Journaling and Goal Setting

In my holistic health coaching practice, I encourage journaling.  Journaling is a great way to track progress, to monitor things like food intake, (types, amounts, frequency, etc.), exercise, blessings  received, and whatever else comes to mind for the summation of any given day.  It’s a wonderful life-giving habit to acquire and stick with long term.

Also in my practice, I work with others as they set reasonable, attainable short term goals consistent with their long term goals. Together we track the goals, monitor them for success, and in some cases, re-work them for an even better outcome.

Where am I going with this?  Precisely to encourage a new partnership—journaling and goal setting.  Continue to set those goals, for sure, but commit them to paper now, and keep them handy so that you can work in the journaling part as you go along, and watch the successful outcomes roll in as never before! 

When you write down your goals, you’re laying the first brick, or planting the spring seed, so to speak.  The ongoing recording of the process of working those goals, bringing them into  being on a day to day basis can help you achieve them  in several different way.

First, by setting a few minutes a day, every day at a predetermined time to write about your goals, you are guaranteeing that you will spend at least that amount of time each day thinking about those goals and how you are going to achieve them.  In other words, it’s time that you’re going to spend “tending your garden.”

Second, a journal allows you to record your progress.  If you’ve encountered setbacks while trying to achieve an important goal you may be feeling discouraged. Writing about your experience can help you to keep motivate to keep moving forward as well as to see the progress you’ve already made toward the achievement of your goal. Also, if success has been hard to come by, reviewing the process may help  you uncover what, precisely, isn’t working.  Then, by making a small adjustment in timing, or amount, or another variable, you’ll be right back on track to achieving your goal.

Third, a journal is evidence of past success.  Before you start working on a new goal, it’s a good idea to sit back with some of your old journals and read about your past successes.  Doing this will give you motivation to work on a new goal with a feeling of certainty that it too will be achievable.

Fourth, having a set time during which you’re going to write about your  goals each day keeps you accountable.  Nobody wants to sit down and write: “I did absolutely nothing o move closer to meeting my goals  today. Knowing that this time of reckoning will occur every day will help you in the “having something positive to say” department.  You’ll like that!

Finally, writing daily about your goals helps you to identify possible obstacles that you may encounter, and create an action plan on how you’ll deal with those obstacles when they arise.  Then, when a obstacle does appear on your path, you won’t be blind-sided or caught off guard about it.  Rather, you’ll know just how to deal with it.

Journaling of all sorts is a good thing.  Goal setting is a good thing.  Combine these two things can be a powerful tool for achieving those goals, helping you to achieve your health and lifestyle ideals.    Begin your Goals Journal today!

And if you’re interested in having additional support and encouragement as you work to achieve your most healthy and vibrant self, visit my website at www.janesmith-healthcoaching.com to learn more about the benefits of working with a certified health coach.