My youngest grand-daughter and I made Vision Boards a few weeks ago. She is still young enough to not yet be addicted to social media and enjoys engaging in real time with her Mimi and creating new craft projects. January is always a reflective time for me in deciding on a word of the year and form some habits that I hope will follow me into the new year. What better way than to start at the end and imagine what I want the future to look like? You have to see it to achieve it. I explained to my girl that we would be browsing through magazines to find words and pictures we loved, but before, we would sit down and pencil out a few goals and wild imaginings. Afterwards, we dove into our magazines and I explained it didn’t matter how far-fetched any photo or word seemed, if we were drawn to it, we should use it. Yes,even a photo of Disneyworld or visiting the Clearwater aquarium to see Winter the dolphin. She and I had just watched the movie, A Dolphin Tale. Excitedly, she started clipping pictures from Guidepost, Whole Living, Home and Away, Redbook, AARP, and old American Girl and Ikea catalogs. Bless her creative little soul. She still found suitable photos in my predominately geriatric selections, although I did question a church steeple she placed on her Vision Board. When asked about the picture, she said, “I want to be more involved in church.” Awwww. My well rounded little Christian girl. This from the same little girl who at age three, asked about the meaning of Ash Wednesday and Lent, and learning she would get ashes on her forehead and needed to give up something for six weeks, decided she would give up church. The ashes were bad enough (yuck) but forgoing her favorite candy or Cheetos made her sacrifice of church sound like a wise decision! I was happy to see the years had turned her heart.
Vision Boards were a big part of personal and professional development back in my career days attending Dale Carnegie training programs, and many motivational seminars. Different exercises, similar to Vision Boarding followed me into some overwhelming periods of my life that called for a few months of unbiased guidance from a professional therapist. These tools were often called by other names but the intent was the same. One such Vision Board of sorts was, “My Obituary” in which you wrote your own. What did you want your legacy to be? I let my imagination fly free with this one. My three page obit is going to take a chunk of change out of my estate. Another exercise was, “ A letter to my much younger self.” With this therapeutic writing task your advice to the you of yore reinforced that progress was possible and envisioning, focus, and practice, worked as a change agent in promoting growth. See... you were not the same person you were at sixteen.
The point of all of these activities was to set an intention because when you do, and you allow your focus to be on that intention, magic happens. I’m not saying there isn’t some elbow grease involved, but when your mind's eye is narrowed in on your dreams, that’s the place where the mystery begins. The Universe, God, Energy Force, whatever you call the Higher Power that keeps it all seamlessly spinning responds with divine assistance. I don’t necessarily believe that we get everything that we ask for or think we WANT OR NEED to make us happy. A deeper belief of mine is that everything is for our higher good, and it is all about divine timing.
My sweet girl completed her vision board and took it home to proudly show off to her mom, dad, and sisters. I completed mine a few days after she left. The 64 year old grumpy pessimist I am constantly trying to silence, snickered wickedly and said, “None of this is going to happen. You’re too old.” Fortunately for me, I have been pampering my inner child these past few years, and this happy little optimist, responded by duck taping the old grouch’s mouth. I finished my Vision Board. My mind was flush with hopes and dreams. I envisioned a condo and a healthy, fit, me living in it and writing my little heart out. The spiritual path beckoned to me to keep following the bread crumbs along the trail. I needed a new car to replace my fifteen year old one. I wanted a Honda HRV. I decided to open my heart back up to the possibilities of new friends and even love. Reading a book a week as well as living in awe was important. I put it all out there. Fearlessly and confidently.
I noticed with every photo I pasted onto my board, my spirit grew lighter. And happier. I believe in miracles. I always have. It’s a much better way to live having dreams, wishing on stars, and embracing the notion that anything is possible. It keeps us optimistic and a much more pleasant person to be around. While the body may be aging, the spirit is eternally youthful and filled with possibility and God’s love and support. Ask and you shall receive. With faith as a grain of a mustard seed. On earth as it is in heaven.
Why not believe? What have I got to lose other than that grouchy old gal? Someone please hand her a pair of rose colored glasses! So, I did.
Never, ever, ever quit - Winston Churchill
