is very useful to track and plan your activity, that keeps you in control of the things you are about to do and have accomplished.

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Chris Prescott

14 years ago

Sometimes a journal kind of feels like a chore to me, but it is satisfying when you look through your entries and are reminded of your goals and progress/non progress

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scortillion

14 years ago

I've been using my journal also to gather information on topics I want to write about; what I like about the topic; why I feel others would want to read about it; and sources where I can find additional information about the topic.

Also I use it to keep track of what I'm reading and what I like about the book and characters and plot. I want to write myself, so I also us my journal to practice writing.

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HasClicks

14 years ago

Never tried it, but I believe it would make me much more organized and keep me away from making same mistakes.

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Michael Solomon

14 years ago

Personally, the only journal I keep regularly is my gratitude journal and the difference between the days I journal and the days I don't is substantial, it is VERY powerful. And very simple.

Basically I have a notebook for this purpose and every morning I write one page full of things I am grateful for, both past, present and future, but all written in positive now-time jurisdiction, meaning present tense, positive formulations, like an affirmation. Before I write that days page I read the last 3 pages to help get me into the full experience of gratitude and focus on the feeling aspect while writing as well. Takes 5-10 minutes and makes a huge difference...

Cheers

Michael

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scortillion

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Michael Solomon

Personally, the only journal I keep regularly is my gratitude journal and the difference between the days I journal and the days I don't is substantial, it is VERY powerful. And very simple.

Basically I have a notebook for this purpose and every morning I write one page full of things I am grateful for, both past, present and future, but all written in positive now-time jurisdiction, meaning present tense, positive formulations, like an affirmation. Before I write that days page I read the last 3 pages to help get me into the full experience of gratitude and focus on the feeling aspect while writing as well. Takes 5-10 minutes and makes a huge difference...

Cheers

Michael

Althought I didn't stick with it, I have tried what you do in your journal. When I did try it I found it does have a very positive effect on your day. I will start including a paragraph everyday on just what I am grateful for.

Thank's for reminding me about that!

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naruq 14 years ago

I keep a Journal. I like to jot down my thoughts and Ideas. I take some of these Ideas and apply them to my personal and business life.
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Michael Solomon

14 years ago

i.e. I love and appreciate that I am now passed the 50 post mark and am now finally able to respond to the private messages I receive

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evansmichelle

14 years ago

a little bit effective....

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art72

14 years ago

I accidentally started keeping a journal about 6 years ago.

It's funny, I was with my wife shopping on her birthday, and when we got home she handed me a leather bound journal she picked up for $5.

Reluctantly, I started writing down ideas, thoughts, and notes about business ideas, philosophies, and personal experiences. The idea was to have something my kids could reflect on later in life should something ever happen to me.

Amazingly, I have found great benefit whenever I occasionally thumb through the entries, and confirm certain events that proved later to be true, as if they were almost preconceived, and manifested into reality.

I think when you write down your goals, ambitions, experiences (both good and bad) there's a process, to wit, what may have seemed meaningless in foresight can indeed deliver greater benefits as time and understanding develops.

In closing, I started writing in that 1st journal in 2007 and have since filled nearly 10 journals in total. Some of my best writings, ideas, and sketches remain nested in the pages.

But what really blows my mind is the understanding those journals carry. I often learn from things within them that really were just quick thoughts, and later proved to be far greater lessons then they intially may have appeared on the surface.

I have since started one specifically for my IM efforts, and continue to add to another that remains specifically for my children llater in life.

Journals can possess a power all their own, and words due little justice to what keeping a journal has done for me.

Very therapeutic, and in my experience things have been revealed I may not have been privileged to recognize or acknowledge.

Great Thread!

All the Best,

Art

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poath

14 years ago

I find I can't keep a journal in the traditional sense because I will forget to write in it for weeks but I find that if I keep a notebook with me to jot down all my ideas, goals, accomplishments on the go, I stick with it more.

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Sebastian Batiste

14 years ago

A good freind of mine has always kept a diary and he has just written a book. He told me that having kept a journal/diary was the biggest factor in him writng the book and doesnt think he would have been able to do it without going back through his diary and re living and re telling the stories and lessons he has learnt in his life.
I can imagine it is a good way to unload also

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RobBritt

14 years ago

I've also kept a dream journal, where I write down the stories and imagery from my nightly visits to the subconscious. Writing in there first thing when I wake up helps me to remember things more vividly. This may sound silly to some of the more practical minded people here, but it helps sometimes when I am looking for plots and things for my fiction writing. Writing down dreams also helps your brain prioritize remembering them, so the more you journal the more you remember.

Some of the most famous inventors and conceptualists throughout history have kept dream journals or have said that they have had breakthroughs upon first awakening.

It seems our minds can wrestle with our problems while we are asleep and sometimes come up with solutions for us. (if we are paying attention)

For a bit more on this, and a free pdf on Lucid Dreaming (no opt-in or anything, this is a direct link to the PDF) http://www.robertbritt.com/MyLucidDreaming.pdf

I wrote that for a client a few years ago and then they changed directions on the project parameters

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CaptnJack

14 years ago

[QUOTE=RobBritt;4899080]I've also kept a dream journal,]
Bob,
Thanks for your post about Lucid Dreaming. Nice to see another "oneironaut" in here. I downloaded your pdf. I too have LeBarge's books and it's a subject I've been interested in for quite awhile. Also with which I've had 'varying' amounts of success; the main obstacle becoming excited and waking up on becoming lucid I'll try the suggestion you gave, telling yourself as you go to sleep, "I will stay calm when I encounter a trigger and become lucid."
Good Post.

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RobBritt

14 years ago

Originally Posted by CaptnJack

Thanks for your post about Lucid Dreaming. Nice to see another "oneironaut" in here. I downloaded your pdf. I too have LeBarge's books and it's a subject I've been interested in for quite awhile. Also with which I've had 'varying' amounts of success; the main obstacle becoming excited and waking up on becoming lucid I'll try the suggestion you gave, telling yourself as you go to sleep, "I will stay calm when I encounter a trigger and become lucid."
Good Post.

thanks. I also have the same issue. I was yelling at my youngest son in a dream two nights ago, realized that I never yell at him, and with that realization woke up, and then I woke up in real life. arghh. lucidity is awesome. I never flew in a dream until I woke up inside one...

