Why write my dreams down on paper? Can’t I just use my phone to make a list? Why do I live in the dark ages?
Okay, yes, I use my phone for lists. Especially if I’m already looking for things on the internet and need the link or address/phone number of a place I’m wanting to visit, or an appointment I want to make. I use a calendar through google and it works like magic. I love it. As far as creating lists though, handwriting your list on paper has more benefits for you than typing does.
I’ve read a long time ago that making a list by physically writing by hand is very good for your mind-body connection. It’s a great “primping” exercise you can do for yourself. Mentally connecting your mind by writing is therapeutic and a great exercise for your brain to take time to sort though your thoughts and connect it on paper. I know this sounds like a lot of work, (call me weird if you want to) but writing helps me to clear my mind, it helps my feelings to get sorted out, it helps me to reflect on my life, it reduces anxiety, it gets the truth out, and the lies out onto paper where you can sort through your problems and make sense of them. I do think it works and it’s been a very powerful exercise for me. I wish I would remember to write when I’m upset too, because after writing down all my fears and hurts I feel more at peace. Typing doesn’t have the same effect, the thought process is different.
Another tip I have learned along the way about making a list… Did you know that a very small percentage of people actually write down their goals, visions, dreams, things they want to accomplish and do better in their life? Did you know that journaling is more than just writing down your history? There is much more to it than that. It is not only great therapy for your brain. It is a great exercise for your body to absorb mentally what you want to become in your life. “What I am someday going to be I am now becoming” I love that quote.
We are in such a rush all the time, these days it seem journals are a thing of the past, something that only Laura Ingalls Wilder would find useful. I’ve been keeping a journal my entire life. Some years have been better than others. In fact I even have a journal from when I was just a little girl. My parents would ask me about my day and record my words for me in a little book. It is precious to me and because they did this I have a great memory of my childhood. It has caused me to be more reflective and it makes me want to have something good to report each day.
So back to that small percentage of people who actually take the time to write down their aspirations. There was a study done (read it here) where only 3% of students at Harvard had written down their goals. 84% had no goals. A few years later, they asked the 3% what they were earning and on average, it was 10 times as much as their classmates! Can you believe it? Even if this story is urban legend, I believe writing down your goals and making a list is important and actually helps me. The percentage for actually accomplishing something goes up dramatically just by writing it down. Isn’t that cool? (Wait till I tell you about visualizing, meditation, gratefulness and all sorts of other amazing things that help your dreams come true!) So if you want to visit the Chrysler Building someday… Write it down and you will have a much better chance at making it happen. Love that! I think you ought to try it. I’ve seen it happen for myself. It’s really quite cool.
Here is an example for you. I wrote a list of goals several years ago and on that list #13 was “Pay off my house – Live debt free.” After 8 years this came true for me. Goals can take a while (more on goals and what I mean when I say that word later). I also know that if you focus on your dreams daily they will happen even faster. My goal to be financially free could have happened even faster if I had I looked at it more often. I still have my utility bills and so forth but I am out of debt. I focused on this dream for 3 years and I was accomplishing a lot and making great strides in this area. But then I moved and my focus was on other things, and I happened to loose that list. I found it 4 years later and worked at it diligently again and 2 years later it was completed. (more about the power of words and visualizations in another post)
Another example? I found another list not too long ago. It was hanging up in a cupboard in my kitchen and I just happened to find it because I was cleaning out the cabinet. The goal I wrote down along with several others in 2008 was, “Make a CD of me singing for my family”. Not more than 6 months went by and I had done it. Now I’ve done it 4 times, and I have a store with a website where you can buy one. Crazy huh?! I’m still pinching myself.
And the rest is history. See what I mean about writing it down? It works. Don’t believe me? Try it. Try making a list and posting it on your mirror or another area of your home where you can see it and review it regularly. Let me know when you reach your dreams. I’ve dreamed about a pie in the sky, but mostly I like eating it. By the way, do you know what kind of pie is your favorite? Some of my favorites are right here and here. Go get em!
