The Wellness Journal: Keys to Being the Best Leader You Can Be
When I worked in outpatient clinical practice, I often encouraged journaling for my clients. In fact, I would insist that my clients purchase a wellness journal, a practice of recording awareness and intention that reinforced skills and habits of mastery. We all want growth, but some people actually change faster than others. I believe one of the keys to productive change is taking time to systematically document awareness and intention of emotions, thoughts and habits. Those who do develop that “gut” instinct that is helpful to overriding mindset moments that can derail progress.
When it came to regular journaling, many clients shared that they would record things that bothered them, document negative events or feelings, and list personal secrets. This was not the type of journaling I recommended as their coach. What we pay attention to grows bigger. As a result, I would remind clients that the items they should be recording in their journals are those things that help them keep to their best mindsets. This includes things such as:
Favorite quotes that inspire
Spiritual passages that guide
Goals and action plans to track healthy habits
Positive memories that bring them back to a place of gratitude
Servant leadership moments with friends, family or colleagues
Mentor moments (specific learning from books, podcasts or influencers of wisdom)
Gratitude moments
Healthy new thoughts to practice to help retrain unhelpful thoughts or insecurities
Reset mantras for their high-stress moments
Personal affirmation statements to begin and end their days with intention
Big dream goals that they don’t want to lose sight of
Best version of self characteristics that they strive to reach each day
Identified values and moments when they reacted in alignment with those values
Motivations that drive achievement
When clients would devote just 5 or 10 minutes each day to this task and do it consistently, they accomplished their goals more productively and managed their stress levels better. I saw improvements in their ability to pivot directions and communicate more skillfully around difficult topics.
See, when you take time to observe when you are in alignment with your intention, and also notice when you are not, awareness improves. Similarly, when you reflect on your intention, you give direction to your day, preparing you to face difficulties and respond with a clear plan that is connected to your values.
This task of journaling these areas gives attention to your “best self” voice, which helps with decision-making and relationship connection. When you know yourself well, you operate more skillfully with others. If you are controlled by your circumstances, your awareness and intention will be less than optimal. This negativity spreads to those around you, creating resistance and conflict. People often think others do not pick up on this negativity, but they do. Don’t you feel it when you are around it? I know I do.
I have encouraged this tool for many clients, identifying specific areas they need to change in order to create alignment with their best selves. If you name your journal the virtue you want to develop, your confident voice in that skill area will improve over time. This journal system works to improve patience, wisdom, health and wellness, leadership, self-control, or any other virtue you want to notice and reinforce. What type of journal do you need?
Take time today to notice the area of your life you need to improve. Then get yourself a journal to record all the thoughts, emotional habit moments, goals for improvement, and daily learning that you give to develop that particular skill or character virtue. You are either improving or declining based on your habits.
Here is a challenge: Begin and end each day with awareness and intention. Enter your day with intention for it to go well, handling the pivots and problems that arise with alignment and consistency and not taking the behavior of others personally. At the end of the day, reflect on what you can do better tomorrow so that you are nurturing your strengths and reinforcing the learning that comes from stress.
Stress is your teacher. It is not meant to create disorder but rather to reinforce your character. Without stress, you lack the opportunity to be your absolute best self!