Archive for Goal Setting and Journaling
Its March Have You Journaled?
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This process is very important. If you are not writing down your progress how will you know at any point where you stand in your goals. Journaling is also a great teacher and motivator. There were times I was discouraged and it did not feel as though I would get the victory. But as I looked over my journal and read all my past personal thoughts, ideas, reflections about my goals, challenges I overcame, and things God spoke to me in my personal devotions and so on, I soon changed from discouraged to encouraged and started praising God with great joy. Do not let those precious memories just slip away into nothing. Record them just as you feel them in your heart, mind, and spirit and watch how this simple task will present powerful results.
This is the difference between motivational authors who claim you can accomplish your goals by the mere brunt of your brow and shear hard effort. God is in control. He is your source and your hope. With faith in God all things are possible according to his will. As you put God first, your goals will line up according to the destiny and purpose God has for your life.
Dust off that journal, grab your favorite pen and spend some private time re-visiting where you are in your journey for 2010.
Lowering Stress with Fun and Laughter this Holiday Season
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I talk about fun I am talking about participating in a fun activity, enjoying humor, and laughing this holiday season. Professional research studies tell us that the affects of laughter in humans is one of the best anecdotes for 
lowering our stress level. It can also add years to our overall life expectancy. Can you recall the last time you had a real good laugh, whether you were engaged in an activity with a group of friends, or watching a comedy show, or viewing a hilarious movie. Do you remember how you felt during and after a good belly-wrenching laugh? Most likely you felt more relaxed, wore a contagious smile, and temporarily put problems or worries behind you.
There are many benefits to having fun in your life, but many of us struggle at this very simple, yet powerful, God-given medicine. Between heavy school loads, busy work schedules, and multiple extracurricular activities, it can almost become an afterthought subscribing to a dose of laughter. I used to say, “I love my job,” and I thought it met the “have fun” requirement, but I soon discovered it was much more than just having fun at your given profession or career. You have to engage in activities outside of work in order to have fun. Once I started this formula, I learned that there are a variety of fun activities that I enjoy and that make me laugh. I even found that occasionally spending time with my best friend’s children presented itself as a fun opportunity to be silly and play with them. Permitting myself to enjoy life outside of work and have fun helped me to stop taking myself so seriously. Thankfully today I have a balance, so when it is time to have fun, laugh, and be silly I can simply let go.
I challenge you to take time this holiday season and find out what other fun you can have. Learn a new hobby; travel to exotic destinations; volunteer with children; try a recreational sport; write a book on your favorite subject, or find something you and your kids can participate in together. These are just ideas. The point I do want you to see is that most of us have to earn a living one way or another. If you love your job or if you are trying to get your feet wet in the job market, make it a point to have fun in different areas in your life. Having fun on your job is a job bonus. Outside of your occupation, you need to be sure you have other interests that will complete and balance your life by allowing yourself to have fun.
Dump the Clutter…Get a Clear Picture of Who You Are Aiming to Become
Posted by: | CommentsCrafting a beautiful mosaic and defining and customizing our goals can be viewed in a similar approach. First of all, we need to create a picture in our mind of what we are destined to become, a picture free of negative habits, a picture filled with aspirations, a picture of one who is achieving life’s goals, similar to the detail work and process for completing a one of kind mosaic. 
We need to have a clear picture of who we are aiming to become. This is very important because many people are aiming at the wrong picture for their lives. Is your picture that of what your partner or family member thinks you should become? Is your picture that of what your boss or colleague close to you think that you should become? Worse yet, is your picture a negative picture of your very own future because of past hurts. This is why you need a realistic and clear vision of where you are aiming in your mind. If we want to achieve personal goals in our lives we must put them down in writing. We do this by creating a priority list of all goals and placing time periods next to each item. This enables you to set a time frame for completing each goal. You can manage the list by creating one year, five year, or ten-year goals. To manage daily or weekly tasks you can post sticky notes and place them in obvious spots around your house, car, or work place to keep those goals in front of you. In some cases you may find a special partner that you can share your goal with so you are accountable to that person. This action is geared toward having someone make sure you stick to your goal. Once you accomplish a goal, give yourself a personal reward: a pat on the back for a job well done. This will keep you motivated to stay on track. . I do understand I have oversimplified this process and there are many credible authors that have done an excellent job at exhausting this subject. However, what I would like to get across to you here is that there is not one template or generic goal program that works for everyone. Each approach and each goal must be customized to the individual person and there unique lifestyle. Start aiming a new clearer picture for you and your family’s life.
Do Real Men Keep A Journal?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen someone first told me about keeping a journal and writing down my thoughts and experiences, I thought, that is for girls. What am I, sixteen years old? However, it had not occurred to me how important this simple task was until a few years later, when I ventured out on my first overseas travel to Europe for vacation. I noticed that some of my fellow travelers journaled each day. In fact, some men 
were even journaling. One day I asked one of the men what he was writing down in his journal. He explained to me he was reflecting on the past day’s events and writing them down. It was not until after I returned to America, and a few weeks had passed that I was going through pictures of my experience when it occurred to me that it would have been great to have had a written daily account of my trip. It prompted me to begin investigating journals. I found there are many authors, explorers, and key business leaders who journal (yes even men). Off I went to purchase my first journal. It was not anything special, just a small size empty notebook. I started journaling every time I had a thought or a specific goal in mind. Since one of my biggest hobbies is traveling overseas to experience new cultures, foods, and landscapes, I took my journal and pen in tow faithfully—from Egypt to New Zealand. When I started a second journal, I got a God idea. As I began this journey with God, If we want to achieve personal goals in our lives we must put them down in writing.
