Creating a Vision Board

Posted on May 29, 2011 by admin

Do you have a vision board?

A place where you put up pictures and words that best represent your dreams and goals that you would like to attract into your life?

The idea behind the vision board is to get you THERE. To put yourself into your ideal life and actually FEEL what it’s like to be there. Your mind truly doesn’t know the difference between actuality and feeling. And the way the law of attraction works is to manifest everything you want in your life by feeling as though you already have it. This is where the vision board can be so helpful.

I know many stories of people putting something on their board and then making it reality soon after. By creating a vision board and then FEELING what it was like to live that life, people have attracted love, money, homes, health, and inner peace to their lives.

If you have never created one before – give it a try!

It’s a great way for you to go within and envision what your ideal life looks like.

There are so many categories that you could focus on – it just depends on what you would like to manifest into your life:

Love

Career

Abundance

Friendship

Spirituality

Health

Your Home Life

Relaxation/Vacations

There are so many ways you can do this, too.

I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I took my vision board apart when we moved two years ago, and I am just now making a new one. It’s one of those things that has been on my to-do list ever since, and then life took over and my own self-care got pushed to the bottom of my priority list.

Because I have cleared my plate for an entire month to take care of myself, write, and take time to go within – everything that was pushed down is rising up again. And one of these things is my vision board.

What I did is take a large bulletin board, which I then covered in beautiful paper for the background. I am a visual person, so I wanted my vision board itself to be beautiful.

I then started thinking about my life:

What does my ideal life look like?

How do I live?

How do I spend my days?

Who do I spend time with?

Where do I live?

Once I knew what I wanted to focus on, I went to the computer and started having some fun. I found a picture of my dream home that I know I will live in someday. And with the help of Photoshop, I superimposed our faces into the photos, so it looks like we’re actually there. I designed the cover of the new book I’m writing and printed it out – along with endorsements from my favorite authors. I printed out a check from the publishing company that I want to work with. I had even more fun in Photoshop and put myself with my mentors – as though we were hanging out together.

There are so many things you can do with your own vision board – let your creativity flow!

If you would like to lose weight, you could put up a photo of yourself where you were your ideal weight. If you would like to manifest a loving relationship, you could list all of the qualities your mate would have. You could even cut out a photo of how you imagine they would look.

Go through magazines and cut out pictures and words that best describe your ideal life.

You can also make a vision board on your computer and then turn it into your screensaver. I think what I will do is take pictures of mine and turn those into my screensaver.

Our As If journal was created to go with your vision board:

It has 50 prompts to help you manifest your ideal life.

You can download the ebook here for just $3.75.

So take some time today and get started on your own vision board.

Have fun with it!

P.S. – My friend and kindred spirit, Alia, created a beautiful video today about saying yes to life. I am so happy to pass along her wisdom and warmth to you.

Saturday Selection – Amazing Horoscopes

Posted on May 28, 2011 by admin

I love being able to share great finds with you, and this week’s Saturday Selection is one of my favorites!

I’ve always loved astrology and reading my horoscope, and I came across Astrology Zone a couple of months ago. Susan Miller is the writer/mastermind behind it, and she truly has a gift. I have now read several of my monthly horoscopes, and they are amazingly accurate and so detailed.

If you like reading your horoscope, I would definitely recommend this site.

It’s simply the best that I have found.

She also has a great book for 2011 where she gives you a preview of the year ahead.

There is one chapter dedicated to each sign.

Have fun!

P.S. – Each blog post is now listed by category, so you can see them all at once and read whichever speaks to you! 🙂

Grateful for Books

Posted on May 26, 2011 by admin

Whoops! I forgot that yesterday was Wednesday, which means I missed posting about gratitude. So we’ll switch things up and post about it today instead!

Here we go…

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project.

Okay – now for today’s post:

Since Dan and I have stopped production and are in writing mode, I thought this writing prompt from The Gratitude Book was perfect for today:

Write about one book that you are especially grateful for.

How has reading it changed you?

If you could thank the author, what would you say?

Books really do change lives.

We are huge fans of our local library, and we always have stacks of books surrounding us.

I can think of so many that I am especially grateful for, and I’ll continue to include more of them in the Saturday Selection posts.

I just picked up these two that I can’t wait to begin reading:

What books are you grateful for?

It could be something that you read a long time ago that changed your life or something you just starting reading that is exactly what you need right now.

Feel free to list some of them below! It’s always great to learn about new books.

Happy reading!

Be Your Own Biggest Cheerleader

Posted on May 25, 2011 by admin

It is wonderful to surround yourself with loving friends and family who cheer you on and support you in everything you do.

I feel blessed that I have a great support system. I have a wonderful husband who loves me and boosts me up no matter what I do. I have a loving mom who has always been there for me and allowed me to always be myself. And I also have supportive friends who love me and honor me. Their love means the world to me. And it’s easy to sometimes rely on their support rather than look within and be my own cheerleader.

And I started thinking about what would happen if we were each our own biggest cheerleaders? Rather than looking for love and support outside of ourselves, what if we turned inward and began to cheer ourselves on instead?

