Your Vision for 2015

What is your vision?  If you’re already clear about your vision for the coming year, congratulate yourself for being exceptionally well organized, inspired and on top of your game. 

If your answer is “I don’t know” or you just haven’t had the time or the energy to craft your vision, here are some suggestions for gaining clarity.

1.       Determine the parts of your life to focus on. It’s easier and less overwhelming if you pick a few key areas.  Assess your level of satisfaction in the following: Career/Business, Financial, Relationships – intimate and social, Health & Wellness, Home environment, Personal Growth or Spirituality, Fun & Recreation.  Choose two to four areas that you’re least satisfied with. Focusing on these will bring the greatest rewards.

2.       State what you want. It’s really easy to say, I’m overwhelmed  (or bored) with my job, I don’t like my relationship, I’m broke, my social life sucks, I don’t like where I’m living.  You can start with that, but turn those thoughts into positive intention statements. For example instead you could say - In 2015…

a.       My work is stimulating and manageable.

b.      I am in a loving relationship

c.       My financial situation is improving

d.      My network of friends are supportive and positive

e.      I live in a home that I love.

3.       Be inspired.  If you’re experiencing a lack luster response to creating your vision, it may be that you are stressed or lacking energy.  One of the things I commit to each year is having some downtime between Christmas and New Year for rejuvenation and inspiration.  After a few days of rest and quiet my energy is restored and the future looks brighter.  What rejuvenates you?

4.       Engage your imagination. If you are too focused and analytical when you are creating your vision it’s difficult to see possibilities. If you are stuck on a linear, logical track take a break and engage your senses. Go for a walk, listen to music, get out into nature and breathe deeply.  When your mind is relaxed there is more room for imagination.

5.       De-stress When stressed we become very linear and focused and it’s much harder to access imagination and inspiration.  Did you know that shifting how you’re looking at things, literally, from narrow focus to taking in your peripheral vision calms the mind and reduces stress? Try it.

6.       Use divination tools Throw the i-ching, rune stones, lay out a tarot spread, or pull wisdom cards to guide your process.  This is a great way to shift from logical to creative thinking. For example, at a gathering with friends on the solstice we used the i-ching.  We each asked a question about something we’d like to focus on for the year and the reading gave us insights on how to approach it. 

7.       Share your vision Explore and share your vision with a trusted, supportive friend or partner.  Make it more real by talking about it, seeing yourself in it, feeling the experience of it. Perhaps, you could enlist this person as an accountability partner.

8.       Take Action if you want your vision to become reality your thoughts and statements need to become goals with action steps that you can and will take.   Now you can shift your focus back from expansive and imaginative to narrow and linear to make it happen.

9.       Have fun Choose goals and actions that you enjoy. Or find some way to make the hard stuff more enjoyable. Get help, share the load, and reward yourself for small accomplishments.

10.   Be grateful, always. Appreciating what you have keeps you in a much happier place and validates your ability to have and create more.

Still Need Help?  Hire a coach

Lynne Brisdon, PCC

lynne@livinginvision.com

 

7 Ways to a Rekindle Romance

With Valentine’s Day love is in the air. Many are celebrating their romance, but some may be looking for ways to re-ignite the flame. If you are in a committed relationship and wish it was better here are some thoughts for keeping the spark alive.


Do pleasurable activities together
Brain science tells us the neurotransmitters released when we first fall in love are also present when we engage in pleasurable activities. Novel experiences have the same effect. So doing something new and exciting together could be an option to a romantic dinner.

Retell your love story
Remember the details of how you met and fell in love. Touch back in to what sparked between you, the dreams you had and the unique events surrounding your meeting. Sharing these experiences with one another can be a wonderful way to bring those feelings into the present.

Take a Long A Term Approach
There are many elements to having a successful union and smoothing the journey of relationship. Too often we focus on what is not working in our relationships and blame our partner for not being the way we want them to be. Having a successful long term relationship requires that we are willing to take personal responsibility for keeping love alive over the long term.

Clear Communication
Having clear and open communication is key to navigating the sometimes turbulent waters of marriage. It requires that we speak our truth to our partner and be willing to hear their truth without resistance and judgement. Appreciating that it takes courage to speak the truth it’s important to make it safe for our partners to speak about what is in their hearts. It helps to come from a place of being fully open to hearing their message. It’s not necessary to agree with their perspective, but we need to be fully present and centered in order to receive the essence of their communication.

It’s about Timing
For effective communication to take place it is important to make time for it. It is way to too easy to get caught up in day to day life and use it as an excuse not to communicate.

Also, attempting to communicate when you or your partner is emotionally charged is counter-productive. Be discerning and wait until emotions subside so you have a better chance of entering into a productive conversation.

Constantly Choosing
We always have choices to make about how to behave in relationship. If you notice that you are falling into habitual patterns when relating to your mate it’s up to you to choose otherwise. When conflict arises it’s usually around issues that are perpetual and not likely to change. How we choose to relate and behave in these situations can make a big difference in how conflict is resolved.

For example have you noticed how easy it is to treat your partner poorly when you get angry? Is this who you really want to be? When your partner is angry with you, do you immediately respond in kind with anger?

Instead if you remain calm and discern whether it’s appropriate to speak your truth you can navigate the waters of your relationship more gracefully. Being understanding of your partner and not provoking them further may serve the relationship better than your being right.

At other times delivering a direct clear message may be the most appropriate course of action. In relationship our partner is our mirror and their direct messages are a source of feedback from which we can learn and grow. Often it is the messages we least like to hear that hold the most value for our growth. What is your partner telling you that you don’t want to hear?

Joint Vision
Have you and your partner talked about what you would like to achieve in your relationship? What are some of your common goals? How would you like to treat each other? How do you want to relate when things are going well and when they aren’t?

Jointly setting a course for your relationship will help to establish mutual objectives. When one of you veers off course it may be time to course correct, or have a conversation with your partner to alter your course.

By focusing on these steps to re-kindle and keep your love alive your relationship is bound to flourish.

Here’s to smoother sailing in your relationship.

In Love,

Lynne Brisdon, PCC
http://www.livinginvision.com/