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Intention Lays the Groundwork

When working on my 2023 Vision Board, intention lays the groundwork. Do you find it challenging to create a Vision Board? I have. Although I have attempted to make a vision board three times, I completed my first this week.

A Definition Might Help

A Vision Board is a collage of images and words representing a person’s wishes or goals used to inspire or motivate.

You might have noticed the absence of the word intention from the definition. That’s because most people see a vision board as a manifestation tool filled with the things they want to have.

For instance, this year, you might want to manifest a Maserati MC20. Then you might download this photo of your desire and place it on your board. I’ve seen many vision boards with similar objects. But this particular photo from Maserati is unique. Putting the sports car in the clouds makes it look like the butterfly doors are wings. The creator is appealing to the feeling of flying. That’s priceless advertising. But is it useful on a vision board? Yes and no. Such a specific physical thing might not work in your favor.

You might even say you intend to feel carefree while driving down an empty highway. This concept differs from stating, “I want a Maserati MC20 this year.” It leaves more wiggle room.

Taking a Different Viewpoint

Using intention lays the groundwork; how about a picture of being in the clouds to evoke your sense of freedom? Or a photo of a winding road that disappears into the distance.

What do you feel as you drive down this curving road?

I have my left gloved hand solidly holding the steering wheel, my right hand effortlessly shifting up and down, my left foot syncing the clutch, and my right foot moving from the accelerator to the brake pedal as the torque of each curve sways my body like an extension of the engineered angle of the roadbed.

Why is this so vivid for me? I confess. When I was a freshman in college, my father bought me a Datsun 2000 sportscar. I enjoyed the hell out of that car, taking the winding roads from home to school and back. Being seventeen with five forward gears at your command is a special thrill.

Do I Want a Sportscar this Year?

No, thank you. Been there, done that.

What Do I Want?

I am focusing on building my community in my newish location, unfolding how I will improve the world through creative self-discovery, and allowing my body to heal.

That sounds like a lot. But anything is possible when you co-create with God, the Universe, Spirit, or whatever describes the higher power you connect with.

Creating Your Vision Board

As you read at the beginning, I am not an expert at creating vision boards. But I have found someone who has finally given me the tools to create a successful vision board – Colette Baron-Reid. As with most of life, pay attention when something or someone drops into your life unexpectedly. It might be just the path you were meant to walk down.

The Heavens Support This

The New Moon in Aquarius has begun. The exact time is January 21st at 3:55 pm ET (USA). That’s January 22nd at 7:53 am in Australia.

And three retrograding plants will soon be direct, Mercury (communication), Mars (action), and Uranus (awakening). Coupled with Chiron (the Wounded Healer) in Aires, there is an exciting potential for breakthroughs, movement, and real progress.

It’s a perfect astrological setup to launch a vision board to honor and utilize your unique talents for the greater good. But even without a vision board, you can make a difference in your life and the world with your loving intention.

With love and compassion,
Dawn

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Look Back or Gaze Forward

Is it better to look back or gaze forward? Which path will bring you to the pinnacle of your life purpose?

Look Back with Wisdom

In my life, I looked back with self-judgment and loathing, never understanding the concept of:

  • Taking a bird’s eye view
  • Determining the errors
  • Understanding the why
  • Imagining alternative behaviors
  • Embracing love and compassion

This simple plan of reviewing with acceptance is the essence of learning from our past choices.

Here is an example from my life.

  • My marriage ended in divorce.
  • The relationship was based on looking for a self-love substitute.
  • Why did I engage in self-destructive behavior?
  • If I knew then what I know now.
  • My choices were necessary for me.

Of course, this is a significant life event. Yet the simplicity of this process breaks it down into digestible bites, releasing the nutrients within.

When I understood the complexity and depth of my suffering, it was much easier to give myself a break. So it’s easier to give others a break, which results in a kinder existence for everyone.

What was the timeline for this example?

a more direct pathThe marriage lasted twenty-three years. Since I didn’t engage in looking back with wisdom, I repeated my behaviors over another twenty-four years. Over the last year, several aha moments resulted in true love and compassion for myself. That’s a total of forty-eight years.

My hope for you is a more direct path toward self-understanding.

