Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful day filled with good food, laughter, love, and gratitude.

What Is Your Vision?

Lately I've been really into creating vision boards. Not because it is a popular thing to do, but because there is something very powerful about seeing what I'm striving for in front of me.

"Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin." Robert Collier

There are many ways to create a vision board. One is the cut and paste method. I like this method because it reminds me of doing projects as a child. 

Gather up magazines, or print out pictures from online, and cut out the ones that look like what you desire for yourself.

Want to get into better shape? Cut out pictures of really fit people, or exercises you want to be able to do, or even cute workout clothes. Want to travel the world? Cut out pictures of exotic locations you would like to visit. You get the idea.

Another way, is to do the virtual vision board. There are all sorts of ways to create these, and I'm not technologically savvy enough to know them all.

Recently I've begun creating more boards on Pinterest. I create boards based on my career and personal goals.

Something great really does happen in the mind, when you look at what you desire on a daily basis. It motivates you to do the work to make those goals a reality.

"Dreams are extremely important. You can't do it unless you can imagine it." George Lucas

Another great way to make a vision board is to write down what your vision is. Create pictures of your vision using words. The book, "Write it Down, Make it Happen" discusses the power of putting your goals down on paper.

Even if you don't know exactly what your goals are, write down how you would like to feel. This will help you to get clear and know what to work towards.

Without a vision, you are just blindly moving through life, rather than actively creating the life you want.

Take a quiet moment and see a vision for your future. Then create a board that will remind you of that vision each time you look at it.

Is Someone Holding You Back?

When it comes to pursing goals and dreams, we first have to believe in ourselves. We must believe in our ability to accomplish the vision we have for ourselves.

Next we need support. This support can come from family, friends, a romantic partner, or even coworkers. It is important to be able to differentiate between actual help and support and nay saying.

Sometimes people who love us think they have our best interest at heart when they tell us, not to move forward.

"Don't leave that job. I know you hate it, but the economy is bad. You won't find another more fulfilling job any time soon."

"Do you really think you should try and be your own boss? Someone I know tried it and failed miserably. They had to file for bankruptcy."

"Why do you need to stick to your diet? You did good all week, it's okay to splurge on the weekend. Go ahead and have that cake and ice cream."

"Why would you want to move to that new city, you don't even know anyone there? You might not find work and end up homeless, get murdered, catch a fatal disease, or be so lonely you will come running back. You might as well just stay put."

Statements like these, while laced with concern, are often just barriers to your success.

As people on a mission, we have to know when to cut the nay sayers, and fake supporters off.

I came across this article about a woman who was obese, and realized she had to break up with her fiance in order to lose weight. Her fiance didn't want her to improve her lifestyle even if it was killing her. So she had to let him go. Check out the article to see how she looks now!

The next time someone offers support that tears you down rather than builds you up, cut them loose. If you can't cut them loose, think about why succeeding at  your goals is so important to you. Stay focused and continue to move forward.

Gaining Work Experience

Whether you are looking to land your first job, or a job in a new career field, sometimes you have to think outside of the box.

Getting a new degree or certificate is often not enough to  make a career change. Employers usually will not hire someone who doesn't have experience doing the kind of job they are applying for. Not doing all you can to gain this experience can cause a frustrating string of rejected applications.

Here is my latest article written for Fastweb that details, "4 Ways to Gain Job Experience."

Change

"The only thing that is constant is change." Heraclitus

In life things change. Seasons change, we age, we marry or divorce, have children, children grow up, we start a new job, or leave a job. Every day we are presented with some form of change.

Some people fight against change, opting instead to stay in their comfort zones. I myself have been guilty of this. I've stayed in situations because I was used to them, even if they made me unhappy.

I've often remained in comfort zones so long, despite all of the evidence that I should leave, that the universe had no choice but to force me out of the situation.

The main changes I have avoided, turned out to be good for me. Even when I was forced out of a situation, I looked back and was grateful for the push.

Recently I have experienced a lot of change. This change has caused me to demand that I make decisions and move forward in my life, rather than stay stuck in stagnation.

Have you avoided making decisions or moves in your life because you feared change?

Today I came across "11 Calming Reminders That Change is a Good Thing" in the Huffington Post. It reminded me that change is imminent, and should be embraced.

What changes have you been avoiding or dreading? How can you look at that change differently?