Morning Journaling Routine for Mindful Entrepreneurs
As a lifelong journaler, I’m always on the lookout for new questions and prompts to add to my routine and journaling practice!
But over time, a specific rhythm has emerged that I follow each morning to clear my mind, steady my heart, and make efficient progress towards my goals...
And since starting my business, maintaining a morning journaling routine has been a lifesaver in so many ways… it’s helped me:
Become more cognizant of my self-talk and how I treat myself
Notice the beliefs and stories that have created resistance for me
Choose and articulate higher, more supportive thoughts and beliefs
Retrain my brain to catch and release negative thought patterns
Prioritize my goals, projects, and intentions on my own terms
...and even better, journaling has been linked in several studies with better sleep, improved memory, better communication, higher confidence and I.Q., and a stronger immune system. (Not bad for something that’s basically free!)
No, it doesn’t always happen in the morning — if evenings or lunchtime work better for you, that’s great! But here is the approach I love for deeper awareness, kinder self-talk, and clearer decision-making in your business.
Your Journaling Routine
What is beautiful and precious about today?
It’s so easy in this fast-paced world, especially as entrepreneurs, to miss all the special moments and gifts that greet us each day… and in the process, miss our lives and our journeys unfolding all around us.
When you slow down and really examine your day with a willingness to appreciate and see the goodness in it, you are truly living in the present moment. You are truly living, period.
So what is beautiful and precious about your day, in the past 24 hours?
Some days, it’s a big thing — maybe you’re celebrating an important new connection, a massive win in your business, or a life-changing realization. Celebrating these big milestones fuels us and our motivation, and invites more goodness into our worlds!
Other days, it’s a small thing — like the way the sunlight streams into your kitchen in the morning, a brief joyful interaction with a stranger, or a few minutes of blissful peace and quiet to work on your passion project.
These little moments add up to the story of your business — and your life — and how you’ll feel looking back on your journey.
Remember: “Enjoy the little things in life; some day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
What has been going well lately?
Taking time in your business to recognize and celebrate what is going well, is a must!
I honestly can’t stress this enough: if you don’t actively acknowledge what is working, how you’re thriving, and what is going well for you — no matter how small — your entire journey as an entrepreneur will feel like an uphill battle.
Instead, noticing every little thing that goes well is an opportunity to lean into what works for you and your community, as well as your strengths and unfair advantages!
So, what is going well, big or small? Which projects have been going smoothly? Which methods have you tried that seem to be working out (maybe in ways you didn’t expect)?
Maybe that live video you posted got you a podcast interview invitation, so you can reach more potential clients!
Maybe the email you sent to your list got some warm responses from engaged readers!
Maybe you’ve managed to stop work at the same time for the past 3 days and enjoy a pleasant evening with your family!
Maybe you said something unkind about yourself yesterday… BUT you caught yourself quickly and chose a different, more supportive thought.
Take time to identify what’s going well, what your successes are lately, and what you want to do more of, or lean into!
What has felt challenging lately?
No matter how far we get in our business (or life), or how “successful” we consider ourselves to be, there will always be something happening that tests and challenges us, and invites us into new levels of growth.
Give yourself space to unpack what has been weighing on your mind or your heart, or causing you trouble lately — in business, or otherwise.
This is your time to identify and get honest with yourself about how you’ve been holding yourself back, or how you could be responding more skillfully to a circumstance in your life.
Just putting it into words and “externalizing” it on the page, will help you see the problem more clearly, from a bit more distance and objectivity.
What part of this is within my control?
Sometimes, it’s not very much — and you can find peace in knowing that the only thing you need to do right now is breathe through it, practice acceptance, and be gentle with yourself.
Other times, you may realize a situation that feels unsolvable is actually entirely within your control, entirely of your own making, and you get to decide when and how things change! This is a beautiful realization and can be a bit humbling, but is also very liberating.
Other times still, you’ll see that part of the problem is outside of your control, but another part is actually yours to influence. So you can see where to consciously focus your efforts and attention, and where to stop resisting, because it’s not yours to decide.
How am I being called to grow through this?
No matter what you’re going through, you’re always being called to grow.
Each and every challenge you face is part of your path to evolve into who you’re here to be, and the essential soul work you’re called to do in this lifetime.
Sometimes, you’re being called to practice courage — letting go of what feels safe and familiar, so you can expand and become who you’re meant to be, and reach your next horizon.
Other times, you’re being called to practice vulnerability, letting go of the fear of judgment, and allowing yourself to be truly seen and known, even with your flaws and imperfections, in the service of others, or a higher calling.
Other times, you’re being called to practice patience and acceptance, allowing life to happen without trying to control or wrangle it into submission — and just witnessing life’s ebbs and flows without judgment or resistance.
Whatever you’re going through, identifying the lesson that is yours to learn will give you a clearer sense of purpose and meaning.
Within each difficult experience is an opportunity and a gift, so answer this question for yourself — because you don’t want to miss it!
How do I want to describe my day once it’s over?
This is one of my favorite questions to answer each day… because the results are honestly pretty miraculous.
Future forecasting is a powerful practice to use on a long time-horizon — picturing your life one, five, or ten years from now, you program into your subconscious mind what the ultimate goal is.
But it’s also a gamechanger on smaller timescales — like weeks, days, or even hours.
Taking the time to write down how you want your day to go — in the past tense, describing your day as if it already happened — gets your whole brain on board with the plan.
For example, my script on a typical Tuesday may go something like this:
After planning my day, I prepped for my client calls, feeling excited and happy to meet with them and hear all about their progress, wins, and current challenges. During the calls, we got to the heart of the matter quickly, and by the end my clients were feeling lighter, clear, energized, and focused about their next steps. Between calls, I enjoyed a relaxing lunch and fueled my body with good, nutritious food. In the afternoon, I had fun creating engaging new content for my course, and all the pieces just fell naturally into place, designed exactly as they need to be to facilitate powerful transformations for my students. I tackled my to-dos at the end of the day, staying focused and purposeful, and they went so quickly and easily I was able to end work early, and spend the rest of the day painting and relaxing.
To be clear, I write this out at the start of my day before it happens — and just this simple act that takes about 2 minutes from start to finish, can change the whole feeling and flow of the day, making it more likely to unfold in this way.
Priming your brain for what to expect makes it much more likely to unfold the way you hope — or very close to it!
Be sure to include words about how it feels and the energy you’re carrying — excited, happy, energized, fun, relaxing, focused, purposeful, etc. — so your brain produces the right blend of neurochemicals to help you actually feel that way as you go about your day!
Recap
No matter what stage of business you’re in, I hope this process inspires your next journaling session! Keeping a journal (or three!) is a simple way to cultivate deeper awareness and self-love, see your situation with clear eyes, and focus your energy on the things that will move you forward with ease.
So, the six questions to ask yourself every day are:
What is beautiful and precious about today?
What has been going well lately?
What has been challenging lately?
What part of this is within my control?
How am I being called to grow through this?
How do I want to describe my day once it’s over?
If you’re ready to take your journaling to a whole new level, grab the Elevate & Align Journal below, and let’s get you on the path to a business that brings you a whole new level of joy and fulfillment — with a healthy scoop of ease and flow!
Ready to dive deeper into your thoughts and beliefs around your business? Grab the Elevate & Align Journal below, and let’s explore your mindset and room for improvement – and get you on the path to a whole new level of ease in your business!
my gift for you:
Elevate & Align
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And if you'd like support taking confident action to reimagine and redesign your business for more ease and flow, I'd love to support you on that level – click here to learn about private coaching and how we can work together ♥
Always in your corner,
ashley
