Are you tired of setting ambitious goals, only to lose momentum and watch them slip away? As someone always striving to optimize and achieve more, I know how frustrating it can be to feel like you're spinning your wheels.  After countless experiments and iterations, I discovered a system that has been an absolute game-changer for me. Combining the power of ChatGPT for high-level strategic planning. With the tangible accountability of a physical planner like the Self Journal. In this guide, I'll walk you through exactly how to leverage this tool stack to gain clarity on your goals. And break them down into actionable steps to stay focused and motivated every day. By the end of this article, you'll have a proven framework for achieving even your most ambitious dreams with consistency and ease. The Power of the ChatGPT + Self Journal Stack Before diving into the nitty-gritty of implementation, let's understand why this tool combo is so effective. As someone who's struggled with the breaking down of big goals, ChatGPT is a game changer. It's like having an intelligent, strategic planning partner available on demand, 24/7. By speaking with AI like a goal coach, you can gain clarity on your big-picture goals and why they are important. From there you can break them down into manageable steps, and even generate creative solutions to challenges along the way. But here's the rub: while ChatGPT is incredible for high-level strategizing, it can become a distraction too. It's easy to get lost in a sea of ideas and possibilities without ever taking tangible action. That's where the Self Journal comes in. By putting your plan into a tangible, paper-based format, you create a physical level of commitment and accountability. It's not an app that you close down and forget about, but a journal right in front of your each day to keep you on track. Not to mention that the act of writing down your goals is scientifically proven to be more effective. Writing down and seeing action items forges a deeper connection to your goal. Defining What Matters Most Before jumping into AI, you need to get clarity on what you want. Your big goals should align with your core values and long-term vision, ensuring that you're investing your time and energy into pursuits that bring genuine fulfillment and purpose to your life. Take a moment to sit with yourself and explore the deeper motivations behind your goals. Ask yourself questions like: What do I want to achieve, and why is it significant to me? How will accomplishing these goals impact my life and the lives of those around me? What values do these goals represent, and how do they contribute to my overall sense of purpose? By gaining clarity on the underlying drivers of your goals, you'll be better equipped to stay committed and motivated throughout the journey, even when faced with challenges or setbacks. Remember, your goals should inspire and energize you, not feel like a burden or obligation. Braindump the big goal This is where I describe the end state I want to reach and have ChatGPT break it down into key milestones and components. This clarifies what's actually involved.For example, let's say your big goal is to write and publish a book. You might start by saying something like, "I want to write a non-fiction book on productivity hacks for entrepreneurs. Can you help me break this down into manageable steps?" ChatGPT will then generate a list of key tasks and milestones, such as ideating your book concept, outlining your chapters, setting a daily writing goal, researching your topic, drafting your manuscript, and so on. Refine the plan with follow-up prompts One of the most powerful aspects of ChatGPT is its ability to engage in a back-and-forth dialogue. So as you review the initial list of steps, think critically about any areas that need more clarification or specificity. Ask follow-up questions like, "What are some best practices for outlining a non-fiction book?" or "How can I stay motivated and accountable to my daily writing goal?" The more you iterate and refine your plan with ChatGPT, the more clarity and confidence you'll have as you move into execution mode.By the end of this strategic planning session, you should have a clear, comprehensive roadmap for achieving your goal, broken down into specific, measurable action items. Making it Real with the Self Journal  Now that you have a crafted strategic plan courtesy of ChatGPT, it's time to bring it into the physical realm. This is where the rubber meets the road - where you'll transform those high-level ideas into tangible, daily actions in your Self Journal.Start by setting aside some dedicated time to sit down with your Self Journal and your goal roadmap. Transfer you action items and milestones into your Self Journal. Breaking them down into specific, manageable tasks that you can do on a daily and weekly basis.  For example, if one of your milestones is to write a book outline, you might break that down into smaller tasks like: Brainstorm potential chapter topics (30 minutes) Organize chapter topics into a logical flow (1 hour) Write a 1-2 sentence summary of each chapter (2 hours) But the benefits of using a physical planner go even deeper. As you work through your daily and weekly tasks, you'll be able to see your progress unfolding in real-time. Each completed action item gives  you momentum and motivation, keeping you engaged with your goal. When (not if) you encounter challenges or setbacks along the way (you will), your Self Journal becomes a valuable tool for reflection. Putting it All Together: Your Daily Goal-Crushing Routine  Now that you understand the power of the ChatGPT + Self Journal stack, let's integrate it into your daily routine. Here's a simple, step-by-step framework that I've found to be effective: Start each week by revisiting your ChatGPT-generated master plan. Take a few minutes to review your overall roadmap and identify the key milestones and action