A Road Map to Your Best Year Yet, Part IV

Point to Ponder:
Do you have a goal, mantra or intention?

by Neissa Brown Springmann

Whether it be a setting a goal, mantra or intention for yourself and your year, all of them are equally important — IF you want a little say in your life.   Here’s why: we’ve all heard these sayings before: “Don’t exist, live!”; “Become intentional about what you want out of life or else life will happen to you.” and “Don’t wait on the opportunity, create it!”  We do have a good bit of control over what life gives us, which is not to say that life won’t at times spin us around, turn us upside down and completely overwhelm and disappoint us. However, the law of attraction is at play every second of the day, and we reap what we sow. So, it’s essential that we are specific and intentional about what we are sowing and what we want out of life. Taking the time to determine these things will increase our odds of getting what we want rather than leaving life to chance.

Admittedly, my goals in the past have been overwhelming because even though I thought about them and wrote them down, I had way too many. I’ve learned that less is more, meaning trying to tackle and apply more than three goals, intentions or mantras at one time is a recipe for confusion and non-accomplishment.  Last year for example, I finally got it right. I was knee-deep in what felt like literal quicksand. While trying to juggle work, a toddler and an infant, the thought of setting and trying to achieve one goal felt impossible (showering a couple of times a week and brushing my teeth everyday was as ambitious as they got!). So, I decided to be realistic about what I could do, and instead of setting a goal, I created a mantra: “I can do hard things!”  Every time I found myself feeling powerless and wanting to scream and cry (which was a lot) I repeated my mantra “I can do hard things!”  This seems simple, but my mantra became my inner dialogue and always eased my mind.  It helped me breathe, stand tall, be strong and not run away- ha (but seriously!)

Since January 4th, we’ve celebrated all of the amazing things we were able to accomplish and were grateful for in 2014; we’ve let go of our past or trying to become who we “once were”; and we’ve asked ourselves why we are interested in the particular goals we are considering setting for ourselves in 2015. And so, the last question for you this week is: what do you expect, desire, respect and admire in life? If you can answer one of those questions, you are on your way to setting a goal, mantra or intention for yourself, and we’ll take time in each class this week for you to write down one goal, mantra or intention on a special card.

Because sharing is what we do in iGnite, one of my goals is to participate in and raise money for the 5th and final Run to the Sun relay for Beyond Batten Disease Foundation which takes place April 11th/12th. Team iGnite has been created and we just won an RV for the overnight relay from Enchanted Rock to Camp Mabry!  This is no doubt a game-changing advantage! I’ll start my personal run training tomorrow 🙂  Amazingly, we also recently learned that due to the diligence in researching for a Batten disease cure, the doctors feel confident there will be a cure within Christianne Benson’s lifetime. Christianne is the precious sixth grader in Austin who in 2008 was diagnosed with juvenile Batten disease, which takes the body, mind and life of children. This news is nothing short of a miracle, but it also reminds me how important it is to be bold and set goals, for when we believe in our goals and become intentional about achieving them, anything is possible! Just imagine if the Benson family and their amazing community of friends who helped found the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation in an effort to find raise awareness, raise money and find a cure would’ve settled for the awful diagnosis and never pursued a cure. All goals are possible, but we must first have the courage to set them and have the determination and faith to achieve them, no matter how big or small.

Finally, because setting aside personal time to think about our goals and create a strategic plan for your goals, mantra or intention is very challenging, we’d love for you to join our Goals Workshop this Thursday morning or evening. It’s going to be fun, empowering, inspiring and very helpful. Plus, we want to be part of you creating the year and life you want!

Action Item:
Join us in class this week or attend our Goals Workshop so you can focus on your goal, mantra or intention.  If you don’t have one yet, ask yourself what you expect, desire, respect and admire in life. This will get your wheels turning and give you the goal, mantra and intention setting information you need.