Columnist

Why Every Ambitious Person Needs a Business Diary to Achieve Their Goals

If you’ve ever woken up one morning and thought, ‘There must be more to life than this’, you’re not alone. There comes a point in our lives when we’re working harder and gaining little, if any, ground. It’s like being stuck on a hamster wheel – running at top speed and getting nowhere. Jumping off is risky and, for most people, a leap too far.

We get caught in vicious, depressing cycles because we believe that if do more then we’ll have more – and in turn will become more. It’s a common assumption that seems to make sense. Except that it’s not true. At all. Jumping off the hamster wheel is not only possible but easy – if you know how.

As a mentor, I’ve interviewed 2,000 employees across the UK. In almost every case, my mentees reported things like, ‘I don’t feel like the work I do is challenging enough anymore’, and ‘My job is not a reflection of who I am’, and ‘What I do doesn’t have much meaning.’ There are literally millions of people like them – people who are performing tasks that they know are not worth performing. The moral and spiritual damage that this causes is profound. It is a scar across our collective soul.

The regular practice of reflection, goal planning, aligning with a deeper purpose and gratitude has the power to transform our personal lives and business. They should not be underestimated.

A modern diary that encompasses these mindful activities, if used correctly has the capacity to provide a safe place of solace, where we can declutter and find some clarity off line.

My last business required me to be on my A-Game, constantly. Juggling 400 contractors that were always coming and going could have been an absolute nightmare. My teams demanded that I knew what was happening all the time, that I was prepared for them each and every morning, and that I was leading us all toward a grand vision. I had to be on point.

I attribute my own success to my diary – it’s my life companion, a place of solutions, where I can always turn to for order. Mindful activities are essential competencies for a healthy mind and happier life. I have seen first-hand the difference it makes for the hundreds of people I have had the honour of mentoring.

I am an advocate for regular practices of self-reflection, life purpose exploration, setting and monitoring goals and practices of gratitude. When we can be better for ourselves and do work that we feel connected to at our core, we can then be better for our neighbour, our communities, nations and hopefully even humanity.

And jumping off the hamster wheel becomes possible.

Aliya by Emine Suleyman is out now, priced £25 in hardback. Visit £www.planmyvision.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emine Suleyman .