Vision and goal setting jars really work: set those intentions!

Comb through the internet and you'll see lots of folks setting intentions for this New Year.  New diets and new ways to exercise are just some of the goals to elicit change in our lives.  I remember reading about how some people were writing down their dreams/visions/goals on pieces of paper and then tucking them away into a jar, never to look back until the following year to reflect on what came to fruition.

What the heck, I thought.  Let me try this with my boys.  And that we did.

Wow, what a year.  As a result of this "jar" activity, I haven't been writing on my "Mindful Beginnings®" blog.  I've learned that I  must be careful what I wish for, because it may very well come true!

And here's my story....

It started when I asked my kids to write down their goals.  Of course, I joined them.  We wrote them on tiny pieces of paper, then rolled them up and placed them into the "coveted" jar.  This jar didn't have a name, like the photo pictured above that highlights the word, "dreams".  Ours was an old "Ball" jar, and the paper didn't have any yarn wrapped around each one.  We simply wanted to get the job done (and this is the story of my life with boys; sometimes it doesn't look like the Pinterest version of things, but the point has been to do it in a style that suits us).

We halfheartedly put them in, kind of forgetting that we even participated in this activity.

Fast forward to one year later.  Christmas night I brought out the jar.  One of my written goals included how I wanted a job where I was working "part or full-time, supervising staff and making a difference in the world; a job where I'd earn xxxxxx amount of money...or more".

This is exactly what I got.  Since April 2015, I've been working at a large University, feeling like I'm channeling Mother Teresa in what I'm being asked to do.  Not only did I receive the salary that I had written on that tiny piece of paper, but I received the "or more" amount of salary 5 months later.   I haven't minded the absence of  blogging.  I don't know when I'll write next, but when I do, I promise it will be to update and share the magic of my journey, for I never know where it will take me.

Please write your goals down, then forget about them.  The universe has a way of working out and bringing to you exactly what you should receive.

Believe me, I know.

Happy New Year!

Lisa

"For sale" is the only sign we need

I once was with a group of women.  We were all sitting on the comfy couch of a friend, in her lovely home.  It really was a lovely home.  The sky painted blue through the window.  The wind blew enough that in the pauses between our words spoken, we could hear the tree's branches, as they danced to their own rhythm.   We were sipping tea, contemplating how one knows if she is journeying along the right path, and if there are signs to illuminate or validate the decisions she makes.

One woman shared her process of buying the home she currently lives in; the home we were all in, asking these questions from that same comfy couch. Feeling inundated, this friend wasn't sure if this home was the right one to purchase.

"Give me a sign," she kept saying, as she scrutinized whether to bum it an offer.  This woman wanted some kind of indication that she was on the right path.  She wanted to be jolted out of bed while sleeping, with the hand of God slapping in the face, while hearing the words, "Yes, this is your sign.  Go buy that house."  

No hand of God came.

No messages in her dreams.

Nothing.

This woman felt a surge of anxiety to the point where she wasn't moving forward with her decision to purchase this home.  Days past, and a wonderfully wise friend offered words she'd never forget.
This friend said, "You want a sign?  I'll give you a sign. The sign you are looking for is literally in front of you."  Her wise friend shared that the wooden, 'For Sale' sign pitched right in the front yard was the only "sign" needed.  The "For Sale" sign was the bridge for a new owner to make an offer, and await for its acceptance.

Huge sighs of relief came over my friend.  She was waiting for the lightning bolt, but finally realized that life doesn't always offer them.  She needn't look so hard, try so hard or be so hard in all aspects of her life.  The "For Sale" sign was enough for her to submit her offer, which then led to her ultimate home purchase.

What path do we take?  What job do we ponder?  To whom do we sit with next to sip herbal tea?

Sometimes the answers are right in front of us, and if we are looking too hard, we may simply miss them.

What "For Sale" sign have you been missing in your life?

I'd love to hear!