Kelly Klein
Do you have a lot of life goals? Do you need a way to organize them and have them all together? Today I’m going to show you how to create your very own Life Book – what goes into it, how to organize it, and ideas to make it your own.
Because I am a writer, this will be how a writer might set one up. Of course, you can make changes and include what you need and forget the rest.
One thing that I include in my Life Book are dream boards. If you don’t know your ‘why’, you will lose motivation. You will find it hard to push forward through the obstacles. I also chose words that I want to embody in my life. I will do a separate article on why these words are important to me, but they are: BELIEVE TRANSFORMATION FREEDOM.
Personal Life Manifesto
This is important. It’s a mission statement or vision statement. It basically says what you stand for and what’s important to you. I urge you to write your own manifesto – something to live by.
Goals
This section is where you put all your life goals – short-term and long-term. Plans to achieve said goals are also included. Deadlines are optional, but will help you to stay focused.
Dreams of My Youth
These are my three main goals that I’ve had my whole life.
Writing Projects
I like to have outlines and information related to all my current works in progress in one place for easy reference.
Business Plan
As an independent author, I have a business plan that details where I want to go with my business. I will do another article on this important aspect of a writer’s life. Even if you’re traditionally published, it’s still important to have a plan for where you want your writing career to take you.
Inner Me
This is where I put all my goals for personal growth, and where I track my progress.
Fitness
This is where I track my fitness goals.
Fears
The place for all my fears and how to go about facing them.
Dreams
This is a fun section. It’s where I keep all my dreams, my bucket list, and everything that I would like to achieve, be, do, and have. This is a section that you can have fun with. Print off photos of travel destinations, that fancy house you have your eye on, or that car you’d love to drive. You can also include charities you hope to donate your time or money to. Refer to this section often because it will keep you motivated when you reach an obstacle or when you don’t feel like doing what it takes.
Warm Fuzzies
This is another fun section of my Life Book. This is where I put nice things people have said to me or done for me. It reminds me there are people who care about me and believe in me. I also have various toolkits: stress toolkit, writer’s block toolkit, relationship toolkit, and parenting toolkit. When I’m having problems in any of those areas, I have a list of things that will help me with each thing. For instance, in the stress toolkit I have things like take a walk, dance to uplifting music, etc. I also have a list of things I’m grateful for and affirmations. Also, tips on how to love myself since it’s something I’m still battling.
Toolkits
These toolkits help me when I’m facing difficulties. When I am emotional, I can’t think straight sometimes. These pages help me with coping strategies. I know these work and when I need them the most my mind won’t go blank.
Gratitude List
If you have an attitude of gratitude, then you will be happier. If you aren’t grateful for what you have, then why would you even hope to have more? So I keep my top 10 things I’m grateful for handy for those times when I feel less-than-grateful.
Affirmations
I know it sounds silly, but saying affirmations in front of the mirror really do help. I have a list that I can pull from when my self-confidence is waning.
Life Lessons
This is where I put all the lessons I’ve learned that I want to remember. I’ve always believed LESSON REPEATED UNTIL LESSON LEARNED. I usually have to go through the lesson several times before learning it, but when I finally do, it’s locked in there.
Accomplishments and Connections
Accomplishments is a list of things I’ve accomplished on my journey to my big goals. The dates of when I hit certain milestones. It serves as motivation and proof that I’m progressing…even if only a little…
Connections lists all my charitable contributions, and how I’ve given value to people or charities, and shows any volunteer work I’ve done. This shows me how often I help others in any way. If there’s a lot of time between instances, then I need to step up my game. It also shows that even when I think I haven’t helped anyone, I really have.
Decorating Your Life Book
The sky’s the limit with decorating! This is where you can truly let your creativity shine. If you’re into scrapbooking, you probably have your own ideas – you don’t need me. If not, here are some ideas you can use. You can use calligraphy for your title pages if you have good penmanship. I can’t use calligraphy pens because as a lefty, I would have to hold the pen awkwardly. I like to use dream boards throughout my book as decoration, as well as pretty stickers. If you can draw, include some of your best drawings, or you can draw your goals. I like to include photographs throughout the book, mostly my own, taken of the ocean and mountains. If you’re like me, you can never have too much colour, so markers are your friend. Oh, there are just too many ideas that I can’t list everything here.
So there you have it, my Life Book. Have fun with it! You can use the same sections or create your own. Remember that all this can change as you grow. Don’t let your Life Book become stagnant – it should grow with you.
I’d love to hear what you include in yours or how yours is set up. Tell me about it in the comments!
May your life be passionate!