So men don’t be subconscious about trying this new task, with time you might find it can be quite rewarding.
5 Tips for Customizing Your Journaling
Posted by: | CommentsDiscovering and writing my own personal thoughts was somewhat difficult for me in the beginning. I had silly 
thoughts like what if someone were to read my journal, also I was self-conscious that my writing would seem too mushy for a man and for that matter the whole writing process seemed a bit foreign to me. Most assuredly this process will work very well for you. It does not matter if you are a beginner at journaling or if you are advanced at journaling. You will find this added feature a great addition.
Customizing your journal is key to your success. It is appropriate to let your thoughts, emotions, frustrations, dreams, and excitements go. Understand you have full permission to be you; it is absolutely to your advantage. Your journal is one of a kind and the true benefits will arise when you treat it as your unique special companion.
Here are 5 tips for creating ideas that will get you started in customizing your journal specific to you:
- Cut out pictures in magazines that resemble a visual of any one of your goals and tape the picture on one of the pages in your journal.
- Add quotes from famous people that inspire or give you motivation.
- If one of your goals is to go into business for yourself write your company success story, or if you desire to write your first book write your own press release, or if you are in school write about completing your degree and making the dean’s list at your university.
- Add pictures of your family or children, followed by a positive caption next to them.
- If you desire to be married, write down what that special day would be like for you and the presiding honeymoon.
As you can see, personalizing your journal can be very fun and exciting. I challenge you to open your mind and to be creative; add quotes or pictures that depict where you are aiming in your goals. You will soon discover that adding this feature of customized journaling to your normal recording will be far more engaging; it will enhance your experience from just another dull journaling session to journaling with anticipation. Happy journaling.
Does the Bible talk about Visualizing and Verbalizing Your Goals?
Posted by: | CommentsThere is an excellent illustration of visualizing your goals, verbalizing them, and never giving up until they come to pass, and it is right in your Bible. It is the story of Joseph—one of my favorite Bible heroes—you may have heard of it. The story starts with Joseph in Genesis Chapter 37. God gave Joseph dreams, not just ordinary dreams, but dreams that he would become a prince. It started with Joseph sharing his dreams with his brothers that they would bow down before him. Joseph did not hide it from them; he told his eleven brothers the exact details of each dream of how they were going to submit to him. Couple that with Joseph’s father who favored him more than any of his other sons, so much so that he made Joseph a special coat of many colors. Picture Joseph walking around with a princely like garment (visualization), telling everyone about the dreams of his future (verbalization). It is a fact that if you know who you are, where you are going, and present a confidence and sureness about yourself in a Godly manner, the first people that will get jealous of you are your family members or those who are close to you, right? This certainly became the case for young Joseph.
Joseph had a dream his entire family would bow down before him. (It meant his whole clan, and during that time families were rather large). Joseph’s brothers were already upset with him and his dreams, but after this last dream, his father became irritated with Joseph because of the wild dreams he was having. At this point, his brothers became so angry at him that they conspired to get rid of him.
Joseph had some attacks and battles along the way, but he had a clear picture of who he was and where he was headed. I like Joseph because he did not care what anybody said about his dreams. No matter who conspired against him, Joseph kept his integrity and he remained faithful to God. In addition, as you read in Genesis Chapter 42, Joseph’s dream became a reality. Not only did his family bow down to him, he was second in command to that of the pharaoh, which meant the whole country of Egypt bowed down before him during that time.
This what I call a visualization and verbalization exercise. I want you to understand that as you seek God your goals start to become more defined and will change to a degree over time. From single status to married status, from no kids to kids leaving the nest, or from midlife to senior citizen, whatever your state your underlying identity and purpose will not change. Focus on where you are today, and let your life be likened to a lump of clay that God will shape and mold as you move closer to his will for your life. God will craft you into an exquisite piece of pottery.
First of all, find a place where you can relax with no distractions and then begin this exercise by seeing what you are aiming for in your mind, and secondly begin to say it aloud. Here is an example: begin to see yourself in a future tense and when you say these things, you must say them in a future tense as well. It will go along the lines of “I am free of doubt;” “I forgave family members;” “I no longer blame the company for financial problems;” “I am now financially secure;” “I lost 15 lbs,” and “I look great;” “I am happily married;” “I tithe faithfully” and “I am committed to volunteering at church.” Verbalize it in your own words according to your situation (we will cover writing them down shortly), but you have to be specific as if you have already arrived at that place. Get that picture in your mind, what type of clothes you are wearing, how people now respond to the new you, how those old strongholds do not have any foothold on you anymore and how great you feel; this is the visualization you need to get in your mind. After you have performed this initial exercise, a great way to maintain this thought process is to perform it throughout the day, for example, when you are taking a shower in the morning, or in the car on your way to work or any private time you have between work, school, or running errands.
Start visualizing and verbalizing your dreams today!
