How I Get What I Want With Vision Boards and How You Can Too

You should see my bedroom wall. I've got four poster boards, covered front and back with images from magazines and words that I've written in magic marker. Some boards are packed full; others have lots of space. How I lay out images and words depends on my mood, the theme, and where I am on my life's journey.

These poster boards are my vision boards. I first learned of the concept when I was a little girl watching my mom make a treasure map for herself and my sister. Each was a collage of magazine photographs. I remember the word "happy" being on one of the treasure maps. :-)

The idea of a treasure map or vision board is to switch your brainwaves and consciousness to a level where you believe that what you desire can possibly happen.

My son, Kendryek, and I created a vision board together in 2007. We both wanted to go on the Disney Cruise. I printed out photographs of different angles of the Disney Cruise ship, with particular focus on the Mickey Mouse hand sliding board on the top deck, Disney characters dancing on stage, our stateroom, the huge dining halls, the luxurious-looking bathroom, the Disney Hall of Fame, etc. We looked at this board every night at dinner and sang the song, "M I C K E Y ... M O U S E ... Mickey Mouse (Donald Duck!), Mickey Mouse (Donald Duck!) Forever let us hold us hold our banner high, high, HIGH!" And I'd say, "Kendryek, look at our room! And our balcony!" And he'd say, "C'mon, Mom, let's go swimming in the pool!" We acted as if we were already on the cruise having a ball. Anyone who saw us would've thought we were looney (pun intended).

Now, there was a part of me that believed that MAYBE we'd get on this cruise in 5-10 years, and another part of me that believed it could somehow miraculously happen sooner, EVEN THOUGH I had only saved up $65 towards the cruise, and Kendryek had save up $123 towards the cruise. (We needed a few thousand more for the cruise!)

Well, it did happen sooner. In the summer of 2009, as I was going through some heavy grief over the loss of my mom, I told a friend that I had to get out of town for a break. He asked where I wanted to go. I casually said the Disney Cruise would be nice. He said, "I'll take you and Kendryek." And he was serious. My friend treated us to every aspect of our Disney Cruise vacation, including airfare, time in Cape Canaveral before, time at Sea World after ... and I am forever thankful to him and God for that.

Now you may think, I don't have a friend with that kind of money and generosity. It doesn't matter. When you truly believe and put all of your heart into your desire, it will happen. As your brainwaves and consciousness change, Providence Moves too!. The Universe orchestrates people, time, opportunities in your favor. I have many other examples of how it has happened for me.

You can hear my examples and find out how to create your own vision board at our monthly Vision Board Playshops. Keeping with this month's theme of GET JAZZED ABOUT YOUR LIFE, our playshop is called

Vision-boarding: Get Into the Rhyhtm of Your Dream Life
$45 includes light organic snack
April 27th, from 1:30 - 4:00pm

I will guide you with creating your own vision board and taking steps towards manifesting the life that you desire, whether it's wanting an island vacation, wanting to change careers, wanting to improve your health, wanting a better relationship with family members or a significant other ... anything you want can be yours! I'll help take the steps to manifesting what you desire.

Once you become immersed in this vision board activity, you're on your way to matching the frequency of your life to the images and words that you choose.

TRY IT!

Click on the drop down menu below to register:

April Playshops

Permanent Weight Loss WAHOO $154.00 USD  YELLOW: Understanding the Joy of $29.00 USD  Radiantly Beautiful You! $35.00 USD  VisionBoarding $45.00 USD  Mid-day De-Stress Class $35.00 USD

 

The Heaviness Behind Weight

I've never been skinny. I've been fit and strong, but never skinny. I've covered a range of sizes and weights in my adult life. The smallest I've been as an adult is a size 6. The largest is a size 16, which is what I wear right now. I feel puffy and bloated, my ankles hurt when I get up from the bed in the morning, and I wobble like a penguin (not to be confused with doing the Wobble Line Dance!).

