In this 8-part series I’m describing a self-awareness journaling method I teach called the Focused Journal Method.
Over the course of the last few weeks I presented these steps: identifying issues that you intend to work on, examining the real significance of the issues on your issues’ list, identifying core questions, teasing out intentions, what to do when doubt casts a shadow, and using your journal to identify your strengths.
This week, we look at the seventh step: aligning your thoughts with your intentions.
If your intention is to lose ten pounds and all day long you are thinking thoughts like “This is too hard!” “I am so hungry!”, and “What’s that delicious smell?”, you are unlikely to be able to stick to your eating plan.
Once you’ve formed an intention like “I intend to lose ten pounds” you want to have a conversation with yourself in which you remind yourself that in order to stick to your eating plan you will need to get a grip on your mind and think thoughts that align with your intention.
Not only do you want to “stop” thoughts like “This is too hard!” and “I am so hungry!”, you want to introduce thoughts that positively serve you, thoughts like “I am happy with my new eating plan” and “I am looking forward to my late afternoon treat.” You create thoughts of this sort and then you consciously think them throughout the day.
Coming up with useful thoughts to think and then not thinking them doesn’t really serve you! Instead, create some thoughts that align with your intention and to indicate when you will think them (for example, first thing in the morning, whenever I start to feel a little hungry, etc.). This way you don't just write it and forget it, but make the very thought process a daily practice that supports your intention.
If you’d like to hear more about my Focused Journal Method, join me for an hour-long teleseminar on February 23 or February 24. For more information and to register: http://www.iajw.org/products/item41.cfm. If you happen to miss it, it will be recorded!
Eric Maisel, Ph.D., is the author of 30 books, among them "Coaching the Artist Within" and "The Van Gogh Blues," and is widely regarded as America’s foremost creativity coach. His most recent book is Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions. He is a featured contributor to the HuffingtonPost, ArtBistro, and Art Calendar magazine. Visit Dr. Maisel at EricMaisel.com.
From: Journaling 101: Part 8 of 8: Align Your Behaviors with Your Intentions - Whole Living Daily : Whole Living | 3/2/11 at 1:18 pm
[...] Over the course of the past few weeks, I've been sharing a process I call the Focused Journal Method. Here's what we've covered so far: identifying issues that you intend to work on, examining the real significance of the issues on your issues’ list, identifying core questions, teasing out intentions, what to do when doubt casts a shadow, and using your journal to identify your strengths, and aligning your thoughts with your intentions. [...]