Many of us are good at setting goals and putting new things into practice, like exercise, reading, starting a garden, etc. But then we get busy and sometimes lose sight of what we meant to do and why we started.
I've had success with something that I'm sure many people dispel as "hokey", silly, or pointless. But for me, it's been effective- I've seen results. And with new developments in my personal and professional lives, it occurred to me that I was falling off in one area in particular. One that seems to affect all the other areas. My vision boards.
I know, vision boards can seem unrealistic or a waste of time, but I only have to reflect back to what I've put on past vision boards to realize how much of what I put on them has actually become reality.
My vision boards act as a compass. What I add to them states clearly what I want. I add specific pictures of things I want, places I want to go, milestones I want to achieve. Vision boards are the place to round up whatever we want to receive or achieve in life. Once I took a screenshot of the number of sales in my Etsy shop, then edited the image to show the number I wanted to achieve. I've long surpassed that goal, but then I got busy and forgot to set new ones for that, and other things that were on my board! I met those goals and literally forgot to decide what was next.
Most people want things, but don't realize they aren't getting them because they aren't getting clear on exactly what they want. It's a conscious decision, class. Before I started creating vision boards, I didn't realize the importance of being specific. You can say all day that you want a lot of money. Like, how much "lot of money"? Would $10 be good for you? Oh, that's not what you were thinking? Like what amount in dollars and cents? Specifics create a clear target to aim our energy towards. You wouldn't shoot an arrow randomly in the air, then hope it lands on a target you sorta vaguely thought about but weren't sure you wanted to hit. Like maybe it would be okay if you hit that one, or maybe something over to the right. Whatevs. NO. That's not how this works Doris, that's not how ANY of this works. If you want it, you need to get specific!!
Everyone has heard a story of someone getting three wishes. But the story typically ends up being a cautionary tale, as the person with the wishes fails to be specific and ends up getting exactly what they asked for [in a not so great spin].
Well, vision boards are the same. The most important thing is to be specific. The other crucial detail is, it's okay to say "I want this to happen this month", however, because we are constantly evolving as human beings, it's best not to be adamant about things happening within a certain timeframe. Sometimes they manifest in days 😱, sometimes it takes months or years. But that shouldn't be a deterrent, because the time passes, you look up, and realize that what you want actually did happen, even if it happened in a roundabout way.
Think about it this way- you could opt to skip the board or pasting that specific dream on it, and the time will have passed anyway. And you could have either ignored it, or decided your desire was worthy enough and mattered enough to zero in on. It's not like there's a hard, impossible step you have to take. Okay, well, maybe the next step is hard for some. Because it involves faith. Believing that you've already got a yes, it's already reality, even if the evidence isn't yet visible to your natural eyes.
I've talked to people [and been the person!] who were frustrated and wondering why something didn't happen when they hoped/planned. The catch is, sometimes you need to allow yourself time to become the right you to receive what you asked for. I know that sounds cray cray. But sometimes we ask for something that takes time, or doesn't show up immediately because we need to prepare so we can maximize that blessing and not squander it simply because we couldn't manage whatever it was in our established state of mind/energy/faith. You need to be the right version of you.
You may want to own a dog. But your current circumstance may not be the best set-up for you to take good care of that dog, and to enjoy spending time with your furry friend. So what do you do? You slap a picture of the exact dog you want on your vision board, then start doing things to prepare for that becoming a reality. You research shelters, vets in your neighborhood, even join online forums that discuss that particular dog. You learn about its temperament, amount of maintenance needed, and browse cute collars and beds online. But then one day you see a stray that looks hungry and scared. And the whole story changes, and you realized that the stray was the companion that was best for you.
I'm not saying that things won't work out how you decide you want, but there have been times when I've had something on my board, and I realize, via prayer, meditation (listening), or just while I'm taking out the trash, that there's a better option, or something better has already shown up.
Last step (I didn't number these for a reason, lol): gratitude. Gratitude that the sun came up, gratitude that you had a delicious meal, gratitude for everything. I mean everything (there were no flies in the aforementioned trash- #yaaaaassss).
Make a board, have fun with it, put it where you'll see it everyday, then focus on being as thankful and happy as you can every single moment. I say moment, because we all have days where we have to make conscious decisions moment to moment to focus on the happy things. That's reality. But once you make it a habit to be as happy and grateful as you can be (this differs for everyone), it does get easier. I promise.
I'm honestly not writing this to preach, or to influence, simply to inspire (you and me, because I will need this reminder later), since I was recently inspired to get back on track with this practice. I need to grab the reigns of some new journeys I'm taking with my creative work, and that means goals. It's exciting to be starting new things and to set specific goals for where they'll go.
Yesterday I picked up some foam core (a mere 88 cents at *Sprawlmart!), last night I painted it a pretty color to compliment my wall, and today it's up with my first few items on it. I'll be adding more this week- it'll be fun!
 |
| I mounted my board behind a door where I know I'll see it daily |
What are some of the things I'm putting on my board? My next phone, the number of YouTube subscribers I hope to reach by year's end, number of orders in my standalone store, what new mattress I want, next Etsy goal, health and beauty goals, etc.etc. It's whatever you want it to be, and it helps if it's for your eyes only, at least at first, because we protect our dreams from naysayers, right? We don't need that negativity. Seriously, sharing is caring, but only when you know you're strong enough to not be swayed if someone doesn't agree with what you have on your board. No one needs to see the shirtless guy in a kayak with fresh harvested organic greens and a sharp pei puppy on my boar- uh, just an example folks, just a totally random example...
One last thing- this doesn't have to be fancy to work, and you can use what you have on hand. Cardboard, pictures cut from magazines, drawings, written things... whatever will remind you daily of your target(s). I'm just getting started on YouTube, but if I get requests, I'll add a video demonstration on vision boarding to my growing list of videos to make!
Now go forth and aim. xo
*I tried to add a link to the foam core, but it's only available at that price in the physical Walmart store. It looks like it's not offered online.
No comments:
Post a Comment