By Monty J. Sharp, Certified Comprehensive Coach. http://www.workteamcoaching.com

When I was much younger, I belonged to a fraternal organization much like Boy Scouts, which taught wilderness survival skills. One of basic skills they taught was how to build a fire. Fires are very useful not only for cooking and warmth, but also for psychological comfort – especially when you’re out in middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but darkness.

There are three essential elements needed in order to create fire from a bunch of sticks: Heat – either from friction, a spark or a smaller flame, like a match. Fuel – wood or other combustible material. Air – supplied by blowing or fanning to make heat hotter and help spread fire.

All three elements are essential. Take away just one and you have no fire.

Accomplishing a goal or realizing a dream is much like building a fire. There are three essential elements needed in order to create reality from a bunch of dreams or goals. All three are essential. Take away even one, and you have no true realization or accomplishment. They are:

Passion, a plan and pursuit.

Passion is “heat”. It’s that spark or small flame that gets things started. Passion is also what sustains you when things get tough. It’s love of what you’re doing or working towards. It’s vision and motivation that continually draws you forward. Take away passion and there’s no spark to get things off ground or you quickly lose fervor to sustain you on uphill climbs.

The plan is fuel for your goals or dreams. Even if you have lots of sticks for your fire, they have to be assembled in such a way that allows spark to “catch” and begin process of combustion. You simply can’t stick a match under a log and expect it to begin to burn – log is too big. You have to start with much smaller pieces of wood or straw called tinder. Once that begins to burn, you can begin to add increasingly larger pieces slowly until you have a nice warm fire.

Writing, expressing can heal us. It can focus, support, and enhance our lives and well-being. Whether we laugh or we cry, whether through sorrow or joy, we can understand more about ourselves, and each other, through keeping a journal.

Some Benefits of Keeping a Journal · Reduces stress · Sets goals · Organizes · Helps focus · Can improve well-being · Makes time for you · Creates a personal reminder · Becomes a treasured keepsake

Journaling On a piece of paper, write your answers to question, "Which 3 words best describe how you are feeling right now?"

When you are done writing, you have just journaled.

Writing about whatever is important to you right then and there is journaling. Tracking what you have planted in your garden is journaling. Writing about family holidays together, or coffee with a friend is journaling. There is no set amount of words or pages that constitutes a journal. There can be a set theme or topic in your journal, but there does not have to be. I have written about soup, weather, myself, my friends, and my dreams for future, in my journal. A journal, which is same as a diary, is a place where you choose to store what is important to you.

When to start journaling Any day of any year is a good time to start your journal. The day you feel you want to start recording your experiences and thoughts is perfect day to start - Whether on January 1, November 3, or today. There is no set time of year to begin a journal or to start to journal again.

Some people like idea of starting their journal on January 1. They write their goals and ideas starting at beginning of year. Others like idea of starting very day it occurs to them that they want to write about their lives in a journal. Whatever you choose, it is right way for you, and that is all that matters.