Quick Notes - Long Journey

The journey of personal growth and development is lifelong. It's not a sprint...it's a marathon. Weaving balance and self-care into the fabric of people-helping doesn't happen overnight.

One skill that will help make the journey effective is in the use of quick notes along the way. When have you had a great thought while on a walk or driving somewhere - only to forget it when you get to the place where you can get it down and not forget it? I have. I'm hit with a great insight and think, "that's a good thought. I should remember that when I get back." And then I never remember it and possibly lose the power the idea represented.

Here are some thoughts on keeping track of the "aha" moments that occur at the strangest times:

• JOTT IT.  Subscribe to Jott.com. This is a great service of calling in a quick note and it will convert your voice messages to text and send you an email.
• CALL YOURSELF.  Make a habit of calling your own mobile phone and leave yourself a quick voice message (make a habit of checking your voicemail everyday).
• WRITE IT DOWN.  Always keep a small notepad and pencil in your pocket or purse.
• USE A BUSINESS CARD.  If you carry business cards with nothing on the back, jot down your thought there and keep it in your pocket till you get home (be sure to make a habit of emptying your pockets each night).
• MEMORIZE IT.  If you can't call in a message or write down anything (maybe because you're driving or in a meeting) - use the power of memorization association. To illustrate this idea, say you're driving and you want to pick up a stuffed toy for your child, some bananas, a gallon of milk, and a newspaper... try a mental picture of a monkey eating a banana, drinking milk while reading the paper. The more absurd the mental picture, the more likely you'll remember when you get to the store.

Take advantage of growing incrementally over the long run. Be on a constant trajectory of getting better and better at life balance and self-care and you'll be Serving Strong!