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art72

14 years ago

Originally Posted by RobBritt

I've also kept a dream journal, where I write down the stories and imagery from my nightly visits to the subconscious. Writing in there first thing when I wake up helps me to remember things more vividly. This may sound silly to some of the more practical minded people here, but it helps sometimes when I am looking for plots and things for my fiction writing. Writing down dreams also helps your brain prioritize remembering them, so the more you journal the more you remember.

Some of the most famous inventors and conceptualists throughout history have kept dream journals or have said that they have had breakthroughs upon first awakening.

It seems our minds can wrestle with our problems while we are asleep and sometimes come up with solutions for us. (if we are paying attention)

For a bit more on this, and a free pdf on Lucid Dreaming (no opt-in or anything, this is a direct link to the PDF) http://www.robertbritt.com/MyLucidDreaming.pdf

I wrote that for a client a few years ago and then they changed directions on the project parameters

While I refrained from trying to explain "What it's called" it my initial post, I think you did a superb job of explaining much of what is written in my journals.

I usually refer to it as meditative journey's, but there too, I have found writing in a state of awakened dream state yields some infinite findings.

I once titled a journal entry; "Salt of the Earth" after writing what initially seemed like scientific gibberish concerning; sodium bicarbonate being the key to jet propulsion systems.

Long story short, it was bizarre. *I am not formally educated, so this was strange I'd write anything like this.

Then 4 months later while helping a guy broke down on the side of the road, he had what looked like a 'bomb' under the hood of his 1978 Ford F150. (*A glass mason jar, with fluid, wires, and rubber hoses.)

After asking him; "What the heck is that?"

He explained it as a "H20 hybrid kit" which consisted of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), distilled water, 7 stainless steel plates, and a 12v charge.

This connected into the intake and the carburetor of his old truck. His claim was that it produced hydrogen gas, and induced it into the engine as opposed to 'just' oxygen, which then ignites with greater combustion, using less fuel, increased HP, and when exhausted it turns back to water vapor... reducing nasty emissions.

He claimed he went from 12 mpg on gas to 28mpg.

I didn't make the connection to my prior journal entry until several weeks later, and while it wasn't exactly a jet propulsion system...

Was it Coincidence? or Coincidence?

Mind you, I honestly didn't know what the heck sodium bicarbonate was, as I titled the entry "Salt of the Earth"

There are several times I felt to "tap into" a greater intelligence, and it defied my own understanding, this being just one of those examples.

Meanwhile, I constructed one of these on my 1990 Dodge Ramcharger, but perhaps due to the TBI (Throttle Body Injection) I only saw an increase of about 4.5 miles to the gallon. *For a $20 investment in materials, and 2.5 hours building it.

Sorry, if I got a bit 'off topic' -just got excited to hear someone else describe what I feared speak of openly. I'll be sure to check out the "Lucid Dreaming" PDF, maybe this will help me understand this with some clarity.

Thank-You!

All the Best,

Art

PS - Notice my Location...

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scortillion

14 years ago

Originally Posted by RobBritt

I've also kept a dream journal, where I write down the stories and imagery from my nightly visits to the subconscious. Writing in there first thing when I wake up helps me to remember things more vividly. This may sound silly to some of the more practical minded people here, but it helps sometimes when I am looking for plots and things for my fiction writing. Writing down dreams also helps your brain prioritize remembering them, so the more you journal the more you remember.

Some of the most famous inventors and conceptualists throughout history have kept dream journals or have said that they have had breakthroughs upon first awakening.

It seems our minds can wrestle with our problems while we are asleep and sometimes come up with solutions for us. (if we are paying attention)

For a bit more on this, and a free pdf on Lucid Dreaming (no opt-in or anything, this is a direct link to the PDF) http://www.robertbritt.com/MyLucidDreaming.pdf

I wrote that for a client a few years ago and then they changed directions on the project parameters

I read somewhere that when you wake up in the morning to lie still and think about the dreams you had. The article said that once you beging to move around and open your eyes you begin to forget the dreams you had during the night. It also said the dreams you remember the most when you wake up are the ones you were having just before you woke.

Since they say dreams are the methods that your subconscious trys to talk to you during the night I feel it's worth remembering them and writing them down. If they don't help right away you may see a connection later on.

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WBO

14 years ago

I think keeping a journal is an excellent way of ordering your thoughts, particularly when you have lots of ideas and don't know how to make sense of them.

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scortillion

14 years ago

By keeping a journal you improve your writing, spelling and grammar; it's just something that happens as you write consistently. As you write and later reread your entries you notice sentences that sound “wrong” and if you are bothered enough by it you’ll look up the reason WHY it sounds wrong. You’ll also begin to notice entries that make you reread and reread again and you think, “WOW, did I write that!”

Another thing you’ll notice is once you make writing in your journal a habit you’ll look forward to writing in it and will actually stay up a few extra minutes to make your entry for the day.

Back in December, 2010 I began a self challenge to write 20 posts a day here on the warrior forum and one full page article of at least 400 words. At first this was a real personal challenge and was a little hard for me; but by the second week I was writing 50 or more posts per day and one 500 to 1000 word post every day. I went on to write articles and post them every day writing one hundred, 500 plus word articles within two months.

Writing not only helps you improve your writing skills, but improves your communication skills and helps you look at your thoughts from a different view points.

If you are going to try to keep a journal it is important to stick with it for at least six months to give it a fair chance and get the best benefit out of it.

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simondach

14 years ago

Keeping a Journal keeps me accountable - and makes me feel like **** when I've done nothing all day. That's great for me, as I get motivated to make something of the next day.

My style of journalling is unashamedly stolen from Glen of ViperChill. It's a simple approach - at the end of each day, write down the productive tasks that you achieved. Just a series of bullet points will do.

I find the weeks I do this are by far the most productive.

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scortillion

14 years ago

Originally Posted by simondach

Keeping a Journal keeps me accountable - and makes me feel like **** when I've done nothing all day. That's great for me, as I get motivated to make something of the next day.

My style of journalling is unashamedly stolen from Glen of ViperChill. It's a simple approach - at the end of each day, write down the productive tasks that you achieved. Just a series of bullet points will do.

