Why A Self Development Journal Will Help You Grow

You're about to embark on a journey of self-growth and discovery. You are about to reach new realms of possibilities, tap into limitless joy, and achieve your full potential.

You will need two things on this journey: a willingness to succeed and a personal development journal. Armed with these two things there’s nothing you cannot have, do or be and you’re destined to grow into the person you want to become, whether you want to grow professionally or take your personal life to new heights.

A self-development journal is your success sidekick, but just in case you need a little extra convincing, here’s why keeping a self-improvement journal is guaranteed to help you grow:

• Helps you laser-focus on your goals and priorities
• Keeps you accountable
• Allows you to work through difficult emotions
• Helps you notice limiting thoughts and behaviour patterns
• Provides a record of your progress
• Allows you to identify – and build upon –the behaviours that help you succeed

A self-development journal is your space to identify what you want to achieve, conquer your limitations and track your progress, so are you ready to delve into the wonderful world of self-improvement and uncover how a personal development journal can - and will - change your life for the better?

Personal Development Is A Lot About Standards And Expectations

“What you allow will continue.” Think about this quote for a second. It basically means that the standards you set for yourself affect the way your life pans out. When you commit to personal development, not only do you raise your standards, you raise your expectations for what’s possible too.

In simple terms, creating the life you want is within your control, and it starts with taking responsibility and (gently) holding yourself accountable. Maybe you’ve noticed that you shy away from new opportunities because you’re scared of putting yourself out there or that self-doubt has stopped you from pursuing your passion. A self-improvement journal allows you to pinpoint what’s working in your life and what isn’t.

When you do this, you can choose to set new expectations for yourself. You can decide that instead of being curtailed by self-doubt you’re going to find ways to start believing in yourself. Or, instead of never shooting your shot, you’ll uncover what’s been holding you back and slowly start edging out of your comfort zone.

A personal development journal is alongside you for the journey – and by putting pen to paper you can say ‘no more’ to your limitations and begin creating a new path for your future.

Categorize your goals

If you don’t know what you want, how can you expect to get it? A self-development journal is guaranteed to help you get those goals but first, you need to know what those goals actually are.

Here’s our advice: really take your time with this step and think about what you’d want your life to look like if there were absolutely no limitations to your success. 

Once you’ve written down a few ideas, take your Head Plan Productivity and Wellness Journal and divide your goals into categories. You might like to categorise them as personal and professional, or borrow our method and divide them as follows:

• Finance
• Business & Career
• Self-Care & Wellness
• Family & Friends
• Personal Development & Learning
• Physical Environment

Find a schedule that works for you

Raise your hand if you’d describe your life as ‘hectic’? We get it, finding time for the stuff that really matters can be tricky, but carving out a set time to fill out your self-development journal keeps you accountable and ensures you reap the rewards.

Our advice? Stick with morning time if you can. Setting 5/10 minutes aside to review your goals, set your intentions for the day, and jot down some tasks. This will really help you set the tone for the day.

If that’s not possible, putting pen to paper right before you fall asleep is also a solid second choice, but truthfully, it matters less when you open up your journal and actually commit to journaling daily.

So go on, find ten minutes in your daily schedule for self-growth – set a reminder on your phone if you need to - because trust us, setting empowering rituals like this one can be life changing.

Personal growth: Each journey is different because we all have different needs.

Listen closely: we’re all unique in our own wonderful way and your self-growth journey doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s, which can be easy to forget in a world of social media highlight reels and 30 Under 30 lists.

Whether you’re growing at a faster pace or enjoying life at a slower one, you’re still making headway. Slow progress is better than no progress; it’s all a forward motion, and as long as you keep moving in the right direction, you’ll get to where you want to be eventually. So forget the pressure to keep up with everyone else and remember everything is unfolding for you at the perfect time. 

Now that you know there’s no panic, and that you certainly aren’t in competition with anyone else, how can you set personal development goals that truly align with who you are and what you want to achieve?

Here’s our advice: write everything that comes to mind in your  journal. When a big goal comes to mind, don’t hesitate or let your ego tell you it’s not possible or can’t be done. Keep coming back to that page and reflecting on your list. What goals really jump out at you? What feels as though it’s meant to be? Keep asking these questions until you have a handful of goals that feel aligned with you.

We’re big fans of manifestation coach Kathrin Zenkina’s goal-setting advice. She says ‘if it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.’ Basically? If your goals don’t make you want to jump for joy, find some new ones that do.

What defines a self-development journey?

Here’s what we want you to know: only you get to define what success looks like to you. If you consider just getting through a tough day as progress, then give yourself a pat on the back. If setting a boundary with your boss feels like a major triumph, then go ahead and congratulate yourself.

Self-development is about being a little bit better than you were yesterday, whether that means finally mastering a new skill, learning to manage a low mood with a little more positivity, or finding your get up and go when your motivation is lagging.

The beauty of a self-improvement journal is that it makes you more aware of these small personal wins. If you really want to see how far you’ve come, go back through the pages of your journal. Can you spot the difference?

Write about what inspires you at the moment

Need a little helping hand to get those creative juices flowing? Think about who and what inspires you. Maybe you can’t get enough of a topic that’s discussed in the book you’re currently reading or are in awe of someone who’s kicking some major goals in business.

Open The Head Plan Productivity and Wellness Journal and free-write on the notes section (at the back) on whatever comes to mind when you think of these things. 

De-mystifying Mindfulness

Mindfulness, according to Webster’s dictionary at least, is the “complete awareness of one's thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.” To put it simply, mindfulness is about understanding you and getting to know how you think, feel and react by being present.

Noticing your thoughts, feelings and behaviors gives you the power to decide if they are helpful to your journey or not and make a new choice.

Not sure where to begin? Open a personal development book. They’re packed with wisdom that will help you mindfully identify areas for improvement. Just like a plant needs water to thrive, you need inspiration to grow. Books are like water; a force that’ll ensure you flourish and succeed.

Keep Growing…

Have you ever wondered why some goals feel way out of reach and as though you have to work extra hard to achieve them? Try as you might, you just can’t seem to get them past the line? Often, it’s because you’re becoming a version of yourself who is a match for those goals. In other words, you need to grow into them.

It could be that you have to unlearn some of the beliefs you’ve had since childhood, develop a more loving relationship with yourself, or embrace living outside of your comfort zone.

Sometimes you might see these challenges as a sign to give up, but roadblocks are usually there for a reason: that reason is so you can learn all the things you need to know to become that next level version of YOU.

Armed with a personal development journal you can make that growth a given, so turn the page, and enjoy the journey.