Mindset

  • Journaling, Mindset

    Build Your Best Year Yet: Introducing The DreamBuilder & The Creative Flow Planners

    In our fast-paced, digitally driven world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

    Between endless notifications, packed schedules, and the constant hum of responsibility, finding time to reflect and recharge can feel like a luxury. But what if there were a simple, cost-effective way to boost your mental clarity, enhance emotional well-being, and even improve your productivity? Enter journaling – a timeless practice with modern-day relevance.

    Whether you’re a seasoned writer or someone who hasn’t picked up a pen in years, journaling offers a wealth of benefits that can transform your life. Let’s explore why this habit is worth your time.

    1. Mental Clarity and Focus

    Writing down your thoughts is like decluttering your mind. When your brain feels overloaded with tasks, worries, or ideas, journaling provides a space to organize and prioritize. By transferring your thoughts to paper, you can:

    • Gain a clearer perspective on complex situations.
    • Break down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps.
    • Identify patterns or recurring themes in your thoughts and behavior.

    In short, journaling acts as a mental detox, freeing up headspace for creativity and problem-solving.

    2. Stress Reduction

    The simple act of putting pen to paper can have profound therapeutic effects. Journaling gives you an outlet to express emotions you might otherwise suppress, which helps to:

    • Reduce anxiety by externalizing worries.
    • Provide emotional relief, making challenges feel less daunting.
    • Foster mindfulness by focusing on the present moment.

    Studies have shown that expressive writing can lower cortisol levels, the body’s primary stress hormone, leading to a calmer, more balanced state of mind.

    3. Emotional Growth and Self-Awareness

    Journaling is a powerful tool for self-discovery. By exploring your thoughts and feelings on paper, you can:

    • Deepen your understanding of what truly matters to you.
    • Reflect on personal growth and achievements.
    • Uncover hidden fears, desires, or triggers.

    Over time, this practice nurtures greater emotional intelligence, allowing you to respond to life’s challenges with increased resilience and self-compassion.

    4. Improved Productivity and Goal Setting

    A journal is more than a place to vent – it’s a platform for planning. Writing down your goals, tracking progress, and reflecting on setbacks can:

    • Keep you accountable to your aspirations.
    • Help you visualize success and clarify your intentions.
    • Encourage a growth mindset by celebrating small wins.

    Many high achievers swear by journaling as a tool for staying organized and motivated.

    5. Enhanced Creativity

    Journaling doesn’t have to follow any rules. It’s a free space where you can:

    • Experiment with ideas and brainstorm solutions.
    • Capture fleeting thoughts that could spark future projects.
    • Develop a deeper connection to your creative side.

    The act of writing often unlocks insights and ideas you didn’t even know you had.

    6. Better Physical Health

    The mind-body connection is powerful, and journaling can influence your physical well-being. Research suggests that expressive writing can:

    • Strengthen the immune system by reducing stress.
    • Lower blood pressure.
    • Improve sleep quality by clearing your mind before bed.

    How to Get Started on Journaling

    If you’re new to journaling, don’t overthink it. Here are some tips to ease into the practice:

    1. Choose Your Medium: Whether it’s a notebook, a guided journal, or a digital app, pick what feels most comfortable for you.
    2. Set a Routine: Dedicate a few minutes each day to write. Morning or evening works well for many people.
    3. Start Small: Begin with a prompt like, “What am I grateful for today?” or “What’s been on my mind lately?”
    4. Be Honest: Your journal is a judgment-free zone. Write freely and authentically.
    5. Stay Consistent: Like any habit, the benefits of journaling compound over time. Stick with it!

    Don’t Miss The Smitten Wordsmith’s 2025 Planners!

    If you’re ready to take your journaling and planning to the next level, The Smitten Wordsmith’s Life Planner 2025 and Business Planner 2025 are just what you need! Designed with intention and creativity, these planners combine structure and inspiration to help you:

    • Organize your personal and professional goals.
    • Stay focused with guided prompts and weekly reflections.
    • Spark your creativity with beautifully crafted layouts.

    The DreamBuilder’s Planner

    For the visionary entrepreneurs who want to get organized and have clarity on their biz next year – here’s to your success!

    The Creative Flow Planner

    For the artists of life who have endless ideas and spark of hope in their creative pursuits, here’s to finally planning that breakthrough!

