Intention Journal, Affirmations... beyond the hyperbole

[mark1968]

Hi folks.

I just finished listening to Making Change Stick (2007) and was hoping I could find another GTD Connect member who is either considering, or already using, the intention journal. My intention, ahem, is to share feedback on the process, and make the learning more interactive.

Anyone interested?

 

[cmcantwell]

I've used the Journal for a few years now

Hi Mark,

I've used the journal for awhile now and really like the benefits I've seen. I'd be happy to share more with you. Let me know what you have in mind.

 

[mark1968]

Hi Mark,

I've used the journal for awhile now and really like the benefits I've seen. I'd be happy to share more with you. Let me know what you have in mind.

Hi Carol.

We could do an ongoing discussion here (perhaps others will benefit). Or use Skype/email for our back and forth. To start, did you do any other reading on affirmation/intentions before using the intention journal? Did you have any internal skepticism about the process? What about motivation re: follow through?

 

[cmcantwell]

Initial skeptic turned fan

Hi Mark,

I hadn't done any specific reading on affirmations/intentions. I do have some familiarity with meditation [not a daily practice for me but some training] so I wasn't opposed to the idea of setting a clear intention. Affirmations are probably where I'm the most skeptical.

That said, I first used the journal to send me regular reminders to review the higher levels. I customized the messages with questions I wanted to consider.

For example Areas of Focus:
What am I responsible for maintaining?

Review mind map
What area brings me the most joy?
What have I been neglecting?
Which areas attract me and which repel me?

Update mind map
Anything to add?
Anything to remove?
Anything to clarify?

So I have the 20k level set to email me every 2 months, 30k Goals every 3 months, 40k Vision every 4 months, and 50k every 6 months.

I also set up one with my theme for the year that appears every 63 days and a few specific longer-term project ones that show up every 3 months. When I get these ones, I don't necessarily DO anything in particular other than just check in with myself and see if anything comes up that I want to capture.

It's amazing to me to notice how much progress I've made on things without much conscious thought just seeing a few gentle reminders throughout the year.

I'm curious what you're considering using the journal for. Care to share?

 

[mark1968]

I'm curious what you're considering using the journal for. Care to share?

Thanks for the detailed response.

For the time being, I'm going to use Shakti Gawain's book/cd program: Creative Visualization. I'm still unsure what tool I'll use to capture/hold my visualizations and affirmations.

 

[cmcantwell]

Cool

I have to say that I do like getting the email reminders from the Intention Journal which helps keep my intentions more alive during the year. So no matter what tool you use for your visualizations, you might still use the Journal here just to send you reminders to look at your visualizations and reflect on them.