Rebel Women Cafe » Goals

How to Create a Vision Board!

Emma-Louise — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:58:05 +0000

Example Vision Board

Have you created a Vision Board lately?

February can be a great month to get focused on what you want from the year ahead – or even your life!

Would you like some to clarify who you are, what you want or where you’re going?
Would you like some personal inspiration to get you through the murky days of winter?
Would you like to tap into your inner wisdom and create some focus for yourself?

If so, creating a personal Vision Board can help you! And if we get what we focus on – we need to make sure we’re focusing on the right things!

What is a Vision Board anyway? A Vision Board is simply a collective name for a wide variety of inspirational maps (a collage) that we create from pictures. This map can be WHO we want to be or HOW we want our lives to be. It’s a visual representation of your goals and dreams—a powerful way to make your aspirations more tangible and attainable.

You can use it to focus on tangible areas – like work, home-life, relationships, goals. Or perhaps you’d like to work on less tangible areas like your physical, emotional, social or spiritual desires. You choose!

How they work: Our minds can only hold about 7 pieces of information at any one time. And yet there are millions of pieces of information available to us all the time (look around you and think about everything you can see/hear/feel for starters). So, to ensure we do not get overwhelmed, our mind learns to filter information and to only show you pieces of information it thinks is RELEVANT. That’s why when you get a new car or find out you’re pregnant you suddenly notice little red Chevrolets everywhere or see pregnant women and moms all around you.

THIS is one of the key ways that Vision Boards work. The very act of CREATING the vision board tells our mind what’s important – and it may just draw your attention to something you might not otherwise have noticed. It’s a way of teaching our mind to focus on things that are important to us!

How to create a Vision Board: Simply cut out and collect pictures, words, quotes that inspire you or that simply catch your eye. DO NOT ANALYSE! If it grabs you, tear it out! Then paste and organize onto a big piece of paper, giving it a title and date.

You’ll need: A piece of bristol board or cardboard, scissors, coloured pens, glue, any pictures you already have and a supply of inspirational magazines to cut out pictures from (eg. Oprah, home magazines, spiritual magazines, National Geographic – anything with pictures).

Top Tips:

The idea is to create a collage of the life or ‘you’ you want. You can either start with a blank piece of paper and go totally freeform or you could create a “Goal Tree”, “Dream Book” or “Destiny Star”.
Your Vision Board MUST HAVE PICTURES – even if they are just line drawings and stick men/women. You can even draw your own pictures if you like.
While you look for pictures, allow your mind to run free and dream. INCLUDE ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING that appeals or speaks to you!
Include PERSONAL AFFIRMATIONS or inspiring quotes to nurture and cherish your inner self.
Use COLOUR! Coloured felt-tip pens, colour post-it notes, colour pictures, make it VIBRANT and exciting.
Don’t try to understand WHY it appeals, get OUT of THINKING and turn up your CREATIVE right brain!
Remember that when creating a Vision Board, HOW YOU FEEL is more important that what you think!
You may like to actively look for the UNFAMILIAR – see outside your ‘normal’ box…
This is not about creating an artistic masterpiece but creating something that visually inspires and excites you!

Struggling?

Try answering these questions; 1) “What do you REALLY want from life?”, 2) “What is the life you REALLY want to live?” or 3) “WHO do I really want to be?” If it helps you remember, jot down a few notes as you go along.
Or imagine you have a magic wand or a ‘dream machine’ that can magically create whatever you wish.
If you have NO IDEA where to start – LUCKY YOU! Simply start flicking through magazines, newspapers, the internet and cut out anything that inspires or grabs your attention until you have a pile of pictures to work with!

Finished? Well, there are two main schools of thought out there.

SCHOOL 1) Says FORGET about your vision board: Put it in a closet. You’ll find it in 5 years and things will magically have happened.

