JUDD JONES: Feeling Stuck
This week, I want to touch on one of the most common and disappointing feelings anyone can have when pursuing changes in weight, physical fitness, body composition or improving their quality of life. It’s that all too familiar point where we feel stuck, in a rut, and nothing we do seems to move the dial toward a positive outcome. Once that awful stuck feeling sinks in, progress just stops.
So what if I told you we all have a simple tool at our disposal to break down these walls, hurdles or hindrances to be our best selves? No matter what we are pursuing, we can insure the outcome to be something close to what we desire. This may sound a little too good to be true.
OK, here’s where it gets a little out there, but hear me through.
I am no stranger to adversity, and there have been times when I felt nothing could make my hopes and dreams move forward. The good news is, life has a way of giving you what you need right when you need it most. These little moments of enlightenment, call it a gift from heaven, the universe or karma, are how we find our way with methods that move us forward in life.
It was at one of those low points in my life that I first became aware of vision boards. If you have read Rhonda Byrne’s book “The Secret,” or listened to Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins and other successful motivational speakers, they speak about the importance of having a clear vision for yourself of what you want out of your life. You are likely very aware of this simple, yet effective tool called a vision board that some folks also call an action board. Either way, placing visuals that put a positive emphasis on your future that you see everyday has a powerful influence on how your life will manifest itself in the future.
I know for some of you, this sounds pretty hard to believe, but I can assure you visualization is an extremely powerful method to make positive changes happen in your life. Most of us have been told from a young age to close our eyes and imagine doing something over and over again to have a positive result. Take youth sports for example, your coach tells you to see yourself catching the ball or hitting a home run, that is visualization.
The concept is easy. You create visual representations through images that display your future desires, not just things you want, but how you see yourself and feel in that future vision. It is important to view your vision board every day and feel like what it represents is happening in the here and now. Make sure the vision board has a focus on your specific intentions, and don’t just make it about having stuff. Instead, make it intensely meaningful to your happiness and future success.
Keep it simple. You can do this in a few ways. First, create a vision or action board that consists of a few images that show your intention of your wants and needs. Do not over do it, and be specific. Then create this in a collage format and it can be either in a physical format on a message board, cardboard or in a digital format. If you create a physical message board format, be sure to hang it somewhere you will see it many times a day. If you do it in a digital format, make it a screensaver or your background image on your computer. Be bold and make it a screensaver on your 65-inch Smart TV. What is important is to see it often and acknowledge the intention you want, whatever it is, to manifest in your life.
The other aspect to a vision board is to let others see it hanging or on your computer. Talk about it like it is happening; make it feel real. This will make it feel as though it really is happening and then before you know it, it is done. Trust your gut and your intention to see it and believe it and it will happen.
Vision boards work and there’s a really simple explanation of why the more you believe in what you are doing and what you want out of life, it happens. If you think back over the many aspects of your life, I am sure you can remember many times where your intention and desire brought you what you wanted. Just remember that the more your board focuses on how you want to feel, the more it will come to life. Don’t over do it and want too much, just include the most important areas of your life you want to improve.
Remember these simple guidelines:
- It’s about you and what you want. Not what someone else wants.
- Be creative, but be very visual. You can also write down your intentions and read them everyday to support the outcome.
- Tune up your vision or action board every so often to keep it relevant as your life improves and unfolds.
- Follow your gut, be sure of your intentions and keep your thoughts positive.
Keep it simple and to the point, and believe in yourself and your future. You will be amazed at how well this can make true, positive changes happen.
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Judd Jones is a director for The Hagadone Corporation and Certified Health Coach.