items you want to focus on in the coming days. Transfer those priority tasks into your Self Journal Breaking them down into specific, manageable steps that you can accomplish each day. Be sure to allocate your actions realistically based on your current schedule and commitments. Each morning, write down your top 3 priority tasks These should be the actions that will move you closest to your goal, even if they feel challenging or outside your comfort zone. Keep track of your day As you work through your day, use your Self Journal as a grounding tool to keep you focused and on track. Write down in your timeline what you're working on and when you get off-track. Whenever you feel yourself getting distracted or overwhelmed, return to your Self Journal. Then re-commit to your next small action. Daily reflection At the end of each day, take a few minutes to reflect on your progress. Celebrate your wins, no matter how small. Use your Self Journal to record any insights, challenges, or breakthroughs you encountered, and consider how you can apply those lessons to the next day's efforts. Stay consistent Rinse and repeat, day after day and week after week. As you continue to leverage the power of ChatGPT and your Self Journal in tandem, you'll be amazed at how much momentum and progress you can create towards your goals. Of course, no productivity system is complete without a healthy dose of flexibility. There will be days when life gets in the way. When you fall short of your intended progress, or when you need to pivot your plan altogether. That's not only okay - it's a  normal and necessary part of the growth process.  The key is to use your ChatGPT + Self Journal stack as a tool for adaptation and resilience. Lean on the AI to help you troubleshoot challenges and brainstorm new solutions. Use your physical planner as a space for honest reflection and recommitment. And above all, trust in your own capacity for growth and achievement, even in the face of setbacks. One final note: while the ChatGPT + Self Journal stack is a powerful tool for goal achievement. It's important to remember that no productivity system is a silver bullet.  The key to success lies not the tool or technique, but in your own commitment, consistency, and willingness to show up each day. But when leveraged with intention and discipline, this stack can be an invaluable ally in your journey. A way to supercharge your focus, motivation, and progress towards your most ambitious goals.

New Year, new start, right? But if you want to make the most of the January opportunity, it’s important to close out the current year first. And in this article, you’ll discover the reflective process that will help you do that. So if you’re ready to make the new year your best year yet, here’s what you need to do before the New Year starts. STEP 1: REFLECT You can’t move forward until you’ve first looked back to see how far you’ve come. That’s what reflection is all about. It’s developing the self-awareness that helps you consolidate everything you’ve done and learned in the past 12 months. If you jump straight into next step planning, you’ll miss out on all the insights and knowledge the past 12 months have gifted you. In turn, you’re more likely to make needless mistakes, move forward slower, and even make the wrong decisions. That’s why reflection is a skill promoted and practiced by some of the world’s top performers and athletes. They know it ensures you learn from your mistakes and make better choices and decisions in the future. So let’s put this theory into practice with an Action Step that you’re going to like a lot :-) You’re going to reflect on the past year under these four categories: What brought you JOY What brought you SUCCESS What made you DISSATISFIED And what FLOPPED! Your goal is to be comprehensive so grab last year’s calendar and any Self Journals you used over the past 12 months. Go through them week by week and pull out any events you want to list on your End of Year Reflection. When completing this worksheet remember to think about all the categories in your life - not just your work achievements. This might include: Your reflection helps put a line in the sand. Knowing what you loved and what you didn’t will help you map out next year to dial up the wins and avoid the things that didn’t work. With that information in your head, you can get excited about what’s coming next. STEP 2: VISUALIZE YOUR PERFECT LIFE The next step is to visualize what you’d create for your life if anything was possible. This is powerful because visualization taps into your imagination and empowers you to let go of limiting beliefs, think differently, and create space to dream. When you think without limits and let go of any preconceptions of what you can or should do, you start to explore the things you really desire. You become a shade braver and bolder with your goals. And when you then articulate them on paper, you set the wheels in motion to make them a reality. “The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.” - Tony Robbins In this way, visualization provides a roadmap - a vision that can direct your brain’s focus. As a result, your future actions, decisions, and observations all work together to help you discover the insights and opportunities you need to make things happen. Have you ever wanted something so much that it consumed you? Then, as if by magic, you met the right person, read the perfect book, discovered the missing insight, or solved an ‘impossible’ problem. That’s the power of visualization. It’s why Step 2 uses visualization to tease out the goals you long to achieve. So how do you visualize the life you’d love? All you need is a pack of sticky notes, a pen, and a timer. Set yourself 30 minutes and think about everything you want to have for your life. Go wild. Think bigger. Don’t allow your perceived limits to stop you from writing something down. Be as crazy and courageous as you want and see what your imagination throws up. Remember to think about all sections of your life - work-life harmony is key. When the timer goes off, organize all your ideas into different life categories. STEP 3: UNLOCK YOUR WHY? With aspirations for your life worked out, it’s time to understand what’s driving these ambitions. That’s the power of your WHY. When you understand the reasons you want to achieve your goals, you can unlock the inner fuel needed to help you get there. In the words of Elon Musk, “When something is important enough you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.”   