The Importance of a Journal

So by now I'm sure many of you have noticed a bundle of new ideas flowing through your mind. Why is that? Do you remember when I told you that your subconscious mind will take the information you give it and work on it as if it is real? In most cases it takes 25-35 days for your subconscious mind to be "tricked". If you have been reading your vision statement like I recommended you should be right on track. Your subconscious mind will soon be set on autopilot and its destination is where ever your vision statement (and vision board) tells it to go. Think of these ideas as the navigational system on the road to your success.

Don't let these ideas pass you by. It is important that you "harvest" these ideas when you have them. Write them down in a journal so you can review them later. Don't trust your brain to remember these ideas on it's own. When you write your ideas down on paper it solidifies them and moves them up on the evolutionary chain. Even this blog started as an idea written in my journal.

When you harvest your ideas and appreciate them you get more ideas. Eventually some of your ideas will take off like a rocket and turn into projects. Like this blog, the more energy and attention you give to an idea the more evolved it becomes. I'm not saying that every idea you have will be the next great invention, but you never know which ideas are "great" or "not so great" until you are able to review them. It is better to write down 300 ideas and only have 5 great ones than to only write down 10 mediocre ones. The Law of Relativity (James A Ray, "The Science of Success") states that good and bad only exist in relation to each other. For example, if you have a few mediocre ideas they may seem great until you actually have that one "great" idea. The ideas are only "great" in relation to the other ideas that you are comparing it to. So write down every idea that you have and purge out the "great" ones and give them a little extra attention.

Remember, nothing happens by accident. Every event, encounter, and idea in our lives happens for a reason. We are constantly attracting people, ideas, and experiences into our lives. The reasons may not be clear at first, but as long as you are focused on a goal and think positively you can trust that the "Universe" ( aka "The Almighty Power" or "God") is working towards your well being and happiness. These ideas are a gift from God and we need to appreciate them and know they are the wind in our sail, steering us in the right direction to achieve the success we want.

Jim Rohn recommends never leaving your house without your journal. Sometimes this is hard. What I do is always have paper and pen with me. I can not carry a journal around with me all day at work, but I can carry a pen and a 3x5 index card in my scrub top pocket. When I have an idea while at work I just write it on my index card and transfer it to my journal when I get home. This method has proven to be extremely helpful. Previously, I was bringing my journal to work and leaving it in my locker. When I would have an idea, I was usually with a patient or in the middle of running a test on somebody, so I couldn't run to my locker to write it down. I found myself saying "I will wait and write it down when I go to lunch". Oftentimes I would totally forget my idea by the time I got to lunch. This was a big bummer. Now I just capture my ideas as they pass by and jot them down on my index card when I have them. This has proven to be a much more productive method for me. Some of you may be able to bring your journals with you where ever you go and that is great. The important thing is that you write your ideas down so you can review them.