by George A. Boyd © 2004
Many planners and organizers are available to assist
you schedule and plan your life, to list your contacts, and to write down
your goals. The drawback with many of these planners is that they do not
concretize your goals, to present your goals so you see and touch
them.
So in addition to any organizer and planner you may
use, you may wish to create a personal success notebook. Begin
by purchasing a 1/2" or 1" binder in your favorite color, and
put dividers in this notebook.
At the beginning of your personal success notebook,
have a quote that inspires you in a plastic sleeve.
In section one, have a list of your goals that are
most important—your "A" goals. You may wish to write down
your goals for each of the following areas of your life:
Environment Home, Garden
Body Appearance, Wardrobe
Vitality Health
Emotions Relationships
Mind Career, Home Business
Mind Finances
Mind Education, New Skills
Volition Personal Change, Recovery
Personal/Social Cultural and Social Expansion,
Travel and New Experiences
Personal/Social Civic and Political Involvement,
Volunteer Projects
Essence Ethical and Moral Standards, Self-Introspection
Essence Spiritual Growth, Prayer, Meditation,
Creativity, Insights
Put pictures or graphics in this section to help you
picture these goals. You may wish to also include in this section, affirmations
of what you shall accomplish or achieve.
In section two, make a list of your accomplishments.
This may take the form of a list where you detail over time what goals
you accomplished.
For example, June 22, 2002 earned certificate
in retail sales. You may put in this section awards or commendations you
have received, evidence you have accomplished your goals such as diplomas
or certificates. You may also wish to put in pictures or graphics that
make these achievements real for you, for example, a picture of your graduation
from college.
In section three, make a statement of who you are.
This can be as simple as for example, [your name] is a designer, an artist,
and consultant. Then write a compelling paragraph about each area, detailing
your achievements. You can have literature available about your business,
your products, and services in this section, placed in plastic sleeves.
In section four, you will have a supply of blank paper,
lined and unlined, on which you can jot down ideas and inspirations. You
can use this section for new articles or poems if you are an author or
poet. Keep a slash pocket after this section so you can collect your completed
articles or poems.
In section five, collect inspirational and reference
materials. You may wish to clip articles and pictures that relate to your
projects and dreams. If you are architect, for example, you may wish to
put an article here on the homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
In section six, you may optionally wish to create
a simple organizer, where you list phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and
calendar in which you schedule your activities if you do not have a personal
planner.
In section seven, you may optionally wish to include
quotes that give you confidence, faith and courage. You can put your own
spiritual insights or aphorisms, your credo or mission statement here.
As you continue to build this notebook, you will capture
what you want to achieve in your human life, what you have accomplished,
and detail a roadmap to help you arrive at each of your key life goals.
If you can dream it and take the constructive action to actualize it,
you can achieve it.