It’s an oldie but a goodie, the Vision Board exercise. Sometimes called a Vision Collage, Treasure Map, Vision Map, etc. A wonderful ‘graphic’ way to define and align with what you really want.

In the underground hit movie The Secret (introductory movie on Law of Attraction principles), there is a scene where a man unpacks and shows his Vision Board to his young son, only to realize that they are now living in the very house that was pictured on his board (created several years prior). And, during one of Oprah’s shows, guest Lisa Nichols showed her Vision Board – in it were the words ‘Lisa Reveals All on Oprah’ … she definitely manifested that one!

Time and again I hear from my own clients about just how successful this classic tool is and I take delight in their stories and the fun of their manifestations. Like the physician who placed a photo of a cute little boy poking his head from a drawer in the middle of his Vision Board … and a year later hearing the beautiful pride and love in his voice as he catches up with me about what life is now like with a baby in the house (way to go Morgan!).

Vision boards help you define and clarify what your desire. They help make your dreams and goals more tangible and solid. Through them you form an energetic bond with what you want. They act as guiding lights or north stars – helping you realize and commit to your Personal Vision. Yes, they are fun and creative to do; however don’t let their simplicity fool you – they are also very powerful magnetization and manifestation tools. Acting as little energy vortexes if you will – that tell your sub-conscious mind what to focus on and create.

How do you create a Vision Board? It’s simple. Just follow the tips below:

1. Assemble Your Materials: Collect together a pile of magazines, scissors, a glue stick (or tape), and some markers. You’ll also need some sort of sturdy backing (like a poster board, large sheet of paper … even a few paper bags cut open and taped together will work).

2. Plant Yourself in a Quiet Space: Give yourself about a hour or more, in a quiet comfortable space. With all your materials gathered around you. Ideally you’ll want to be free of distractions – so turn down the phones, kick out the pets and tell family you are not to be disturbed (or better yet make it a Vision Board party and do it together!)

3. Set Your Intention: Set the intention that you are going to create a vision collage for yourself. This means just tell yourself that you are going to create a great Vision Board for yourself and that you are going to find the perfect images and words to represent your desired future. Auto suggestion is a good tool (pre-paving what you want to happen goes a long way).

4. Determine Time Frame (or not): You may or may not want to create a time frame for your vision (i.e. 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5-10 years … whatever feels right for you). Or, if it doesn’t feel good to put on a timeframe, then just call it your ASAP vision – leaving timing up to ‘greater forces’.

5. Dive Into It – Just Rip: After setting your intention dive into the magazines. Use your intuition (not your rational mind) to find images that resonate with you. Just rip out whatever jumps out at you, piling them off to the side. Don’t think – just rip! Do for about 15 minutes or so, or whenever the energy kind of slows down. FYI, I was recently contacted by a digital vision board service to let me know about their product (as an alternative to the magazine approach). See http://www.photovisi.com/

6. Assemble What You’ve Got: Once you’ve got a nice stack of images …turn next to assembling them onto your poster board (or whatever backing you are using). There is no right or wrong way to create a Vision Board. Just do what feels right for you. You might want to arrange your images and play around with them a bit … then finally tape or glue it all down.

7. Extract the Essence: After creating your Vision Board, debrief the experience and harvest out what you have learned about your desired future. I call this “Extracting the Essence”. Pull out your main themes. You can do this yourself, or present your Vision Board to a trusted friend, colleague or loved one and have them help you decipher the essence of what it is you want. Great for understanding one another and seeing what each other wants in life.

8. Some Additional Suggestions: Facebook friend Carole Audet recently posted these additional suggestions on my Facebook wall:

Here are a few additional suggestions for a Dream Board from Colette Baron-Reid’s book, Remembering the Future: Draw a border around the perimeter; place a spiritual symbol at the top center of the board; place a photo of yourself in the middle – one where you are happy and smiling; and finally, write a statement on the bottom, something to the effect of: This or something better now manifests for me and for the highest good of all concerned.”

In conclusion: I’ve done many Vision Boards over the last 15 years. I love them. And I consistently get what I picture – if not the exact thing then at least the essence of what it represents. My clients have the same results. The point is not so much to wrestle what you want to the ground. It’s more about having fun, putting yourself into a good vibration and feeling good about things that you like and want. Finding out about yourself. Sometimes it’s not always easy to determine what you want – the Vision Board exercise is a great to sneak up on this stuff. To find out what you want in a fun and relaxed way.

For many examples of Vision Boards, see previous blog posts here. Try a Vision Board for yourself. Have fun with it. And be sure to write me with your manifestation stories – I love hearing them!

This Vision Board exercise is just one of the manifestation tricks we do in my SHIFT-IT Virtual Group – so if you are keen to meet and collaborate with like-minded people from around the globe, all on their own SHIFT-IT journey, come join us – groups are offered online twice a year.