    How to Use The Digital Planners

    The Smitten Wordsmith’s 2025 planners are versatile and user-friendly. Here’s how you can make the most of them:

    • Downloadable PDFs: Get instant access to your planners and use them digitally on your favorite device.
    • Printable Formats: Prefer pen and paper? Print the pages you need and create your custom physical planner.
    • Notion Templates: Seamlessly integrate your planning into Notion with ready-to-use templates that sync with your workflow.

    Whether you’re a digital enthusiast or a traditionalist, these planners are designed to adapt to your style and needs.

    The Bottom Line of Journaling

    Whether you’re building a business, balancing a busy life, or simply seeking clarity, these planners are your ultimate companions for 2025. Stay tuned – they’re going on sale soon!

    If you’re ready to take your journaling and planning to the next level, The Smitten Wordsmith’s Life Planner 2025 and Business Planner 2025 are just what you need! Designed with intention and creativity, these planners combine structure and inspiration to help you:

    • Organize your personal and professional goals.
    • Stay focused with guided prompts and weekly reflections.
    • Spark your creativity with beautifully crafted layouts.

    Journaling isn’t just a pastime; it’s a powerful tool for cultivating a healthier, happier, and more fulfilled life. Whether you’re seeking clarity, reducing stress, or unlocking creativity, the benefits of this simple practice are undeniable. So grab a pen, open a blank page, and start your journey toward self-discovery today.

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  • Life, Mindset

    Toxic Things I Removed From My Life to Finally Be Happy

    A toxic workplace can be easily spotted: there is a boss who micromanages. Workmates who gossip. And unpaid overtime projects. Your dream job can turn into your worst nightmare. The solution– quit the job and move on. However, toxicity can be tricky to point out in real life. Because as you go through your usual activities, some appear to be working just fine. Until it fully takes away your happiness after a long time. Unlike work, you cannot quit life that easily. 

    They say you cannot spot a toxic environment when you are living in it. You can tell that your workplace is toxic because it is only a part of your life– a fraction of what you do daily. You can point out the red flags all you want and move on because you are not dedicating your entire self to it. The opposite happens when it comes to your actual life– your thoughts, habits, the things you do when no one is around. While outside forces can influence toxicity, it can come from the mind. And you will never know how toxic it can be until you reach your lowest point. 

    Admitting that life is becoming toxic is a tough process. But learning to recognize its triggers is one step to overcoming the struggle. To help you pinpoint what damages you, here are some of mine that I managed to deal with.

    Toxic Things I Removed From My Life to Finally Be Happy

    The Clutter

    Clutter is defined as something untidy or disorganized. While this applies to most physical items. It can also include mental and emotional baggage. And all of them heavily affect productivity. As this kind of burden piles up, it contributes to the creation of an external toxic environment. 

    At the beginning of my decluttering journey, I opted to deal with what I can control– physical clutter. You may think that a messy space has nothing to do with toxicity. But according to Dr. Kristen Fuller, MD, excessive physical clutter can entrap a person mentally and physically causing distress. It becomes an intoxicating environment that affects well-being. And in my experience, seeing everything all over the place draws attention, causing distraction and irritability in my surroundings. 

    Today, I have found myself finding peace in organizing things. A clean space brings me tranquility that allows me to focus on more important tasks, be productive in both life and work, and brings in more positive energy. To fully cleanse my surroundings, I also had to deal with clearing toxic relationships and shifting habits. Not only have those have taken a toll on my well-being, but they do not also support the growth I am aiming for. 

    Clearing the clutter may be as easy as “removing what does not spark joy.” But more often, it is harder than letting go of items. The clutter might have been staying there for a long time. And it took me a while to pinpoint what I need to let go of. But in letting go, I have found something better. 

    Self-doubt & Second Guessing

    A mind is a powerful tool. Think of anything you want and you can condition yourself to strive towards that goal. Align your thoughts, ideas, and plan our series of actions to make something happen. However, while it can be a powerful tool to succeed, it can also destroy you. 

    Whenever there is uncertainty on a task or a situation. It is normal to second guess. It is not always jumping off the bat, it is normal for humans to stop for a while and doubt their abilities. However, having this repetitive behavior can lead to serious consequences. This is one of the hardest challenges I faced. Because no matter how much I prepared for something, I beat myself up with doubt and too much second-guessing. And it always ends up in a pool of negative thoughts. 

    Learning to balance self-acceptance and improvement became my self-care process. It is about reminding myself that I can do it, while not ignoring the possibility that I still have to learn throughout the execution of a certain task. You have to train your mind to give credit to your preparation. If self-doubt comes from bad experiences in the past, recognize the triggers and practice overcoming those. Use the power of your mind to decide on what is going to happen. Balance things out and see what works better for you.