I find the weeks I do this are by far the most productive.

I've used the bullet points in my entries as well it helps them stand out when you go back later and reread them.

I found it's also a great Idea to make not of your mood that day and how/if it changed. How did you feel in the morning, afternoon, and evening. What were your feelings/mood when you woke up in the morning.

As make note of things that change your mood from good the bad, or bad to good. You can later use these same methods to change your mood when you need to.

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Mariah Clarinda 13 years ago

One who keeps his success journal remains focused all through his journey and is less prone to distractions.
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Tommy Smith

14 years ago

Having a journal is very helpful. When you want something in your mind, you can put it in your journal.

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gudrunsmith

14 years ago

I really catch myself not to get much accomplished when I don't keep a journal about the job that needs to get done and what I accomplished that day.

When I don't do it for one day, I feel like running in the circle and on the end of the day I got nothing done. Yes I was busy, but didn't accomplished. It's like when I don't plan my day and have nothing to check up what was accomplish means that day was waste.

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Jarrod

14 years ago

The value of keeping some sort of journal is three fold.

1-Gets your thoughts organized.
2-As you write it down and sub-vocalize as you write it helps embed the message into the subconscious mind.
3-How often have you had a great idea and later tried to recall what it was? When your creative juices are flowing, a short pencil is better than a long memory.

RobBritt and CaptnJack, another big fan of Stephen Laberge and lucid dreaming here!

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RobBritt

14 years ago

Originally Posted by JDraw

The value of keeping some sort of journal is three fold.

1-Gets your thoughts organized.
2-As you write it down and sub-vocalize as you write it helps embed the message into the subconscious mind.
3-How often have you had a great idea and later tried to recall what it was? When your creative juices are flowing, a short pencil is better than a long memory.

RobBritt and CaptnJack, another big fan of Stephen Laberge and lucid dreaming here!

I love that. A short pencil is better than a long memory. seriously! and getting your thoughts into your subconscious through journaling is so important. Your brain does its best work when disengaged, so the subconscious data has to be there for it to work with. Great point.

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Jarrod

14 years ago

Originally Posted by RobBritt

I love that. A short pencil is better than a long memory. seriously! and getting your thoughts into your subconscious through journaling is so important. Your brain does its best work when disengaged, so the subconscious data has to be there for it to work with. Great point.

Got to give credit where credit is due here. I got the pencil quote from Brian Tracy. Pretty sure it was in his book "Eat That Frog..." Best time management book ever, IMO.

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writersparadigm

14 years ago

I keep a journal and it helps me everyday keeping my thoughts together and it helps me stay in the Now, thank you

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stvbarb89

14 years ago

It's funny you posted this, just recently I was thinking to myself how much writing my thoughts down has helped me to concentrate and reflect on what I am and what I am not doing lol. Its crazy really cause you read about yourself lol. When I was a kid I thought keeping Journals were lame and only girls kept a diary haha.

I think one of the biggest and most important things I did a couple months ago was actually write down and track what I did when I 1st set out on my online making venture. It was awesome I was able to see the days I had actually took action consistently and the days that I had did nothing at all(I made sure to be honest with myself and make a note if I had just been lazy that day OR if I actually had something else I had to do It's important to be honest with yourself) But ever since I started writing down my thoughts it also feels like I have become smarter lol I know it sounds crazy but I bet someone can relate to how I feel. Writing down thoughts and goals and what you do or don't do puts you at advantage, because now you can sort of "step outside yourself"And see exactly how you were thinking and just what you were thinking which gives you the ability to adjust your mind/attitude to avoid the same mistakes you may have made in the past(Like my ex girlfriend, but that's an entirely different story for a different day! lol)

I'm not so sure if it is the key to success, however I can plainly see that keeping track of my thoughts/ideas and my progression or digression HAS DEFINITELY helped me out TREMENDOUSLY I even found that I really do enjoy writing as long as it's not some type of research paper! lol but anyways I think the saying goes something like "It's the little things that count"

Little changes make a HUGE difference life is made up of short moments if you can make a small change to each little moment you will see a big difference guaranteed!

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EvanBeck

14 years ago

Keeping a journal is work at first, but do anything for 30 days and it becomes a habit. That is another thing I got from reading some of these people. I find I am always more productive when I keep a journal.

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cliftoncarden

14 years ago

Wow!! An Awesome thread.

My take on keeping a journal...

Well, Here it is.

The most fulfilling part of keeping a journal is that I can periodically look back a year or 2 and see the growth in my life journey.

It's difficult to see grass growing in your front yard because it is such a slow process, but if you went on vacation for a month, you would definitely notice the growth.

Likewise, when you review your journal, you can see how much you have grown.

Keeping a journal keeps your mind engaged on a level that goes beyond JUST thinking.

A journal allows you to take inventory of what's working in your life and what you want to change.

A journal helps you see your assets AND your liabilities and to Love, Appreciate and Embrace BOTH.

Namaste!

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by cliftoncarden

Wow!! An Awesome thread.

My take on keeping a journal...

Well, Here it is.

The most fulfilling part of keeping a journal is that I can periodically look back a year or 2 and see the growth in my life journey.

It's difficult to see grass growing in your front yard because it is such a slow process, but if you went on vacation for a month, you would definitely notice the growth.

Likewise, when you review your journal, you can see how much you have grown.

Keeping a journal keeps your mind engaged on a level that goes beyond JUST thinking.

A journal allows you to take inventory of what's working in your life and what you want to change.

A journal helps you see your assets AND your liabilities and to Love, Appreciate and Embrace BOTH.

Namaste!

What I like about a journal is when I look back do I see myself wishing for the same things, or have I achieved those goals and now have new ones.

If I'm still trying to achieve the same goals I had listed a year or more ago then I can be sure that I'm doing something wrong; but if I can see a seires of successes then I know what I'm doing is correct or I'm at least moving in the right direction.

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Mary McLean

14 years ago

My goodness!
What a surprise...
I thought I was a bit crazy for having so many "note books" around the place.
I have a Thank-you journal, in which I do a similar ritual as a couple of members here.

