Everyone has different goals in life, but everyone wants to succeed. There is no man or woman who truly wants to be a loser. To be successful is the natural desire of any person; when he receives satisfaction from his life, he understands that he is moving in the right direction. There are ways to become more successful, for example, you can work with a personal coach, but it will cost a lot. But there is also an effective tool that few have heard of - a success diary. The essence of a diary is that you regularly record your personal achievements in it. Everything is elementary!
A simple paper notebook turns into a unique tool that will help you believe in yourself and find motivation to achieve your goal . When you focus on personal success, getting closer to the desired pinnacle of your success will not be so difficult, because every small victory gives you a pleasant feeling of self-satisfaction.
Even minor achievements strengthen your self-confidence. Remember “how to eat an elephant” - divide it into small pieces or try to swallow it whole? It’s the same with a success diary: it’s better to regularly make short notes about small results than to wait your whole life for that huge success.
What is a success diary
Just two years ago, I could not even imagine that sometimes, by writing down my sometimes chaotic thoughts in a notebook, I would create an imaginary psychoanalyst directly for myself. Having tested it on myself, I concluded that this simple method gives a person very powerful psychological support, which he often looks for in family and loved ones, but does not find.
Day after day, we have to make one choice or another, find answers and make decisions. At the same time, many cannot shake the feeling that life is freezing and not moving anywhere, that you are at one point, without the slightest hint of personal development. All this happens because our attention is focused on the wrong moments in life. People tend to remember negative events for a long time and return to them. They seem to overshadow the positive stories.
I think the reason for this lies in our upbringing. When we were punished for a bad grade, and good studies were taken for granted by our parents.
Features of human memory
Can you remember exactly what you looked like yesterday? And a month ago, and a year, and ten years ago? Can you remember what your family and friends looked like yesterday, a year ago, ten years ago? For short periods of time, most people remember what and who looked like. For long-term ones - most likely not. Especially if you remember not hairstyle and clothes, but, for example, facial expressions, facial expressions, age indicators.
Therefore, when looking at photographs from ten or fifteen years ago, one is surprised to discover age-related changes, changes in facial expression, and facial expressions. Changes occur so smoothly and gradually that the brain is not able to track them. We think we look about the same all the time.
Similar situations occur when achieving goals. It seems that there are no achievements, the efforts spent are meaningless, and there is no change. But when considering large periods of time, it becomes obvious that changes are present. Sometimes they turn out to be significant. For example, over the last ten years of your life, many goals were achieved and desires came true, but your consciousness did not track this, something was erased from memory. There were “fewer” achievements, and the feeling of inability to achieve set goals increased.
A little trick for positively programming your subconscious with goals: use a wish map - it’s quick and effective.
How to Keep a Success Diary
Keeping a success diary correctly is very simple. By describing joyful events, our victories, pleasant meetings, we help the brain remember them. And when difficult life moments come, the diary of successes and achievements will set us up for a positive wave, give us strength and confidence to resolve difficult situations.
A diary of achievements can be kept in the most ordinary notebook, notepad, diary, or even in electronic form.
I'll tell you how to keep a diary correctly. In it we write down everything about our achievements in work and education, moments of recognition from colleagues and friends, long-awaited meetings and simply pleasant events. We describe what feelings and emotions we experience. That is, we focus on everything that can lift your spirits and inspire you to achieve your goals.
A diary can be kept by both a mother on maternity leave and a busy businesswoman.
The most important thing is to learn to enjoy even small and seemingly insignificant events, and not just successful projects. Our happiness is made up of small joys, which, like bricks, help build our success in life.
In your achievement diary, you can and should mark quotes and phrases from books and articles that you especially liked. Affirmations that motivate you and of course your revelations. This will help anchor them in your mind and keep them on the right wavelength.
How does it work?
Keeping such a Diary teaches us to notice the small grains that make up happiness. This is the essence of practice.
Read also: Making a bow from fabric for a hairpin
You need to take stock of the day every day, writing down your successes and those moments that made you grateful. Here's how one girl talks about it, for whom the practice of keeping notes helped get out of terrible depression.
I didn't want anything in this life. I could lie in the fetal position all day: I could not eat or drink all day. Life is pain.
These words accurately convey my state at that moment. One evening, when I got to the computer, I entered only 2 words into the search engine: depression and help. That's how I came across Gratitude Journaling.
