A new year brings many things: new beginnings, a fresh outlook, and, most importantly, endless possibilities!
It offers us a clean slate; a way to start fresh with a new plan and leave our past in the past.
Having a whole year ahead presents you with weeks worth of time to accomplish goals and build the life you were meant to live.
Of course, you can begin a journey any time, but the turning of the year really does feel like an ideal time to start. Just as we change a calendar from one year to the next, we have the power to change our outlook, our attitude, and our self-talk to reflect a more positive future. And in 2020, it isn’t just the year that’s rolling over, but the decade. Just imagine the life you will be living in ten years, let alone one!
But I want to be clear, creating your dream life isn’t something that happens over night. It is an ongoing process in which your thoughts, dreams, and intentions all come together, combined with taking action, to produce a life in which you are content, fulfilled, and living authentically.
Diving Deep
I love to hold space for others, either in workshops or with my one-on-one clients, as they embark on the journey to begin living the life they were meant to live. So I’m excited to tell you more about the first workshop of the decade! The Ignite Your 2020 Vision Board Workshop was more than just a day of slapping magazine bits on poster board. Yes there was crafting and collaging, but the workshop itself was so much more!
We held a safe space in which to share freely, each exercise was geared at helping us live the life we were meant to live. This method of manifesting our dreams, actively and intentionally, allowed for an in-depth look into our souls, leading us to uncover what paths we might take.
Goal setting is invaluable to growth, but working towards these goals is only valuable if you understand the reasons behind it. Considering not only your goals, but your intentions is integral.
We went deep with questions like:
• What is it that makes these goals important?
• How will they shape your future?
• What will reaching them offer you?
Really taking these questions to heart will allow you to develop a clear view of what you want and why you want it. These are goals with soul, looking at the deeper ‘why’. As with many things, for example, planning a trip or buying a house, you don’t just jump in. Thought, research, discussion, and planning must take place first to ensure you are making the right decisions and giving yourself options. Why should manifestation be any different? Rather than diving in headfirst with no plan in place, we spent the first part of the day implementing various practices to allow us to get clear on what we want. In fact, the actual collage work didn’t start until three hours in!
Coming Together
We began the day with all of us sitting in a circle, sharing why we were there and what we hoped to get out of the day. Everything begins with intention, which is why it is so important to understand the reasons behind our goals. Setting a fully-fleshed out intention helps us keep focus, allowing us to shape the reality we desire. As I explained, being present at the workshop showed that the we had all already said yes to transformation. Each of us, though there for our own reasons, was ready to do the work and initiate the changes necessary to embody our soul calling.
Many of us feel like there is something missing.
But what if the thing missing from your life is you? So many of us just go through the motions, day in day out, and call it a life. Why is it that, so often, we aren’t even present in our own lives?
To really get to the centre of this, I guided our group through an exercise to connect with each other on a deeper level. I acted as a facilitator, holding a space for everyone to come together and be seen, heard, supported, and understood.
The next step was a journaling session. We looked back over the past decade and chose a high-point and a low-point from each year, including what we had learnt and how we were supported through the low points. I asked everyone to pair up to share our decade in review, with a focus on lessons learned. Sharing acted as a beautiful reflection of the support and guidance offered by others; support necessary to build the life we desire.
We followed with a guided meditation. Meditation is an invaluable tool in the manifestation process. This particular mediation, based on hypnotherapy, allowed us to delve into the past year in- depth. The purpose was to observe and acknowledge the low points, the troubles and trauma, the limiting beliefs, self-sabotage, and negative patterns and behaviours that burdened us, and subsequently let them go. You cannot swim if you fill your pockets with rocks; they will simply weigh you down. Letting go is freeing and transformative, but more so, it is necessary.
The next exercise was exciting to witness!
Future Pacing, a practice in which you envision your ideal future self, is a dynamic NLP practice that supports manifestation. Focusing on our future selves, we looked at what that self sees, feels, and does on a daily basis, while also looking at the steps required to get there. Having positive expectations is a key aspect in manifesting a desired outcome. Speaking this aloud only pushes this further, so of course, the group shared their visions for their future selves.
Life Visioning
After a short break, I guided the group through another guided mediation, the final exercise to prepare ourselves for the vision boarding process. We examined the intentions and goals realised in the first half of the workshop, and answer a series of questions based on Michael Beckwith’s Life Visioning Process, including:
• Who do I need to become to be the best version of myself?
• What is seeking to emerge during this next chapter?
• What must I become to allow this vision to unfold, easily and effortlessly?
• What must I release to make room for a greater good?
• What gifts do I have already that I can expand on?
• What must I embrace and accept to allow this vision to become reality?
• What else do I need to know in this moment?
Looking deep within, we were able to examine and assess, leading us to innate truths about the future we desire. On a subconscious level, our inner-self has an intelligence that knows what is best for us. This helps us write the script for the future; to create a plan. And after hours of profound introspection, we were ready to start planning. And so the search began! We flipped through magazines, intuitively seeking images that resonated with the calling of our soul. While many came in with an idea of what they wanted on their board, it eventually became apparent that our souls wanted more. The right images were chosen, while we intuitively discarded what was unnecessary to our intentions and goals.
Inspired to Grow
The workshop was a great success. I came away buzzing and really enjoyed working with the participants. It’s the best part of my job, helping others find the thread of insight they came looking for. The attendees said the session offered amazing insight and so many unexpected ideas. They felt inspired, amazed at what they had accomplished.
The one big moment, felt across the group, was looking back at the last decade and realizing exactly what we had learnt in this time. This was complemented by the prospect of all we might learn in the decade ahead.In times of change and growth, it is fundamental that we feel seen, heard, and supported. Holding a space that offered love and support without judgement was freeing.
The process of letting go, while revealing, can also feel heavy. There were some difficult moments, but doing the work, letting go of our troubles and releasing our negative beliefs and past trauma left us feeling lighter. The biggest surprise? How deep we went.
What is your vision for the future?
I invite you to look back at how much you have accomplished over this past decade and look forward to the life you are creating.
Meditate or journal on the questions above, look at the ‘why’ behind your intention, and really start building the life you were meant to live!
