A Vision Board is a creative, intuitive and powerful visual representation of who you are.  It’s like taking a snapshot of your inner fire and wisdom. A vision board will reflect your values and what resonates with you.  You are the creator of your own life. Enjoy it!

How to create a Vision Board

1. Select a time

Find a time of the year that inspires you. I encourage you to create a vision board at least once a year. I love to create my Vision Board on January 1^st. The beginning of the year is an inspiring time when I feel compelled to renew my goals for the coming year. My husband and I religiously spend the first day of the year creating our vision board for the coming year.  Find you own perfect time!

2. Choose a location

Choose a place where  you feel comfortable and inspired. Make sure that you can spend some uninterrupted time to focus on your visioning process. Set up all the materials you will need to create the vision board (see below). Put on your favorite music, relax, and enjoy!

3. Select pictures/photos and words

Ask yourself the following questions: What is important for me? What are my deepest values? With those questions in mind, begin by looking through old magazines and select words, phrases or pictures that resonate with you. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight the coming year, select pictures of people exercising or photos of healthy meal.  Remember, there are no right or wrong pictures.  You can also add some photos of yourself and your family to make it more personal. Take as much time as feels right for you during the selection of the pictures. You will know when you have enough pictures. Trust your intuition.

4. Display the pictures on the poster board

Lay all pictures/photos/words on top of the poster board and begin arranging them. Be playful while you are grouping the pictures. Notice the pictures connecting with each other. Pay attention to the words you have selected.  Be curious and observe the messages which are unfolding from the grouping of the objects you selected.

5. Step back and contemplate your creation

Admire your art work.  What does this work say about you?  What have you noticed? Any surprises?  What have you learned?  What patterns have unfolded during the creation of this work?  What is missing?  Is there anything that you want to remove from the board? Notice and name the main areas of your art work. Add, delete or move things around the poster board until you are satisfied with the results. This is your artwork!  This is your life!  You can do it any way you want it!  Have fun!

6. Be specific

Once you have anchored the main areas of your work, write up specific statements in the present tense about the essence of what you want to attract into your life. For example, if you want to attract a partner you may write the following: I have a loving partner who is my soul mate. We love hiking, exercising and cooking together. We appreciate Jazz and love traveling. We have a great time together and we respect each other’s individuality. We love our jobs and we are extremely successful. We complement each other in many aspects. Our main focus is our family. At the same time, we support and encourage each other to take risks and follow our dreams. Focus on the essence of what you want from a partner and write as if you’re already with him/her.

7. Glue it all together

Once you are satisfied with the results of your creation, glue it all together and claim what you want by stating your intentions.

8. Create a game plan

Extract inspiring and compelling goals from your vision board. Write up realistic and “stretching” goals to implement your vision with specific time frames.

9. Place your vision board in a strategic place

Post your vision board in a place where you spend a lot of time. Your vision board is your reminder of your destination.

10. Find support

Create a support system or find someone (such as a coach) that will hold you accountable for the goals you established for yourself. It is most likely that self-defeating thoughts will arise when you are committed to change your life. Be fiercely vigilant of these negative thoughts and do not buy into them, as they will try to make you preserve the status quo and protect you from disappointments. Focus on your inspiring and compelling vision. Believe in your vision and implement your goals. Vision without action is wishful thinking!

Required materials

• A variety of magazines (different interests)
• Poster board
• Glue
• Scissors
• Colorful markers
• Imagination
• Vision!

The beginning of the year is a great time to intentionally capture your soul, heart, mind and body’s desire in a Vision Board. You will be surprised how this creative process can capture your inner wisdom and surface the essence of the goals you would like to accomplish in 2013.

Best wishes for a 2013 filled with meaningful realizations!

Praia da Joaquina, Brazil

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes” ~ Buddha

This past year I decided to listen to my own rhythm and to follow the beat of my heart’s melody. My journey was organic and unfolded naturally.  I spent time learning, traveling, collaborating, playing, giving and nurturing what is meaningful to me.

By following my energy in 2011, I learned the following five lessons:

1.  Inner Fitness

Develop inner muscles by engaging in learning experiences that strengthen your inner self.  Just like our muscles need exercise to stay strong, our spirit, heart and mind need exercise to stay healthy. When you are doing your inner power fitness exercises pay attention to what feeds your soul, to what engages your heart, to the thoughts you hold in your mind and the signs you are receiving from others and the world. Watch your energy and what is unfolding.

2.  Physical Fitness

Find a sport or exercise you enjoy and practice at least three times per week. Engage others in your exercise routine to have fun and increase the accountability. Regular physical exercise is the secret to a long and healthy lifestyle and will help you to stay sharp physically and mentally.  You will find that you will generate more energy and creativity in your life.

3.  Giving And Receiving

Go Team!

