Vision Board

My dad drove over the road for +15 years starting in the mid-1980's.  As you can imagine, 15 years is more than enough time to accumulate a volume of stories.  One of my favorite set of road stories involved his adventures with helping people he encountered in his travels.  He didn't want to just help them physically (with money for a meal, for example), but to help them spiritually as well.  "Give someone a fish, you feed them for a day.  Teach them to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime."  In my opinion, he developed a rather novel way to do both.

Dad gave out Bibles to people he felt needed a reminder that God is always with them, despite their current beliefs and circumstances.  Every Bible was a nice gift in and of itself -- easy-to-read text and about the length and width of an iPad Mini.  Each Bible was protected by a clear cellophane wrap so it wouldn't get dirty when he carried it in his truck.  He asked a mission preacher in Chicago to help him pick out several especially uplifting passages from the Bible.  Dad then had a one-page letter typed with greetings and well wishes, and included the list of these Scripture passages.  Crisp one-dollar bills served as bookmarks for seven of the Scriptures that he wished to highlight.

Preparation of each gift was a meticulous process for a man with thick, muscular fingers.  Dad would cut the cellophane wrap along the bottom edge of the Bible and gently slide the book out of its sheath.  He would staple the note to the front page and place the special bookmarks in the appropriate sections of the book.  Then he would gently slide the Bible back into the cellophane wrap and seal the slit with clear tape.  You really had to look close to see it had been opened at some point in time.

He always carried a few of these Bibles in the truck when he was on trips.  Invariably he would meet someone at a truck stop who appeared down on their luck.  Sometimes it would take a brief conversation for him to decide to give them the gift; sometimes he was inspired outright to just walk over with a Bible in hand.  The response to his gift varied.  Most people would simply take the book, thank him and walk away.  Sometimes he found the Bible in the trash later...a few of them were even unopened.  Some people, though, opened the cellophane wrap in his presence, read through the letter and noticed the dollar bills.  A few of them got a little gleam in their eye.  Or a tear.  I remember one story where one of the "walk away" folks, after realizing what they had received, actually tracked him down in the truck stop's restaurant to thank him for his considerate gift.

In part, it was his example that inspired me to the decision of what I would give for Christmas presents this year...that, and my over-active imagination.  You see, I've recognized that my imagination has been a success factor -- both a source and a driver -- for me in my life.  I look at people whom I respect and admire, and I recognize one of their common traits is the breadth and depth of their imagination.  My desire was to give gifts this year that would strengthen and magnify the imagination of the people I love.  I felt that a vision board is perfect for fulfilling that intention.


The creation of a vision board is a very personal gift...a gift that you give to your self.  It is a means for you to put energy in motion (emotion) into the Universe, the emotional energy that fills and surrounds your deepest desires and intentions.  This energy is reflected back to you in the opportunities that occur over time for you to fulfill these visions.  You are co-creating with the Universe!  There's nothing more personal than that.

At a straightforward level, a vision board consists of images and words or phrases, representing places or events that you desire to experience in your future.  At a personal level, these images exist to create an emotional response within you.  They can motivate you at times to put a little extra effort into the completion of a task you might otherwise not finish.

At a more profound level, the vision board represents who you really are.  Its contents inspire you, because you recognize your self in the images and words on the board.  Because the vision board inspires you, it also inspires the Universe to work with you and through you.  If you genuinely believe in your self on the inside -- deep in your soul -- then what you place on the vision board will happen on the outside.  It's really this simple.

As it turns out, you are indeed the change you wish to see in the world!

A vision board is not substitution for actually doing the work that is required in making your vision into reality.  The Universe doesn't do the work for you; it's not an employee or a servant in that regard.  It works with you and through you.  Be prepared to do the work when the opportunities come.

A vision board is also not a step-by-step or how-to guide on fulfilling your desires.  It's not a plan; it's a vision.  The details will come, and you will most certainly need to make plans to complete some of the tasks ahead.  While both are essential in manifesting your desires, a vision generates a lot more enthusiasm than a plan.

That said, here are some suggestions to get the most from the experience of creating your vision board:

1. Remember that creating a vision board is a gift to your self.  What goes on the board is what will appear in your life experience in some future 'Now'.  How long in the future is only dependent on the decisions and choices you make and how you feel in every moment.
2. Find images, words or phrases that stir you up emotionally.  The more levels where it rocks your world, the better.  Pay attention to where in your body you feel a response when you look at the image.  (That's an important part that I will discuss in a future post.)
3. Let the images represent who you are.  You should be able to look at each picture, word or phrase and say "I Am That".  (Note that I didn't say "I will be That", or "I can be That".  The affirmation is "I Am That".)
4. When you put the pictures on the cork board or poster board, do it with love.  Act as if you were wrapping a gift for your best friend, and you intend for the package to be just as special as the gift itself.
5. Spend a few minutes every day "feeling" what you see on the vision board.  Look at the images with love and gratitude, and allow them to inspire you.  Believe that the opportunities to create this vision in your reality are already happening.  ("How" they are happening is the subject of yet another future post.)