What if we loved ourselves unconditionally?

What if we were easier on ourselves?

What if we were our biggest supporter?

What if we traded in our inner critics for our inner cheerleaders?

What if we were the first ones to give ourselves a high five when we did something great?

If we are standing strong and cheering ourselves on, then our support system is an added bonus. We are no longer relying on our loved ones to hold us up any longer.

We are holding ourselves up!

So let’s start cheering ourselves on!

What is one thing you can congratulate yourself about right now?

What have you done lately that you are proud of?

What can you celebrate today?

What is one gift you can give yourself as a reward for being so awesome?

Feel free to share what you have to cheer about in the comments section below!

Remember that you rock, and you deserve a big cheer for that!

P.S. – I’ll start the cheering section! This is my 101st post! I committed to writing one post a day 101 days ago, and I have done it! I love writing this blog, and I am so touched by the wonderful support I have received from so many of you. 🙂

Your Inner Circle

Posted on May 24, 2011 by admin

Who do you allow into your inner circle?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about our happiness levels being the average of how happy our top few friends were. This is so interesting to me, and it really brought home the fact that we are all so sensitive to the energy around us. (You can read more about this here.)

Because we are like sponges and tend to take on other people’s moods and emotions, I think it’s a good idea to be careful about who we let into our inner circle.

By surrounding ourselves with friends and loved ones who give us energy instead of take it away, we fill ourselves up by being around them instead of feeling depleted.

By surrounding ourselves with friends and loved ones who are positive and grateful, we raise our own vibration to meet theirs – and being more positive and more grateful is such a wonderful way to experience life!

By surrounding ourselves with friends and loved ones who are filled with happiness and pure love, we become happier and love flows more easily.

***

I know that it’s not always easy to weed out your friends and family who don’t feed your soul. I know that ties run deep, and it can be hard to loosen the grip that they have on you.

But I also know that your happiness is worth it. You deserve to be happy and positive and radiant and grateful.

And if you are surrounding yourself with anyone who isn’t on this same path, it is only making it that much harder for you to be on yours.

Spend some time today thinking about who is in your inner circle.

Do they feed you or drain you?

And then begin the process of only allowing into your circle those who support you and feed your soul.

You are special, and your inner circle is a sacred space.

Be conscious about who you allow in.

And then celebrate being with those who celebrate you, who are happy, who support you, and who radiate love.

Loving Your So-Called Flaws

Posted on May 23, 2011 by admin

Today’s post is a continuation of yesterday’s post about Mirror Work, where you say, “I love you” to yourself each time you pass by a mirror.

In addition to feeling a bit goofy and awkward, this exercise can also bring up feelings of insecurity. Your inner critic may appear and start pointing out all of your physical “flaws.” If this happens, here is a great writing prompt from our Journaling Further Within book to help combat this voice and move on in a positive way:

Is there any part of your physical appearance that you criticize or don’t always feel great about?

If so, think of at least one thing that you like about it and write it down.

By choosing to focus on what we like about our appearance instead of picking out our so-called flaws, we give energy to positivity instead of letting our inner critic control our lives.

You could even take this exercise a step further if you would like.

The next time you are standing in front of a mirror, make sure you have a pen and notebook with you. Look at yourself from top to bottom and write down every single thing that you like about your body. Leave out anything that you don’t. (If there are things that you don’t like, use the exercise above to try to think of one positive aspect for each part you don’t like.)

The great part of this exercise is that you will have proof in writing of how beautiful you are and how wonderful your body is. This way, the next time you are feeling a bit down about how you look, you can take out your notebook for an instant self-esteem boost.

Learning to love ourselves inside and out is a process – one that most of us are still figuring out and discovering. By taking these first steps toward loving your body, you will start your own journey toward self love. And this is truly the key to lasting happiness.

Mirror Work – Part 2

Posted on May 22, 2011 by admin

I love that last month’s post about Mirror Work is one of our most read posts.

I think this is so great because I feel that self care and self love are essential for lasting happiness, and mirror work is one way to begin to love yourself.

I hope you have been participating in my 30-day mirror work invitation:

Each time you pass a mirror, look into your eyes and say, “I love you” (out loud).

I have found that if you can commit to something for 30 days it truly becomes a habit, and you are much more likely to continue it throughout your life.

(That’s how I started this blog, actually. I committed to myself that I would do it every day for 30 days and see where it took me – and now I am almost at 100 days! It’s become such a crucial part of my routine that I would miss it if I didn’t write each day.)

And it’s the same with mirror work (or anything else you commit to).

Louise Hay (a woman that I truly admire and look up to) believes that mirror work is the essential most powerful ingredient toward self love and self esteem.

I was listening to Hay House Radio last night and the wonderful Lisa Nichols was speaking about mirror work as well! (You may remember her as one of the prominent speakers in The Secret.) A caller asked her what is the quickest way toward feeling worthy and deserving of love, money, happiness, etc.