We’ve all heard the saying “The more you give, the more you receive.”  This is a fact of life.  When you give from the heart to a cause that is bigger than yourself, you get back double from the universe.   By joining the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training (TNT) my husband and I are helping to raise money for research into cures for blood cancers. Ultimately, I am learning not to take life and health for granted by witnessing the endurance of those who are battling for their lives while riding their bike by my side. I’ve met many new friends, explored new places and pushed the limits of what I thought was possible (or impossible!) before. Yet it still doesn’t compare with what leukemia and lymphoma patients go through during their treatments. Their journeys are hard and long.  Contributing to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to find a cure for these cancers has been a gift in itself.

4.  Explore And Have Fun

Visit places and engage with family, friends, and different cultures. There is a wide open world out there waiting to be explored. Put your kid’s hat on, be curious, play and have fun! Make nature your playground and connect with the higher power Who created it.

5.  Be Intentional Without Being Attached To Outcomes

Remember that life is about enjoying the journey and not a destination to be reached. Sometimes we’re so focused on the destination that we fail to appreciate the surroundings on our way there.  I learned the importance of letting life unfold without being attached to outcomes.  Most people live in a world where they react to life circumstances when they don’t reach the outcomes they expected.  I can now absorb the mystery of life by engaging in a learning process.  By doing that, I am more aware of opportunities and possibilities in the moment which may lead to results that are even better than the ones I expected.  I am no longer distracted by life circumstances.  I am the intentional creator of my life.

In sum, I learned that as nature has its own rhythm, so does our life.  Listen, be intentional and follow your own rhythm to master inner/outer endurance!

I wish I could wrap this amazing journey in a beautiful package and give it to you as a gift.  However, it was my journey and not yours.  But if you apply some of the lessons I learned, you can create your own meaningful and fun journey!

“Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.” ~ Unknown

Today is the first day of 2011. By now, you’ve probably received lots of wishes for a Happy New Year. But what exactly are we wishing for when we say Happy New Year?

Just by curiosity, I began reflecting on the meaning of the word happy. Webster’s dictionary defines happy as “favored by circumstances, lucky , fortunate, having, showing , or causing a feeling of great pleasure, contentment, joy, in high spirits and blissful.” My mind continued wondering in curiosity, what makes me feel blissful in state of mind and spirit? What brings me joy and pleasure?

The happiness question brought me back to a blog post I have on my site called “Rich People VS. Poor People (How they think?)”.  I noticed over time that this post is the one that gets most of the hits on my blog. By revisiting this post, I noticed that what makes me happy and perhaps makes most people happy is the fact that they are in charge of their state of happiness and life.

I am most happy when:

• Cultivating positive thoughts and feelings
• Playing the game of life to win
• Focusing on opportunities
• Spending time with successful and optimistic people
• Being curious and using my intuition and creativity
• Valuing and honoring myself
• Acting in spite of fear
• Constantly learning and growing

I am most happy when I am the creating and shaping my life.

As an old tradition, today my husband and I are working on our 2011 vision board. If you are interested in creating your own vision board read the post called “The Power Of A Vision Board”. My intention and focus for 2011 is to create for myself and help guide others to sustain a magical and blissful life.

You have the power within to create your happiness. Take the time to do a gut check and start today to shape it. “Happiness is: Looking in a mirror and liking what you see” – Author Unknown

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”

Three years ago, just prior to Christmas, my 7-year-old son was dancing around the Christmas tree excited about Santa Claus’ arrival. His eyes were glowing with curiosity about what presents Santa Claus was bringing to him. He was squeezing all the colorful wrapped presents under the tree and reading all the labels carefully. Suddenly, he stopped and grew silent. He looked at me and my husband and said, “Santa Claus is not real! You guys bought all these presents. The handwriting on the tags from Santa is the same as yours” With tears on his eyes and in a desperate tone of voice, he continued, “You lied to me! Tell me the truth! Is Santa Claus real?”

My husband and I stared at each other looking for some words of wisdom to fix our son’s broken heart. After a long conversation with my little boy trying to convey the spirit of Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ, my son was still in pain, mourning from the loss of Santa Claus. There were no words that could mend his heart. We held him and hung in there like a Christmas decoration on a Christmas tree.

Do you believe in Santa Claus? Is it about shopping, decorations, parties, exotic vacations and expensive presents? What is the meaning of the Christmas spirit?

What Is The Meaning of Santa Claus?

Three years later, and a week before Christmas, I was having a casual conversation with my son, now in 5^th grade.  “There was a fight at school today. Robert was telling everyone that Paul still believes in Santa Claus just to make fun of him. Paul asked Robert to stop talking about him believing in Santa Claus, but Robert continued teasing him with a mean look on his face. If embarrassing Paul was not enough, Robert turned around and hit him. I got in the middle and held Robert until my friend brought the yard duty to take care of the situation. Mom, I don’t understand why Robert had to make fun of Paul believing in Santa Claus and hitting him.”