In comparison, if you’re not overly bothered about the outcome, then it’s easy to get sidetracked - and maybe give up on your goal altogether. There’s only one reason you don’t achieve your goals… YOU DON’T WANT IT ENOUGH! That’s why you need to understand your WHY. Your WHY is the fuel that motivates you: In other words, your WHY is a key factor of your success. So how do you discover what’s driving you? Before we move on to the instructions, there’s an important distinction that we first need to make. You might think you already know your WHY, but beware! Your first thought may be the superficial, surface-layer answer - and that’s not going to be enough to drive you on the really tough days. Your WHY is like an onion. You need to peel away the layers until you get to the core. So don’t take your first answer as ‘done’. Instead, keep digging. Push through the discomfort and then arm yourself with the real reason you’re willing to do the hard things to create a life you can be proud of. Here’s an example to show you this process in action. Goal: Let’s say this your goal is to save $20,000 by September next year. WHY does that goal matter? Answer: Because this cash will help fund an extension and cut the need for a loan. WHY does that matter? Answer: Because we don’t have enough room for our growing family and I want to create more space without piling up debt. WHY does that matter? Answer: Providing my family with a spacious home where everyone has their own room will improve relationships and make me feel successful. Can you see how that works? Really dig to get to the heart of what you’re striving for. That way, you can remind yourself why you’re putting in the effort to make your dreams a reality. STEP 4: MAKE YOUR NEW YEAR COMMITMENTS When you look at the perfect life you visualized, there’s a good chance some of those goals will take more than a year to achieve. That’s why the next step is to get clear on what you want to achieve over the next 12 months. You can use your Annual Review Workbook to capture your goals. When you write down your goals, make sure they’re S.M.A.R.T. This means to make them: - Specific - what exactly do you want to achieve?- Measurable - how will you know you’ve made it?- Achievable - is it possible for you to achieve this goal?- Realistic - are you over-estimating what’s really possible?- Time-bound - have you set a deadline? Without this degree of clarity, your goals will just be dreams. With this amount of clarity, you’re ready to move onto the final step - the step when ideas become a reality. Step 5: CREATE ACTION STEPS The final step is to get ready to take action by creating your first 13-week roadmap using your Self Journal. Overwhelm can stop you in your tracks. In comparison, bite-sized steps will reveal the path ahead and keep you pressing forward. 13 weeks is long enough to achieve something significant but short enough to keep the finish line in sight so you’re ALWAYS inspired to keep moving. You’re much less likely to procrastinate over a goal with a deadline looming than one that feels far off in the distance. It’s the real secret to achieving audacious goals. Identify the habits you need to implement to step closer to your goals, hit them every day, and success becomes inevitable. It’s what successful people do: They set a crazy, audacious goal Work backwards to figure out the steps and milestones in between Set targets and deadlines Take action on a daily basis Work relentlessly until they get there Most people fall short of their goals because they don’t: It’s why your Self Journal can help you succeed. It helps you create a workable plan, nurture positivity, and implement the daily steps that take you closer to your goals. Here’s how to use your journal to create a 13-week roadmap that will set you up for success: Using the 13-week roadmap pages, first write down your RESULT GOAL - this is your ultimate finish line and the part you should make S.M.A.R.T. (that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound). Next, write down your PROGRESS GOALS or MILESTONES - these are the clear, trackable objectives that can be measured so you can monitor the journey to your goal. Finally, write down the ACTIONS + TASKS you need to take to achieve your PROGRESS GOALS. These are the things you’ll do on a daily basis to hit your targets. For example, if you have a goal to write a book then you may commit to writing for 30 minutes each day. Each Self Journal has enough 13-week roadmaps for you to work towards three RESULT GOALS at a time. Then all that’s left to do is TAKE ACTION! The truth is you can create ANYTHING you want for your life. You can launch a side hustle, grow your business, write a book, get into the best shape of your life, nurture a soulmate relationship, run a marathon, tick through your bucket list - the list is endless. If you can imagine it, then you can also create it. You just have to plan, commit, and take action daily - it’s what we’re here to help you do. You’ve got the 5-step process, now it’s time to get implementing. What will you achieve next year?

Join Georgina El Morshdy, BestSelf Co.'s head writer and host of "Writing Your Best Self" podcast, and Lamia Pardo, founder and CEO of Journify - an audio journaling app, for this FREE journaling masterclass focusing on cultivating creativity, clarity and confidence.

