For some people, making plans and goals and following through on them is an easy and daily part of life. But truthfully the majority of people have a hard time putting the steps in to achieve their goals. Many people are visual and seeing your goals on a page in physical form can better help you to visualize future accomplishments. And of course, it is fun! Success is infectious and seeing documentation of that success can fuel further success. Let’s go through some ways that creating a goal journal can help you while also being a rewarding and creative experience:

Articulate what you want.

By documenting what you wish to see happen, you are seeing your achievements at a closer distance. Something about writing down your goals can make them seem easier to accomplish. To begin, buy yourself a journal that reflects your personality; this is a book of YOU. Both the current you and the future you. On the first page, write down a goal you have and bullet points listing the ways you may achieve that goal. As you write down these points, consider the ones that would work best and the ones that would not and then cross them out. Set up a timeline that you can work with, and steps that you can make on the road to the ultimate achievement of that goal.

Record your progress.

Keeping a journal will allow you to look back on the struggles and headways made in your quest to achieve your goals. This can help you both build up momentum and inspire yourself. Remember that failure is necessary for success. Through trial and error you WILL achieve your goals, but patience is essential. When you fail at achieving a step, write in your journal why you failed and how you can correct that in the future. You will notice yourself grow as you work through the kinks.

Find out the why and the how.

Be sure to write down why you wish to achieve the goal; maybe you have not worked out why you want to achieve your goals or how that can be done and that is what is slowing you down. Sometimes we want things for the wrong reasons. Once you figure out why you want to meet your goal finding out how will become clearer. Often times using pictures or objects will help you visualize your goal, so paste pictures, tickets, letters or quotes into your journal. Take everything that is floating around in your brain and transfer it on to the page. This will solidify your goal and make it seem like a physical and achievable object.

Prove you have solved problems in the past.

Seeing the progress you have made in physical format will give you a newfound sense of self-pride and security. If you see that you have not been solving problems or not solving them in a neat and proactive way, know that that is simply another obstacle to overcome in your quest for your goal. Make a list of the personal quips that are blocking smooth transition and short-term achievements. But remember that everything is a process; do not judge your speed but rather address ways to better yourself.