Two weeks ago I decided to buy Lara's book.  Everywhere I turn I see or hear people talking about it and I wanted to know what all the hype was about. I didn't want to miss out on something amazing so I opted for a paperback version that I could underline and write in and go back to time and time again.  

When it arrived I delved head first into it. I got my journal, my favorite pen and made a start.  As it happens a few weeks prior to deciding to buy this book, I had also started listening to Jeff Sanders "The 5AM miracle" podcast. His idea is to "dominate your day before breakfast" and I just love that concept.  While I don't get up at 5 am, I do now get up at around 6 am which gives me about an hour before I need to start getting ready for the day ahead.  I've been doing it for around two weeks and I can say, hand on heart, that I love it. I love that I start the first part of my day doing something just for me, working on something that is important to me and something that previously I hadn't been able to do as well or as thoroughly as what this has now allowed me to do.

Anyway, I digress, back to Make It Happen and what my early morning efforts have produced.  First off let me just say that if you are looking for a purpose, if you are looking for a way to really dig deep into what you want from life then this book is for you.....but let me add a caveat. If you really want this book to impact your life then you have to do the hard work that goes along with it.  There is no easy way of getting these amazing things out of the book without putting the effort in. It just doesn't work that way and I can honestly say, that while parts of it were pretty tough, I am so glad that I saw it through and that I waded through the tough, messy stuff in order to get to where I am now.  And let me just add that I am only at the start of this journey. I don't believe that this journey has an ended date. It's going to be something that I constantly have to review and tweak and amended - and that is totally to be expected. 

I have always been a goal setter. Some of them I achieve but a lot of them I don't. For me, it has generally been those stretching goals that I have desperately wanted to achieve but somehow haven't. I've lost motivation along the way. I've given into fear and decided I can't actually do it. I've allowed my progress to be halted which in turn has meant I haven't been living to my potential. But not anymore. Today I am committing to my overarching goals for 2015. I am committing to the tiny steps that I will need to take along the way. Most importantly I am committing to praying my way through each and every day that it takes to see these fulfilled.

Earlier this year I set my 2015 goals which you can read about here. It's actually rather funny because as I first began working through this book I started to think that I would have to scrap the goals I had set earlier this year and start again. But as I continued to work through the book I realized that 99% of my goals could stay, that they actually fit perfectly into my overarching goals that I have worked so hard on over the past two weeks or so. 

   

2015 Goals

I will clear 100 items from my home because I want to get rid of things that are holding me back from moving forward.

I will intentionally spend my mornings focusing on what I need because I want to develop in who I am and do things that allow me to be the best me so that I can live the life that God has in store for me.

I will work on my relationship with food because I don’t want anything to have a controlling influence over me except God.

I will create opportunities to find the magic in my day because I want to be thankful for every good that God has given me.

I will give of myself by volunteering somewhere because I believe my purpose is to serve others and I want to honor God by serving his people.

I will pursue financial responsibility because I want to be a good steward of what God has given me.

I will get rid of at least 50lbs of fat because I want to feel confident in my strong, capable and beautiful body. I want to live my life on purpose and I need to be as healthy as I can be to do that to my highest potential.

I will encourage and support those around me because I believe that we each need to be our best selves to build communities that are healthy and meaningful.

I will listen and learn from those who are wiser and more experienced than me because I want to be someone who is always open to learning and growing.

I will spend time creating and doing things that help me to utilize and nurture my gifts and talents because doing these things truly makes my soul happy.

I have printed this out and it is currently hanging on the wall in my office. As I spend a bit of time over the coming days breaking this down into smaller goals I am excited about what is happening inside of me.  I am getting excited about what my future holds again. Excited for the opportunities that are coming to me as well as those that I have to encourage, support and serve others.  Each day is an exciting opportunity to make strides towards living my life on purpose! 

Have you read this book? Do you have your own goals set for the year? Please leave a comment and share them as  I would love to read them and encourage you along your own journey this year.