“Journaling is like whispering to one’s self and listening at the same time.” — Mina Murray, DraculaSome of the world’s top-performers swear by the practice of journaling - and for good reason. This powerful practice goes far beyond recording the events of your day for prosperity. Instead, journaling is a practice that will help you become your best self. Keep reading to discover SIX reasons why... Reason #1 - Free up creative bandwidth Jim Rohn says “Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” Here’s an interesting fact… the average person has between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. That’s up to 50 thoughts a minute [yup, I can’t quite fathom that either!] Here’s the thing… A lot of those thoughts are repetitive or low-level. You become what you think, so if you’re constantly repeating the same thoughts, you’ll keep recreating the same reality. Thinking ruts keep us stuck in the status quo, making it less likely that the mind will wander down a tangent that delivers a door-opening idea. Here’s where journaling can help - HUGELY. You can use your journal to close up some of those repetitive thought loops. In turn, you free up bandwidth and create some new space to think. As a result, you’re more likely to discover something new. Reason #2 - Boost your emotional intelligence In a nutshell, emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize, understand, and manage your emotions. As you can imagine, emotional intelligence is a pretty crucial skill if you want to be your best self. Your emotions are messengers. They give you an insight into how you’re feeling that goes beyond what your logical mind wants you to know. Emotions can give you insight into specific experiences, people, and situations. They can help you understand your triggers too. The better you can navigate, process, and express your emotions, the more powerfully you can show up for yourself and for other people. Of course, journaling can help you here too - because you can use your journaling practice to work through how you feel. With the help of your journal you can write about and process your emotions. Helping you to feel more connected with yourself and with others. Reason #3 - Better know yourself Your journal is a brilliant place to get to know who you really are. Think about it… Unless you’ve lived a very intentional life [where you’re conscious about why you have the beliefs you have or why you make the decisions that you do], then a big chunk of how you show up is determined by your hard-wired beliefs and habits. It’s not unusual for these instinctive patterns to have been shaped by influences outside of your choice - for example: • Meeting the expectations of your parents or teachers as a child • Showing up in a way that got you accepted by your peers • Behaving in a way that earned you brownie points with your boss, teammates, or clients A lot of these habits WILL serve you - but some won’t.  Your journal is the perfect place to differentiate between the two. Through the process of introspection, contemplation, and self-discovery, you can distinguish between the authentic YOU - and the parts of you that are serving others more than they serve you. In turn, your journal becomes a powerful catalyst for rapid self-growth. Reason #4 - Set and achieve the right goals Are you setting goals that you REALLY want - or goals that you think you should want? It’s a crazy fact that only 8% of people achieve the goals they set. There are lots of reasons why people fall short of where they say they want to be - and one of those is because their goal didn’t excite them enough in the first place! There’s a profound difference between motivation and inspiration. Motivation is often an outside thing whereas inspiration comes from within. Ideally, your goals should light a fire inside of you. You should feel inherently driven to do what’s required to make them work.  You can use your journal to figure this piece out by writing to get clarity on what you really want… And more importantly, WHY you want it. With a clear direction mapped out, you can put your Reticular Activating System to work - and increase your chances of success significantly. Reason #5 - Learn from your life “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This quote is widely attributed to Einstein - [it’s such a good quote that we’ll overlook the fact that he may not have said this at all!] Have you noticed how life has a funny way of repeating itself? The situation may be different, but the context is often similar… I think this is life’s way of helping you learn something specific - meaning familiar experiences will continue to show up, until you ‘get’ the lesson! Once again, your journal is a powerful place to put reflection to work. With the help of your journal, you can look back over an event, a day, a week, a season etc. to pull out the life lessons. It’s more powerful to write out your reflection than it is to just think because writing allows you to pull on all the threads of thinking - and see where they go. When you write, you can join up the dots and make the connections that would otherwise be invisible. And as you reflect, you learn - and make it more likely that you won’t repeat mistakes - which in turn allows you to grow more quickly. Reason #6 - Feel more centered Life is pretty crazy at the moment.  All this chaos, uncertainty, and confusion means the road ahead might not be as clear as you once thought. In turn, stress and anxiety can increase - creating emotional reactions and mental fog that make it harder to make decisions and think straight. Your journal can help you work through these fears - so you can feel more grounded. There’s something about writing out your worries and concerns - in detail - that can take the edge off the emotional energy of it all. Instead of thoughts whirring round and round in your head, you can create closure and clarity - therefore increasing your feelings of empowerment. Journaling inspires you to get focused - and that can calm your wandering, worrying mind and create some much-needed relief. Pretty cool, right?! Who’s have thought you could extract all of those mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits from capturing a few words on the blank page. Yup, journaling really is one of THE most profound practices that you can adopt - and best of all, it’s so simple to start. All you need is a pen, a notebook [I recommend the Scribe], and your wandering mind. So get to writing NOW. Loved this journaling article? If so, get weekly tips and insights when you subscribe to the Writing Your Best Self podcast. Packed with interviews, journaling strategies, and free journaling prompts, you can feel supported as you explore your inner world and unlock your best.

