Visioning for 2008

Happy New Year to YOU!  I love the start of a New Year--there is both a reflecting on the past year and the exciting visioning of the coming year.  I was out for dinner with friends on New Years Eve and we were each reflecting on our past year--where our energy and focus had been--and then we shared our intentions and visions for the coming year.  We even wrote these down.  If you haven't taken the time to write your goals down for the upcoming year--I would suggest you do that.  

There is a wonderful book titled "Write it down, Make it Happen"Henriette Anne Klauser--which talks about the power of writing down our goals and what we want in our life.  I was looking at a list of 10 goals that I had written down last year and was surprised at how many of them I achieved. The other goals I wrote were larger, longer range goals--but I do want to challenge myself to actually achieve these in the next year. 

Writing these goals helps to focus our energy. We are creative beings with creative energy flowing through us all of the time.  If we don't have clear intentions about how we want to channel this energy it more than likely will go into stuck unconscious patterns that hold us back.  

More and more I see that much of the suffering that people experience is due to a lack of focus and passionate intention. When we are passionately focused on a higher purpose of a dream it galvanizes our energy in a positive direction and opens us up to an even greater flow of positive energy.  A lack of focus on the other hand will guarantee that we will fall back into old, unproductive patterns of our wounded self  that limit the energy flow and cause us to feel stuck.The higher our vision, the more it will lift us up out of old patterns.  So look at your goals for 2008 and see if you can expand your goals to be bigger---even if it scares you.  

I remember hearing a story about Bob Proctor--the dynamic coach from "The Secret".  I was talking to a man that had been coached by Bob and when he shared his goal with Bob--Bob asked him how he slept the night before.  The man replied that he slept just fine.  Bob looked at him and said--"Your goal is not big enough--it should both excite and scare you at the same time." This man's peacefulness was indicating that he was not stretching himself out of his comfort zone.  He then reworked his goal and shared it with Bob.  Bob asked him how he slept the night before--he said he barely slept at all he was so excited and scared.  "Good" Bob said "You finally found a goal that is worthy of you."See if you can expand your goal so it scares you. 

I invite you to write your goals in below in the comments to announce to the world and also as a way to offer inspiration to others as well!
Here are a few of my goals:
1. Become a Master Blogger
2. Write my first E-Book by March 4th (my Birthday)
3. Produce my first guided imagery CD by May 1st.
4. Take Salsa Dance Lessons
5. Take Guitar Lessons

Another thing you can do is a Vision Board.

What is a Vision Board?  A vision board is a large piece of paper, cork board or poster foam that you put images on to represent what you are wanting to manifest in the upcoming year.  You can section off the Vision Board for the different areas of your life and put images (from magazines), words and /or drawings to illustrate what you want.  A fun thing to do is also name a theme for the year--like "The Year of Joy"  "The Year of Fully Loving Myself"  "The Year of Living my Life Purpose".  If you choose a theme you can post it across the top of your Vision Board.  Plan on  spending 1-2 hours putting it together.  You can reflect on your visions and plan what you will put on it beforehand or let it be more organic-letting it develop as you are putting it together.  A friend of mine uses a cork board with push pins and adjusts hers throughout the year.  I use a large white piece of paper and paste images, words and draw with crayons.  Create your Vision Board from the highest vision of your Essence and HAVE FUN! 

Why January 8th?   On January 8th there is a New Moon that begins at 6:38 a.m EST.  Jan Spiller, an astrologer, in her book "New Moon Astrology: Using New Moon Power Days to Change and Revitalize Your Life"--discusses the power of setting intentions on the New Moon.  She writes: For centuries farmers the world over have known to plant their crops by the cycles of the Moon.  The Moon moves rapidly through the constellations of the zodiac, and aligns with the Sun (conjoins) once approximately every twenty-nine and a half days.  This is called the New Moon, and it is that period of time when we cannot see the Moon in the night sky.  In America, farmers consult the annual Farmer's Almanac, which supplies the dates and phases of the Moon to determine the best time to plant their crops in order to insure the greatest yield.  The New Moon is a time that promotes all forms of growth.  For example, if you want your hair to grow more quickly and fully, have it cut on the day of the New Moon.  If you want your fingernails to grow long and strong, have manicures on the days of the New Moon.  Anything initiated on those days will be met with rapid growth: a business venture, a relationship, a creative project.  The New Moon is fruitful for strong new beginnings.She states that the first 8 hours of the New Moon are the most potent but doing it within the first 48 hours will still work.  If you have already written out your goals for 2008—you can re-write them on the New Moon to energize them.

So look at your calendar for tomorrow (January 8th) and carve out some time to create your Vision Board---put on some great music and vision away!  You might even invite a friend over to create with you or make a plan to show each other your Vision Boards. 

Shelley Riutta MSE, LPC is a Holistic Psychotherapist in private practice specializing in Inner Bonding and Transformational individual counseling, presentations, groups and Workshops.  For more information and to get her free workbook “What Do You Really Want: Finding Purpose and Passion in Your Life” visit her web-site www.RadiantLifeCounseling.com or call her at 920-265-2627.