This is what she recommended:

Stand in front of a mirror each day and say the following:

I am proud that you…

(list 7 things)

I forgive you for…

(list 7 things)

I commit to you that…

(list 7 things)

Imagine how loved, acknowledged, and validated you will feel after doing this each day!
And remember that it’s completely okay if you don’t have seven things for each category. The point is to get into the habit of acknowledging yourself and praising yourself. If you have one thing that you are proud of, make sure you say it!

Mirror work is such a great way to start loving yourself and realizing just how wonderful you truly are! Give it a try today and see how it feels! Remember that it may feel awkward and silly at first, but keep at it! Soon it will feel completely normal and wonderful. And soon you’ll start to notice positive changes happening in your life – all because you have begun to put yourself back on your priority list.

And if you miss a few days, it’s okay! (I know that I definitely have.)

Just start up again and recommit to making self care a habit.

Your soul will be forever grateful!

Saturday Selection – The Law of Attraction

Posted on May 22, 2011 by admin

For this week’s Saturday Selection, instead of choosing just one book or website to feature, I selected one of the seven natural laws in our universe: The Law of Attraction.

Like many of you, I first learned about this law by watching The Secret.

I had dabbled with this concept before that. I believed that our thoughts became our reality, but when I watched this movie several years ago, something in me clicked and I have been on this path toward learning more about this law ever since.

Here is how we define the law of attraction in our book: As If:

This book is based on the Law of Attraction–the principle of “like attracts like”–which says that what you focus on becomes your reality. We’d like to help you consciously focus on the life you want and make that your reality.

But, as the British musician Joe Jackson sang, “You can’t get what you want till you know what you want.” If you have no clear vision, or if you send mixed messages (e.g., saying you want prosperity, but spending half of your time focusing on debt and lack), you will get unclear, mixed results. On the other hand, if you can send a very clear message of exactly what you would like to manifest, it’s much more likely that these things, people, and experiences will start moving toward you.

The more you clarify, feel, and focus on your ideal vision, the stronger it gets. And the stronger it gets, the more it acts like a magnet, pulling your present self/life closer and closer toward your ideal until they are one and the same.

No matter how you work with the Law of Attraction, one thing is for certain: as you become more conscious of this principle, you will observe its power at work all around you and in your own life!

Use it consciously. Use it lovingly.

If you are new to this wonderful concept, I thought it would be helpful to list some books that have helped me (and continue to help me) learn more about it and become more conscious of what I attract into my life:

Keep in mind that this law is a law. It is working whether we think about it or not. We are constantly attracting into our lives whatever we believe we are worth and whatever we focus on and give the most energy to. And so why not be more conscious of our thoughts and attract the life that we truly believe we are worth?

Another thing to keep in mind that it is not just about creating financial abundance. It is so much bigger than that. By understanding how this law works, you can consciously create the life of your dreams – whatever that means for you. You can consciously attract everything that you want and need to live your ideal life.

You get to decide. And this is such an amazingly powerful realization!

I have just begun to really tap into this law and truly understand how it works. I am currently working on discovering my own beliefs surrounding it and making sure that my thoughts are positive and in line with my ideal life.

I invite you to learn more about this and start consciously creating your ideal life as well.

It starts with just one thought.

And if you have 51% positive thoughts – then your life will be more positive than negative.

That’s a great place to start. 🙂

P.S. – Dan and I were invited to be a part of a movie screening today for Scott Blum’s wonderful movie: Walk In. It was an amazing opportunity to watch it before its release, and I can’t wait for it to be finished so everyone can enjoy it! I’ll be sure to write about it when it comes out.

Making Space to Create

Posted on May 20, 2011 by admin

Have you ever felt the need to create something truly wonderful?

You get a great idea and are so excited, motivated, and can’t wait to start.

And sometimes you do just that and the magic happens.

And other times you sit for a bit too long on the idea before taking action.

Your mind kicks in and starts to wonder if it’s really a good idea to create at this moment in your life.

You think about how busy your life is and wonder if you should be adding yet another thing to your long to-do list.

And this great, inspired idea that you had goes to the back of your mind and gets filed as a “dream,” and never really makes it to an actual “creation.”

Only when we become aware of how our minds and fears can stifle our creativity can we begin to make changes.

And once we recognize this pattern, we can learn to stop these fears before they take over.

One way to do this is to stop the overwhelming feelings before they start.

When you get a creative idea, immediately make space to bring it to life.

If your creativity comes out in a physical form (e.g., painting, crafting, etc.), clean your studio to make room for your new creations.

If your creativity comes out in the form of words, clean up your desk – recycle all of those old papers that are just taking up space.

Fill your workspace with positive mementos/photos/quotes.

Get organized in your mind and in your surroundings.

Get rid of the energy zappers in your life.

Unfinished projects.

Lists and lists of to-dos.

Messy studio spaces.

When you do this, you will immediately feel the energy flowing again.

And by clearing out the energy drains around you, you now have actually made more space for something positive and creative.

This will help you from feeling overwhelmed from the start.

And even if you don’t have something creative in mind – just the act of clearing space and making room will allow creativity to come out and blossom.

I will be doing this process over the next few days, too.

Give it a try and then come back and share with us what you were able to create because you made some space!

🙂