Have you ever set a goal you didn’t achieve? Or said no when you really meant yes? Or turned down an opportunity because you knew it would push you out of your comfort zone - and you didn’t know if you were ready? These feelings are all normal reactions to a life that stretches you, challenges you, and is calling you to step into ALL that you are. That’s why your ability to be your best self, achieve your goals, and create a life you love goes far beyond the actions you take. It’s one thing to define targets, set intentions, and hustle after deadlines. It’s quite another to work through the discomfort and overcome the resistance and hesitations that always show up when you’re committed to doing more. That’s why ‘success’ is as much about the way you think, the beliefs you hold, and the mindsets that drive you as it is your ability to implement. And that, in a nutshell, is why journaling is such a potent tool for top-performance and high-achievement. When you can journal to understand who you really are, you free up more clarity, decisiveness, and confidence to act. You cultivate self-confidence, unravel limiting beliefs, and nurture the self-awareness you need to hit your potential. So if you’re ready to think bigger and achieve more, here’s how journaling is the tool that can make it all happen. What is journaling? Journaling is the practice of writing out your inner self. It’s the process of articulating your thoughts and feelings into the written word. It’s a ritual of exploring how events [past, present, and future] shape your thinking, influence your behaviors, and drive your actions. There’s no right or wrong way to dive into this practice. You don’t even have to be a ‘good writer’ to get huge results from this ritual. That’s because the point of journaling isn’t to write incredible insights that others can read [although it could be]. Instead, it’s about giving you the clarity you need to understand yourself better. Journaling can be a stream of consciousness. It can be bullets and lists. It can even be splodges of words interjected with doodles and scribbles and highlights! As long as you reflect YOU back at you, you’re going to benefit. That’s because when you read your thoughts on paper, you can take a more objective view of your situation. You can become that third person looking in at yourself. And that can give you the clarity you need to find closure, take a risk, or even just get a better understanding as to why you do things the way that you do. Why journaling works Did you know the average person has between 50,000-70,000 thoughts a day? That sounds like a lot - until you realize that most of those thoughts are repetitive. And that’s the problem with our brains. We’re great at creating and problem solving - and we’re also really good at getting trapped into repetitive thought loops that never find any real resolution! This internal dialogue is also the realm of your inner critic and habits. In short, your subconscious is busy causing you to respond in predictable, but not necessarily beneficial ways. But start journaling, and you can tap into a whole inner world of new information about yourself that you didn’t even know was there. What’s more, when you use journaling to dive into this treasure trove to explore questions such as: - Why you do things the way you do - Why certain things trigger you - Why you get stuck with the same challenge over and over again - The limiting beliefs that trip you up - The life experiences you’ve had in the past that are shaping your future etc. You’ll find that you can change the way you see the world, act in the world, and achieve in the world. That’s how journaling allows you to shine the light on all those unseen and unspoken things and see where they have the potential to go. How to journal effectively 1. Create a habit. As with everything, the more you journal the more you’ll get out of it. A daily practice is preferable because then this ritual becomes part of who you are and what you do. [N.B. Remember, you can use your Habit Roadmap to track your journaling habit until it becomes automatic.] 2. Allocate a timeslot. To help you get into the groove, allocate a timeslot. For example, you may want to integrate journaling into your morning routine or even do it before you go to bed. 3. Plan your journaling time You know how it is. You have good intentions for what you want to achieve in a day, then life throws a curveball and balls get dropped. Don’t leave your journaling practice to chance. Instead, plan it into your day using the timeline in your Self Journal. What gets planned gets done. 4. Dedicate a notebook. Allocate a notebook that you’ll use for journaling alone. [Scribe is a great choice for this.] That way, you can keep all your thoughts in one place making it super simple to reflect back on earlier entries - if you want to. 5. Don’t shoot for perfection. You don’t need to spend hours writing. As little as 10 - 15 minutes a day can be effective. And remember, you’re not looking to create perfect prose. Instead, your goal is to get YOU onto the page in whatever way that shows up in the moment. 6. Reach for journaling prompts. Feeling stuck for what to write? Notice you’re writing about the same things day after day? Frustrated that you’re not unlocking any new insights? If so, journaling prompts are perfect for you. Journaling prompts [such as the WordSmith Deck] present you with a question to focus and redirect your thinking. In this way, journaling prompts invite you to explore memories, moments, and insights you’ve not considered before. What’s more, journaling prompts help you push through writer’s block by giving you something to write about. Instead of waiting around for inspiration to strike, you can make the words flow by giving your brain a prompt to play with. 7. Enjoy the process. Most importantly, have fun with your practice. Play with it. Have fun with it. Get curious to see where your thoughts will take when you allow them to dance on the page. Allow your practice to stretch and challenge you as it opens up parts of you that you didn’t know where there. Then use the heightened level of clarity, confidence, and insight to go get your goals. Journaling is a practice used by many high-achievers. It works for them and it can work for you too. So grab your Scribe and some WordSmith journaling prompts and turn the blank page into insider intel that will empower you to be your best self. You’ve got this.

