A Journal Can Be a Powerful Tool for Goals and Resolutions When it comes to keeping your resolutions and achieving your goals, sometimes you have to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Getting caught up in day to day life can sometimes threaten to push the milestones you’ve set for yourself to the backburner. It’s easy to forget your purpose. Anything that can keep your objective at the forefront of your mind is a good thing. For those who like to write, a journal can be a powerful tool for goals and resolutions.  Your Journal A journal can be any tool that allows you to record your thoughts. You can do it electronically on your computer with a word processing program or an online app or website that lets you keep your thoughts in one easy-to-find place. Many of us prefer using technology because we’ve incorporated it into so many other areas of our lives. It’s also easy to access and involves less resources. Others may like the more traditional paper method of journal keeping. Writing with a pen and paper can be a therapeutic act in and of itself and can help us retain more. It really doesn’t matter what type of journal you choose, as long as you are comfortable with it. The Purpose The reason behind journaling is simple. It allows you to record your thoughts and feelings and provides a place to keep your reasons or you why behind your resolutions close at hand. Writing down your feelings with regard to your goals helps you to sort things out when it becomes confusing or when feeling overwhelmed.  You can read back over your words and discover patterns or motivations.  It also provides  a tangible record. This is useful in tracking your progress, seeing what is working and what is not and can also help in holding yourself accountable, while providing motivation and making sense of your thoughts.  There area ton of benefits to keeping a journal in conjunction with your goals and resolutions. The Process Journaling is an activity that should be ongoing and consistent. You want to consider making it a part of your regular morning or evening routine so that you can get the most out of it. Writing sporadically can be somewhat beneficial in getting your thoughts out of your head, but having only a handful of entries doesn’t allow you the full benefit of noting patterns and making other such discoveries. Create a time to write in your journal. Add it to your calendar so that you won’t forget. Many people prefer to write in the morning so that they can plan their day and set the mood for what’s to come. Perhaps at night will work better for you as a way to process all that’s happened throughout the day. I prefer to write at night myself so I don’t ruminate.   Whatever you do, set it up and make it a habit.  Put things in place to make it enjoyable and relaxing so it signals your brain that it’s time to write. Maybe sitting in your favorite chair with a cup of tea or sitting up in bed with some soft music and essential oils diffusing.  Find what works best for you and put it into your routine.    Reflecting Take some time to reflect on your journaling.  Maybe once a week or month you sit down and read over your thoughts and feelings.  Depending on how you are tracking your goals maybe you are looking at your progress daily or weekly.  No matter how you decide to journal, I recommend giving it a try. Your process should be personal and meaningful to you. I predict you’ll discover some incredibly powerful benefits to journaling your resolutions and goals along with your thoughts and feelings.