This book is seriously a game changer. You will want to read it over and over again and buy it for all of your friends/family. Lara Casey is the creator of the PowerSheets, which I think is the best goal planner on the market. Make it Happen is Lara’s story about surrendering fears, taking leaps, and setting goals.
It helps you set actionable & obtainable goals just like the PowerSheets. If you are unsure about the PowerSheets I would start with this book to see if it’s for you.
Now let’s get started!
The book is divided into four parts: Surrender your Fear, Take the Leap, Live on Purpose, and Your Guide to Make it Happen.
Surrender Your Fear
Lara starts the book by exploring the feeling of chasing perfect. Feeling like we have to do more. Feeling like we’re not enough. She really makes you think about what you are struggling with and why. She asks you to write down how you are. But how you really are. Not the fake answer you give friends.
On 12/15/16 while I was reading this part of the book I wrote:
“I’m feeling bored and lazy. I want to find something I am passionate about. I’m trying to find my purpose. I want to help others and start a blog but I don’t know where to start. I am mad that I don’t always stick to my budget. Chasing perfect has made me believe I am not doing enough and I need to do more.”
As tough as it is to type that, it is encouraging to go back and reread. Especially since I am currently writing a blog post…
I was really moved by her second point: exchanging your fear for faith. My favorite quote from this chapter is “Living on purpose is worth stepping into all the hard stuff.” Gosh it is just so good! This book is so good! One of the other prompts within this part is to write down everything you are scared of. This was hard. I’ll share two of the fears I wrote:
“I am afraid of starting a blog because I am scared no one will like it.”
“I am afraid to succeed because I want a balanced life.”
One of my favorite quotes from this book (okay I say this a lot because I really love the entire book) is
“To fear something means you respect it. It has power. It has an influence on your life.”
Reread that again! When you think about it, it really is so true! If you fear it, that means it has an affect on your life. This part also digs into the negative chatter in your life, how to take action, and discovering your passions.
Take The Leap
Part two talks about trusting God. “When you are down to nothing. God is up to something.” Also, the importance of acting on faith and not on feelings. Lara’s story of her marriage and her life is inspiring. I won’t get into the details because you really need to read it for yourself! The action questions at the end of this chapter are tough but so good.
The theme of this part is taking a leap of faith. She has you reflect on leaps of faith you took in the past and ones you are considering now. My favorite quote from this part is “Stop the glorification of busy.” Just because you are busy doesn’t mean you are actually doing anything. Or living on purpose. She really has you think about why we are so concerned with being busy. What are our fears? Don’t believe the world’s lies about success.
Make sure you write down your fears so you can review them later. It really helps me to go back and see how God has worked in my life. Focus on what really matters.
Live On Purpose
This part starts with the quote, “The goal of life isn’t to make a lot of money. It’s to make a life that means something.” I told y’all she is AMAZING. Part three really has you reflect on the reasons why we feel we cant slow down. What will happen if we slow down? What are we afraid of?
“Progress, not perfection.”
I want this quote framed in my home! Lara says how we have to start somewhere. Just start. Start small or big but just start today.
Schedule time for yourself. What makes you happy? Make time for what matters. More importantly make time for God’s grace. She talks about living up to someone else’s expectations for your own life. This really hit me because I am such a people-pleaser. The take action prompts in this part are SO GOOD!
Your Guide To Make It Happen
The final part of the book is really helpful if you don’t currently have her PowerSheets. She goes through how to live on purpose and set goals. The 5 steps are:
- Evaluate Your Life
- Clear the Clutter
- Set Purposeful Goals
- Take Action
- Encourage Others
The book has exercises & action items for each step. Take your time as you work through the exercises.
The last sentence of Make it Happen is…
“Surrender your fear. Take the leap. Make it happen.”
I just love this book so much. It has really helped me reflect, set goals, and focus on the things that matter. I could ramble on all day about how amazing it is. It is definitely a book on my list to reread.
You can buy the book here ! It is less than $10 on Amazon right now!
I am including a copy of this book in my March giveaway (which will be filled with a ton of fun stuff!) but I highly recommend that everyone reads it. It also makes a great gift!
If you do read it, let me know what you think! What other books inspire you? I am always taking recommendations!
Make sure to follow Lara on social media (@laracasey). You won’t regret it!