I found a notebook and opened it. What can I be grateful for in life? For my mother, for my son, for my work... I thanked you for everything! But before, I took all this for granted... And then I switched to gratitude for everyday little things: for a smile, for the rain... I started smiling - and it was a great achievement.
Before this, nothing helped me get out of depression. So the Gratitude Journal really does magically change your attitude towards life. Alevtina.
How a goal diary can help
From people who don’t believe in themselves and complain about a lack of strength and capabilities, you can hear the following words: “this is very difficult for me, I can’t handle it , “you feel good, but I don’t know what to do . To prevent such thoughts from entering your head, start keeping your success diary.
If a person cannot see anything positive in his actions, this can lead to the feeling that he is wasting his time, and apathy will increasingly set in. To prevent such a state and be able to motivate yourself, you need to keep a goals diary . After turning a couple of pages, read what was described a year ago, compare it with current affairs and realize that you are not standing still, but moving forward. This will help dispel depressive thoughts about wanting to quit. Or maybe make it clear that there really is no progress, and you are wasting your energy on the wrong thing. And this is also good, you will change the vector in time.
Why is this effective?
The human brain tends to remember mostly negative things, and positive moments are usually “erased” from memory. Regular journaling will help you note that there are still more positive situations in life. Writing down even small successes helps boost self-esteem.
We take much in our lives for granted and do not notice the favor of fate. Even going through difficult trials is positive, because at this time we gain invaluable experience.
You need to keep a success diary taking into account all the events that happen in our lives - both global and very insignificant.
Psychologists are confident that this approach has a positive effect on our subconscious. We see all the little things for which we thank the day and change our attitude towards life in general.
What is the secret of this technique
Everyone knows the popular wisdom: “If you don’t praise yourself, no one will.”
Finding moments and events in life that can be recorded in a diary of success and achievements is not at all difficult. But many don’t even start, citing lack of time and that it won’t help the matter.
“Everything that is ingenious is simple, and everything that is simple is brilliant.”
Think about it, there is a deep meaning in this that people cannot always consider. Many people are alarmed by the simplicity of the activity. But an achievement diary has many advantages. There are two main components in it:
- Rational , it helps you see your progress over a certain period of time.
- Emotional , it helps to raise positive emotions to the surface, which again excite and inspire to move on to new achievements.
Advice from an expert
Tatyana Davydova is a professional psychologist, coach, happy mother and wife. Her channel is for women who want to develop harmoniously in different areas of life and be happy. On the channel she touches on topics such as:
- relationships with men;
- female success;
- self-realization;
- self-development and change.
In her videos she gives both theoretical and practical parts. You will do specific exercises and other techniques that will help you improve your life.
In the video, Tatyana talks about where to start keeping a diary of success and achievements.
Positive aspects of keeping a success diary
Keeping a diary of success and achievements helps to quietly acquire the qualities inherent in a harmonious personality.
- Positive thinking . This is a very important skill. Positive thoughts will crowd out negative thoughts. They will not allow destructive attitudes to take hold in your subconscious. Over time, you will notice that there will be fewer bad moments in your life. You will be filled with energy and your resources will only grow.
- Self-esteem and self-belief . These concepts take place if a person realizes that he is successful. Our self-esteem should be at a good level. Unfortunately, many people have problems with this. And our subjective comparisons of ourselves with others have the most destructive power. A success journal helps you get rid of the constant urge to compare yourself to someone else. It will help and teach us to concentrate on actions aimed at our tasks and goals.
- Intrinsic motivation . This is the force that can push us to take actions to realize our desires . A person cannot constantly be on a wave of inspiration. Over time, it subsides and can be replaced by moments of oppression. When apathy and despondency take all your strength, your writing will save you by awakening your inner motivation.
- Good self-esteem and self-sufficiency are qualities that can change you and your worldview. You will feel changes in all areas of your life. You will look at all events that happen through the prism of positive feelings and hopes. Now failure is not the end, it is an opportunity for growth. Where before you would have given up and said: “I’ve given up,” now you will look for a way out and understand where you need to move. This leads to victories. You control your own life and circumstances, not they control you.
- Keeping a diary of goals and achievements, where your strengths, abilities, skills, and experience are recorded, helps to attract greater success and favorable circumstances. We attract what we focus on.
An undoubted advantage of keeping a diary will be organization. Yes, at first you will have to force yourself and persuade yourself to take notes, but over time it will become a habit . Organization is useful for any area of our life. It makes it much easier to overcome laziness.
