Clinton has a vision for Haiti

http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/01/28/davos.bill.clinton.haiti/index.html

This man can really advance his vision. Regardless of your politics, there’s much to learn from his ability to articulate and move forwawrd.

copyright 2010 Destiny Rising

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A Vision for Haiti

These have been weeks of overwhelming tragedy and loss, in the nearby country of Haiti. Just a few days ago, I was pondering what I can do to shift my energy in the wake of the devastation and loss that the country’s people have suffered. I responded early with contributions to international aid organizations that I trust, but I was still left with a void.

A colleague of mine once told me that what she preferred about getting her news from  a newspaper rather than the television and the internet is you generally read a story once and then engage in processing the information. In today’s media focused world, images, photos and stories are repeatedly replayed, their graphic images always on the screen. It leaves many of us feeling helpless and emotionally wrought.

I have decided to take the information that I have seen, give it its due process, and create a vision board of a rebuilt Haiti. I’m not intending to erase the pictures of the sad reality of Haiti. I simply cannot continue to look at what has happened in the recent past. I need to get a picture of a possible future and spend my energy there. Over the next few days, I will be creating a vision of a new Haiti. I will share my vision and post it on my website. If you’d like to join me in putting energy toward a vision board that is related to this theme, send me an e-mail at tess@destinyrising.com. Let’s see how we can shift the ways in which we process what happens in our world.

copyright 2010 Destiny Rising

See The Outcome

“You have to see it to believe it.”

Literally? No. Figuratively? Yes. Your vision board is a terrific tool that serves as a bridge between the literal and figurative interpretation of the saying.

Every invention begins with a an idea. The idea, the possibility always comes before the reality. When you get an idea about a new direction for your life, be it a new job, a home, a new relationship or a new path in life, you take yourself to the end result – the outcome.

We generally start with “as is”  – how our world looks today, and the outcome is the “could be”. Holding yourself in the vibration of the “could be” is a place where your vision board can take you during all of the process and challenges between here and there.

The outcome is often thought of as “there”. In actuality, the outcome is right inside of you – It is the activity of accessing your imagination.

The idea is a spark, and it brings incredible energy to your start.
The outcome is the act of engaging your imagination and holding it in a sustained place over a period of time.
In order to get to “there”, you need to be able to see “there” in your mind. Is this easy for you to do?

If so, great. If not, the following five suggestions will likely strengthen your ability to see the outcome you desire for your life. Visualizing your outcome is a very strong magnet.

1)  Make your picture of your preferred future in the present – the “now”. Some call it “acting as if”. Don’t try to trace your path to how you got to your future picture – just accept it for the moment. You’ll have plenty of time to pave the path in the weeks and months to come.
2)  Put yourself in the picture. Become part of the landscape and the experience.
3)  Include as much detail as feels real. If too much detail doesn’t feel natural, then hold yourself in a general place – It’s got to feel organic, not forced.
4)  Engage multiple senses – smell, sound, touch and taste into this exercise. Sound is a great start – if it’s a tranquil beach, play some wave sounds. “Our sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than any other of our senses and recognition of smell is immediate. The olfactory response is immediate, extending directly to the brain.” (von Have, Serene Aromatherapy)
5)  Hold yourself in your picture of your future  as long as you are connected with the experience. When you start having thoughts of improbability or impossibility , come back to the present. It’s better to make a few short visits than to let negativity dull your picture.
6)  Once you return to your present, immediately work with your vision board to adding more pictures and vision statements to your board. Now that you’ve visited your future, these additions to your picture and how you see your outcome will strengthen your connection with your vision. Visit your vision board and outcome regularly to speed the future.

Feel free to share your comments about how these six steps work for you ☺

copyright 2010 destiny rising

Set Positive Expectations

Many people ask me for advice about how to get started with their Vision Board or Vision practice. Today,  I continue my New Year’s series of perspectives on building effective Vision Boards (and simple ways to approach change without a Vision Board.)

Have you ever heard the term “set point”?  It’s your stating point – the place from which you will judge what is happening around you. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s call it your vantage point, your perspective on the likelihood of an outcome, your angle of observation.

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being high, what is your natural set-point (perspective) about the future you would like to have? It may be below a 5 if  your inner critic consistently gives you messages such as  “Yeah, but”, “That’s great, except that”, and “It’ll never happen”.  That critic needs to be quieted.  If this  happens to you,  then try the tips listed at the end of this post. They’re designed to distance you from that inner critic.