The reason some people like to forget about the vision board is to remove any attachment to it – so we don’t FORCE things or try too hard. And also, this school says that when we put something somewhere obvious, after a while we tend to stop seeing it anyway.

SCHOOL 2) Put it somewhere you will see it everyday – to remind, inspire and focus you: So, my personal preference is to keep your Vision Board somewhere you will see it regularly. And then every once in a while, just sit down and REALLY LOOK AT IT. Think about what is on there. Review it, allow yourself to feel it and get excited by it. JUST BEFORE you go to sleep is a great time to do this as it allows our mind to work on it and absorb it over night!

Because while you may achieve your vision WITHOUT taking deliberate action, if you take some action and get things moving – it’s MUCH more likely.

But it’s really up to you. I have had clients who have had great success with both methods. So, check in with yourself and see which you think will work for you.

MAKE IT EVEN MORE FUN: Why not get a few good friends together and spend an evening over a bottle of wine creating your own Vision Boards?

Why not use the Share This button below and let your friends know
you’d like to spend an evening Vision Boarding with them…

Excited and Personal Update!

Emma-Louise — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:05:17 +0000

So, you may have noticed I’ve been keeping a low profile lately. I’ve been busy both recovering from major surgery and enjoying the summer.

AND I’ve been making some changes and taking action! Recuperating from surgery gave me plenty of time to think about what I want to do with my life, what I enjoy, learn more about self-care and ponder how I want to make a difference. So:

1) I finally got together with friend and colleague Christina Richard to run an introductory seminar on Salt Spring Island about Women’s Intuition. This has been a goal of mine for a while so it felt really good! Christina is a trained intuitive, as well as the illustrator and graphic designer who helped create the Rebel Women Cafe logo! I just love working with people when everyone is passionate about the same things! And with this workshop we introduced women to some simple tools to ground and reconnect with themselves, to learn to trust their own inner wisdom, to value themselves and learn that they already have everything inside of them that they need…

2) And inspired by our workshop, I’ve created a brand new 3 page worksheet called “Reconnect with your Heart”. This worksheet uses a symbol or image as one of the easiest and most powerful ways to access your inner self. A symbol is not only a visualization of our inner processes but also allows us to re-experience them and when used imaginatively – can become a vehicle to access our hearts, our authenticity and assist with spiritual transformation! This exercise can also be very helpful for dream work – especially if you have an image or symbol that comes up in a dream repeatedly.

You can find this fun new worksheet here in our Rebel Woman Store for just $3.95!

3) I’ve also reduced my coaching prices – significantly! In keeping with our name we wanted to make coaching simpler, more flexible and more accessible for everyone. So, we’ve slashed our prices, abolished our minimum 6 month sign-up and you can have a session as often or as infrequently as you like. It’s that simple!
Our new rates are: Just $75 for a one-hour session
And we GUARANTEE you will always leave with an action plan!
Simply contact Emma-Louise to book a session, pay (using Paypal) and you’re good to go!

Oh and NEWS! I was interviewed recently as part of “Winds of Change”. Winds of Change with Jivi is a TV programme that shares the stories of industry leaders, resident experts, and people in our communities whose curiosity about the world resulted in extraordinary discoveries. Our guests are living life to help others reach their greatest potential, and want to share what they have learned with you.”

The program won’t be aired until early 2011 – and it was fun! So, watch this space!

I hope to be posting more regularly again soon, and in the meantime,
REMEMBER to check out our awesome free tools and resources!

Rebel Question: “If you were to look back 3 years from now, what MUST have happened?”

Emma-Louise — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:26:52 +0000

Usually in coaching we try to avoid the words “Must” and “Should” but here it is used to help you FOCUS on what’s most important…

Make a list of 10 things & use these to set your goals!

