I dabbled with journaling in the past – pen and paper style. I was inconsistent and rarely followed through, eventually letting go of the desired habit. I now have a really pretty notebook that I occasionally pull out to jot down random to-do lists or my husband takes a page to draw out his latest farm project. It wasn’t long and journaling was nonexistent. Another good intention fluttered away. Sound familiar at all?
Discipline has always been a challenge for me. I would classify myself as a great ‘starter’. Ha! I have to laugh at myself but it’s so true. I’m a great thinker and can usually come up with a wonderful action plan. I can even go so far as to set everything up – buy whatever trinkets that are needed, label things, organize, etc. It’s the actual execution that is sooooo difficult for me. I might be good for a day or two but the newness wears off and I’m over it. I knew this was an area of opportunity and always has been. Are you in the same boat?!
My 2017 was packed with serious reflection and evaluation of myself – assessing strengths and weaknesses and the desire to balance those. I started listening to motivational clips on YouTube. I know, I’m super cool *face palm*. A common theme of those clips was discipline. All success stories started with an intention and the discipline to carry it out. I was interested and ready to challenge myself.
Interestingly, another take away from the variety of clips was the importance and benefits of journaling. Most of the time, it was use for the purpose of discipline – what is your goal, what are your steps, and how close are you to achieving those – you get the drift. It sounded nice but I tried journaling in the past and couldn’t stick with it. I told myself this time would be different. Again, does this sound familiar?!
Motivated, I went to Best Buy and purchased a laptop – thinking maybe the investment would up the ante. I was eager to get started but had little direction on how to actually journal. I made my first journal entry July 8th, 2017. It started like this, “I bought a laptop today. I’m going to start journaling.” I can still remember the awkward and long pause that followed, unsure of what to write next and feeling foolish. Have you done something similar? You have a great idea, you’re motivated, but then doubt, confusion, or fear sets in? Sometime, the discouragement is enough of an excuse to walk away from the discipline and scrap your whole idea.
I continued to write. Almost no two sentences went together, but after my spill of random thoughts, I took a step back and realized that my first entry could be categorized: family, lifestyle, horses, goals, faith, etc. This served as an outline for future journal entries. For my next entry, I made a few categories and then simply shared what was on my mind for each section. Ta-da! I had traction! The discipline of pushing through the uncomfortable period resulted in better direction moving forward. This gave me a base to continue evolving. I’ve continued journaling since that day and have seen so much growth in my life. It’s really been rewarding. I can even say, I’m disciplined with spending time (almost) each day focusing on my goals and that feels great!
I know we could all list the things we would like to do or even know we should be doing. What comes to your mind? Starting today, challenge yourself to be disciplined in this area. This time WILL be different! Maybe even start a journal about your experience. This can be a tool for accountability. If you haven’t read my Coffee Time post, visit that and try combining the two – spend the first few minutes of your day dedicated to yourself and during that time journal your thoughts, goals, and progress. Then, be disciplined with giving yourself time out of each day. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish with some intention! Two things to keep in mind: baby steps still move you forward and if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough! Thanks for stopping by and, remember, you are a lady well-loved!