After listening to his story I said, “Robert is missing the whole spirit of Christmas. Christmas is not about fighting. Christmas is about loving.” My son looked deeply in my eyes with the same excitement and glow which I had seeing in his eyes three years earlier when he did still believed in Santa Claus and said, “Mom, I get it! I get it! Santa Claus is real! It is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth! With tears of joy in my eyes, we hugged and I said, “Yes my son, Santa Claus is real. It is all about love!”

My 2010 Christmas present could not be better than witnessing my son’s heart become whole again.  He learned the meaning of Christmas by listening to his own life experiences. As Buddha stated, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

During this holiday season, listen to your heart and experience each moment through a child’s eyes.

I hope you have a blessed Christmas with your loved ones!

Love,

Valdete

http://tinyurl.com/ygkj8v6

Seven Secrets of Superhumans by Matt Furey

1. Superhumans know what they want.  They know what their goals are.

What do you want?

2. Superhumans want what they want so badly they will do whatever it takes to get what they want.

How bad do you want it?

3. Superhumans are masters of their mental pictures, their self-talk, and their physiology.

Are you a master of your mental picture?

4. Superhumans understand how to harness universal energy on command and use it to create the life they want.

Can you draw and use universal energy?

5. Superhumans are physically and mentally relaxed and at peace while engaged in battle.

Are you in control of your physical and mental world?

6. Superhumans never stop learning, because they’re always striving to give life their very best effort.

Am I giving my best? Am I a learner?

7. Superhumans were not born with superhuman skills.  They trained themselves to develop their extraordinary talents and abilities by continually putting themselves in contact with powerful teachers and mentors who inspired them, guided them, and molded them.  Superhumans seek challenges.  Why?  Because that’s where the “juice” in life is.

Who are my friends and allies?

Here’s a taste of what it is like to be Brazilian!

Enjoy!

Poor people believe: “Life happens to me.” (This is HUGE. Every successful
person I know is control of her life. Unhappy people are constantly complaining
to me how this, that, or the other thing prevents them from doing something.)

2. Rich people play the money game to win.
Poor people play the money game to not lose.

3. Rich people are committed to being rich.
Poor people want to be rich.

4. Rich people think big.
Poor people think small.

5. Rich people focus on opportunities.
Poor people focus on obstacles.

6. Rich people admire other rich and successful people.
Poor people resent rich and successful people.

7. Rich people associate with positive, successful people.
Poor people associate with negative or unsuccessful people.

8. Rich people are willing to promote themselves and their value.
Poor people think negatively about selling and promotion.

9. Rich people are bigger than their problems.
Poor people are smaller than their problems.

10. Rich people are excellent receivers.
Poor people are poor receivers.

11. Rich people choose to get paid based on results.
Poor people choose to get paid based on time.

12. Rich people think “both”.
Poor people think “either/or”.

13. Rich people focus on their net worth.
Poor people focus on their working income.

14. Rich people manage their money well.
Poor people mismanage their money well.

15. Rich people have their money work hard for them.
Poor people work hard for their money.

16. Rich people act in spite of fear.
Poor people let fear stop them.

17. Rich people constantly learn and grow.
Poor people think they already know.

Unknown

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s the only thing you are sure to keep for the rest of your life.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called “Life on Planet Earth”. Every person or incident is the Universal Teacher.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation. “Failures” are as much a part of the process as “success.”

4. A lesson is repeated until learned. It is presented to you in various forms until you learn it — then you can go on to the next lesson.

5. If you don’t learn easy lessons, they get harder. External problems are a precise reflection of your internal state. When you clear inner obstructions, your outside world changes. Pain is how the universe gets your attention.

6. You will know you’ve learned a lesson when your actions change. Wisdom is practice. A little of something is better than a lot of nothing.

7. “There” is no better than “here”. When your “there” becomes a “here” you will simply obtain another “there” that again looks better than “here.”

8. Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate in yourself.

9. Your life is up to you. Life provides the canvas; you do the painting. Take charge of your life — or someone else will.

10. You always get what you want. Your subconscious rightfully determines what energies, experiences, and people you attract — therefore, the only foolproof way to know what you want is to see what you have. There are no victims, only students.

11. There is no right or wrong, but there are consequences. Moralizing doesn’t help. Judgments only hold the patterns in place. Just do your best.

12. Your answers lie inside you. Children need guidance from others; as we mature, we trust our hearts, where the Laws of Spirit are written. You know more than you have heard or read or been told. All you need to do is to look, listen, and trust.

13. You will forget all this.

14. You can remember any time you wish.

(From the book “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules” by Cherie Carter-Scott; http://www.worldtrans.org/spir/ruleshuman.html)