What is the Magic in You? An Unconventional Guide to Getting After Your Goals

By Jackie White

This is the time of year when everyone is talking about goal setting. We all want to wipe the slate clean with the new year and really accomplish those resolutions. It’s all so energizing at first and then it falls off and we go back to doing what we always have done. So, what if we turned this goal setting thing on its ear this year? What if we took an unconventional approach of looking at goals?

Today I want you to be 7 years old. I want you to go back to a time when everything was a wonder. Really get into this thought process, look around and see the absolute magnificence of the world. Nature is mindblowing in itself with it’s blue skies, the twisted branches of the trees, shimmering lakes and the amazement of a sunrise or sunset. Now, shift your attention to what has been man made. The tall buildings standing high over the landscape or the roadways that carry people in cars are feats of engineering skill. We can talk on hand-held devices that provide communication to others who are worlds away. The imagination to think of these things is staggering! If you were 7 and you looked at what the world had to offer, you would see the magic in it all. As adults we see how logically we have gotten to where we are today, but as a kid, it all seems like magic. 

And it is.

I know, you are an adult and you don’t believe in magic. Well, hear me out. The magic is in the thoughts and inspiration that dreamed up all that we see and experience on a daily basis. Someone thought of developing a tire, then a car, then the roadways then the connection of the roadways to other cities, which by the way were dreamed up in someone else’s mind. Think about musical scores that were written out of someone’s inspiration or paintings that are works of art we admire. There are teachers who have touched our souls and bus drivers who have brightened our day. The magic is that the creative ideas and expression that once lived only in a person’s mind have now been released. These talents were never meant to stay in a person’s dreams. They were put there to share with the world.

Your dreams are a gift from the Universe. They are as unique as you are. They are the things that interest you and that spark excitement in you! They are what your imagination can conjure up. Ask your 7 year old self about what is in your imagination. You would hear amazing magical ideas! The creativity at 7 is bursting out of you like rays of sunshine! That magic is still in you. It is the hopes and dreams you have for your life. Many of us adults, shove those dreams to the back burner in favor of what logical practical adults do. We think because we are grown ups and we do not play in the realm of dreams and imagination. This is where we really took the wrong road. We have to get back to the magic in ourselves. We have to return to what lights a fire in our soul!

So, you want to be a nurse or maybe a restaurateur or a mechanic? You are thinking what is the magic in that? The magic is that it sparks something inside you. Something unique to you. When you follow your magic, people can feel it. They know you were meant to be a nurse or a restaurateur or mechanic! It always shows when people are following what is their heart. And if others can feel it, you better believe you will feel it. You will feel aligned with what you were always meant to do.

Hopefully you are now seeing and feeling that your magic lies in your dreams. The dreams of what you have always wanted to do or be. Once you begin to pursue those dreams and goals you will release excitement, fulfillment, feelings of contentment and feelings of being true to who you really are. You will finally have a knowing that you aren’t ignoring the magic has been inside of you. You will feel inspired and energized to be on the journey of chasing after your dreams!

Making Dreams Become Goals

To be successful at achieving your dreams, you must make it a goal. Goals are dreams with a plan. You must have a plan to make your dreams come true. Because we decided this year is going to be different, let’s take a look at goal setting and goal getting in a new and exciting way. Jon Acuff in his book “Finish”, speaks to framing our goals in an unconventional way to set ourselves up for success!

1. The Day After Perfect: The day after perfect refers to when you didn’t follow your goal setting plan to a tea, so therefore you should quit. Perfectionism kills dreams. You cannot let it shake you. You have to move forward with your goals even if you stumble.
   
2. Cut Your Goal in Half: This doesn’t mean you will only accomplish half of what you want, it means cut it down into manageable chunks. When we have BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) those monsters seems to overwhelm us, so instead we chunk it out into do-able pieces.
   
3. Choose What You’ll Bomb: Translation, this means cut out the stuff you waste your time on. Things like social media or watching tv are great places to start. You can also just suspend some activities while you are focusing your energies on your goal. Remember there is a season for everything.
   
4. Make it Fun, if You Want it Done: This is the best advice because if your goal is painful and you hate the process it will be very difficult to get through it. However, if there is gain in the pain and you can find some fun in the process, your journey to the finish line will be more successful.
   
5. Leave Your Hiding Places and Noble Obstacles: Be aware of when you are doing things that off-track your success in accomplishing your goals. Are you making excuses for distractions or are you putting down the perfectionism card to avoid making real progress? When this happens you need to acknowledge what you are doing and get back to the work needed to pursue your goal.
   
6. Get Rid of Your Secret Rules: As you are progressing towards your goals are you putting “secret rules” in place that make achieving your goal more difficult? For example, if your goal is to get fit then does that translate into 3 hours of hard-core exercising daily or can it be walking 30 minutes a day be sufficient? Check that you are not making things harder than they have to be.
   
7. Use Data to Celebrate Your Imperfect Progress: You have a goal, a timeline and actions that you can review and celebrate! Note that even if your progress isn’t “perfect”, which by the way, it will never be, you must celebrate the imperfect progress! Adjusting any of your data collection points (goal, timeline or actions) is always an option too! Remember, there are no secret rules!
   
8. The Day Before Done: There are 3 fears that can arise as we approach the finish line of any goal and those are “what happens next”, “it won’t be perfect” and/or “what do I do now”? Don’t fear the finish line! You owe it to yourself to complete your goal. Don’t let excuses keep you from your dreams!
   

Begin looking at your dreams differently. Know they are the magic inside you that you are meant to share with the world. Your special talents can inspire others to live their magic too! Take in Jon Acuff’s unique way to follow your dream’s journey and decide that this year you are going to make your dreams come true!

For more help on crystalizing your goals and setting forth a goal setting plan, join our DreamChasers community and get your DreamChaser Goal Getter Success Guide below.

https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/DO2xnDo/becomeadreamchaser

Shine On!