    Overworking

    Life is full of endless possibilities and you can be whoever you want to be. To achieve this, you start to develop a momentum of working hard to get what you want. May it be expensive possessions, gathering connections, or a huge career break. Your job will help you a lot to achieve it. 

    However, work is only a part of life. Overworking yourself can lead to serious health issues, develop negative habits, and can damage your overall lifestyle. No matter how important running a business or keeping your job is, work-life balance should be the priority. I have been through countless sleepless nights, neglecting self-care, and dedicating most of my time to my career. Seeing my progress was great, but it is becoming an unhealthy practice. According to several studies, overworking that leads to burnout can cause deteriorating mental health. Depression and anxiety have been its top effects along with a heightened risk of stroke and heart disease. 

    Learning to balance work and life may be challenging for workaholics. But your mental and physical health should not suffer as you go on your journey to success. I have learned that even prioritizing one too much can also be damaging. Overworking can cause issues that can prevent you from going to work. It reduces your fuel to your drive. Thus, balance is all there is left to do. Take time to rest, spend time outside, nourish your relationship with people, and take care of yourself. Because short-term success should cost you long-term problems.  

    Toxic Positivity

    During difficult times, staying positive is important to keep going– “look at the bright side of things,” they say. It can help you overcome challenges by focusing on the better aspect of the situation or shifting your attention to something more desirable. But, only looking at what comforts you can be toxic. 

    Tabitha Kirkland, psychologist and associate teaching professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Psychology, defined toxic positivity as a response that dismisses emotions instead of affirming them. It can stem from a place of discomfort and a lack of empathy. Toxic positivity is a “false reassurance” over a serious issue. While it can manifest in your response to other people’s challenges, you can unknowingly do it to yourself too. 

    Clinging on to positivity prevented me from recognizing my emotions. Looking at the “bright side,” caused me to suppress what I deemed as unwanted emotions (negativity). And that did not help in solving them. Which resulted in even more suppressed negative emotions. Now that I have learned better, every feeling and emotion should be acknowledged. According to some research, ignoring negative emotions makes people feel worse later on. Not only can it let you enjoy real happiness, but also completely let go of negativity.

    Define Your Happiness

    Marie Kondo always asks, “does it spark joy?” While this applies to organizing closets and only keeping what is important to you, it is a powerful principle towards achieving happiness. Toxicity can sometimes be comforting– but only to the point of getting used to it. I found myself being comfortable in a toxic situation just because it has been a norm for me. It is comfortable because I had no idea how much it affects my well-being and I do not have to change. But does it spark joy for me?– also no. 

    The only thing there is left to do is to change my views, habits, and how I treat myself. More than anyone, I know how I can find happiness. And from that, only I should know how to make it happen. 

    It’s up to you to decide on how to live your life. You can settle with a monotonous lifestyle, a comfortable one, or constantly live on the edge. What matters is to choose how you wish to live every day. When things do not look good, feel right, or cause you happiness, you have to take charge in abandoning it. Because you always deserve to live your life the way you want to. It took me enough courage to keep only those that sparked my joy. Discover what is yours and reclaim your peace and happiness.  

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  • Mindset

    5 Ways to Make Your Goals Happen

    Our brains are wired to get rewards. We adore the feeling of satisfaction even from the littlest things. And to get a spark of delight, we need to take action. Clear the clutter in your workspace and be productive for the day. Work on a project early to lessen stress in the future. Go out for a walk and clear your mind. The effort you put into a specific task allows you to get your desired results. 

    Simpler tasks are swiftly done– you can be spontaneous about it, have fun, and get that reward. But when it comes to more complicated ones that would make a huge impact on your life, being impulsive is not a good idea. It requires a process, more effort, and enough focus to achieve. 

    Edwin Locke’s Goal-setting theory of Motivation explains the link between goal setting and improved task performance. Locke believes that goals give direction to people and help them calculate the amount of effort required. This gives sense to the importance of goal setting and how it can guide you along the way. 

    Your goals are the blueprint for your aspirations. It can have a long-term effect, make huge changes, or become the reason for your life’s shift. But without a plan, you will be running like a headless chicken and achieve nothing at all. Here are ways to make your goals happen.

    5 Ways to Make Your Goals Happen

    1. Break it into Pieces: Write it Down

    When you start wanting to achieve something, making it a goal only allows you to look at its entirety– that is your endgame. It can make you feel inspired and excited to venture on a new journey. But it can also make you feel overwhelmed. Looking at the farthest point can shock you because you are not thinking about the details that can come your way.