NOTES: Don’t ponder this too hard, just pick up pen and paper, OR add a comment to this post right now and start TYPING – see what comes out when you “freewrite”…

As always, I’ll lead the way – here is my response, in 3 years:

1) Our guest cottage is completed, advertised and regularly rented out
2) Rebel Women Cafe will have stacks of Tools & Resources – it will be a “Go to” website for coaching answers!
3) We will have gone to Reims, France (Champagne region) for our 10th wedding anniversary
4) We will be growing most of our own vegetables/food and storing/canning for winter
5) We will have chickens (for eggs!) and possibly goats!
6) I will have written a book
7) I will have resolved the issues with my endometriosis/ovarian cyst etc (or at least have much less pain!)
I will be fully established here in the Salt Spring Community
9) I will have established a way of working that allows me time to do more gardening/spend more time outside
10) I will feel more spiritually enlightened/be noticeably further along my spiritual path.

Wow – this was a hard one for me. There isn’t much I actually want or need anymore – but I would like to work less, play more, have less pain (endometriosis etc) – and be running our B&B to help people get back to nature!

Remember, we LOVE to hear YOUR answers to these questions!
Just leave your reply below!

Like this? Feel free to share it with friends using the “Share This” button below

Rebellion #1 – What do YOU Really Really Want?

Emma-Louise — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:45:51 +0000

Our VERY FIRST REBELLION is linked to this month’s theme of goals. It’s about picking goals that YOU truly want, that get YOU excited – not what everyone else or society thinks you should do… What are your SECRET dreams?

OK, I admit, this doesn’t SOUND very rebellious. Until you try to do it. And realise that it’s very easy to dismiss our deepest held dreams and ideas as silly, not meaningful enough – or just not what we’re supposed to do with our lives.

Perhaps you want to sing in a rock band or dance. Maybe you want to travel. Or what about wanting to write, paint, be an actress, teach yoga, live in Italy, run your own bookstore, or like me - run off to the countryside and grow your own food and vegetables? Our SECRET dreams are often creative or soulful - things society tells us are not worthwhile or ’sensible’ to make a living at, but they can be anything that goes against our upbringing. For example I once had a client who was brought up in a ‘giving’ charitable household that disdained money, but she wanted to earn lots of money and be a hotshot business executive…

Your SECRET dreams are the dreams you haven’t YET turned into goals – because they don’t fit how we think our lives SHOULD be lived…

So, how about a few questions to help you get started? TIP: If you can’t think of an answer, just let it be for a moment. Think back to your childhood – how would you answer that question if you were a child?

Start by making a list of everything you want to be, do and have in life – we call this your Wacky, Wild List. Include EVERYTHING you can think of from ‘boring’ and ‘normal’ to wacky and wild. If you want some help with this check out our Tools & Resources Page and get your free “Wacky Wild List Brainstorming Tool”
Ask yourself, “What are my secret dreams and goals?”, “What do I think and dream about that I dismiss as impossible, silly, a waste of time or perhaps something for the future?”
What gets you really excited about life? What, when you think about doing it, do you feel excited and happy about - all the way through you? Ask “What do you want MORE of in your life? What EXCITES and INSPIRES you?” (Make a list)
What, when you’re doing it, do you get so absorbed in that you feel at peace inside and forget all about time and the world outside? Ask yourself, “What do I TRULY enjoy?” Remember, we tend to enjoy what we’re good at or have a talent for – although that doesn’t mean we won’t have to work at it to improve…
List the top 10 things in life that give you joy – what makes your heart sing? When you’ve finished, what do you notice? Do any of these items appear on any of your other answers? If you want some help with this check out our Tools & Resources Page and get your free “What Makes My Heart Sing” Tool
Ask yourself, “What would I try now if you KNEW I could not fail?” Make a list of at least 10 things – and start ONE!
What would you do or try if you had all the; money/time/confidence/support and encouragement/energy you needed?”
If you were to consider what’s POSSIBLE instead of what’s PROBABLE, what would you do differently?
As the Spice Girls said, “So, tell me what you want, what you REALLY, really want?”

