It’s Time to Make Magic Happen!

Goals are like magnets. They’ll attract the things that make them come true.
– Tony Robbins

Point to Ponder:
What are some different things you would like to do or accomplish by the end of 2013?

Action Item:
Determine 3 different things (be specific!) you would like to do and/or accomplish by the end of 2013 and write them down on the iGnite-provided goals card provided above.

By Neissa Springmann

I don’t know about you, but for me the summer months are fairly unproductive. Maybe it’s the heat mixed in with vacations, but I just can’t seem to find my rhythm, which is why I love September! With school starting, cool temps around the corner and college football (random, but it helps!), I am energized and motivated to get organized, establish a good routine and set goals. September is the fall’s ‘New Year’ and we get a do-over, so let’s take advantage of this ripe goal-setting season and experience magic!

I am an absolute believer in setting goals, creating vision and dream boards and living an intentional life, but I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t need to be consistently inspired to take action. And, not that there is ever a bad time to get serious and set specific goals, but now that the lazy and crazy days of summer are in the rear view mirror and we are entering the final quarter of the year, September is the perfect time to get motivated. Need more convincing? Check out a study conducted on students in the 1979 Harvard MBA program and from the book What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark McCormack:

In that year, the students were asked, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?” Only 3% of the graduates had written goals and plans; 13% had goals, but they were not in writing; and a whopping 84% had no specific goals at all.

Ten years later, the members of the class were interviewed again, and the findings, while somewhat predictable, were nonetheless astonishing. The 13% of the class who had goals were earning, on average, TWICE as much as the 84% who had no goals at all. And what about the 3% who had clear, written goals? They were earning, on average, TEN TIMES as much as the other 97% put together.

So, do you believe in the power of writing down your goals? Are you motivated to set up to three specific goals for the fall? If so, take some time to determine what three goals (one physical, one mental, one spiritual) you’d like to accomplish by December 25, 2013. We have created the tool below for writing them down. When you’re filling yours out, here’s one more goal setting suggestion:

Focus on the things you want, rather than the things you don’t want, and like the picture above states, choose a friend to share your goals with so he/she can provide you with support and hold you accountable.

…What do YOU think?

Join the discussion & let’s learn from each others’ experiences
by leaving a comment at the bottom of this post. (it can be anonymous!)

13 thoughts on “It’s Time to Make Magic Happen!”

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Delaine Teeple September 16, 2013 at 11:10 am

I’m so glad you are reminding us to set goals again. I do agree with the importance of goals but never seem to get mine written as often as I should. I am forgetting the acronym that helps with goal setting to make sure you make it specific enough. Will you tell me again what that is? Thank you!

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Catherine September 16, 2013 at 11:31 am

I totally know how you feel Delaine, I am a huge goal-setting promoter but have the same issue in writing my OWN down! We ALL struggle with this, which is why we’re giving everyone set-aside time in classes this week to write down their goals. Thank you for asking about the acronym — it is such a helpful tool. The acronym for helping you write successful goals is SMART:

S for SPECIFIC (Exactly how will you do this? What specific actions/steps will you take to accomplish it?)

M for MEASURABLE (Put some #s to it! How many times per day/week/month? How many minutes/hrs? )

A for ATTAINABLE: (You must be willing & able to work toward achieving it. It should be a little out of reach, but not out of sight. Be honest with yourself – don’t set yourself up for failure!)

R for REWARDED: (Come up with a way to reward yourself along the way and upon successful completion)

T for TIMED: (What day will you start & what day will you check in on your progress?)

I hope this helps!

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Anonymous September 16, 2013 at 6:36 pm

Today I was talking with friends and we were joking about people making fun of us as kids. Listen to how ridiculous this is!!! I realized that I NEVER wear shorts….everyone that knows me well knows that they have never seen me in shorts and that I absolutely despise them! Here comes the RIDICULOUS part!!!!! The reason I have not worn shorts in at least a decade is because of one middle school boy calling me “thunder thighs” like a million years ago. Would I be wearing shorts all the time if I hadn’t been on that bus ride to school that day when this punk kid called me that?? I could talk about how dumb that boy was to call me a name, but really how much MORE stupid is it for me to hold onto that single comment and let it determine something about who I am and how I perceive myself as a grown woman??!? My goodness!!!
Anyway as I think about setting goals for myself, I believe it will be good for me to bare my WHITE legs and wear shorts, at least once in a while. After all, it’s been 100 degrees outside recently! At first I think it’d be important to wear shorts to spite Robert from the bus, but what I realize now is that it’s not about the shorts. It’s about letting others’ perceptions of me go in one ear and out the other. The question is “what do I think about myself?” “what is true, and the real me?” and “what do I want for myself?” Thanks for sharing the body, mind and spirit goals, I love the idea of thinking in terms of those different aspects of my life. See you all soon, in my shorts!! (: -Landry

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neissa September 19, 2013 at 10:38 am

So good Landry! Why in the world do we let other people’s words/actions dictate how or what we do? It’s crazy! Wear your shorts Landry and be proud of the strong and beautiful legs that God gave you! Neissa

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