Yeah, that's me in the picture. Thoughtfully and diligently journaling each and every day in a serene, inspiring setting. NOT.
Despite having a master's in English literature and loving the written word, I am not one to journal. Believe me, I've tried. I've tried because I know it can be an incredibly helpful personal and professional development tool.
It's just not for me. I can't seem to stick with it. My Strengths simply aren't motivated to journal.
Earlier this year, however, I read my Strengths Insight Guide (for about the 50th time), and I learned two new things about myself that led me to create a form of journaling that I've actually been (mostly) consistent in doing...and that I've been enjoying.
I discovered there are two things my Strengths need every day in order to feel "fed." Not necessarily "full" but definitely fed. They need to connect with someone in a meaningful way (Relator), and they need to create something (Activator and Learner). It could be a new activity for a workshop, questions for an upcoming coaching session, talking points for a presentation...basically, whatever I'm feeling passionate about creating that day.
So, I devised a way to be intentional about fulfilling these "daily doses" of what my Strengths need. It's pretty simple. In the morning, I use the attached template to note the people/person I want to connect with and what I intend to create each day. At the end of the day, I note whether or not I did what I said I would do, then I rate the day and add some thoughts about what happened and why I rated the day as I did.
I call this my "mostly" daily doses because I don't beat myself up if I fail to do it here and there...or even for a whole week (if I were high in Discipline or Achiever I'm sure I'd be much more diligent). What I have noticed, however, is that when I do make the effort to be intentional about leveraging my Strengths, I have more great days than crappy days.
Feel free to check out my Daily Doses template and make it your own.
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