As much fun as this activity is alone, it's even more fun with others.  Consider creating vision boards as a date night activity with your significant other, or a family activity with your kids.  (Or, if you are a kid, consider suggesting a family night of creating vision boards to your parents.)  If you do decide to make a party of the experience, and because a vision board is such a personal activity, I recommend that each person create their own board rather than creating a board that represents a collective vision.  For example, as a family you may be inspired to include a vacation as part of your vision.  Anyone who has taken a family vacation will understand that not everyone agrees on the definition of a good time.  Allow everyone to put something on their personal vision board that they would enjoy on a vacation, recognizing that it might not be the next vacation when it appears.


I hope you find this post on vision boards useful.  For everyone who reads this post, please know that it was my privilege and honor to write this for your information and benefit.  It is with that expression of gratitude that I thank you for your time, and I wish you well.

On a personal note, if you were directed by a visual prompt on your Christmas (or birthday, or anniversary) present to read this post, please remember that the gift you were given is in the spirit of how my dad gave out Bibles while on the road.  Pay close attention when you open it.  :)

I leave you with a quote each from two great philosophers of the 20th century (of sorts):

• "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right!" ~Henry Ford

• "Try not!  Do, or do not.  There is no try." ~Yoda

Enjoy the day!

Unconditionally Self-loving: Part 1

Being unconditionally Self-loving is simply a decision. Practicing unconditional Self love means that, in every moment, you make a choice that:
- Honors the past
- Acknowledges the present
- Respects the future

If at any time you find your Self in a state of Beingness that isn't unconditionally Self-loving, the choices you make should:
- Forgive the past
- Acknowledge the present
- Respect the future

Moment by moment, it gets easier to practice. Over time, you have enough love to sustain your Self in those challenging moments that come along in life. Eventually, you will have enough to share with others without depleting your Self.

Feeling Vulnerable

Your feelings of vulnerability can be a great asset at any moment.

With them, you can eventually recognize the necessity of change.

In realizing the necessity of change, you recognize the impermanence of all things.

In realizing the impermanence of all things, you recognize the permanence that permeates them...the true nature of What Is, and of Who You Are.

And in that realization,
your feelings of vulnerability are no longer necessary,
and you can let them go.

Namaste...enjoy the day!

My Expression of Gratitude for January 2011

Again and again, I experience the gifts of the Universe as they are presented to me toward my goal of writing a self-help book this year!
- Two weeks ago I signed up for a contest, with the Grand Prize being a publishing contract and a speaking tour. The contest starts on February 1st...my birthday!  I consider it an honor to have the opportunity cross my path, and to be able to present material I'm preparing in competition with such an esteemed group of equally-well-intentioned souls.
- The Holiday Party last night provided one very useful piece of the puzzle: I was given an Apple iPad as a present from the company I'm working for. I realized coming home that this iPad will see my book both before and after it's published!
- Tonight, I sent an email and headshot (my Facebook profile picture) to a company casting for a "social experiment"...needing people with a background in social networking who can either work from home or remotely, and can live for 30-days with a group of people who have a similar profile.  If selected, the $$ from the project will go toward funding the time off I need to finish the contest and the manuscript.
- If any of these three individual circumstances somehow does not quite manifest as I intend or hope it would, at the very least this is one fantastic start to 2011!

On top of everything else...I have a new friend, a kindred spirit, who I am looking forward to getting to know better over the course of time!

6D :)

I am profoundly honored, humbled and grateful for everything, everyone and every opportunity that has been presented to me in January 2011. Thank you! And to everyone reading this, please accept my intention and heartfelt wish for you, that your life is enriched with all that you intend to manifest.

Namaste...enjoy the day!

Meditation and the Sedona Method

I continue to be amazed at how meditation and the Sedona Method enrich my life, especially when they are applied together. The first half of an hour-long sit this morning yielded two written note cards on "The History Society" (a sci-fi book I've been trying to write for over a decade), one card on "6D" (the science-fact behind the aforementioned science-fiction book) and a general sense of place and well being.  The last half of the meditation enhanced the "place and well being" part.