In looking at those I work and play with, I notice that life happens to some people while other people happen to life.  Which of these describes you?

• You’re like Rubber duck in a toddler’s bathtub:  Regardless of the waves and splashing, you bob back up to the surface and keep smiling. You keep showing up for the bath, because it’s an adventure.

• You’re a little afraid of the water:   You may be sensitive to too much movement, soap in the eyes and a water fight. It can all get overwhelming and once you’ve gotten splashed, you don’t want to go back into that bathtub again.

• You don’t want to bother with a bathtub:  You want the ocean! A bath is mundane and boring. You need the drama of the big waves.

• You bathe with abandon: You ask “What’s happening that’s water related today? Bath or Beach? You are ready with  They are ready with a nose plug, fins, a sand pail and a towel. You want to live it all, big or small.

If you’re going on the adventure to create a revised future, one that matches the picture in your mind, you’ll have to forge new territories and develop some tools to help you stay he course.

I’ve identified four steps to setting positive expectations for the vision you’ve built in your vision projects:

1. Focus on  what’s good or beneficial in your life before you spend time working on or spending time focusing on your vision board. Spend 20 – 30 minutes with an enjoyable activity, with music, or surfing the web for stories of inspiration of people who have overcome obstacles. The goal is to get to a neutral or better spot.

2. Sit down and write or type a list the many talents and experiences you have that should serve as breadcrumbs to a positive outcome. There may be more distance between some breadcrumbs than others, but keep adding bits of positive belief to your trail. You’ll begin to see a well-paved path to your outcome. Don’t destroy this list. You may need to refer to it from time to time. You might even keep it in your purse or wallet as ongoing inspiration.

3. Build bridges between your breadcrumbs.  Be indulgent and imagine people  giving you a helping hand when you need it. Make a list of things you’d like to ask of those you know (or those you don’t) and write out a scenario in which they have assisted you with your request. Once youąve imagined it, then you have pictured the possibility. You also have a plan of how their “yes” might play out.

4. If you’ve already created a Vision Board, consider it a work in progress. Paste over neutral statements with WOW! Statements. Your vision board won’t be offended. It wants to be a powerful tool for you. Layer it with boldness.Make it better than it was the day you created it.

Creating a habit of Positive expectations , like many other skills, it takes practice and discipline. Try it on for just five minutes per day, as you would a new item of clothing  or a new instrument you picked up at the music store.

copyright 2010 Destiny Rising

Best of luck in trying this out. I welcome your questions and success stories.

Pretty Picture or Pretty Powerful? There’s a difference

A vision board can be a call to action, heralding a new era of self-expression for you. Some people are highly visual, and don’t naturally trend toward using words in their vision boards. As a highly verbal person, I find that my boards look as much like sonnets as they do pictures of how I’d like my life to look.

If you’d like to rev up your vision board and add some action… Make your board action oriented as well as visually appealing.

There is a term called “embedded commands”, which describes short, direct, action oriented statements. Embedded commands are frequently used in advertising, and they’ve been used for centuries. The Ten Commandments are embedded commands, in fact. Embedded commands move you to action.

Examples of embedded commands that may inspire you are:

Reach for the stars.

See the world.

Stage a comeback.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Be a star.

Choose happiness.

Make an impact.

If you include a few inspiring statements such as this in your vision board, then each time you see it, the command will be reinforced. Repetition and reinforcement can create a thought habit for the changes you want to make in your life.

The action based embedded commands are powerful in their simplicity. They also keep you safely distanced from energy draining language. Review the list of embedded commands above, and compare them to these statements:

If I could find a way out of my crappy job, I’d be able to reach for the stars.

If I had more money, I might be able to finally see the world.

If I were so afraid that people would view me as a has-been, I’d make an effort to stage a comeback.

I’d like to make a difference in the world, but realistically, I doubt I could make it happen.

Once upon a time I wanted to be a star.

I wish I could be happy.

What can I do to make an impact?

Remember when you were in grade school and your teacher would drill your class about the parts of speech that make up sentences? Creating your action-based sentences is like taking all of the adverbs and adjectives, direct objects, and participle phrases out of the language, and using simple subjects and predicates, with limited nouns and verbs.

Keep it simple and your simple commands will help you make great changes.

Tip of the Week: Make a file of powerful words. Piece together words into phrases that have meaning to and that tell the story of what you’d most like to have happen in your future.
copyright 2010 Destiny Rising