How many times have you done it – gone shopping and spent tons of money only to get home and realize you made a mistake or it wasn’t really what you wanted? You felt the pressure of “SALE”, “50% OFF”, “BUY NOW”, etc. You couldn’t let that sale pass you by.

I used to do this all the time and then after I married my husband, he taught me patience. I had gotten so much better and learned to wait before making a purchase, especially a large purchase. But I have to confess, last year I backslid and it was such a large purchase it jolted me back to my strategy of making decisions.

Last year I participated in a 12 month mastermind group. I learned a lot in the group and it really served me well. I had made the decision that when it came time to renew, I was not going to renew. It was time for me to move on and spread my wings and fly.

We had our last in-person retreat towards the end of the year. On the first day of the retreat, the sales pitch came to renew. I was totally thrown off guard and wasn’t expecting it at all. They offered an incredible deal to renew and the price was half of what I paid originally to join the program. In order to take advantage of this great price, you had to sign up before you left the retreat.

As someone who loves a good deal, I started to consider signing up even though I had said I would not and was at total peace with the decision. Now I started second guessing my choice and was wondering if I was making a huge mistake not renewing. Thus started a downward spiral of sleepless nights trying to decide what to do.

I called my husband and he was at first very adamant about not renewing and reminded me of why we came to that decision. I however started to try and convince him otherwise. I did at least have the wherewithal to sleep on it before making a decision but that caused a totally sleepless night. Also the peer pressure from my other colleagues was something I couldn’t ignore.

Long story short, I ended up renewing. While people say there are no mistakes, I really feel like this was one huge mistake and obviously a lesson I had to learn. I think we make the best of our mistakes and they can turn around but none the less, this was a mistake.

In looking back, I analyzed why I let myself get caught up in the sales pitch. One of the huge things I did wrong was I made the decision out of fear. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to succeed without the mastermind group and I wouldn’t have the impressiveness of the program. Those were 2 huge red flags I ignored.

The other is I usually take out my journal and write the pros and cons of the choices I have. I didn’t do this important step.

I know we live in an instant gratification society but I have learned that as American’s we have unlimited resources at our disposal, which we sometimes take for granted. If something is available once, it will be available again when we need it or are ready for it. I mean even though Oprah went off the air, you can watch reruns of her show.

This year when the time comes to renew, first I am not even attending the final in-person retreat and second, I am 100% confident I will not be renewing. I have done the pre-work of journaling the pros and cons and looking at why I am making the decision. Another mistake avoided!

“It finally happened! Tommy spoke to me. I can’t believe it. I have such a huge crush on him.” Remember when you were a little girl you had one of those cute, pink diaries that had a lock on the front and you probably hid your diary between your bed mattresses? You would write about a boy you had a crush on or how the girls in your class were being mean? Ah when days were simple.

What happened to the fun an innocents of journaling? Why did writing in our “diary” become such a chore and why on earth did we make it so hard? I can remember spending countless hours sitting in a field outside my house writing and writing. I would draw pictures and put stickers in my journal and found it was the one friend I could count on to not betray me or hurt my feelings.

While I have grown up, I certainly face much bigger issues as an adult but my journal is still there and still my consistent and confident friend. However, I tend to neglect it and take its devoted friendship for granted. It is the most forgiving friend though and never questions where I have been or why I haven’t spent more time with it. It happily takes my thoughts and abuse and lends a tender page to cry on.

We can always pick back up where we left off like we had never been apart even if months go by. I feel certain, we will be friends for life and hopefully I will be a better friend as it has been a comforting friend to me.

I know we all have busy lives. But what if for just 5 minutes we could have that childish innocents again? If you have 5 minutes, you have time to write in your journal. Open your journal and write whatever comes to you in that 5 minutes then stop once the 5 minutes are up. You might be surprised what you learn! You might even find an old friend again.

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I just got done watching E’s Fashion Police and saw a story on Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen’s new upscale clothing line The Row and how they have a $39,000.00 crocodile backpack. One of the contributors on the show justified the cost stating that manufacturers can only use the underbelly of the crocodile and it is hard to harvest. I wasn’t sure what was more appalling to me the fact that they are harvesting crocodile or the cost of the backpack. I love fashion but wowza!

It made me feel really proud that we don’t use animal skin to make our journals. We use a high quality, man-made material so we can be one less contributor to sacrificing animals for fashion. Best yet, our journals DON’T cost $39K they are actually less than $100.00. We are also very proud that our journals are made right here in the USA.

You don’t have to sacrifice style to have something made in an unconventional way.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Be sure to share them below.