I've been practicing meditation on and off most of my adult life.  I've dropped away from the practice when the act of "sitting" became more of a chore than an experience -- when the benefits of the meditation were not readily apparent, or when something more pressing on the "outside" took over as more important than was going on "inside".  Including Ho'oponopono and the Sedona Method have brought meditation to an entirely different level for me.  Meditation allows the mental and emotional "problems" to come to the surface in a safe and nonjudgmental manner; Ho'oponopono and the Sedona Method provide the tools for effectively resolving these "problems".  My day is noticeably much different with them than without.

As always, I hope that you find these posts beneficial for you.  Namaste...enjoy the day!

Which one hurts less?

I met someone today who asked me a question that is sending me on a rather profound journey.  We were discussing my job at the National Marrow Donor Program (www.bethematch.org) when I was asked if I'm on the donor registry.

"I am," I replied.

"Did it hurt when you donated marrow?" came the next question.

"I've not been called for that opportunity yet," I responded.

"Do you think it's going to hurt?" was the question that followed.  I replied that I didn't care, that it's for a good cause and so it didn't matter to me how it would feel.

I thought about that conversation later when I pondered another experience I've not had this lifetime:  Giving birth to a child.  I was in attendance when both of my children entered the world.  Judging from the screaming and squeezing of my hand by their mother during the procedure, I am presuming the experience wasn't pleasant.  Similar stories from other moms and dads seem to confirm that bringing life into the world is something that can be somewhat uncomfortable at some point during the process.

I have heard stories from several people while at the NMDP about how rewarding the experience of bone marrow donation was to them.  When asked if the procedure hurt, each person gives an answer that basically downplays the discomfort experienced during the process.  Whether it was painful or not really didn't seem to matter to them in the end.

Coincidentally, all the stories I have heard thus far have been from males; I've not yet been in attendance when the presenter was female.  This lead me down a path of thought that I hadn't explored before, and a question arose in me for which I must have an answer.

After pondering the conversation I had with my new friend today, I decided I'm going to make a point of reaching out to someone who has both given birth to their child and given life to someone else through a bone marrow donation.  I decided I really want to know the answer to this question:  Which procedure hurts less?  I won't ask them how long they waited to be a mom or a donor, or how long each procedure took, or even if they would ever consider doing each one again.  I simply want to understand which process was more uncomfortable to them, and it's purely for selfish reasons that I want to know the answer.

I want to understand how it feels to give life its first chance, compared with how it feels to give life another chance.

I've heard from moms how rewarding it was to bring their child into the world and, despite the temporary discomfort during the process, how they would do it all over again.  I've heard from the gentlemen bone marrow donors who have met their recipients and their recipient's families.  They have expressed the same sentiment and emotion.  The glow in their eyes differs little from the glow in a new mom's eyes.

I have donated blood before, and donate blood platelets as often as I think my schedule allows.  (Notice the admitted cop out here -- I could donate every week, but seldom make it a point to do it with that level of regularity.)  These experiences are unpleasant only in the brief moments that my flesh is pierced:  Once in the finger to test my blood, and one in each arm to complete the circuit of drawing out my blood and sending it back minus the platelets.  The discomfort is minimal and temporary...a few moments of discomfort, and a few hours out of my week spent in a worthwhile endeavor.  I know what this experience feels like, and even though I've never met anyone who has received my donation, I know from the stories posted on the white board in the waiting area that my small contribution of time and organic treasure makes a difference.

But since all experience is by contrast, this one is going to bother me until I understand it and experience it as completely as I can.

"What hurts worse, childbirth or marrow donation?"  I Googled this exact question, and could not really find anything that stood out as an answer.  As a male, I will never have the opportunity to experience the first one.  I may have the opportunity to experience the second, but to do so only means that someone else is in serious trouble and needs my help.  They aren't helpless and frail, living safely for nine months and awaiting the process that gives them their first chance at life.  They are more likely helpless and frail, living moment by moment in a struggle to survive, awaiting the process that gives them another --perhaps their last -- chance at life.

And if I have that moment of giving someone's life another chance, I'm going to find the woman who told me which one hurt less.  Just so I can tell her, "Thank you for sharing both experiences with me.  Now I understand."

Namaste.

Grieving right this time

I grieving again over some recent losses, since I didn't finish the job the first time. I recognized that it wasn't so much the lost of the role as the loss of identity that carried so much pain. I attributed so much of my identity to these roles -- this one's boyfriend, this one's husband, this business's owner -- that when the role was gone, a piece of me felt like it left as well. But it didn't...it was just the role that went away. I see that now, and hope that the rest of the grieving process carries this wicked weight away that I've been carrying for too long.

Shakespeare was right: All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players...