    Writing down your goals is one step to start working on them. It may seem like extra work for some, but it would help you map out everything you need to do. Writing is believed to improve memory retention. While mostly associated with students taking notes, Neuropsychologists discovered its “generation effect.” This is where people better remember information they have written down or generated themselves; making you remember bits of your progress and the game plan, and be able to review it better. 

    When all is laid out, you should also know if your goals are realistic enough for your current situation. Sometimes, when people are too hyped up to a new interest, they tend to forget the rest of the details. How much work does it demand? Is this the perfect timing to do it? Is it realistic to pursue? These criteria can help you identify your goal’s features so you can plan  them out better: 

    • Frank L Smoll’s ABC of Goals
    • George T. Doran’s S.M.A.R.T. and 
    • S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goals

    These three should display the characteristics of your goal. It can also eliminate other aspirations that may not fall into the criteria as they can appear ineffective. Preventing wasted effort and opportunities in the future. 

    As you go on, breaking your big goal into attainable pieces one at a time will help. Tracking your progress is also beneficial to see how far you have reached, which practices worked, or which should be ditched. Documentation can be a key to constant improvement. 

    2. Train your Mind and Body

    In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

    Getting riled up on a new adventure is not a great idea. When it comes to making your goals happen, preparation is key. Take time to sit down and identify your strengths and weaknesses that can affect your progress. 

    Training your mind is equal to making a change in your mindset. At this point, you are entering a new space. Rapid changes towards goal achievement may overwhelm you at some point. Mind conditioning allows you to modify your reaction towards something or shifting mental state to maximize your performance according to the situation. 

    Training your body, on the other hand, may include physical fitness. But most importantly, you need to enhance your skill set to get what you want. For every goal, list down your strengths that can contribute to its success and the weaknesses you may find. This way, you leverage what you can and further improve it along the process. Use it well to accomplish something little by little. 

    Your weaknesses do not define what you cannot do, but simply, identify where you should put more effort. Say, you want to be in an executive position in your chosen career, but you lack leadership skills. Knowing that it is a vital element to your goal, you should practice leading. Learn how to take initiative, stand for yourself and others, and know when to take control. Practicing the intricacies of your weakness can help you gain another strength. 

    Preparing your mind and body during the process improves your performance. There is also a higher chance of reaching your goals when you commit to making improvements about yourself. Try to practice or make it a habit– humans can make something a habit after doing it consistently for 21 days. Level up your game and consider this getting into the zone for a new version of yourself. 

    3. Practice Reflection

    Putting your heart and mind into doing something helps you stay consistent on moving forward. In your journey, you may find yourself constantly driving your way towards success. And you forget how to stop and smell some flowers. Sure, you are excited to get to the finish line. But how will you know if you are still on the right track?

    Reflection allows you to understand possibly underlying truths, see your progress, and analyze the situation. This is an important aspect of achieving your goals. Because It makes you aware of what’s currently happening so you can decide what comes next. According to the University of Edinburgh, under their reflection toolkit, they defined “reflective habits as a powerful tool in increasing your learning, development, and self-awareness based on your experiences. 

    Practicing reflection regularly helps you assess your progress and its pace. This can help you with decision-making or applying alterations to your actions. To do this, you can sit down and ask yourself questions. Is this skill good enough or do I need to improve? Am I satisfied with what I have achieved in a certain time frame? What should I do next? Should I stop this habit? 

    Consistent reflection increases your awareness, tracks your progress better, recognizes hindrances, identifies opportunities to leverage, and plans out your next moves that stem from realistic experiences. It can also address your expectations, fears, and a time to reward yourself. After all, it should not be a daunting process. You should be able to enjoy your journey.  

    4. Look Into Backups

    Your goal is your blueprint and writing them down is how you can do it, why do you need backups? The past few years proved that the most unexpected things can happen at any time. When it comes to your journey towards success, we are not taking any chances. A backup plan does not mean a different goal– that works too– but only a reroute to the finish line. 

    Consider backups as an aspect of preparation. No matter how dedicated you are, how all else are perfectly lined up, how sure you are with your plan, life can get in your way. There are a lot of internal and external factors that can affect your present actions. While there are more things you can control, those that are out of your hands can make a bigger impact. 

    Backups are simply another way to the end of the road. It is not getting in the way of positive thinking, rather, embracing an open mind in considering another perspective. While you curate your ultimate plan, have other options– even if it requires plan Z.

