I AM
I am my word.
I am like no one else.
I am boldly creating even when uncertain.
I am in pursuit of an extraordinary life.
I had an exceptional second quarter. When I evaluated the quarter, I couldn't put my finger on anything exceptional that I'd done.
While I rarely go back and read my journal, I was curious about what I was thinking and writing at the time to give me any new insight into my growth.
What I saw in my morning journal writing was a lot of work on organizing my thoughts, but also on those pages were daily entries of ‘I Am’ statements.
This was a new practice I began incorporating at the start of the quarter after reading the book The Ultimate Coach.
Who you are being is everything.
My 'I Am' statements are an expression of that. I shared just a few here with you. Writing them has me taking ownership of who I am being and how I'm envisioning my future. My 'I Am's' are reminders of my identity and the behaviors that go with them. They express the future and who I'm becoming. They are not untrue, but they are intentionally bold.
The Ultimate Coach opens with Coach Steve Hardison offering these writing prompts for the reader to answer before reading another page.
I did and I now believe with 100% certainty that writing my 'I Am' statements and the practice of writing them daily was the source, the difference, and the energy that elevated my performance.
I retrained my brain with my conviction of who I want to be.
The funny thing about the brain, which is backed by Neuroscience research, is that when you imagine a possibility, the brain cannot tell the difference between what you’ve imagined and if it's actually happened.
My 'I Am' statements helped me build belief in myself and my work, which elevated how I was showing up personally and professionally.
I consistently wrote them in my journal. The art and science of journaling is a proven performance enhancer when done consistently and with intention. Just ask Oprah, Arianna Huffington, and Warren Buffet, who are all journalers.
Some of you may be thinking: I can't. Not me. I don't have time. But if billionaires and multi-millionaires are believers and doers, why not you? This was the question I asked myself when I was resisted journaling.
You can retrain your brain in 10 minutes a day.
When I journal,
I see what I couldn’t see before.
I see with more clarity.
New thoughts surface that wouldn't have if I hadn’t put pen to paper.
New discoveries that make me understand and simply better.
This is how you begin to manage your mind.
These new thoughts have literally changed my business.
New concepts.
New understanding.
New ideas.
New POVs.
Journaling helps me navigate energetic conversations ahead of time. Winner winner, chicken dinner!
As I write each day, things emerge out of nowhere. Thoughts magically find their way on the page without much thought. (What!?)
You may be thinking that all you'll write about will be negative or complaining. Think about it - better there, where you can leave it on the page rather than carrying negative energy into your day.
Writing daily helps you unload the baggage, make sense of it, and focus on what you want to create and who you want to become.
You will find that the days you skip journaling will be the days when you need it most.
Moving from a messy mind to a managed mind (at least closer to it). That’s retraining the brain to serve you.
I write my 'I Am' statements followed by a download of the previous day -- what worked, what didn't work, and what I would do differently. I then write about my coming day and what outcomes I will have when I show up on my 'A game.' I also write about who I'm becoming.
For me, the pen to paper freehand in a notebook is what frees my mind to unload and create. I don't get the same impact when I'm typing.
That's my practice. Find the way that is feels right to you.
Prayer
Meditation
Breathing
Reading poems
Walking
Listening to music.
The modality doesn't matter as much as putting a process in place to see what's on your mind and see what is serving you, not serving you, and what you want to create moving forward.
If you haven’t started a journaling practice, what do you want yours to look like?
Oh, the stories you will write, the places you will go, the life you will create. A managed mind, clarity, a place to design what you want. It's waiting for you on the page.
10-minutes change your life.
If you are considering working with a High-Performance Success Coach or want to know more about the components of a coaching engagement, let’s get on a coaching call. As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, Executives, and Teams, my proven engagement method is highly results driven.
The question I get most frequently is, ‘What results can I achieve?’ Here’s what one client shared:
“Coaching is by far the most ROI-positive investment you can make in yourself. Do it! Even if you go in with a specific issue or question, you will be amazed by how the process can change your thinking about who you are, your skills, and where you want to go.”
You can wait for life to no longer be hard. If you are a dreamer and a doer, let’s have a conversation.
High-performance success coaching and business coaching, and life coaching combined for massive value and impact on your life and business.
