Writing It Down

After a two week road trip, Ryan came home and felt his meetings had gone extremely well. He'd made great contacts and his sales were beyond his plans. But after all this, he woke up the following day thinking that something was missing. How was this possible?

He decided to at least try to do what his coach had suggested, pull out his journal and explore his unclear feelings on paper. He soon discovered how out-of-balance he had become with this new job. He loved the job, the challenge, the people and the potential; however, it was taking more of a toll on him than he had realized.

As with each of us, balancing family, work, play, alone time, and social activities is Ryan's key to success. Is it possible to achieve this with Ryan's rapidly increasing timetable?

Ryan decided that the journaling worked once, why not go back and give it another try? He outlined what he considered to be a balanced week, including each of the above activities. He soon discovered it was not that hard once he outlined his plan on paper, rather than having it in the form of random musings in his mind.

Now he was on a roll. He further outlined who he wanted to see. He intended to contact one long lost friend or associate each day for the first week to schedule something, anything—a lunch meeting, an appointment, exercising at the gym or a trip somewhere. Writing it down on his schedule would permit a strong sense of autonomy that goes along with balance.

Now his week was set. He knew who he would contact and when. Ryan was surprised and delighted when each of the five names on his list connected with him that very same day. This is a true story. One of his distant relatives called to schedule a meal with him. A long lost friend called for a spur-of-the-moment dinner.

After Ryan wrote his plans down and made a commitment, all those plans were finalized by that day's end. It worked like clockwork. Ryan wasn't surprised when he got an email around 4:00 pm from the last guy on his list wanting to play poker:00 p.m. to suggest a poker game with the gang.

Why did all of this come together so effortlessly for Ryan? Though it is not always this easy, the theory goes back to the bible: "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7. The problem is that each of us processes 60,000 thoughts a day. Merely thinking about something in the midst of so many competing thoughts is often not quite enough to make it happen.

Slowing down your mind to actually write your intentions down provides that extra edge. This activates both sides of the brain and encourages creativity, envisioning how this can come together. This deeper envisioning process generates a synergy that creates activity. I delight in seeing this over and over again in my executive coaching practice.

My clients move at a very fast pace, making huge, bold decisions quickly. While many balk at having to write their goals/intentions/dreams down, they are often amazed at having accomplished them a few short months later.

This week, follow in Ryan's footsteps. Pull out something you consider to be out of balance to write on, dream about what you want that you don't currently have, be very specific, and put it in writing. Have a great week and enjoy your discoveries.

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