I know what's behind the 25 pounds that I've put on over the last couple of years: grief over family loss. First my mom passed away, which sent me into a downward emotional spiral. Then I found my sister two days after she had passed away, and two months later, my dad died unexpectedly in car wreck.

After losing my family members, I became an emotional wreck, and my body reflected that.With many days of depression, my thyroid became weak, my pulse rate became too slow, my metabolism slowed down, and my joints got used to not moving much and ached when I did move.

Exercise? Ha!

Says the woman who once rode her bike 350 miles over 4 days for the AIDSRide; walked 20 miles a day for 3 days for the Breast Cancer Walk; and coached women in weightlifting at a boot camp. I used to pride myself on physical endurance.

These past couple of years, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed if it weren't for my son and taking responsibility for feeding him and getting him to school on time. Thank God for that!

That's just my recent story of health and weight. I've always been challenged with health and weight, though. I remember, as a little girl, watching my mom and sister try diet after diet, seeking to improve their weight and body image. I absorbed that into my own consciousness and played it out to varying degrees. Many factors contribute to the heaviness behind my weight.

I've sought help from many and various healers and therapies over the years, including talk therapy, energy healing, bodywork, and psychic readings. All from wonderful healers, and all therapies have helped tremendously. I continue a combination of these therapies week after week, and I feel better and better all the time!

Today, my consciousness is being drawn to hypnosis with Mary Ann Walker to help me lose weight and feel optimum health. My understanding of hypnosis is that it gets down to the core of issues and helps change beliefs and behavioral patterns.

I don't look for any one of the therapies that I use to be the end-all cure; I use them in tandem, combining them as I feel drawn to them. I expect the hypnosis to work for me as I continue to walk around the track at PH, continue to increase my consumption of juiced greens, continue to journal, continue talk therapy, continue to line dance, and continue all the other goodies helping me along my path.

That's my story, and I know you have a story too. I encourage you to check out our services and practitioners here at Luxuria Holistic Center and see what you feel drawn to. I invite you to lighten your life with me!

Many Blessings,
Amy Jo

A New Direction

So for years, since junior high school, I've been walking or jogging around the Patrick Henry High School track in Roanoke, VA. In high school, I'd jog daily at 6am. After moving away from home, when I'd come home to visit, I'd jog or walk. The track is set into the woods, and I love listening to the birds sing, feel the warmth of the sun on my face, gaze at the mountain skyline in the distance, and express gratitude for each part of my body, helping me complete another lap. And lately, I've been practicing what I preach by visualizing outstanding health while I walk: what outstanding health feels like, what outstanding health looks like, what outstanding health sounds like, etc.

I've always walked or run in the same direction. UNTIL YESTERDAY! As I approached the track, I saw a woman jogging in the OPPOSITE direction! I watched her for a moment and thought, "WHY have I never thought to do that?" And it occurred to me how easily I get into a routine. Which serves me well, and may serve you well too! But something inside me was craving a switch in routine, so I did something radical and started walking, for the first time ever, in the opposite direction, against the grain! I smiled and mentally thanked the woman for opening a new door for me to spice things up a bit!

So starting yesterday, I'm walking in a new direction...which has inspired me to choose the movie, "Groundhog Day," with Bill Murray (remember this funny movie?) for our March movie discussion and exotic tasting! "Groundhog Day" is about doing the same thing over and over and over until you make a change towards positive growth. How sometimes it takes doing the same thing over and over and over for us to realize that we're even in a rut, and that the slightest change can get us out and in a new direction.

I encourage you to also find a way, large or small, to make a change in your life towards positive growth. Even if it's to take a slightly different route on your way to work, the store, or picking up your kid from school.

And mark your calendars for Sunday, March 10th, from 2:00 - 4:30pm, at Valley Community Church to enjoy exotic organic treats while you watch clips from "Groundhog Day" and discuss some of its messages.

Don't forget this Sunday's showing of "Chocolat," including discussion and a chocolate feast! Register by Friday the 8th in the blog below.

Have a fantastic new day!