The other ones are for various areas of my life, as I struggle with things in private, family, business etc.
Does anyone find their writing changes in size or style as they ask questions, when in a "flow" and that the answers to you are quite unusual when you read them back later on?

Also, sometimes when going back looking for something, you read a few lines here or there and think..."What thu!"...where on earth did that come from? I don't remember writing that?

I really do believe that journalling does help clarify your focus too...

Thanks for making me feel I belong and am not crazy after all!

Kindest...

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scortillion

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Mary McLean

My goodness!
What a surprise...
I thought I was a bit crazy for having so many "note books" around the place.
I have a Thank-you journal, in which I do a similar ritual as a couple of members here.

The other ones are for various areas of my life, as I struggle with things in private, family, business etc.
Does anyone find their writing changes in size or style as they ask questions, when in a "flow" and that the answers to you are quite unusual when you read them back later on?

Also, sometimes when going back looking for something, you read a few lines here or there and think..."What thu!"...where on earth did that come from? I don't remember writing that?

I really do believe that journalling does help clarify your focus too...

Thanks for making me feel I belong and am not crazy after all!

Kindest...

I've read that when you write asking yourself questions that your subconscious helps supply you with answers you would not normally be aware of.

But like you I've gotten into the flow and when I went back and read what I wrote I'm sometimes suprised at what I read. Amazing stuff.

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DGFletcher 13 years ago

My parents' religion was huge on 'keep a journal for posterity!!! And they had a formal way of doing it that *really* didn't work, so I 'didn't keep a journal'...

Until I went to Randal Wright's 3-word-journal conference at my library. Turns out I've been 'keeping a journal' for about 6 years: I have 2 1/2 shoeboxes full of quarter sheets of dated paper cartoons that are about everything from what I was doing to what I was thinking... Yeah... I keep a journal.
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creaver1

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mary McLean

Does anyone find their writing changes in size or style as they ask questions, when in a "flow" and that the answers to you are quite unusual when you read them back later on?

Also, sometimes when going back looking for something, you read a few lines here or there and think..."What thu!"...where on earth did that come from? I don't remember writing that?

Just saw your post re "flow." I do a fair amount of writing and never really thought about it, but I do think that I have experienced the flow phenomenon at times. Forgetting what I wrote is not unusual for me, at least not when looking back a couple of years later.

JimN

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by creaver1

Just saw your post re "flow." I do a fair amount of writing and never really thought about it, but I do think that I have experienced the flow phenomenon at times. Forgetting what I wrote is not unusual for me, at least not when looking back a couple of years later.

JimN

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Sometimes when you write like this your subconscious will through something out that later will register when you read it. I find this a great way to write at times, especially when I'm brainstorming a project.

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Mary McLean

14 years ago

I was reading about that some time back re short term memory.

The article said that our short term memory is mostly involved in our dream states, so that's why it's so hard to remember them when we wake up!

The same as hearing a great joke...unless you repeat it out loud to someone very quickly, you will not be able to recall it at will...even though you think you will easily remember it.

The article went on to say, the reason for this is a filtering system of all the info we receive daily, we'd go nuts unless it was prioritized.
So our amazing brain filtering system files the unwanted info to the trash...even though it may be retrieved at a later date.
Just like the trash bin on my laptop!

That makes life easier...
BUT the interesting thing is...
IF the info is high on your priority list...eg, in the top 5-7 interests, your brain files it on your visual "desktop" for easier retrieval.

How cool is that?

Kindest...

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scortillion

14 years ago

That's why a journal is so great, write these things down and they're there to review later.

Also you tend to remember things that are tied to strong emotions. So if you want to remember something try to tie it to a strong emotion and that will improve your ability to remember it later.

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Illuminart

14 years ago

Despite all the technologies, I still prefer making a journal. There's nothing more fulfilling than having everything done old school.

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Mary McLean

14 years ago

Exactly...
That is why you need to understand your motives, as motives move you to action.

That's what the word "motive" means.

If we understood what our core motives are (and there's only 9 categories) then we can easily remember anything relating to what's highest on our list.

Those drivers are naturally charged with power, so it's just a matter of finding your true motives and adjusting your life from there.

Kindest...

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joekyut

14 years ago

Great stuff, am touched and want to improve my life by using a journal. I have learnt great tips here. Thanks

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scortillion 13 years ago

Originally Posted by joekyut

Great stuff, am touched and want to improve my life by using a journal. I have learnt great tips here. Thanks

The great thing about keeping a journal is that it improves your writing skills, your vocabulary, and your usage.

For example, and I mean NO disrespect at all, just trying to be helpful; many people use learnt beliving that is the past tense for learn, but it's not; you never, ever, use learnt; it always learn, or learned, never learnt. You may see a lot of people using learnt, but if you want to get something published you need to remove that word from your usage.
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Mary McLean

13 years ago

Agreed, same as a lot of Americans spell You're as "your" for you are etc
and they use Then, instead of Than for comparison!
I'd rather have $50 then $10 ! (meaning instead of)

Yup, a journal helps make you a bit more literate... as long as you don't take too much notice of all the typos in spell check itself!

Kindest...

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3000

13 years ago

I believe so, I used a journal when I was overweight and trying to get in shape. Everyday I would put down how much I ate and stuff like that... I went from being 235 to 180 over a summer.

Now I'm using a journal to track my progress with my online goals.

Originally Posted by scortillion

Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, and other success coaches, I've read and listen too, believe keeping a journal is one of the important keys to becoming and being successful.

I found that when I keep a journal that it helps me organize and focus my thoughts. It also helps me see what I follow through on and keep track of important ideas and thoughts of others.

The best part is that it improves my writing skills, along with my spelling and vocabulary. I use to be a very bad speller, but from keeping a journal and writing every day I've become much better; and that's success that can be seen.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by 3000

I believe so, I used a journal when I was overweight and trying to get in shape. Everyday I would put down how much I ate and stuff like that... I went from being 235 to 180 over a summer.

Now I'm using a journal to track my progress with my online goals.

That's awesome! Love hearing success stories like that. I applaud you for your effort and your success!

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vanillablueskyy

13 years ago

No it's not. I don't bother keeping anything.

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scortillion 13 years ago

Originally Posted by vanillablueskyy

No it's not. I don't bother keeping anything.

