Motivation Mojo > Victory Journal

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Like many goal-oriented individuals, I wouldn’t think of starting my day without glancing at my day planner, reviewing my to-do list, and calculating the achievement of my daily game plan. But unlike most individuals, I supplement this preview with a review that makes all that work worthwhile. I call this my “Victory Journal.” It’s basically a journal or diary filled with my handwritten account of personal and professional victories. Some victories are very subjective, and other victories are definitely objective. But as long as you perceive something to be a victory, then it’s a victory and it deserves a place in your Victory Journal. It can be anything from just a few keywords or simple sentences to a page-long overview of a particular achievement. The idea is to stimulate a mental reproduction of those special snapshots of success, which you can recall at a later date and savor for the rest of your life.

Just like a photo album, your Victory Journal can become a great collection of snapshots of positive experiences and a living reminder of your power to achieve. And with such a clear record of all your daily wins, successes, triumphs, and achievements, you’ll slowly build a strong sense of self-worth and a foundation for expecting success.

The Victory Journal can be especially useful when your attitude has twisted and soured, and as Zig Ziglar used to say, when your “thinkin’ becomes stinkin.” Or any time you’re having a rotten day. Any committed optimist worth his or her weight in wisdom would admit that it’s difficult to remain upbeat and positive when the critics and cynics are forecasting rain on your parade, or when you’re tired or apprehensive, or when you’ve just suffered defeat or rejection. In such times, one glance at the pages of your Victory Journal can be quite restorative. You quickly see that you have been a winner and realize that you can be a winner and you will be a winner again. I want you to post the following 4-line proverb where you can see it every day. In fact, tape it up right next to the picture that represents your vision. Here it is:

Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

Your thoughts of today will reap your destiny of tomorrow. Your expectations will reap your efforts and, in fact, will usually influence the efforts and behavior of the people around you. Optimism breeds enthusiasm and enthusiasm is contagious. And never forget that a positive attitude is a potent partner. I’m the proof in the pudding.

Now I’m not saying that positive expectations or a positive mental attitude or being an optimist or a Victory Journal stuffed with celebratory notes will always make you a winner, though these things will put you in the position to be a winner. However I am saying emphatically – call it a guarantee – that a negative mindset and pessimistic expectations will surely make you a loser.

I have closely observed thousands of athletes in hundreds of game-day locker rooms in my twenty-five years associated with professional sports. And I can tell you that it was a rare sight to witness a win when the team or its key players expected to lose. So lose the negative attitude. Purge the negative friends. And shed the negative thoughts. Replace all of these with positive counterparts and you’ll see an instant difference in your own attitude, actions, and accomplishments. -- PC

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