    5. Take your First Baby Steps

    What more can you do after planning and preparation than take action? 

    Since you have reached this far, it is about time to execute that plan with all your might. Do not be scared to take the first step. You are backed up by your knowledge and experiences. Also equipped with a blueprint you created yourself. You are ready to make your goal happen. 

    Before you get too excited, keep in mind that taking baby steps will be more beneficial. Just like breaking your goals into pieces, your actions should also be small. It is about incorporating gradual yet consistent changes in your routine. Do your first task now, do another two for tomorrow, and so on. This is also the time to reward yourself before a bigger reward of goal achievement. 

    This practice can help you go through the process smoothly. And spark excitement as you progress. After all, this journey should be fun right?

    Final Words

    Goal setting is a great way to own your aspirations. But more than the aim, crafting your way through it is more important for your development. As you go along in this journey, you will discover a lot more about yourself. How do you respond to certain situations? How do you plan something out? Your mindset, skillset, etc. It may even remind you that you are capable of gaining a better understanding of yourself. 

    Taking action towards something you desire can overall improve your character. In times that you may feel lost along the way, take a look back at this guide. Continue with planning and revising your blueprint. And soon, find yourself at the finish line– even holding bonus prizes.  

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  • Books, Mindset

    3 Powerful Benefits of Reflective Thinking

    In a fast-paced society where reflective thinking is not top of mind, most people would instead act than think. Now, don’t get me wrong. We should all be a person of action. We should all enjoy seeing things accomplished. But at the same time, we should all become reflective thinkers and embrace the benefits of reflection.

    When I think about how EOS recommends scheduling a clarity break to its practitioners, I am reminded of this school of thought called reflective thinking. 

    A clarity break is a regularly scheduled appointment on your calendar with yourself. It’s up to you. But the doing of it is what matters. During this time, you should find a place to meet with yourself and take a journal with you. It could be any place where you can be alone and uninterrupted. Even EOS founder Gino Wickman finds a Starbucks near his home.

    Now, how does it tie with reflective thinking?

    The clarity break allows us to practice that. 

    As we go through this process, the goal is to reflect so that we might learn from our successes and mistakes, discover what we should try to repeat, and determine what to change for the benefit of the business. By mentally visiting past situations, we can think with greater understanding. More than ever, it helps us zero in on what truly matters.

    To top it off, here are the things clarity break and reflective thinking do to help us focus on the business:

    It Gives Us True Perspective

    According to Greek philosopher Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Carving out time for reflection helps us examine not just ourselves but the experiences that we had. When we practice reflective thinking, it leads us to put our experience into perspective and evaluate its timing. We might take some experiences for granted and fail to reflect on them unless prompted. But the clarity break allows us to process our experiences better, ask the right questions, and mine gold from our thinking.

    It Improves Decision-Making Skills

    Reflective thinking increases one’s confidence in decision-making, as per leadership guru John Maxwell. Even leaders have a moment of self-doubt. It comes from wondering whether a snap judgment made was the right thing or not. But having clarity from previous decisions could diffuse that doubt. 

    In reflective thinking, the goal is to create mental roadmaps to solve an issue so we won’t have to repeat going through the same process of finding a resolution again. Not only does it speed up thinking time and processing decisions, but it also gives us more confidence to approach conflict, and it strengthens our intuition.

    It Clarifies the Big Picture

    Setting aside time for reflection through a clarity break helps us see the big picture. When we engage in reflective thinking, we can put our ideas into a more accurate context. The clarity break encourages us to step back and spend time pondering what we have done and what could still be done to develop our organization. 

    Dick Biggs suggested a system to help us organize our thoughts on paper while reflecting on the bigger picture. He recommends creating three columns with the following: Year – Turning Point – Impact. In the EOS setting, this could very well translate to Quarter – Turning Point – Impact. Or I must say, Rocks – Significance – Action Point. Either way, this system could help us define our goals for the bigger picture during our time of reflection.

    How to embrace these lessons?

    Ultimately, engaging in reflective thinking provides the right perspective, counsel, insights, and direction we need for the future. It clears the path for growth and paves the way to accomplishing more goals, thus, clarity.

    When you are in a company run by EOS, clarity break is a privilege. It allows us to grab the opportunity to remove ourselves from distraction for short blocks of time. 

    Even if this type of privilege is unavailable, do not hesitate to spend time reflecting on your business or career growth. After all, nothing could firmly cement any learning like action.

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