Thanks for all the facts and telling how successful you are.
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Ozwald01 13 years ago

Originally Posted by vanillablueskyy

No it's not. I don't bother keeping anything.

Funny what some people post!

Must have a great mind with an unbelievable memory.

For me, there is so much information for me to digest and keep track of on a daily basis, having notes and a journal is a must.

I could not see anyone having success without these.

Every Company has a Journal. Often called a General Ledger.
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KateSaunders

13 years ago

I love 750Words.com. I kept a journal for years, but after accumulating a LOT of journals, I stopped (maybe because we moved a few times!).

A friend shared 750words.com with me, an online journal of sorts, and I am thrilled to be writing again. It helps me sort through ideas, beliefs, dreams, goals, and most important of all it helps me stay focused.

There are some very cool features within the software, and it's easy to search for words and phrases, which is helpful if you're trying to quickly find an idea, etc.

I love this website - and best of all it's free.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by KateSaunders

I love 750Words.com. I kept a journal for years, but after accumulating a LOT of journals, I stopped (maybe because we moved a few times!).

A friend shared 750words.com with me, an online journal of sorts, and I am thrilled to be writing again. It helps me sort through ideas, beliefs, dreams, goals, and most important of all it helps me stay focused.

There are some very cool features within the software, and it's easy to search for words and phrases, which is helpful if you're trying to quickly find an idea, etc.

I love this website - and best of all it's free.

The only drawback I see to keeping an online journal is that wouldn't dare put anything private in it. Security for an online journal is not very secure. I much rather keep it on my own PC in a folder that only I know about.

Just my personal opinion, but on online journal would be missing some of my personal details that I would want to remain secure.

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Yvonne Lyon

13 years ago

Originally Posted by KateSaunders

I love 750Words.com. I kept a journal for years, but after accumulating a LOT of journals, I stopped (maybe because we moved a few times!).

A friend shared 750words.com with me, an online journal of sorts, and I am thrilled to be writing again. It helps me sort through ideas, beliefs, dreams, goals, and most important of all it helps me stay focused.

There are some very cool features within the software, and it's easy to search for words and phrases, which is helpful if you're trying to quickly find an idea, etc.

I love this website - and best of all it's free.

Kate, thank you for sharing this site. This whole thread has been very motivating to me, getting me inspired to begin journaling again. I used to do it years (and years) ago, and actually burned most of them because they were too dark to re-read and put back in my head. Very cleansing though!

I opened the site 750words.com just to "check out yet another online journaling site" and right off the bat, the first sentence told me I had finally found the right place. The "Artist's Way" has been a favorite book of mine since I first started getting serious about writing. So I will be signing on to that site today and earning some points!

I downloaded the pdf on Lucid Dreaming, (Thank You to whomever's it was, cannot recall now) I do a lot of flying in my dreams, it is very freeing, and relaxing so I wanted to check out more about it.

Have an amazing day!
Thanks to all who have been open about what they do and how it has helped them.

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Daymon

13 years ago

Yes I think its a good thing to keep journal too. I also keep a victory log where I record my daily accomplishments, whenever I am down or need an extra boost I go through my log and it always inspires me...

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Mary McLean

13 years ago

Originally Posted by vanillablueskyy

No it's not. I don't bother keeping anything.

Yes, this one is a character!
I saw some other posts "he" did and they were just as blunt!

I couldn't go a day without writing down hints or tips, as the short term memory is just that!
Short Term, the same one where dreams are run in your brain, that's why it's so hard to remember them upon waking.

Can't change this italics setting here...oops!

Kindest...

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mary McLean

Originally Posted by vanillablueskyy

No it's not. I don't bother keeping anything.

Yes, this one is a character!
I saw some other posts "he" did and they were just as blunt!

I couldn't go a day without writing down hints or tips, as the short term memory is just that!
Short Term, the same one where dreams are run in your brain, that's why it's so hard to remember them upon waking.

Can't change this italics setting here...oops!

Kindest...

Some people are just after the conflict and not in exchanging valuable points of views.

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Kaysa

13 years ago

Keeping a journal will get you to focus in the task and ideas that you write. Even just the act of writting something will give you better chances to remember it.

Yes, I think keeping a journal can be a key to success.

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reverseengineering

13 years ago

I like keeping a journal. It helps me remember where I was at and what I was learning.

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Mary McLean

13 years ago

My journal to the rescue again to-day!

Was wondering how big the template size was for iframes in FBk and would you believe?
I just accidentally glanced at a page the "wind" blew open in a journal on my table here and there it was! 510--> x 600 H. (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that, please)

I had no idea I'd heard that on a webinar ...or something, over the past few weeks!

Amazing.
Kindest...

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joelkippax

13 years ago

For me it is very important for you to track any progress and hat else you can do to improve more.

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profitmaster7

13 years ago

Keeping a journal can also help get the ideas that roll around in your head onto a piece of paper where you can process them. If they just keep circulating in your head, they can become obsessive. Once on paper, you can evaluate them more objectively. Great thread!

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by profitmaster7

Keeping a journal can also help get the ideas that roll around in your head onto a piece of paper where you can process them. If they just keep circulating in your head, they can become obsessive. Once on paper, you can evaluate them more objectively. Great thread!

Sometimes by writing down my ideas and reading them aloud I get a different view point on my thoughts. It like working with dialogue; when you read it aloud it sounds a lot different than when it's read in your mind.

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Gary Zaydman

13 years ago

For me keeping a journal has made a huge difference. You can look through it and see what you thinking a year ago and how things have changed or how they haven't (hopefully not the case) it's really amazing. Your own journal is probably the most important thing to read in order achieve yours goals.

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Mary McLean

13 years ago

Most successful people keep a journal of some description, I find, as I read their success stories.

It just seems to go with the territory!

Most also have massive white boards stuck up in their homes or offices.

I have found I can't think as well without the big whiteboard installed on my walls here as when I had it up at my office a few years ago.

It's in a shipping container, waiting to be moved at the moment!

Kindest...

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magnates

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mary McLean

Most successful people keep a journal of some description, I find, as I read their success stories.

It just seems to go with the territory!

Most also have massive white boards stuck up in their homes or offices.

