goal journaling

It is great fun to get letters from Tera's Wish subscribers who tell me stories of their own lives and often offer up suggestions for future articles. Goal journaling comes from one such letter.

Angela wrote to me to tell me that she had never been able to embrace journaling but that she had done the goal-setting workshop on Tera's Wish. She wrote the results of that workshop in her journal, and every four months - as I suggest - she goes back to the journal. She now writes her reflections on the past quarter's goals, and then does the workshop again.

Angela writes, "I find that taking the time to read the past goals and write about how that has worked out and what I have learned has made the goal workshop a lot more meaningful for me. After really thinking about the past goals, I am able to reshape my new goals. I disregard a lot of the smaller goals, and find that some of the things that I thought less important before have become more important to me now."

I think Angela has struck on a wonderful way to use a journal. I have begun to write my goals in my journal over the last few years because then I know where to find it. In the past I would write it on scraps of paper that got lost or thrown away. Writing in my journal has given me a sense of my evolution Like Angela, I find that I have a great idea that I may forget about and then when I read it again I think "I should concentrate on that!"

I use my journal in the opposite way that Angela does in reflecting on the past, however. I have found that if I read my old goals those are fresh in my mind and so I wait to read my last workshop results until after I have done the new one. I can always add something in, but I find that I have a more open mind and am less influenced if I start fresh. You might try both and see which works best for you.

Although this might seem overwhelming at first, I do recommend doing the goal setting workshop every three to four months. I always do it mid to late January as the holidays tend to unsettle me as our routines get shuffled. After a few weeks, doing my goal setting helps me to refocus my thoughts and get myself back on track. How often you do it after that is up to you. I do my workshops when I am feeling fractured and am having trouble making decisions. Looking at my goals helps me to get clear on what I am trying to accomplish, and thereby decisions are easier to make because I know I' on track.

home |  articles | the workshop