The simple act of setting a goal kick-starts a powerful chain of events for you and your life. That’s because your goal creates a clear and specific route through your life. Your goal sends instructions about what you need to focus on and what you need to switch off.  It helps you to decide what tangents and diversions to avoid so you can hold true to what you really want. But it’s a mistake to focus on your finish line alone. Zig Ziglar said it best. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Sure, you’ve got to think big, but you’ve also got to enjoy the process too. And one powerful way to do that is to write down your wins along the way to the ‘big one’ - however small. Not only does this simple success habit help you enjoy your life, but it also fuels further success (and makes it more likely that you’ll hit that finish line). Here’s how… 1. Cultivates confidence Goals are going to push you out of your comfort zone. It’s inevitable. Strive to achieve something you’ve never done before and you’ll have to learn new things and explore fresh limits. It’s how goal setting helps you grow and evolve as an individual. But it’s a rocky road (as you’ll know if you’ve ever hustled after goals in the past). As you explore your limits, you’ll also make mistakes and ‘fail’’ and this can knock your confidence - even put the brakes on action. Writing down your wins helps switch on the frame of mind you need to keep going - regardless of the chaos you currently face. Celebrate the mini-wins along the way and you’ll create a string of new references that you CAN do it. Over time, this practice builds your confidence because as those wins clock up, you’ll see yourself as a winner. When you know you can achieve, you’ll feel more confident moving through the ‘failures’. You’ll know you’ll find a way through any roadblocks and challenges. You’ll know you do have what it takes to succeed. In this way, confidence is not only the catalyst for the goal you’re working towards currently, but for tackling bigger and bigger goals in the future too. 2. Nurtures positivity and optimism The more you do, the more you feel you CAN do. This mindset shift is a game-changer when it comes to creating your best self and setting goals that help you create the life you want. Every time you write down a win, you create a new reference point of what you actually achieved. We get it… It’s tempting to downplay or overlook the little victories labelling them insignificant in the big scheme of things, but that’s not true. On those days when things go wrong, when your confidence takes a knock, or when the self-doubt wreaks havoc with your mojo, being able to look back through your wins provides you with a motivational boost to keep going. It reminds you of who you really are. Celebrate your victories and you’ll nurture the positive mindset that’s crucial - if you want to achieve big things. Because whether you think you can or you think you can’t, YOU’RE RIGHT. 3. You get what you focus on Have you ever got a new car only to see that car pop up everywhere (where you previously only saw one once in a blue moon?) This mysterious set of events isn’t a coincidence and your new car didn’t suddenly become popular overnight. Instead, you can thank your brain for its selective attention. Inside your brain stem is a clever bundle of nerves called the Reticular Activating System (or RAS). The job of your RAS is to show you information from the world that supports your beliefs and interests. With so many stimuli out there, we can’t process it all. Instead, we need a filter that allows us to see the world through our chosen lens. So the new car parked outside your house… the reason it’s suddenly ‘everywhere’ is because that particular make, model, and color is now important to you (where it wasn’t before). But what does this have to do with success? When you habitually write down your wins, you train your RAS to look for more of them. Suddenly, you’ll see wins everywhere. It’s simple, it’s powerful, and it’s a strategy that can transform what you believe is possible for you and your life. 4. Track your progress You never achieve a big goal overnight. Instead, you sow the seeds and make progress over time. This slowness can be a problem. When change is gradual, it’s often so subtle that you don’t see it. You can actually struggle to get a clear before and after view so you can own the extent to which you have evolved. But track your wins along the way and you can benchmark your success. Suddenly, it’s clear just how far you did come. You’ll see significant progress where you didn’t see any before and this shift in perception will inspire and motivate you to do more and more. After all, success is addictive. We like the way it makes us feel. Own more of the micro wins along the way to the biggie and you’ll train yourself to take the actions that lead to the highs that ownership of your wins fuels. 5. Learn more about yourself Logging your wins is about more than patting yourself on the back. It also creates an opportunity for you to learn from those experiences. Wins are never accidental. Reflect on the events, mindsets, decisions, and actions that led to your success and you will see patterns. There’s a chance some of those patterns will be repeatable. In other words, if you did it once, then you can do it again. They say success leaves clues. So capture your wins with curiosity and you’ll uncover the secrets that will help you achieve more of what you want. It’s an empowering behaviour that’s going to help you go even further than you currently imagine is possible for you. Log your wins DAILY As a big thinker and a high-achiever who has high expectations for yourself and your life, it’s not surprising you downplay the little victories along the way. Instead, you tell yourself things such as... ‘Is it really that significant.’ ‘It was only a little.’ ‘Anyone could have done that’ But this thinking harms your ability to hit the goals that are going to change your life. Logging the small victories along the way isn’t about stroking your ego. Instead, it’s a success practice that builds momentum, fuels positivity, nurtures self-awareness, and makes you hungry for even more success. That’s why you’ll find a section on every daily page of the Self Journal to capture your daily wins. It’s a powerful, intentional section of the daily template that will help you think bigger and achieve more, while you enjoy today. Are you in the habit of writing down and tracking your goals? If not, start today. Use your Self Journal to fuel your best self by owning all your wins - even the ones that feel too small to capture. They’re ALL a significant part of your journey.