I have found I can't think as well without the big whiteboard installed on my walls here as when I had it up at my office a few years ago.

It's in a shipping container, waiting to be moved at the moment!

Kindest...

Yaaayy !!! i guess i am one of the successful ones because i kept a journal

Lets just put it this way.... it worked !!!

I used it to boost confidence in myself . I wrote down 3 things i did well that everyday . I had to write something and look for the good i have done something that wasn't habit back then

Now i am really confident . Now i can approach random strangers . No longer the shy person i allowed myself to be back then

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scortillion

13 years ago

My journal also helps me to realize I'm heading down the wrong path, or the path is a dead end. It shows me what I've done right and what I've done wrong.

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Carmen_Hudson

13 years ago

I'm not sure. I do something like journaling. I tend to jot down ideas, quotes, lists, drawings, diagrams, thoughts, calendars, to-dos, and other random bits of whatever in various notebooks. My house is full of these notebooks, full of wild scribblings of whatever I need. They're also full of partial books that I've written because sometimes when I can't make the words flow by typing I go back to longhand and then type them back into my document. I also keep post-it note quotes and thoughts all over the house and on my computer and on MS Onenote. It doesn't matter that they're not organized--typically if I write something down once, I remember it for life.

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jmiezejeski

13 years ago

Whether one becomes successful by keeping a journal is entirely up to the keeper of the journal. It is an excellent tool to write down your ideas, your thought about your day, your feelings, your progress toward your goals. Writing is the first step in the doing part of thinking. If you have aspirations to become a writer, jotting thoughts down in a journal every day is a good way to create your first draft of your book. To me, success equals happiness, so if keeping a journal makes you happy, go for it!

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chelsean

13 years ago

I agree with keeping a journal. I believe it helps us organize our thought and help us discover what's really going on inside there. We can keep so many things cooped up inside our head that our thoughts tend to get lost. When you keep a journal, (at least in my experience) thoughts are organized, I know what I want and need to do and can keep track of what I have planned.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by chelsean

I agree with keeping a journal. I believe it helps us organize our thought and help us discover what's really going on inside there. We can keep so many things cooped up inside our head that our thoughts tend to get lost. When you keep a journal, (at least in my experience) thoughts are organized, I know what I want and need to do and can keep track of what I have planned.

I've read a number of books lately about writing and can see how vital a journal is when you're writing. Although I believe you would want to use a seperate journal for just your writing so everything is in one place for your story idea.

I've been using the journal lately for tracking my writing, ideas, plot and character background and research. It's amazing how helpful it's been.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Sometimes by writing in my journal and then reading what I write I realize what I'm missing or what I can add to it to make it work.

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tpzy

13 years ago

They say "what gets measured gets managed" and I guess it makes sense. I've tried keeping a journal but the habit has never stuck.

I think keeping a journal can be good for some people though! Good Luck!

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by tpzy

They say "what gets measured gets managed" and I guess it makes sense. I've tried keeping a journal but the habit has never stuck.

I think keeping a journal can be good for some people though! Good Luck!

I've had the same problem over the years where I've drifted away from keeping a journal; I found if you do it right before bed and make it part of your routine of going to bed it developes into a habit. At least it works that way for me.

Even if you only write a sentence or two you are still writing and it will develope so you will find yourself writing a page or two each night.

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Emotia

13 years ago

I'm almost attached to my journal. If I miss an entry or two, it's easy to pick up again.

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scortillion 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Emotia

I'm almost attached to my journal. If I miss an entry or two, it's easy to pick up again.

LOL... I know some people like that, they find it almost impossible to go to bed at night if they don't make an entry in their journal.
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abugah

13 years ago

Keep a journal is an absolute must. Here's why...
1. We are forgetful . Not many people can remember what their resolutions were in 2009.
2. Writing makes a conviction.
3. Writing it down holds you accountable.
4. It will help write your memoir.

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jameswatson2002

13 years ago

Originally Posted by abugah

Keep a journal is an absolute must. Here's why...
1. We are forgetful . Not many people can remember what their resolutions were in 2009.
2. Writing makes a conviction.
3. Writing it down holds you accountable.
4. It will help write your memoir.

Agree completely! I keep one and I find it helps me focus.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by abugah

Keep a journal is an absolute must. Here's why...
1. We are forgetful . Not many people can remember what their resolutions were in 2009.
2. Writing makes a conviction.
3. Writing it down holds you accountable.
4. It will help write your memoir.

These are all great points!

I've found if I'm trying to work through something and just start writing about it that my subconscious will eventually take me to the solution or a method of approaching the problem.

Try it; the next time you are faced with a problem just start writing about it and see where it takes you.

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DanEitreim

13 years ago

It's amazing how distracting it can be to try to remember things...keeping a journal helps you to free up that stress. when you write it down, you know it will not be forgotten and you don't have to think about it anymore! Just freeing up your mind like that makes it worthwhile.

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Mary McLean

13 years ago

Originally Posted by DanEitreim

It's amazing how distracting it can be to try to remember things...keeping a journal helps you to free up that stress. when you write it down, you know it will not be forgotten and you don't have to think about it anymore! Just freeing up your mind like that makes it worthwhile.

Totally agree here...

I'm finding when I go back over a journal, either accidentally or just for interests sake, I find I had amazing insights early on in an enterprise and as time goes on, tended to become circumstance orientated, reacting to stuff, instead of always advancing.

What I've done now is have 3 journals...
I know it sounds top heavy, but it's working for me since I've trained my brain to be organized like this now.

1/...The first one is my big dreams and thoughts just let run loose journal!
2/...Out of that one I pull ideas into my current plans for the year/month journal.
3/...Then, I organise those goals etc into the weekly/daily journal and work from that one daily.

I've become much more efficient this way.

Kindest...

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Lindbeck

13 years ago

I think that a journalling is important, but not neccesary to succeed.

I personally keep a journal. I think it is a good way to get your thoughts under control and to keep track of your development.

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hireava

13 years ago

It may be true to some but I think it depends on the skill or knowledge of the person.

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Magnus Koenig

13 years ago

Keeping a journal can help to know yourself better. Writing down your ideas,goals and dreams in life can help you motivate yourself.

But it's not just about writing it, you should work hard for it.

