Often when we think of journaling, we are actually thinking about writing in a diary or scrapbooking, but this is not what journaling is. A journal is different, and it serves a completely different purpose. Journaling is not just a little thing you do to pass the time and to write down your memories, though it can be, it’s a strategy that has helped brilliant and successful people become better at what they do.
As entrepreneurs, we are so often running through life that we don't allow ourselves the time to stop and just reflect; the best way to combat this and allow yourself the time to stop and reflect is to create a routine. And a journal is one of the best ways to do this. A journal makes events, achievements, goals and progression in our lives trackable. Writing them on paper (or a device) etches them in the history of our lives that we can reflect and learn from
Journaling has other benefits as well. Physically writing in your journal, engages a creative process, whereby you allow yourself to be able to brainstorm solutions effectively and to explore new lines of thinking. Your journal also acts as a timeline for yourself. It's so easy to get lost in the present and forget where we were in life, what we were thinking and where we were in our business. In this way a journal serves as an amazing reminder of how far we have come and the lives we have lived.
Journaling looks different for everyone, but if you are looking to start writing in a journal, here are four questions you can ask yourself and write down the answers to every morning:
1: What was something great about yesterday?
2: What was something that could have improved yesterday?
3: What is something that you are grateful for today?
4: What would make today great?
What’s the best way to start journaling? Is there an ideal time of day? How long should it take? How many pages? Forget all that. Who cares? How you journal is much less important than why you are doing it. Find what works for you. Journaling should not feel like a forced, unpleasant task, but rather a fun, reflective, activity that is part of your day. Journaling the answers to the above four questions on a day-to-day basis will help you with the necessary reflection and planning needed to make better future decisions as a person and as an entrepreneur.
It doesn’t matter whether you are writing your reflections down on paper or an electronic device, the important part of journaling is putting words to your thoughts. In this way clarity and insight is created in a unique way. And it is these insights that empower many successful entrepreneurs to rise to the top.
"A life worth living is a life worth recording." - Jim Rohn
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