There’s this great quote from Jim Rohn that says, “Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.” The question is do you find idea generation easy, or is it more like pulling teeth! Ideas hold the potential to change our lives because they open doors and create opportunities. They help you solve problems, start a business, launch new products, repair your relationship, inspire your child, and live your very best life. Ideas help you maximize the big and the little things. From figuring out how to rebuild your life after a catastrophe, to persuading an unpersuadable toddler it’s time for bed, ideas are fuel for growth, discovery, and evolution. If you can generate ideas at will, you’ll never be stuck. You’ll never be out of options. You’ll never lose all your control. Instead, you can dive into your thinking, figure it out, and mastermind your way forward. You’ll be the one who can answer the tough questions. You’ll be the one who others will turn to in tough times. You’ll also be the one who’s never broke for long because if you need to, you can come up with a long list of money making ideas - some of which will work. For as long as you can keep thinking of ideas, the door is never permanently shut. You can always walk down another avenue or try another path. Your options are only ever limited by the number of ideas you can generate. So if ideas are so powerful, what is the secret to having more of them? Here’s the really good news... Idea generation is a talent AND a skill We’ve all been around people who are able to reel off idea after idea. They’re so smart - it’s why you stand in awe and marvel at their exceptional intelligence! It’s frustrating. Why can’t you do the same? Perhaps you can... Some people do have a natural talent for thinking on their feet and making connections that actually go somewhere. The rest of us just have to work hard at developing the skill. Let me show you how you can do that. A step-by-step guide to idea generation  UNDERSTAND HOW YOU GENERATE IDEAS The dictionary says an idea is ‘a thought or a suggestion about a possible course of action’. If that’s the case, it follows that ideas come after a trigger. For example: - You’re asked a question - You’re stuck with a problem - You’re asked for your opinion on what you would do When faced with a trigger (like the ones above), your brain goes hunting for answers. There’s a lot it can dive into for example: past experiences, your personal beliefs about what’s right and wrong, stories you’ve heard, books you’ve read, conversations you’ve had, knowledge you’ve learned etc. In short, your brain gets busy digging around to find answers that fit. It sifts through everything then comes back with possibilities. That’s how you create ideas. The mistake most people make is they stop with the superficial, obvious surface level responses. If you want to be able to generate good ideas at will, you have to train your brain to go deeper. And one of the most powerful way to do that is to make idea generation a habit. PRACTICE EVERYDAY You can’t run a marathon without training. You can’t play an instrument when you first pick it up. You can’t build a successful business overnight. To achieve these goals you need to commit to a routine of consistent action. You have to train regularly, practice your scales daily, or commit to making sales calls everyday. When you take action consistently, you’ll activate the compound effect. You’ll also get better and more skillful over time. Where you started out as a novice, time (and committed action) can turn you into an expert. The exact same principle applies to idea generation. Make it a daily habit and with time you’ll get better at making new connections, seeing things differently, and thinking up something new. Practice regularly and good ideas will flow more easily. CREATE A HABIT YOU CAN TRACK A good way to make idea generation habitual is to set yourself a daily goal that you can measure and track. Build a chain of ‘checked’ days and you’ll soon reach a point where it’s more painful to break the chain than it is to practice your habit for another day. Here’s a suggested daily idea generation practice you could try: - Dedicate a notebook that you use solely for idea generation - Set yourself a challenge and come up with TEN ideas in response. For example: - Industries you could disrupt - Meals you want to cook - Content pieces you could write You’ll find that a few ideas will spill out effortlessly - then you might get stuck! You might judge ideas as not being good enough and not write them down. Resist that temptation. The act of writing an idea (even what you perceive to be a bad one) clears space for more thoughts to bubble up. It’s worth coming up with all ideas in a single sitting. Don’t let yourself off the hook! Instead, push through the resistance and force yourself to dig into the less obvious ideas (it’s the key reason for listing out ten). Under pressure to write ten, your brain will start thinking laterally and outside the box. When you have no option but to think of ideas, you’ll be amazed at the genius which can flood out. We always artificially limit our abilities. Generating 10 ideas every day will blast the lid off yours. REMEMBER WHY YOU’RE DOING THIS The goal of your daily practice isn’t to always generate ideas that you’ll use (although many times you will). Instead, this is about leveraging a habit that will enable you to generate a flood of ideas when you need to. Build your idea-generating muscle and next time you the a roadblock, you’ll be in a much better position to think yourself out of it.   FEED YOUR BRAIN Steve Jobs famously said this about creativity. “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” So good ideas are the result of connecting things up in different and unusual ways! If that’s the case, it makes sense to feed your brain with a wide range of influences - so you’ll have plenty of references to pull upon when you need an idea. The more you have to dig through, the richer your spectrum of ideas will become. This is your permission slip to go wild! - Pick up books that aren’t the genre you’d usually read - Take a different route home - Dive into a Facebook group of people who have conflicting views - Listen to debate shows - Visit a new city or a new country and see how different communities and cultures live - Change your job or seek out different projects - Force yourself out of your comfort zone - Watch TED Talks on subjects you know nothing about - Talk to a kid and see the world through their eyes - Journal to discover your innermost thoughts - Burn incense or aromatherapy oils to stimulate your senses - Pick a dish off a menu you don’t know how to pronounce - Listen to a podcast in a new genre - Read autobiographies to see how different people think You get the picture. Infuse your brain and senses with new influences and experiences and you’ll have a ton more reference points you can pull on when you need a good idea. PLAN TO IMPLEMENT THE GOOD IDEAS It’s going to be impossible to implement all the ideas you have. To be fair, you won’t want to! A lot of your ideas won’t be practical and they won’t fit with what’s happening in your life right now. But that doesn’t matter. Remember the goal of this habit is to get good at generating ideas - not necessarily to find good ideas. But when you stumble upon a good one, you will want to run with it. Here’s what to do with those ideas: - Brainstorm around the idea to flesh it out and figure out what’s involved - Set a goal (the Self Journal structure will help) - Figure out the first step (however small) - Execute on that first step to get out of the starting blocks and build momentum The life you want is a series of ideas away. All you need to do is keep opening more doors and stepping through them. Being able to generate ideas at will gives you a distinct advantage over everyone else because you get to find more keys. Are you ready to think bigger and achieve more? If so, commit to your idea-generation practice. It’s a simple, but powerful way to empower you to make the most of your life.  