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DGFletcher

13 years ago

I used to chew myself out for not having a journal. Then I went to a seminar and he explained his journals.

I have 2 shoeboxes and a smaller box full of quarter sheets of paper with dated, chronological drawings on them. Apparently, that counts as a journal!

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Greeks

13 years ago

"Journal is a key to success" means keep working hard, do not dis-heart if you are fail but keep working one day you will be succeeded.

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scortillion

13 years ago

I've been working on a novel lately and find my journal is a great way to have a conversation with myself about my plot and characters. After seeing it in writing it helps me develop my novel in ways I didn't consider.

I'm not using it to write the story, but develope the character, their background, how they act and react and such.

I've found my journals to be very helpful for just about everything.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Here’s an experiment to try with your journal. Over the course of a week become more observant then you normally are. Pay close attention to what people around you are doing and saying. Look for patterns, oddities, and unique behavior.

Notice posts on blogs and forums and try to see what feeling and thoughts they trigger.

Write all these observations down in your journal and then review them over the weekend. Do they trigger an idea for a product or a new post?

I found this to produce very interesting results and thought I’d share it here.

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bikramksingh

13 years ago

Well,

you may not need to keep a formal journal, but you need something to jot down your ideas.

if you feel writing is not something you want to do then use mind-mapping software like XMind and create a visual map of your idea. This will be enough for you.

And always remember when a coach says something, he is saying that because it worked for him. that may not work for you, so try couple of things on your own before settling down with the one that works.

Hope this helps.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by bikramksingh

Well,

you may not need to keep a formal journal, but you need something to jot down your ideas.

if you feel writing is not something you want to do then use mind-mapping software like XMind and create a visual map of your idea. This will be enough for you.

And always remember when a coach says something, he is saying that because it worked for him. that may not work for you, so try couple of things on your own before settling down with the one that works.

Hope this helps.

That's a very good point. I use mindmaps as well, in fact I use FreeMind, which is a free program. Not all people like to write, but by doing so you do improve in your writing skills and your spelling and vocabulary.

When you convey your ideas in writing it's best if you can do so intelligently and appear as an expert.

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bikramksingh

13 years ago

Originally Posted by scortillion

That's a very good point. I use mindmaps as well, in fact I use FreeMind, which is a free program. Not all people like to write, but by doing so you do improve in your writing skills and your spelling and vocabulary.

When you convey your ideas in writing it's best if you can do so intelligently and appear as an expert.

Very well said, but for those who are not very comfortable with words and sentences, mindmap is indeed a very effective way to put thoughts on paper.

FreeMind is also a good program, but simplicity of XMind got me hooked. Am I missing something? Would like to try if its worth the change

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feongo

Banned 13 years ago

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JohnsIsotopes

13 years ago

Originally Posted by feongo

I do agree . The president of US has the power to make decision that can be exploited for the betterment of the world.So the whole world looks up to him to see what steps he takes to ensure this expectation.

Yes, its amazing how whole world influence our US president has. Its like president of the world, or as much as there ever has been.

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JohnsIsotopes

13 years ago

It seems the most important part of a journal is self-reflection, for self awareness. What separates humans from animals, is our self realization: ability to concieve of a goal & contemplating how to get there from their current position. This all takes conceptualization, but conceptualization requires breaking reality into concievable, stagnant parts; which is why in the wild, a human would see a lion & poop his pants due to fear of the "lion" concept meaning he's going to be eaten; While another animal would not see a concept, it woudl see all the options because nothing is broken down & labeled, its just seen for reality.
So concepts are good & bad. Good cause they let us process lots of data, bad because we forget the true data based on our breakdown of what each piece of data means in a shortcode.
So journals force us to reprocess the data shortcodes after the fact or if we're still stuck on a concept emotionally, we work bck thru it, breaking down the concepts & can then see more of the "true" data, outside of our standard concept, and then able to have more options.
A lot of words & speculation ( in some ppls eyes) to say, journaling helps you go over things in order to realize the best most helpful way for you to be about it by truly looking it over.

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MMateo23

13 years ago

I think this post is right on target. If you learn to keep a journal and review it once in a while, it could be of great help. The trick is to stay focused. This is why I like what ChrisKahler had to say. Keeping two journals, one for thoughts and the other as a "Game Plan" will help in the sense that you could be more goal oriented with a game plan. Also, a journal could give you great insight into your frame of mind, provided that you review it once in a while.

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luckystepho

13 years ago

I tend to keep three- one is my 'mind journal' where I note down thoughts, ideas, inspirational quotes and pieces of information I use, one is a day to day 'game plan' journal, where I plan out what I will do each week and break it down into daily steps, and the third is a personal diary where I write about my life.
I find that the personal diary is great fun to read years later and often I have jotted down funny situations or conversations which would otherwise have been forgotten.

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Yvonne Lyon

13 years ago

Originally Posted by luckystepho

I tend to keep three- one is my 'mind journal' where I note down thoughts, ideas, inspirational quotes and pieces of information I use, one is a day to day 'game plan' journal, where I plan out what I will do each week and break it down into daily steps, and the third is a personal diary where I write about my life.
I find that the personal diary is great fun to read years later and often I have jotted down funny situations or conversations which would otherwise have been forgotten.

I really like this (these) ideas. Once in awhile I create a to-do list for the day, or I jot down things that I am doing so I won't forget when a bright shiny object (BSO) floats by. Every so often I write out my gratitudes for day but I don't have separate journals specific to anything, maybe that's exactly what I need.

Thanks for the ideas!

Yvonne Lyon

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by luckystepho

I tend to keep three- one is my 'mind journal' where I note down thoughts, ideas, inspirational quotes and pieces of information I use, one is a day to day 'game plan' journal, where I plan out what I will do each week and break it down into daily steps, and the third is a personal diary where I write about my life.
I find that the personal diary is great fun to read years later and often I have jotted down funny situations or conversations which would otherwise have been forgotten.

I've tried keeping a number of different journals, but I found keeping track of all them was a pain in the (you know what) plus some of the entries could fall in two or more at times.

So when it comes to keeping multiple journals I agree with what Jim Rohn said it's just too much of a pain to keep track of them.

