6 Journaling Questions To Help You Get What You Want
OK so I have to admit that I was procrastinating just now.
Why? Stories.
Stories I was telling myself.
The story went something like this:
I’m unsure as to which topic to talk about today on my social media platforms. I’m feeling a bit unsure and just not clear on what I want to share in my marketing. What do people need right now?
Ugh there are so many things they could be thinking about. What should I choose to share? Maybe I should read a book first to get inspired. Or maybe I should do that admin thing I wanted to get done… *sigh* feeling a bit ugh from the pregnancy again.
I wish I felt more energised, determined and MOTIVATED right now! Not sure what to even start with right now…
Yup.
That’s literally the kinds of thoughts that were going through my mind just now.
And that story was hooking me. Big time.
I was BELIEVING the story.
I was convinced it was true.
I was buying into it.
The story was keeping me from getting into ACTION mode.
I was putting things off, procrastinating.
Have you been doing this too?
As soon as I realised what I was doing and as soon as I caught myself “in the story”, I paused and told myself what I know to be true.
I just need to BEGIN.
I just need to choose a topic and go with it.
Of course I could spend another half an hour umming and ahhing about it. But that’s not going to get me anywhere.
I could tell I was in an indecisive mode and that can easily go on for hours if I don’t stop it in its tracks.
So, I paused. And made a decision to get into action (despite the story, the overwhelm, and the ugh feelings).
Now I’m guessing you might be experiencing that same feeling of overwhelm. Or just feeling a bit meh. Or just putting things off right now in your business. I get it.
I’ve said this before: it’s TOTALLY normal to feel this way throughout the week. We’re not robots.
We’re human and we have emotions. And EVEN with the best intentions and best habits, you can still feel flat or lost or indecisive at times.
This morning, I woke up at 6.45am, I did a full body strength workout with my dumbbells, had a healthy breakfast of toasted rye bread & vegan feta & fresh spinach, went for a walk outside, journaled, and planned out my day. EVEN with all of that, I still felt a bit like where do I start? Where do I begin? Ugh.
So if you’re feeling a bit weird and in a funk and you’re procrastinating? I want you to know (yet again) that you’re not alone.
You’re not doing a bad job. You’re human.
OK that being said I thought I’d share 6 powerful journaling questions that will get you BACK into action right now in this moment.
Are you up for it?
It’ll take you 5 minutes to do this exercise.
And you’ll feel so much CLEARER on what you want to achieve in your business and you’ll have 1 practical action step you can take immediately to move forward and make actual real progress right now.
Sound good? COME ON.
You’ll feel better for doing it. Don’t let your mind win.
Be stronger. Take charge and get back on it.
OK let’s jump into the exercise. Using a piece of paper, answer the following 6 questions:
1. What do you really really really want? Seriously though, what do you crave and desire right now?
(Don’t overthink this. Just jot down words, phrases, sentences. Anything that comes to mind. If you had all the confidence in the world, and you could have ANYTHING you wanted in your business, what would you actually want? A certain number of clients? A full practice? A certain number of products sold? A profit goal? What do you want? Write it down! Again, don’t overthink. JUST write.)
2. Why do you want that?
(No, but seriously, I’m really asking. Like why does that matter to you? Why do you want it so bad? Why does it mean so much to you to have it in your life/business? What is it going to bring you? Why do you care about having it? What would this do for you? Be honest. Why do you want the thing you say you want?)
3. Up until now, what’s stopped you from creating it in your life?
(What has prevented you from already achieving the thing you want in your business? Is it that you lack the knowledge to bring in new leads? Is it that you lack the knowledge to convert those leads into paying clients? Is it that you have leads, but what’s stopping you is the stories that your business or your product isn’t good enough? What stories, thoughts, or patterns have been stopping you from achieving this thing you want? Or maybe it’s that you’re missing a critical skill like marketing or selling?)
4. What resources do you already have in your life that will help you in achieving what you want?
(Maybe you have an email list of previous salon clients…Maybe you already have an audience on Instagram that loves your illustrations…Maybe you have a network of other business owners who you could be collaborating with to grow each other’s audiences and increase your client base with giveaways…Maybe you already have the supplies required to make new crafts to sell on your Etsy shop…Maybe you already have marketing skills that you’ve learned from books but you just haven’t applied them in your massage business yet. What resources do you ALREADY have that could help you get to your goal??)
5. What ELSE do you need to achieve your goal?
(Something I realised when I did this exercise for the first time a few years ago was that I needed new marketing skills. My audience size and leads had plateaued. And I knew it was time for me to upskill. To grow my knowledge around copywriting and marketing. I knew I had to really learn HOW to bring in new leads for my business. And there were so many books and free blogs – it was time for me to dig in.
I then applied that knowledge to my business and grew my audience, leads, and client base as a result of it. What about you? What do you NEED to achieve your goal? Do you need sales training? Do you need to have a plan each week to get things DONE? Do you need an accountability partner or a coach to help you stay on track? Do you need copywriting skills? What do you need? Do you need to work on your mindset to increase your confidence and execute more in your business?)
6. What is 1 STEP you’re going to take right this minute to move you closer to your goal?
(Now this is an action step. Not just an idea. Or a thought. This is you TAKING 1 ACTION right now today in this moment. Don’t miss this one. Your mind will find all the reasons in the world to put this one off. Don’t let it. DO THIS. GET IT DONE. Maybe it’s posting on Instagram. Maybe it’s reaching out to that lead. Maybe it’s sending a sales email to your email list. Whatever it is, take it. DO IT. Even if you don’t feel like it or you’re not feeling good enough. Get it done regardless.)
Alright, I’d love to actually hear what you got out of this exercise!! Ideally, you’ll have a paper full of ideas and notes now.
And you’ll feel way more excited about actually hitting your goal.
I love this kind of journaling exercise because it helps remind you WHY you’re going after your goal and WHY you want to remain consistent.
It also gives you clarity on what you’re lacking and what you need to get done to achieve your goal.
Your mind is going to want to make up excuses not to do this. Remember, that you can train your mind by choosing not to listen to it and taking an aligned action instead.
Would love for you to tell me in the comments what you got out of these 6 questions once you’ve had a chance to spend 5 minutes journaling on them!
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