Yet, I’ve smiled through it all. The difference today is my smile is filled with joy rather than merely a lifelong coping mechanism.

Gaze Forward with Hope

Before, I used lists and control to examine the past year.

In contrast, my previous twelve months were spent feeling rather than analyzing, which resulted in a culmination of healing that needs no examination. Furthermore, the lists for the coming year also come from feelings.

First, I made a short list of when I feel joy; being in nature, creating, learning, and sharing.

Second, I allowed ideas to flow. These became the core of my New Year plan.

  • I love my body with exercise and nutritious foods
  • Write from my heart
  • Take a chance on painting again
  • Explore my local community
  • Contemplate a physical gift for the world

Third, the first action steps emerged.

The Best Part is

Rather than a list of must-do projects, I have broad ideas that can morph into festive activities by checking in through a daily morning meditative practice.

It’s not about whether it is better to look back or gaze forward. Instead, it’s about exploring within to find your joyful uniqueness. This is the basis for a happy life.

With love and compassion,
Dawn

Embrace Your Darkness to Shine Brightly

Do not fear the darkness of your life, for it allows your brightness to shine. This is the theme of The Dark Side of the Light Chasers by Debbie Ford.

I was a prisoner of my own making, spending my life looking for acceptance and love from without rather than from within. This is where true love exists, only within ourselves.

Once we accept and fully acknowledge our love of ourselves, we can both give and receive love from others.

Furthermore, I wish to share with you one of the ways that I have come to discover who I am. It’s a simple reality that has allowed me to begin this new life journey as a complete soul.

Embrace Your Darkness to Shine Brightly

How many times have you felt the judgment of the actions of others creep into your mind?

Do you turn away from this behavior in yourself, willing it to stop?

Judgment is a good and wholesome activity if used properly. For example, we might walk into oncoming traffic while crossing a street without judgment. Or eat unwholesome food left too long in the refrigerator.

Employing judgment allows us to use our senses to keep us safe.

Judging the Acts of Others

Perhaps you think it can never be good to judge others. However, this is a valuable tool allowing us to peek into our psyche. When we dislike something in others, it’s often a reflection of our self-loathing.

So how can we come to grips with this darkness inside us? I have found a way to embrace my darkness to shine brightly through compassion.

Compassion is caring about something we might not feel warm and fuzzy about. And like all feelings, there is a certain amount of choice within us on how we think.

A Real Life Example

While working in Denver, Colorado, I took the train from Littleton Station. Then, getting off at Auraria, I walked the six blocks to my job at the Police Administration Building. On the way, I passed through the intersection at Speer and Colfax, which was notorious for panhandlers.

Drivers avoided eye contact by staring straight ahead or picking up their cell phones as if on a call. As a pedestrian, I felt vulnerable when waiting at a red light, and I often changed my pace or route to avoid standing near someone asking for money. If I was in a car, I often acted like most other motorists, staring at the stoplight to avoid eye contact.

Billy and the Denver Rescue Mission.

When walking, I didn’t feel safe giving them money. But one summer morning, I was carrying a bouquet from my garden. It was impossible to make the green light as I approached the intersection. So, I impulsively offered the man who asked me for money a daisy instead. His entire demeanor changed as he asked me to wait. Finally, I watched him run to a hedge on the edge of a nearby fast-food restaurant where he had stowed his backpack.

Running back toward me, he carried a half-full plastic water bottle. I chose a couple of my nicest daisies and placed them into his makeshift vase as his face shone brightly with a huge smile. This simple act of compassion infused my day with a feeling of peace. And the memory is as fresh today as it was eighteen years ago.

How Compassion Affects Us

Do you think the drivers sitting in their cars on Colfax Ave dared to look our way as this gift of compassion and love was exchanged between us? If you were driving down Colfax, would it change how you judged this man? Would it change how you saw the gray-haired woman walking with the hand-picked flowers? Would it change how you interacted with people in your workplace or your family members?

Most importantly, would you feel better about yourself?

When you embrace your darkness to shine brightly, it’s easier to open the door to self-compassion. For example, after giving the gift of my beloved flowers, it was easier to accept my judgment and to open up to the humanity of others.

With love and compassion,
Dawn