So in the end I keep just two journals. One for creative writing, ideas for articles, stories, characters, descriptons etc., and another for everything else.

I'm not saying keeping mutiple journals is wrong, it was just too much of a hassle for me.

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OO

13 years ago

I personally have found a success journal to be an excellent tool. It serves as a reminder that I am doing a lot more of the things that I set out to do and doing them well.

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tropvik

13 years ago

Originally Posted by scortillion

Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, and other success coaches, I've read and listen too, believe keeping a journal is one of the important keys to becoming and being successful.

I found that when I keep a journal that it helps me organize and focus my thoughts. It also helps me see what I follow through on and keep track of important ideas and thoughts of others.

The best part is that it improves my writing skills, along with my spelling and vocabulary. I use to be a very bad speller, but from keeping a journal and writing every day I've become much better; and that's success that can be seen.

My journal is basically Remember Everything | Evernote Corporation

i created a nice hierarchy as far as tags, that has helped me organize my mind in compartments.

I find that this tool has helped me map my thoughts, something which helps making things reality.

So far in business, travel, sports and music.

I also mind map a lot with XMind - Mind Mapping and Storming

I like traveling a lot, so im a big fan of cloud based services, so im not carrying around stuff. Love traveling light.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by didacus

My journal is basically Remember Everything | Evernote Corporation

i created a nice hierarchy as far as tags, that has helped me organize my mind in compartments.

I find that this tool has helped me map my thoughts, something which helps making things reality.

So far in business, travel, sports and music.

I also mind map a lot with XMind - Mind Mapping and Storming

I like traveling a lot, so im a big fan of cloud based services, so im not carrying around stuff. Love traveling light.

Thanks for the info on these two programs they both look interesting and I'm checking out Xmind now; I normally us freemind.

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Mary McLean

13 years ago

Just smiling at the last poster, DGFletcher...
I'm cleaning out all my past boxes of carted around books etc and found a box of old diaries and journals!
Not good folks, not good!

I found in some areas, nothing had changed, other areas, things happened I could not have dreamed of!
In the areas where nothing had changed it became glaringly obvious that I was running in a well set groove of a fixed habit!
OMG...

With the extra learning and gained wisdom of time, it was easy now to see how to rectify those bad habit behaviors and change things.

Kindest...

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Matt Attack

13 years ago

I've found that documenting your achievements in some form or another, not necessarily a journal, definitely helps you to get more accomplished. Journals, blogs, checklists, etc are all great ways to help you reach your goals faster.

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creaver1

13 years ago

I believe that keeping a journal is a nice idea for you to look back on, but don't believe that it is a significant factor in being successful. Keeping a journal is not the same as making notes, IMO, for example where you jot down the day's accomplishments as part of results management.

JimN

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danlew

13 years ago

True. It feels to have a journal of your own. You can write your plans and the activities that you have done every single day. It's one way that you can make good progress in what you must achieve in your life.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by danlew

True. It feels to have a journal of your own. You can write your plans and the activities that you have done every single day. It's one way that you can make good progress in what you must achieve in your life.

It's also a very good way to see what's not working and what needs part of your plan needs adjusting.

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abigailmullen

13 years ago

Thank you for the link, will check it out.

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apurvmat

13 years ago

Yes I definitely think having a journal helps you stay on the path to success as it holds you accountable to yourself and also helps record some of the goldmine ideas that you would normally forget if you don't have them written down somewhere.

I don't have a physical journal though as I type it all out on my computer.

I write regularly it's a great tool to measure my progress - mentally/financially/in all the areas.

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Erik B

13 years ago

Keeping a journal is a great way to stay focused on your goals. One of the best examples of creative journal keeping I've seen was designed by John Kappa PhD. He developed a system called the Mental Bank for the owners of Amway. Its designed to break limiting thoughts so greater success can be achieved. Its a slow process but efficient if its practiced regularly. I encourage all to take a little time and watch it. If your struggling in business or anything else for that matter this might be the golden ticket you've been looking for.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Erik B

Keeping a journal is a great way to stay focused on your goals. One of the best examples of creative journal keeping I've seen was designed by John Kappa PhD. He developed a system called the Mental Bank for the owners of Amway. Its designed to break limiting thoughts so greater success can be achieved. Its a slow process but efficient if its practiced regularly. I encourage all to take a little time and watch it. If your struggling in business or anything else for that matter this might be the golden ticket you've been looking for.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Thank you for the video, it was well worth the time to watch it.

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kaibeal

13 years ago

Keeping a journal has helped me a lot. It helped me maintain focus in everything I do and keeps track of my progress.

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clove

Banned 13 years ago

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by clove

From my studies in psychology, I would say no in terms of goal setting but yes in terms of happiness or satisfaction toward your endeavors.

If you want to increase your chance at success, write down your goals rather than cataloging your progress.

I believe it is a combination of both writing down you goals and recording where you are at. How else can you see if you're off course and when you started down the wrong path.

By recording what happens in your journal you can see when and how you got off course.

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anja98

13 years ago

I find this a good way to look for ideas as well when flipping back old journal.

Originally Posted by scortillion

Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, and other success coaches, I've read and listen too, believe keeping a journal is one of the important keys to becoming and being successful.

I found that when I keep a journal that it helps me organize and focus my thoughts. It also helps me see what I follow through on and keep track of important ideas and thoughts of others.

The best part is that it improves my writing skills, along with my spelling and vocabulary. I use to be a very bad speller, but from keeping a journal and writing every day I've become much better; and that's success that can be seen.

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lewistechno

13 years ago

I agree that keeping a journal is the key to success. As far as i know, there are several ways for keeping a journal to change your life, it allows you to learn the truth about yourself. It helpful to build your writing habit and encourages the positive thinking. Its a gift to future self and hold you accountable.

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eguinan

13 years ago

I feel that keeping a journal quiets my mind, promotes healing and helps me to organize my thoughts. It also helps me to narrow down my goal and realize the next obvious step put in front of me.

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scortillion

13 years ago

Originally Posted by eguinan

I feel that keeping a journal quiets my mind, promotes healing and helps me to organize my thoughts. It also helps me to narrow down my goal and realize the next obvious step put in front of me.

I find it's always good going back reading over what I had planned to do to see what I actually did.