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© 2010 Christina L. Merkley

Christina Merkley, “The SHIFT-IT Coach” and creator of the SHIFT-IT System®, is a Visioning and Strategic Planning Expert specializing in Visual Thinking and Law of Attraction techniques. Based in charming Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, she works deeply with individuals, partners and conscious businesses to define and manifest what they truly want. And, trains other helping professionals in her innovative ways of working. For more information visit: http://www.shift-it-coach.com/

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True beauty is found within me.

True beauty goes beyond superficial appearances and into the heart. My heart is filled with an incomparable beauty that radiates through my personality. I share my beauty with others by the way I make them feel when they are around me.

Grace and kindness adorn my head like sparkling jewels in a crown. My inner light, reflected through my actions, shines brightly all around me. My face glows with beauty when I prefer others before myself and go out of my way to make others feel valued.

I keep my thoughts beautiful by examining them daily and making sure that negativity is absent from my mind. I replace criticism and judgment with compassion and mercy. I choose my words wisely, speaking only truth in love and refraining from resentment.

My easygoing attitude brings peace like a fresh summer breeze blowing softly through my hair. I desire to bring harmony to all situations; therefore I carry myself with dignity and respect. I have the ability to love others for who they are and I receive love in return.

Today, I choose to infuse beauty into my world through an uplifting personality. I make myself more beautiful by letting go of negativity and focusing my mind on things of virtue.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. What is my most beautiful trait?
   
2. Do I go out of my way to make others feel valued?
3. How can I make my inner beauty more evident?

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1. Beauty surrounds me, just waiting to be enjoyed.
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There’s a distinct difference between being quiet and being shy. When you’re quiet, you know you have the option to speak, but you just choose not to do so. But when you’re shy, you’re plagued by discomfort, worry, or even anxiety in social situations.

No matter how shy you think you are, there are ways to train yourself to overcome this barrier. While you won’t turn into a social butterfly overnight, you can become a more confident person.

Another benefit of overcoming your shyness is that, without that timidity, you tend to take advantage of new opportunities that come your way.

These tips and tricks will help you conquer shyness:

1. Accept your personality. It’s truly important for you to accept yourself for the person that you are. You can never be anyone but you. If you’re a quiet person from time to time, so be it. There is just as much beauty in the personality of a quiet person as there is in an outgoing person.

2. Put yourself out there. When you’re shy, you’re more likely to avoid social situations altogether. This only makes the problem worse. If you make the effort to participate, you’ll become more comfortable in every social gathering.

• Take small steps, but take action to step out of your comfort zone.

3. Avoid running away. Even if you’re feeling especially awkward and anxiety ridden, get through the situation as best as you can.

• Afterwards, you can evaluate what you went through so you can grow from it. Ask yourself why you felt the way you did and see if you can correct the problem for next time.

4. Learn to relax. When you’re feeling shy, your mind begins to race. You might be thinking about all the things that can go wrong and you’ll find it impossible to relax. Instead of thinking about what might happen, concentrate on the present and on what actually is happening.

• If you begin to panic, use relaxation and breathing techniques to calm yourself down.

5. Practice your social skills. If you’re shy in social situations, try to practice your communication and social skills in non-threatening environments, such as with family or close friends. This will take away some of the scary “unknowns” that might be causing you to be afraid.

6. Use visualizations. Visualizations can be very powerful. They can help you relax and get past the anxiety associated with shyness.

• Close your eyes and think about yourself in a situation where you’d normally feel shy or panicky. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with negative emotions, visualize yourself as completely confident and happy.

7. Focus on someone else. Place all of your focus on the person you’re sharing a conversation with. Really listen to what they’re saying. If your energy is focused away from how you feel, you’ll be less likely to be overtaken with the feelings of shyness.

• It may also help you to encourage the other person to do more of the talking. Use open-ended questions where they can launch into a whole story or explanation instead of just answering yes or no questions.

Shyness is a combination of fears and feelings that are reinforced by habits. Use these strategies to help you change your habits and your feelings of shyness will dissipate along with the old habits!

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1. Turn Bad Habits into Good Ones
2. Coping with Crippling Fear – When NOT to Trust Your Thoughts
3. The Aftermath of Burnout: How to Rejuvenate Yourself

I repel all negativity.

I repel all negativity with a positive attitude and an open mind. My upbeat personality attracts other positive people who surround me with an impenetrable circle of joy.

Joy clings to me like a magnet in every situation that I come across. Even when I face trials, I wear a smile on my lips because nothing can steal my joy. My smile helps me to deter negativity because negativity cannot co-exist with enthusiasm.

I radiate confidence by being thankful and encouraging others. Living a life of thanksgiving helps me to remain positive, even in times of crisis. My attitude is consistently pleasant even if the world around me is unpredictable and pessimistic.

Before I even attempt something new, I believe that I am a winner in my own mind. My mind is filled with positive thoughts, which collide with any destructive thoughts that may try to sneak in.