If self-criticism is your strong point, and self-doubt does not leave you, we advise you to start keeping a diary of achievements. And it doesn’t matter at all what stage of life you are at. The quality of life can always be improved.
Small bonus for additional ideas
To think more deeply, I use Julia Cameron's Morning Pages (“three pages of stream of consciousness handwritten first thing in the morning”). Research shows that our brains are most creative immediately after waking up.
In the evening, I look through these pages and include the most important thoughts (if any) in the journal.
I prefer to journal by hand in a notebook because it helps me remember information, I can create my own symbols and layouts, plus I keep almost everything else there.
But you can use digital apps like Evernote, which let you move items around and organize your thoughts by tags.
You can use individual cards instead of a notepad or a calendar - or whatever else you like. You will notice that your journal will change over time, and this reflects your own ever-changing nature as a person.
The diary is yours to use, so adapt it to your personality and preferences. Whatever format you choose, it should be easy and enjoyable to use, otherwise it won't become a habit.
What difficulties may arise when keeping a success diary?
- It's hard to find something to praise yourself for. In such situations, praise yourself for all actions that are not bad. It will be difficult for a perfectionist to praise himself for a baked charlotte. The main task is to carry out praise, no matter how much effort it costs you. At first, choose any situations for which you could simply pat yourself on the head. Observe this state, feel your experiences.
- The desire to quit . It actually doesn't take much time. It is enough to allocate 5-10 minutes a day to describe a couple of events. But you will not begin to notice internal changes immediately. Therefore, it is important to continue, reach the middle and realize the changes. Then there will be a desire to continue and under no circumstances quit.
- Bad mood and no desire to write anything . Your notes will help you here. Read what they wrote earlier, what they praised themselves for. And first of all, make a note and praise yourself for making the effort to continue.
- I have no desire to start a diary at all . Then you can start a “box of success”. On a separate sheet of paper, mark the date and describe the good event and what feelings it caused. Fold and store in this box. Everything that did not leave you indifferent: a client’s review, an unexpected gift, obtaining a license, buying successful trousers, the birth of a child, etc. Believe me, this is not just a diary of achievements, it is a kind of antidepressant . How pleasant it is to sort through these pieces of paper and reread them with pleasure.
It will be difficult for self-confident people to understand the meaning of all this, and they don’t need to, but for those who always doubt themselves, it’s easy to understand. A confident person is doomed to success; he is not afraid of any obstacles. And here the question is not about self-confidence, it’s a little different. But such a box is a kind of path to self-confidence .
Who needs to lead it?
A journal of luck and success is a must-have for people with low self-esteem. It records all the achievements of a person for a certain period. Subsequently, he notices that in small steps he is approaching his desires and is able to achieve success.
A gratitude diary will help the following categories of people realize their intellectual potential:
- housewives;
- businessmen;
- creative people;
- entrepreneurs, etc.
For people with mental disorders and deep depression, keeping a success diary is an excellent way to heal. This action is a preventive measure for burnout syndrome.
A success diary will help housewives avoid emotional burnout
Practice. Recording our successes
How to start keeping a success diary? First, let’s think and write down ten of our merits. Remember all your skills, abilities, qualifications, what you are a master of, what you do best. Below, as an example, I will give several positive statements in the context of what there is a need to strive for.
Examples of keeping a diary will be described below.
If you want to get a high-paying job, list all your strengths and skills that you possess:
- “I am always attentive to people”
- “I am hardworking and efficient”
- “I always try to do my job well”
- “I have good organizational skills”
- "I have a good sense of taste."
If your goal is to build harmonious relationships and start a family, list your talents:
- “I easily make acquaintances and new contacts”
- "I am caring and considerate of others"
- “Many people like my sense of humor”
- “In a company I am always the center of attention”
- "I'm a good housewife"
- “My charisma is impossible to resist”
- “I often get compliments about my beautiful eyes.”
- “Girls often admire my figure and nature” and so on.
You can always find something for which you can praise yourself. Spend a few minutes in front of the mirror, don't look at what you don't like about your appearance. Look for what you like. Remember conversations with family and friends, what they admired about you, what compliments colleagues, partners and unfamiliar people gave. Don't be shy, recognize your best qualities, and feel free to write them down on paper.
To record your desires, you can create a separate wish notebook . There are legends that it helps dreams come true