So, while some of your dreams may be life or career-changing the rebellion I’m talking about here is is acknowledging – at the VERY least to yourself - your SECRET dreams.

And then finding a way to bring more of them into your life – whether you work towards a BIG goal or simply bring the activities you love into your life by taking a course, starting a hobby or even volunteering. Even if you do it for ‘fun’, who knows where it may lead…

So, go on REBEL! And bring out the real, authentic you!

Remember, we always LOVE to hear what you’ve learned & what you’re thinking.
Just comment and leave a reply below!

Like this article? Feel free to share it with friends using the “Share This” button below

Don’t be Just Another Statistic – This Year Set Resolutions that Actually Work!

Emma-Louise — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:41:34 +0000

It’s week 2 of January 2010. Where are you with your resolutions?

Because millions of people around the globe set resolutions for the year ahead – but most give up part way through. In fact according to statistics, 23% of resolutions are broken in the first week and 45% by the end of the month.

Each ‘New Year’ gives us another opportunity to let go of the past and define the future we want. And wherever you are right now, it’s always helpful to have some tips to help up along the way…

Firstly, what can you do to improve your resolution success stats? Well you need to get committed! We say, “I’d like to eat more healthily, stop smoking, make more time for me,” but really it’s more of a ‘nice to have’ or something we feel we ’should’ do: The key elements of making a COMMITMENT or a DECISION are simply not there.

Have you noticed that when we really want something enough we FIND a way to MAKE it happen? When people express their goals and then repeatedly avoid their actions it’s time to explore where they are holding themselves back. Because sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you WANT the goal, your hidden resistance will find a way to sabotage you… I’m sure you’ve experienced this yourself at some time – and in coaching we call this your ’secondary gain’.

To identify your secondary gain you can ask, “How do I benefit by staying just as I am?” Maybe in the case of a fitness goal, you get to stay in bed longer in the morning or you get to continue enjoying your daily doughnut (yum!).

The famous motivational speaker Anthony Robbins says its all about pleasure and pain: When the pain gets bad enough, we WILL do something about it. But often the pain of where we are at the moment simply isn’t enough for us to make the changes we think we want... So we choose to put up with known, familiar pain, rather than take the ‘hit’ of unknown, unfamiliar short-term pain to change our habits.

10 Tips to help you KEEP your Resolutions this year!

Choose something for YOURSELF, not because someone else (or your inner critic) wants it for you.
Keep it SIMPLE and choose ONE THING to focus on. Don’t spread your attention too wide.
Keep it SMALL. If the resolution is TOO large a change it will be all too easy to fall back on ‘old habits’.
Make it WORTH DOING – challenging enough to hold your interest and make you feel good when complete.
State your resolution in the POSITIVE eg. If giving up nail-biting try “I have beautiful nails” so every time you think about it you are reminded what you WANT and not what you DON’T want.
See a ’slip’ as an opportunity to REFOCUS. What can you learn, change, avoid or do differently next time?
TELL PEOPLE you trust about your resolution and ask them to hold you accountable.
If you have a bigger goal, choose a TRANSITION step or ‘journey goal’ for your resolution and create a firm foundation for your future.
Get COMMITTED and WRITE IT DOWN! Now put it somewhere you will see it regularly.
Use dates and measures to make the resolution SPECIFIC and MEASURABLE – how else will you know you are on track or have succeeded? When we see progress or an improvement it spurs us to keep going.

So, maybe you now have a better idea of why we don’t meet our resolutions… This year, will you make a DECISION to commit to your resolution and ‘just do it’ or will it be a ‘nice to have’? The fabulous thing is YOU get to decide!

And if you want some help setting some goals for 2010 you may like our awesome free Goal-Setting Tool – a 3 page Funsheet – complete with a Summary Page to put up and remind you…

Let me know how you get on – as always we LOVE to hear what you are thinking
just comment and leave a reply below!