Sunday, May 31, 2015

Adventures in Vision Boarding

I'm a boarder. A vision boarder, that is. I have been creating inspirational collages on a regular basis for over a year now and it has brought me great joy. I have led several collage sessions with friends and in the workplace and loved it. I loved inspiring others to express their dreams through art and enjoy the relaxation that comes with creating. And I have witnessed the power of making my intentions reality through putting them out there for the Universe to see through my own collages.

About a year ago, I started a vision collage book and have been adding to it little by little whenever inspiration finds me or when I want to invoke more inspiration and creativity in me. When I may have gotten so busy I forgot to express myself artistically. This is a wonderful outlet and has also shown me how vision boards come from deep within. It is almost like the scraps of colorful paper and the words and phrases flow from a higher space, and I get in the groove and time flies by as I create and create.

I thought it would be neat to read over my past collages and write out the messages formed in them, almost like poetry scrapped together by phrases and words that I was drawn to as I collaged. My inspirations are numerous and vary from free pamphlets and flyers to used and donated magazines of all shapes and sizes to my life coaching class lessons. One of my favorite magazines to use when I collage is the Oprah magazine though. 

Here are the wise words I've used to live by and form intentions from on the collages I created this past year:

Milagro, encuentrame ahora!
(Miracle, find me now!)


Cup of Grace, like a diamond:
Art / energy / play / feeling good / calling / bliss / patient / transcendence / way of life / Renaissance / happiness / savoring / deliciousness / peaceful / paradise / freedom / heart / thanks / true love / ideas / journey / abundance / joy 


Oh, beautiful life!
Conjuring a world of endless possibilities,
Defying boundaries.
Taking a leap.
Restore / Replenish / Refresh
Live your best
Find your balance.
Let go >>>>
What makes it awesome 


I imagined myself becoming a woman who was valued for the love she shared.
Passionate
Vigilant
Courageous
Bold
Resourceful
Driven
Fearless
Unstoppable 


Live like a yogi.
Made for my life
Sacred
Beauty


Special 
Soulful and heartwarming 


Breathing space


I say yes to joy 
Opportunity 
Goodness 


Uncork your inner artist
Share your joy ~ 
Life is better when viewed from the top.
~Kerry Boone


Start...
Celebrate life -
For life is a beautiful, fanciful thing.
...Finish


Do you ever feel like you're growing?
Beauty starts on the inside.
Make one simple change 
Love your willpower 
Best life now 
Here's to your health 
Warrior 
Move a little,
Live a lot


What's not to love?
Reach
Bursting with Life
Worth sharing 
Amazing gift 
Beauty 
Find your balance.
Whole body
M'm! M'm! Good!
Beautiful breakthroughs
Joy. Pride. Confidence.
Focus on the positive.
Just simple choices.
Life lessons 
There are no real rules. (Seriously, anything goes.)


Illuminate 
Do more of what you love.
Life your best life 
Inspiration / motivation / celebration 


Your body is a temple 
My healthy life 


I am
Fearless 
Purpose 
Compassion / respect / excellence / collaboration / accountability 
Vision 
Community 
Values 
Mission 
Keeping promises 
"I'm always working towards a balance in life."
~Alicia Silverstone


Awaken 
Inspire 
Feel good / live simply / laugh more 
Celebrating the Divine in all


Hello cozy
Delight
Crisp fall days 
The cozy coat - go full-on cozy...
Cozy-on-cozy is surprisingly chic.


My mantra
Changing the world
Creating art
Spark 
Mind - Body - Spirit


Experience it!
Something fun for everyone!
Creating adventure 
Inspire their passions.
Light up a life...


Shine on
Live your best LIFE
In every way. Every day.
Bright ideas
For awakening opportunity
Prosperity and peace.


Feel the love
Grandiosa
Aloha
Life is a special occasion.
Flowing 
Heart 


If you could change anything 
Share your story 
Build up the excitement.
What are your goals?


Focus on bliss
Inner balance ~ Outer beauty 
Bounce back 
Inspired hope 
Your guiding gift of faith is a blessing 
Serenity
Lift your spirits!


I say YES! to unexpected Miracles!
Joys!
Love!
Money!
And more!
(Mantra from Richard Seaman of Seattle Life Coach Training) 


Yes!
Art + Play
Love 
Smile 
All you need is Love
Surrounded by artists at play 
Music 
Keep a poem in your pocket 
Celebrate 
Home 
Discover artist / author within 


Keep calm and
At the heart of your creativity,
Embrace your strength 
Take your real love,
A miracle of diamonds 
To paradise 
Cocooned in coconut 
& Mangos
Like joy feels 


Hello, Sunshine!
Breathe breathe
Love
Journey to greater health 
Enjoy 
Well rested 
Making poetry
Refresque su vida!
Let your health shine 
Connect with nature, 
Nurture your creativity.


Just say Yes!
Find your signature strength 
Developing 
Confident 
Trust
Amaze your confidence 
Believe / love / imagine
Celebrating the power of expression 


Whatever your story you're the boss of you!
Make waves
Reclaim your life
For calm
Blessings are all around us.
Add some SPARKLE to your 
Matters of the Heart 


The Meaning of Life
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
~Mary Oliver, "Sometimes"
Dream
How to make your goals reality - for good! 
(Inspiration)
Grow!
Miracles
A hug a day





How does inspired creativity express itself through you? 

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Meditations in Falling Off the Goal Wagon


A great deal of my thoughts, frustrations and energy have been dedicated throughout my life to feeling bad for falling off the “wagon.” I think I sometimes envision this wagon being a caravan filled with my hopes and dreams carrying me swiftly to my goal. So when I fall off of it and lose my way, stop doing the things I’ve committed to doing or not do them in the time frame I originally set up, I tend to feel really down. At least at first.  

Other times I start an “I don’t care” campaign in response to my falling off and apathy clouds my normally optimistic and hopeful disposition. In a way, this defiance can be an act of self-love, giving myself permission to give up the time-frame constraints I had originally imposed upon myself and allowing myself to be free and embrace a more impromptu way of living.  

I’ve struggled with these dueling ideas—plan, plan, plan for success and reaching my goals versus let it go, relax, don’t worry, I don’t care. But just now as I type this, another idea popped into my head. What if I stop struggling against my innate nature of planning and relaxing, and fully embrace these seemingly opposite traits to take a more positive stance? Could this taming of the duel inside be the key to peace? Isn’t the idea of envisioning our dreams and then releasing them the very basis for the famous Law of Attraction?  


Could there be a hidden nugget in my angst that I haven’t yet been accessing? I think so. And I’m intrigued. As an action-oriented planner and dreamer, this delights me that in my “laziness” I may have actually been cultivating something of value after all. Maybe all the time when I could have been “productive” and instead gave myself time to rest and “veg” on the couch or on Facebook was actually exactly what I needed to move forward.

Rest is required when on a journey. And setting out to reach our goals and dreams is quite a journey. So of course we need rest! In seeing my resting time as essential and valuable, I then give myself permission to take my sweet time, enjoy the view, reflect…or not, be human, and to gather my strength for the next lag of this incredible journey we call life. 

"You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."Caroline Adams