Category Archives: Musings

Visualization

Visualization is a powerful thing.  Conjuring up images in your mind’s eye.  Seeing certain outcomes and eventualities.  A combination of hope, desire, drive, and ambition towards a goal.  But is this powerful tool underused by many of us?

Successful business people, orators, sportsmen and women, often reveal that they use visualization in achieving their goals.  Seeing themselves on the podium, hearing the applause, imagining the outcome that they want so clearly that they will it into existence.  There are many other components to achieving goals, usually hard work and practice being key, but can the process of visualizing what you want make a difference?

Many books lead us to believe just that.  The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, is one such book.  It shares the importance of the messages you send out to the universe.  What you ruminate on becomes what you pull into your life, like a magnet.  Dwell on negative thoughts and this is what radiates from you, and also what you will attract.  But reflect on positive ideas and those good vibes emanate out.  The law of attraction – like attracts like.

Thinking on the positive, puts us in a good mood – I have many talents and attributes, people like to be around me, I can do it.  Taking it a step further, in not just thinking, but seeing.  Seeing the great relationship, the job, the baby, the healthy body, the gold medal, whatever it may be.  And more than that, seeing the steps it takes to get there, all the elements that make up your goal.

Today I heard about the concept of Mind Movies.  I knew of vision boards, and pasting photos, images, and affirmations connected with your goal to create a visual image of what you want to achieve.  A Mind Movies allows you to create a sequence of visual cues, along with music, to create an experience for you to meditate on.  You could make one via something as simple as PowerPoint, or use an online video tool, even ones specific for this purpose.  I decided to give it a go and make a Mind Movie today.

Whether you are a strong believer in visualization or are skeptical of the idea, it can’t seem to hurt thinking positive thoughts, and seeing the successes you want in your life.   Like the athletes I saw last weekend, soaring up into the air on the Superpipe (and Shaun White is a firm believer in visualization, from his belief and affirmations in his success “I know I can do this” to seeing his tricks before he does them), I also have my goal in sight.  Wishing you every success in yours…

An athlete in the Superpipe visualizing his moves before he makes them.

An athlete in the Superpipe visualizing his moves before he makes them.

Lydia

First Steps

Today is the start of a new journey for me, a journey of discovery, growth, and fulfillment.  Today I leave behind uncertainty, my tendency towards worry, and pushing my own needs to the back of the line.  Today is empowering, exciting, and filled with endless possibilities.  Today I am strong, I am powerful, and I am ME.

Today I am following my innate desire to write about and to photograph the world around me.  To stop and notice, observe and think.  To breathe and inhale it all, the incredibleness of God’s world; from the grand beauty of nature, so apparent where I live, to appreciating the small things that touch my everyday life, a kind word, a smile, a simple interaction with another human that can seem so little, but mean so much.  I want to capture it, to dwell on it, learn from it, and share it with others.  And as I step outside on this first crisp morning, my journey begins.

The stunning view from my house.

The stunning view from near my house which is so conducive to pondering and peacefulness.

Each day I post I intend to set aside a couple of hours, to walk and ponder topics, capture things with my camera, then let my thoughts turn to words.  Today I want to share the stunning view from near my home, which accompanies and inspires me during my time for reflection, and also what I thought about on my walk.  It began with a quote which caught my eye this morning.  It was posted onto Yoga Instructor Sadie Nardini’s Facebook page, painted in it’s blue italics on a corrugated wall in Austin.  It is by America novelist and poet, Jack Kerouac, from his book Mexico City Blues “Derange pas ta tendresse, Don’t break your tenderness.”

"Derange pas ta tendresse, Don’t break your tenderness.”

“Derange pas ta tendresse, Don’t break your tenderness.”

The words jumped out the page to me.  I wondered why.  I reflect on them – Don’t break your tenderness – the letters swirling in my brain.  I think of tenderness as the way we act towards others, of patience, of understanding, of softening your heart and emotions to the way you think of and treat people.   I see myself as tender.  I like to do things for others, to anticipate their needs, and help fulfill them.

I feel I am being told to remain TENDER on my journey, which is important to me.  I want to continue to care about other’s needs and give them time.  But I want this new path to bring me personal STRENGTH too, and the ability to recognize and fulfill my own needs.  Is it possible to possess these two opposing emotions? To be tender and strong?  I try to think of someone who has these characteristics, and the first movie I owned, Braveheart, comes to mind.  I imagine William Wallace galloping alongside his troops embodying both these traits.  I dwell on the words brave and heart, both strong and tender.  And I know it can be done.  

Lydia