We are also excited to hear from one of our new customers. Here is what she had to say once she received her Sheic Journal in the mail:

“Thanks for my journal. It’s so beautiful! I am planning to take it to Germany with me and write daily. Being away from everything, that will be a lovely experience and good for reflection. Moments of quietude – what luxury.”
~ Helga Matzko

Having “balance” in your life is hard. There are those that argue there is no such thing as balance and those that say it is necessary. One thing we can all agree on is that there are times in our lives, some longer periods than others, where we feel overwhelmed by all the demands we have and also put on ourselves. Take this assessment to find out what stage of overwhelm you are in and learn tips on how you can avoid increasing more demands on yourself.

All my life, I have always been inquisitive to people’s stories. When my parents would have their friends over, I would sit and listen to them talk about their lives rather than playing outside with the other kids. This trend continued as I grew up and I always seemed to have someone older in my life who acted as a mentor and whose life I was fascinated by.

When I was in junior high (middle school for those who are younger) I had the opportunity to work in the library as one of my classes for the semester.  Sounds nerdy I know but for me, it was like giving me the keys to the world. I would organize the books on the shelves and find myself constantly stuck in the autobiography section. One of the first books I read was Diary of Anne Frank. One of the most amazing books I have ever read. It didn’t stop there as I continued to learn about others lives, their struggles and how they overcame them.

There was so much to learn. I was actually sad when it came time for me to end my term in the library. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life. My love for hearing others stories never died though.

If it wasn’t for people writing the stories of their lives, we would miss out on so much history. Anne Frank is just one great example of how a little girl not only gave us a glimpse of her life but it also told of the activities of one of the most significant times in history.

While my senses may be heightened because of my passion for journaling, I certainly have been noticing a lot of movies and celebrities lately who are journaling. Some of my favorite movies/tv shows that either center around or involve journaling are Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Little House on the Prairie (based on the real Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life) and Sex & The City (okay not a diary but it was based on Carrie Bradshaw’s life).

I know recently Jacyee Dugard released her memoir which was based on her journals she kept while being held prisoner by her kidnappers.  While I haven’t read it yet, I imagine it will be tough to get through.

Celebrities have been journaling such as Sarah Ferguson in her reality show, Finding Sarah. As she goes through her journey to finding out who she really is, she jots the moments down in her journal.

Part of the reason I created Sheic Journals was not only to give people a tool to help capture their stories but to also create a movement and encourage people to journal. I know we all have a story to tell and whether we let the world know about it or just keep it to ourselves it is always nice to put it down on paper and reflect back to how far we have come.

I would love to hear what some of your favorite movies or books are that are either autobiographies or center around journaling. Be sure to add a comment below.

Did you see the commemorative issue of O Magazine for the Farewell Season of Oprah? I was thumbing through it and was giddy with excitement when I turned to the article where Oprah has photos of her actual journal when she was writing the vision for her talk show career.

This is just one example of powerful journaling. It gives you the ability to look back and see where you were and most importantly how far you have come. I know in my own life I have experienced writing down my vision and it not only came true but it was beyond my expectations.

I can think of one example from about 3 years ago when my husband and I were needing a change in our surroundings. Working from home can prove very isolating at times especially when you live in a rural area. Our neighborhood just didn’t have many neighbors we could connect with. We decided it was time to move and we decided to do it in a big way by not only changing homes but moving to another state.

When we made the decision, I grabbed my journal and decided to write down what kind of neighbors I wanted and what kind of life I wanted in our new location. I was very, very specific but I also wrote the words, “and anything better”. While I knew what I wanted, I also didn’t want to limit what God might have had planned for me.

Long, long story short, we made the move a few months later and we got everything on my list and then some. I can certainly look back to see where I was and how far I have come and I celebrate with gratitude.

A goal setting study sponsored by the Ford Foundation found the following interesting statistics:

• 23% of the populations has no idea what they want from life and as a result they float around aimlessly.
• 67% of the population has a general idea of what they want but they don’t have any plans for how to get it.
• Only 10% of the population has specific well-defined goals but even then, 7 out of 10 of those people reach their goals only half (50%) of the time.

The top 3% of the people in the study achieved their goals 89% of the time.
What made the difference for the top 3% who achieved their goals 89% of the time?
They found that of all the possible variables … the only difference between the top performers and the rest was that the top 3% wrote down their goals.

Take this time now to grab your journal and start writing down what you want your life to look like. Don’t censor yourself. Just let it flow. Dream big and wild. Write as if you were writing a short story or a movie. Or if writing in list format is your thing, make bullet points. It doesn’t matter how you write it just getting it down on paper is the important part. And remember one important tip, at the end of your writing, add the words, “or anything better” and watch your goals exceed your expectations.

My coach featured the quiz below in her newsletter and I thought it was worth sharing. Before you take the quiz, get your journal handy and jot down your answers. It is a pretty eye opening quiz.

