Archives for the month of: January, 2012

How to Create a Vision Board

January 26, 12 //
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It’s January so you can still ride on the coattails of New Year’s Resolutions if yours dropped off. Even if you’re acing your goals, anytime is a good time to create a vision board to manifest the things you want to bring into your life.

The year 2012 marks a serious turning point in my life. The role of being a lover/wife for 10 years is in the past.  So now who am I?  It’s a challenging yet beautiful process of self-discovery. That was the motivation for my vision board.

Research shows that the power of visualization is very real and helps manifest things in our lives faster that without the practice.  A vision board is a powerful tool not only for yourself, but for couples, business teams and coaching sessions as well.

How to Create a Vision Board

1. Stock up on supplies…

  • Magazines that have words and images of things you dream of/want to attract into your life
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
  • Poster board

2. Set aside 1-2 hours to sift through images and words that call to you.

3. Cut, arrange and glue!

Hang it somewhere you will see it often. Over time, notice what seems to “just show up” in your world. Or does it?

It’s 2012 and It’s Time to Get Personal

January 17, 12 //
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Well, I’ve been writing this blog for over a year now. Mostly I’ve been reading, learning and sharing health and wellness information through my lens. I’ve attracted thousands of readers, yet rarely did I get personal about my own health and wellness journey along the way.

It’s unexplainable except to say that my gut told me tonight it’s time to share some lessons learned from of my personal experiences in 2011: the most challenging year of my 32 years of life thus far.

Before I get into much detail (and in the tune of sharing short “nuggets” of information rather than essays), I’d like to share this with my Zen Friends.

Don’t be so critical!  In a study of people recently separated after an average of 13 years of marriage, those who gave themselves a break, emotionally speaking, recovered faster than those who listened to a harsher inner voice.  Personality didn’t drive how people reacted (good news, since we can’t easily change qualities like optimism, say researchers).  What heals a broken heart and likely helps you recover from other setbacks, such as a layoff, is self-compassion – recognizing that you’re not perfect.  This perspective can be learned,” says lead author David Sbarra, Ph.D, of the University of Arizona, who recommends mindfulness meditation.

I suppose that might give you a hint as to one of the things that happened last year. And I am here, alive, today to tell you that self-compassion was indeed one of my greatest healing tools. It took time to set new neural pathways (and the process was often dark and painful), yet in this New Year I am beginning to reap the rewards.

Are you compassionate with yourself?  As always, your comments are welcome.

New Years Affirmations are Effective for Lasting Change

January 2, 12 //
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Happy 2012!

For each of us, 2011 represented a variety experiences and ways of being.  Some things we like about ourselves and our lifestyle, but typically there is something we want to improve upon.  So, we look to the next year as a fresh start, a time to bring in a new habit pattern and make it stick.  Sometimes it does but often it doesn’t.  Visit a gym the first week in January, then again in April.  You’ll find in January it’s packed but after a few months pass, invariably those New Year’s Resolutions about going to the gym fade away and life goes back to the way it was last year.  Why is that?

The Power of Affirmations

I use affirmations instead of resolutions because they work.  (more…)