Regular journal writing keeps your sane and leaves the clues of your success.
Had a new first yesterday. My daughter had homework. I didn’t expect her to have homework at 3 years old but she did. Nothing difficult. Trace some letters. Spell out her name. Ask questions about her favorite stuff.
The kicker is that she was excited to do it. I was working when momz opened the yellow folder with my daughter’s name written in black marker across the top. The left pocket was label “Take Home.” The right labeld “Home Work.” When momz asked her about doing her homework, my daughter jumps out of chair in search of a crayon.
I admit. I was excited to help her with her homework also. But, I was in the middle of finishing up a marketing funnel for my business at the time. Homework had to wait for a bit. Of course, my daughter didn’t like the news. She was hyped up. Momz told her that I would help her when I finished my work and proceeded to distract her with some other activity for the moment.
Finally finished with my own work for the day, I called for my daughter, sharpened a soft lead, number 2 pencil (what we used to call “rubber duckies” because their so flexible), and smoothed out the worksheet. I stood over her holding her hand. She wanted to grab the pencil with as many fingers as possible. So, I positioned her fingers the way that I was taught and guided her hand along the page following the dotted lines as we traced her name and recited the letters aloud.
Do you need hand-holding
I’m sure that you don’t need that kind of hand-holding in your life. Yet, sometimes we need someone that’s willing to do just that to help us learn. Have you thought about the effectiveness of your current goal setting strategy and planning?
If you’re like I was a few years ago, you’re struggling to meet your own demands and it’s frustrating. I have found a way out of that mess. But, before jumping into a full out coaching relationship with you, I want to offer you a taste of what to expect when I work with you to enhance your personal performance.
Grab the 45-minute audio and worksheet I have for you at bit.ly/threeblunders to see what I mean.
Standing there working with my daughter with her writing, I started thinking about the importance of this basic skill. Writing. How far have we come from basic handwriting?
Research shows that handwriting helps connect the right and the left side of the brain. It helps clarify thought and forces the writer to create ideas in a ways that are memorable to the writer. It’s not unusual to see laptops and tablets pulled out at conferences and seminars. Attendees will set there folders and binders on their laps, pull out their electronic device, and take notes.
Taking the notes is good but often the notes are verbatim. That doesn’t help you learn as much as having to shorten statements and write them in your own words does.
Your words help you think.
That’s one reason that I love to write in my journal. I completed another journal the other day. This was a 200+ page leather-bound journal that I purchased at Wal-Mart. It took about a year to complete. The next one won’t take so long. The only reason this one did was because I was trying different journals along the way to creating a 90-day journal for productivity.
I have the template completed for that and available if you want to check out how easy it is to create accountability for yourself with the right system… or should I say the “write” system. Take a look at it at here.
Do you remember the TV show “Dougie Houser, MD”? That was one of my favorite shows in the 80’s. A teenager who was so smart that he became a doctor?! What?! That’s super smart. (Yes, I’ve been a nerd most of my life. No doubting that.) Do you remember how he ended each episode?
He ended the episode sitting in front of his computer. We’d hear Dougie’s thoughts as he typed out his ideas and actions from the day. Was that the idea that sparked blogging? IJS The ideas at the end of the show were actually my favorite part of the show. I liked the adventure and drama of the show.
But, the lessons he talked about were the highlight for me. I didn’t always understand them but I did like hearing them.
Dougie gave a valuable lesson. Think on paper and leave a trail of clues for your legacy.
He didn’t say it but it was implied…
Your brain wasn’t designed to hold ideas
Get your thought out of your head and onto paper so you can move ’em around, mix ’em up, and play with ’em. All that thinking in your head doesn’t leave room for new thoughts to come in. It’s similar to the water glass being full metaphor. You can’t pour more water into a full cup.
When you put your ideas onto paper, you make room for more ideas. Besides, science has spoken. Your brain was not designed to store ideas. It was designed for survival. You remember faces, places, and cases.
Your brain wasn’t meant to remember your ideas. So, do something with them. Write them down. Get to work on them. And, of course, when you find yourself struggling to hit your goals, contact me. If you’re already at that point, there are some spots still open in my calendar right now. Snatch up one of them by going to bit.ly/30withfortune
What kind of journal do you use? What do you write about?
