Friday, January 29, 2016

Journaling your goals - Part 2

Part 2 is up! The second newsletter in my new journal series is all about defining your goals.

Did you know that the most effective goals -- i.e., the ones that result in the highest levels of performance -- are specific and difficult? Yep, difficult. (But not just any kind of difficult) Find out why in this week's newsletter.

http://eepurl.com/bOa5ub
If you'd like to read the series from the beginning, but missed the first newsletter, you can find it here. You can also sign up to have next week's newsletter delivered straight to your inbox (top left corner of the newsletter page).

Best wishes and happy journaling!

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Journaling your goals - Part 2 sneak peek

Putting the finishing touches on the new journal page for this week's newsletter. I'm actually a little nervous about this one. It asks a lot of you and your goals. I'll be excited to hear what you think. Hope you'll check it out on Thursday!

Monday, January 25, 2016

Journaling your goals - part 1

It's up! The first page of my new journal series went out with my newsletter last Thursday and I thought I'd talk about it a bit here, too, since journaling and goal setting are such happy partners.

http://eepurl.com/bNHqtX
For me, the first step to journaling your goals is the Pre-Goal Consultation (with yourself). It's your chance to get to know your goals, to organize and prioritize them, and ultimately, to decide which goals you are passionate about pursuing and committed to achieving.

It all starts with a simple, yet time-honoured journaling technique: the list. Start by writing a list of the things you want to accomplish. Then, evaluate your list, looking for connections, opportunities, and priorities.

With a little time and consideration, you'll be well on your way to completing the Pre-Goal Consultation (with yourself) (free of charge!). You'll have written down and critically reviewed your goals. That is truly the first step.

Because these will likely be complex matters, your goals. They won't always be easy and they won't necessarily present themselves with obvious courses of action or clear solutions. But don't let the challenge deter you. You are the driving force here and that is a very good thing. You are not a bystander in your life; you are an active participant. You get to decide which goals to pursue, how you will pursue them, and what success will look like.

Your journal will be the perfect place for the purposeful reflection that will help you achieve your goals. It will be a valuable tool along the way.

If you missed it the first newsletter, you can find it here. You can also sign up to have next week's newsletter delivered straight to your inbox (top left corner of the newsletter page). I can't wait to share the next page!

Best wishes and happy journaling!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Testing 1, 2, 3

I've been taking test photos for a new set of postcards that are back from the printer and almost ready for the shop.





At this point, I'm pretty sure that purple is not the best colour for the background. The rest is still up in the air. Back to the drawing board -- and hoping for some rare winter sunlight tomorrow!

Monday, January 18, 2016

Journaling your goals - a new journal page series

Journaling and goal setting go together like peanut butter and jelly, like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and like, umm, other things that go really well together.

What I'm trying to say here is your journal is an ideal place for the purposeful reflection that effective goal setting demands. It's so much easier to manage your goals when they're written down, all in one place, where you can record your progress, develop new strategies for managing the inevitable bumps in the road, and plan for the next steps forward.

For last week's newsletter, I was going to write about the benefits of journaling your goals, but after writing several paragraphs, I realized I had more than one newsletter's worth of research. I considered expanding the article to three parts, but it just wasn't right, so I started over.

This time, instead of writing the newsletter -- sorry about that! -- I opened up Illustrator and started a new journal page. It was super-helpful to think in terms of prompts and to break down the process step by step. (I also took the opportunity to throw in a bunch of equally super-helpful doodle borders. Doodles make everything better.)

The result is a new and unfolding journal page series on Journaling Your Goals. The first page, the Pre-Goal Consultation, along with lots of thoughts and suggestions for your journals, will appear in this Thursday's newsletter.

Beyond that, I've planned for five more pages that will take you through prioritizing your goals, thinking them through, and tracking your progress.

See you over at the newsletter on Thursday!

P.S. If you'd like to subscribe, you can click here to sign up. (You'll also be able to check out my archive, which includes lots of good reasons to journal!)

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Work in progress

I've just spent a large part of the last two days attempting to update the cover of Adventures in Guided Journaling - Volume 1 in preparation for a reprint. My desk is a mess. My computer screen is a mess . . .

I've gone back and forth from color blocks to polka dots to stripes and back again, but I think I'm getting a little closer to something that approaches the look of a journal cover. The one in the middle is where I've left it for today.

Back at it tomorrow, along with my newsletter, which will be all about goal setting for the next few weeks. If you haven't subscribed, you can sign up here and also take a peek at the archive for all sorts of great reasons to journal.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Stickers coming soon . . .

Sending a new set of Mini-Prompt Journal Stickers to the printer this afternoon. Can't wait to see how they turn out!

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Word of the Year

If you decided to choose one word or idea to give you inspiration in the year ahead, what would it be?

Debra Dane, the wonderfully creative, energetic, and passionate artist at the helm of Inner Compass Designs has invited me to contribute some guided journaling materials to the Word of the Year Facebook Group she has created for 2016. She has been an amazing supporter and source of wisdom since we crossed paths years ago over the internet, and I jumped at the opportunity to work with her. I'll be creating some special pages, starting in April, to give group members a fun way to check in with their words and their progress throughout the year.

When I took a good look at my goals for the year, I knew exactly what my word would be: growth.
This year, I am working toward increasing the number and variety of journal products in my shop, increasing my reach, and ultimately, toward increasing my income, both through the shop and through consultation outside of the shop. In order to achieve the targets I've set, I'll need to grow in other ways as well -- as a business person, as a journaler, as a collaborator, as a parent and partner with a lot on her plate, and probably in a whole bunch of other ways I haven't considered.

What I like about the word growth, in addition to the idea of increasing in size, are its other inherent attributes. It is incremental, which is a wonderful way to pursue one's goals, and it involves development, which I'll definitely need to engage in along the way as challenges become ever more complex and require more creative solutions.

Journaling will be a huge part of my year of growth. Setting goals, developing strategies for facing challenges, checking in to gauge my progress, celebrating my successes, gathering resources -- these subjects will all find their way into my journal, my handy tool for positive action.

Debra's Word of the Year group is open to anyone who'd like to try their hand at choosing a guiding word for the year and share the support of others who have chosen their own inspirational words. If that sounds like your cup of tea, hop on over and check it out! She has a whole roster of fabulous contributors lined up and a schedule filled with creative activities.

So, if you could choose a guiding word to inspire you in the year ahead (or the month ahead, or even for today), what would it be?