I lend an ear only to things of value. When people walk up to me and begin to speak, they can sense that I am an optimistic and peaceful person. I repel gossip by ignoring it and refusing to take part in it.

I truly believe that there is good in everyone, and I treat people that way. People respect me because I stay away from negative conversations. My friends know that they can come to me for an uplifting word when they feel discouraged.

Today, I am thinking constructive thoughts. I walk with confidence because I believe that all things will work out in the end.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How can I attract positive people?
   
2. What types of conversations do I lend an ear to?
   
3. How do I greet people?
   

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1. I carry an uplifting attitude with me each day.
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3. I allow others to love me.

The Cure for Boredom is Curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity. – Ellen Parr.

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When you are not practicing, remember someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him, he will win. –Ed Macauley

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Character is built on Life’s Experience. – Eleanor Roosevelt

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1. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt
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3. I get up quickly when I fall. The experience makes me stronger.

Image by Graela via Flickr

When you equip your children a positive outlook, you’re setting them up for a happy and successful life.

Don’t believe me?

Well, who do you think would be most successful?

a) The person who believes he can achieve anything, become whomever he wants, and follows up with swift action, or:

b) The person who complains about anything, is indifferent about everything, and gets nothing done out of feelings of hopelessness.

Obvious, huh?

You see, children have such an amazing ability to learn. They’re babies one day, and the next they’re learning language and life skills at a rate much faster than any adult can. This gives us, as parents, a very important and sometimes overwhelming duty: to teach our children every day.

There are many things you can do each day to foster a positive outlook in your kids, but having a positive outlook yourself is the most important thing you can do to help your children grow. Let them know they make a positive difference in your life and love them unconditionally.

Keep the following tips in mind to help your children develop a positive outlook:

1. Lead by example. From a young age, your children pick up on more than you know. While you may live by the notion that you should always put your kids first, you also have to concentrate on your own self-development. Because, when you think positively, so will your kids.

2. Watch your reactions. Just as with leading by example, you must watch your reactions, especially when things go awry. If someone gets hurt or you learn some bad news, fight the urge to have a negative reaction. If you yell or outwardly worry, you’ll affect your children.

• Teach your children that sometimes things don’t go our way, but eventually the tides will turn.

3. Find the silver lining in challenges. As your children learn and develop, they’ll be faced with all sorts of challenges. Some of them will be easy, while others are more challenging. Be sure to point out the silver lining in any challenge your child may be facing. It’ll help them to see your point of view when they’re facing challenges alone.

4. Help them change their thinking. When you’re child is in the midst of a tough challenge, he may bring up the idea of giving up. Do your best to bring wisdom to the situation to know when your child simply needs to be pushed further. Perhaps there’s an angle to the problem that your child hasn’t tried yet.

• Nudge them in the right direction until they find the success they seek.

5. Promote laughter. Laughter breeds happiness and positive feelings. Your children will each have a unique sense of humor. Play into your child’s humorous side by promoting situations that your child finds funny.

• You can play games, go to shows, or simply have a good time together as a family.

A Happy Healthy Home

When you remember to treat your children in a calm and loving manner, they’ll be more likely to do the same. If your child tends to panic, don’t scold them for this behavior. Put them at ease as best as you can and show them that there’s a solution to their problem. If you panic, the situation may spiral into an unhealthy cycle.

In the end, there’s no right or wrong way to raise your kids. Do what’s best for your family in the way you know how. When you maintain a happy and healthy home, your children will learn to have hope and think positively!

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1. How to Promote Healthy Behaviors in Your Children
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3. I choose to live a vibrant, healthy life.

I pursue my dreams with passion.

My dreams are important to me because they are my assignments in life. Believing in the power of my dreams is what allows me to see my dreams come to fruition. Every day, I do everything within my power to pursue my dreams. I exercise my spiritual muscles in order to run the race with strength and endurance.

I believe the only way to achieve success is to live with intense passion. If anything is worth doing, it is worth giving my all to. My heart is tied to every task that I set out to do and I am certain about my goals and the direction in which my life is headed.

I allow myself plenty of time for mental and physical rest in order to perform at my best. Discipline and diligence are my nourishment. Every decision that I carefully make brings me one step closer to my dreams. My steps are purposefully ordered. I am in charge of my future and leave nothing up to chance.

I am diligent about reaching my goals. I carefully plan every move I make to ensure that it is a beneficial use of my time. My plans reflect my life’s priorities and my time and money are spent on that which I value most. My integrity places me at an advantage over my opposition.

I keep my goals squarely in sight so I can remain focused. I am fierce about reaching my dreams and I am confident in my ability to do so.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. What is my motivation?
   
2. Am I being proactive in my decision-making?
3. What can I do to pursue my dreams more diligently?

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3. Goals are dreams with deadlines. – Diana Scharf Hunt

We Tend to Live Up to our Expectations – Earl Nightingale

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