Self-reflection reveals what we want most. It's also a powerful accountability tool that identifies where we can improve. All it requires is a little quality time spent with yourself. In this post, you get everything you need to start a self-reflection habit in just two simple practices. They are even adjustable as time and your goals progress! "Self-reflection is the school of wisdom."- Baltasar Gracian Practice One: Engage in Daily Active Questioning A major challenge of a self-set goal is there's no one to hold us accountable. In the moment choice, we allow lenience and give ourselves a pass on doing what we know we should. After we allow this slip, we quickly become our own worst critic. We engage in harsh self-judgment, and it’s through this dark lens of failure that motivation dies.   Instead, try Active Questioning! How To: Step 1: Create your list of questions.Always start them with “Did I do my best to…” this focuses the effort of reflection on what you can control, yourself. Here’s a list of starter questions, feel free to adapt them to be more specific to your life and goals. Remember, there are no right or wrong questions, ask yourself what matters to you. Here are some examples Marshall gives you can use to start: Did I do my best to... set clear goals today?   make progress towards my goals today? find meaning today? be happy today? build positive relationships today? be fully engaged today? Step 2: Block in time at the end of your day to rate your efforts.Wherever you can schedule a reminder, do it. This will keep you consistent by keeping the pressure on. Through the day you'll know answering these questions is coming. That inevitability will make your tasks harder to ignore. Rate your efforts on a scale of 1-10: 1 being “You didn’t try at all’ - 10 being “You made every effort.”  and reflect on your answers. Step 3: Reflect on your answers and insights.The meaning behind your ratings is going to be unique to you. Remember the point of the exercise isn't to judge yourself. Low scores aren't failures they are indicators of a place to improve. It could mean you simply need to find a way to buckle down on your dedication to the task. It could mean another task is taking priority over this one. On the other end, a high score doesn't mean there is nothing for you to improve. You could have made every effort and so rate high. But, you did not actually do what you planned because of a competing task. Whatever the rating, it exposes roadblocks to work on. Bonus: If there's someone you trust to ask you the questions, involve them! It will build your relationship and provide insight you might otherwise both miss! Final Takeaways Active questions will lead to insights about what's important to you. This can mean the removal of plans or actions that are actively hurting you. Which can be difficult and even scary. Stand strong, be kind and honest with yourself.  Stop letting detrimental habits overwhelm your mental and physical health! Despite our best efforts, negative self-talk can creep in during this process. If it does, don't worry, Practice Two will help! Practice Two: Walk the Self-Talk Negative Self-Talk is a confidence-destroying habit. So easy to engage in because it's often an unintentional side effect of our most challenging efforts. It goes hand-in-hand with cyclical thinking; another crippling mental practice. Where associations with the worst aspects of the past connect to present situations. As our brains make these connections any feelings of resourcefulness vanish. When we engage in a cycle of negative self-talk, it reinforces the feelings of inadequacy. At best, this will sidetrack plans. At worst, it catapults us into bouts with anxiety and depression.  Walk the Self-Talk is a self-regulated practice to turn negative self-talk on its head! Transforming this potentially self-destructive habit into a trigger for a massive change! Step 1: Pause, and take a moment to write the biggest challenges you’re facing at the top of a blank page. Step 2: Write, all the negative self-talk you’re experiencing related to that challenge. Step 3: Draw a line to separate the page, then write the title “The Truth Is...”. Step 4: Address the truth for every line item of negative self-talk. Step 5: Face, Allow, and Adapt to what's true. Face: If you know the item to be a false perception of who you are, write a retort to the negative talk. Allow: If you feel the negative talk is true, take a moment to forgive yourself, know that it’s ok you’re having this issue. Adapt: Now to address it, reflect on the line item and decide how you will change your actions so it’s no longer true.      After you’ve completed the exercise, display it or put it in a place where it’s accessible. Keep it at hand while you’re working through your challenge. Now that you know the talk is either outright false or you have a plan to address it. When negative self-talk hits again, refer to this little piece of paper. It can shield you from its destructive power!  Notes: You can perform this practice for more than one challenge at a time. If you do recognize tackling the biggest challenge first will get you furthest along. Suggestion: If your confidence is too low, try to knock out the quickest and easiest things first. This gives you some momentum by racking up small wins. Use the confidence you get from tackling a few little things then jump to conquer the big ones! When we have a stronger sense of self, we are better able to deal with the challenges that arise in our lives. Reflecting and building a plan to address challenges is a cornerstone of productivity and motivation. To achieve we must look inside, figure out what's in the way, and act to work past it.