The following quiz appeared on the Web and has been all over the world. Take a few minutes to answer the following questions and see how you do:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

The point: None of us remember the headlines of yesterday. These are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name three people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few special people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of three people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name a half a dozen heroes who stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

© Liz Dennery Sanders 2011

Liz Dennery Sanders wants you to build your brand with style. As the CEO of Dennery Marks Inc., a brand development and celebrity outreach firm, she founded SheBrand, to help female entrepreneurs build powerful personal brands, attract more clients and position themselves as authorities in their industries. You can reach her directly at info@shebrand.com or www.shebrand.com.

“Get used to recording random thoughts without judging them. You never know what tiny seed will bear fruit and an idea can take years to grow. Or rather, we can take years to grow into the idea. The unconscious is usually way ahead of us. I wrote a line in a journal one day, ‘Your hypocrisy was irresistible.’ My conscious mind forgot about it, but my unconscious kept working and two years down the road, that one line turned into a suite of seven short plays and a personal breakthrough. Who knew? But it was in my journal so it didn’t get lost.”

–Nancy Oliver, Screenwriter, nominee for 2008 Academy Award

I love this quote! I believe when people hear the word “journaling” they have a little anxiety because they feel it has to be this daunting task of sitting for hours starring at a blank notebook to write their inner most feelings and thoughts. What ends up happening is people don’t journal because they either don’t have this kind of time or really don’t want to address those feelings.

I’m going to set you free today! Yes that type of journaling is important and certainly has its place. However, it can be as easy as writing your to-do list. To some that may not seem like journaling but any time you take account of your life, you are documenting it thus “journaling” it.

Wikipedia gives the definition of the word journal as “a daily record of events or business.” Your to-do list or random thoughts are just that, a daily record. The benefit of documenting such items is that later you can look back and either see what you have accomplished or know how much you have grown as a person.

I am not your typical journaler who documents every thought and feeling. I use my journal to capture everything in my life. It could be those ideas I have in the shower for the next big thing, my want list of things for my office, notes from my call with my coach, etc. You get the picture. My journal captures every moment.

The main reason I document everything whether those deep feelings or simple random thoughts is so I can download my brain and as the quote above expressed, get it out of my “conscious mind” and allow my brain to relax and move on to something else.

Now don’t you feel better and the pressure to journal lifted? Now when you look at that empty journal, you won’t feel as intimidated and you can start to relax your brain by downloading your random thoughts.

5 Reasons Journaling Is Great For Your Business

Most entrepreneurs keep journals, whether it’s a hard-cover notebook full of to-do lists and ideas or a Word document updated with daily musings. You could argue that there isn’t a correlation between success in business and journaling but you’d be wrong.

Journaling is good for business and there are lots of reasons why. Today we’ll ponder 5 of those reasons.

1. Journaling encourages creative expression. Sometimes when you’re running your own business, or even when you’re managing someone else’s business, you end up getting overwhelmed and stressed and forgetting about the reasons you launched your career in the first place. Journaling lets you go back to that place of raw creativity. There are no rules with your journal. Nobody cares about grammar. Nobody will judge your run-on sentences, spelling mistakes or dangling participles. When you journal, you have a place to dump all of those thoughts that are in your head so you can actually focus on making your business better.  Journaling opens up the lines of communication between the right and left sides of your brain, and that can do wonders for your business.

2. Journaling will calm you down. Studies have shown that the average human has 60,000+ thoughts running through his/her head a day. Each thought releases a chemical so imagine if you have stressful or worrisome thoughts the types of chemicals that are being released. If you dump your thoughts into a journal at the end of the day, you release those thoughts thus removing those chemicals because your stress levels are sure to drop. Journaling brings most people a feeling of peace and contentment.

3. Journaling helps you remember. Easily recall meetings, contacts and events. A business owner who journals has a living record of every single thing that has ever happened in her company, which means not a single noteworthy event is ever forgotten. When you journal, you can flip back through your notes and find all kinds of valuable information from action items and the names of your colleagues’ assistants to reference numbers for important purchases and brilliant ideas to conquer the world that you might otherwise have forgotten ages ago.

4. Journaling will help you process what’s happening. When you’re operating a business, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Sometimes you have so many ideas you simply can’t focus on any one thing. Journaling will help you process everything happening in your head. You never know what kind of business brilliance can come from a little clarity.

5. Journaling allows you to have a log of where you’ve come from. Your journal is a record of your thoughts. If you have a business, you can learn so much simply by reflecting on where you’ve been. Your business can profit by looking back at why you’ve failed and how you’ve triumphed.

Has journaling helped you become successful in business? Tell us how by leaving a comment.