CREATING AND RECORDING MAGICAL DAYS

"Remember where you have been and know where you are going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way"

~Nikita Koloff

 Jack & the beanstalk 2.0 by Kristian C

On Tuesday, I shared with you a video by Matt Cutts about taking on a 30-day challenge. You can watch the video here.

Yesterday, I offered my challenge to you of looking for those “magic moments” that occur every day.You can read about that here.

Today, I am taking this concept one step further. In 2006, I decided that I wanted to record my life so that it would not simply pass by in a blur.

“A life worth living is worth recording.”

So, I decided to create a single-page Word document to record a brief review of the day’s events. I copied 30 per month on colored paper, whole-punched them and placed them in a 3-ring binder.

The worksheet is broken into four sections.

Section 1 – IS MY LIFE IN BALANCE

In this section, I listed 8 areas of focus that are important in my life (based on Zig Ziglar’s “Wheel of Life”). My 8 areas were:

• Physical 
• Mental 
• Spiritual 
• Recreational 
• Family 
• Career 
• Social 
• Financial

Beside each category, I placed a small blank to write in either a “plus” sign or a “minus” sign. Then, I had a blank to record why it was a “plus” or, if it was a “minus,” what I could do tomorrow to be able to record a “plus.”

I knew that I would not achieve a “plus” in every category each day – I was not even shooting for that. Instead, I just wanted to be intentional in my actions and tracking my efforts in each category.

Section 2 – ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In this section, I had one simple statement: “List my top 3 accomplishments from today.” Then, I had three blanks to record the answer.

Knowing that I would answer this question each night caused me to focus on creating accomplishments each day. Some days I would list three; other days, one or two.

Section 3 – MAGICAL MOMENTS

In this section, I would record any “magic moments” from the day. As I mentioned yesterday, I still have my sheets from 2006 and occasionally I will pull them out and flip through them. When I do this I can almost always remember exactly when the “magic moment” occurred.

Section 4 – EVENING POWER QUESTIONS

I discovered the idea of asking evening power questions from reading Anthony Robbins. In this section, I had the three questions below listed. I did not have a blank to record answers; rather, I thought about each question.

• What have I given today? 
• What did I learn today? 
• How has today added to the quality of my life or how can I use today as an investment in my future?

At the bottom of the sheet is printed one of my beliefs about life:

Daily victories add up to a victorious life! 

If you would like to take a look at the “Creating Magical Days” worksheet, you may do so by clicking here. This version is in pdf format. Feel free to download it and use it to record your life.

You could easily take this idea and modify it to fit your life or needs. I actually modified this form six times before settling on the one that I used.

If you would like this worksheet in Microsoft Word format for easy editing, send me an email at jasfountain@gmail.com and I will be glad to email you a copy.

QUESTION: How do you record your life? Please leave comments below.

30-DAY CHALLENGE: "MAGIC MOMENTS"

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.”

~Thomas J. Peters

 Magic by Linus Bohman

Yesterday, I shared a video about trying a new challenge for the next 30 days. The video compelled me to think about how I could challenge myself over the next month. I decided that my focus will be on finding and recording those "magic moments" of life...on a daily basis. 

About ten years ago, I purchased a CD series by Anthony Robbins entitled "Get the Edge." One of the ideas that he focused on was how great life really is. On this CD, he talked about "magic moments" and the power of remembering them. The purpose behind my 30-day challenge is to live intentionally and to choose to focus on what’s right instead of what’s not. 

The idea is to seek out and find "magic moments" each day. These are not typically those profound, life-altering events, although they could be. Rather, these are moments that happen and are gone in a wisp. A "magic moment" can be as simple as a kind word someone spoke to you, the sound of a bird singing in the early morning, or a momentary feeling of euphoria.  

The best way to think of a "magic moment" is this: when it happens, you know it. No one can define it for you. In fact, to another person this event might not be magical at all.

Here are the steps for my 30-day challenge   

STEP 1: For the next 30 days, I challenge you and me to find at least one or two "magic moments" each day and record them. You can do this in a special notebook or on your phone. Where you record them is not important...being sure that you do record them is.

To find and remember those magic moments, you must be on the look out for them. Walk in expectation that something special could happen at any moment. That’s what it means to live an intentional life.

If we record one or two "magic moments" that occur every day from now until the end of July, we will have a list of approximately 45 "magic moments." 

STEP 2: At the end of July, we will review our list and select the top 10-15 magic moments from the month. 

There is power in this exercise. I will write about this more tomorrow, but in 2006, I decided to record the events of each day on a template worksheet. Although it was challenging, I still have those sheets. When I occasionally look over them, I can remember exactly the instant when many of my "magic moments" occurred. It is a powerful means of celebrating and remembering life. 

So, what are you waiting for? Jump into this challenge and record your "magic moments" for the next 25 days. You might be surprised at just how dynamic this little exercise can be. Even if you don’t choose to try this activity, I hope you have chosen something for your 30-day challenge. 

QUESTION: What is a recent magic moment in your life?