Do you know yourself? (Photo taken at Maharishi University during Visitor's Weekend in April 2009)
I bet the title of today’s article threw you for a double loop, didn’t it? Good. That was intentional – not as an attention grabbing gimmick but something I’ve come to realize over the years.
This topic came up because I had to answer the following question on my graduate school application:
What are your personal and professional goals? (minimum 50 words)
Without knowing it, I had been using the power of my subconscious mind over the last several years, especially after college graduation in the early 80′s.
All those visualizations I did to become a pilot (as a teen I frequently drove my mother’s car down the middle of the highway, pretending to take off and land), to win sales trips while a stockbroker (I placed on the wall of my office photos of hotels where I’d be staying), to become a pilot (I envisioned myself being congratulated by the FAA examiner) and to become a national motivational speaker (I have a photo of a man speaking to an audience of thousands) have been the result of harnessing powerful universal laws. I honestly had no idea how any of my dreams would manifest but I learned how to trust that I’d be led and I was. Over time, I learned how to take inspired action after recognizing various hunches, intuitive impulses and urges along the way.
With each passing year, I’ve developed an insatiable hunger to find out more about how it is that I managed to manifest what everyone else said would be “impossible.” That led me to become an arduous student of natural laws and its underlying connection to the subconscious mind. It is one reason why I am applying to Maharishi University of Management.
While having goals more than helped me achieve my dreams (in fact, I became a certified “goalaholic”), I am now of the opinion that goals have the potential to impede rather than enhance the quality of life. That’s because in order to achieve my goals, I became so focused on where I was going rather than living in the moment. While blindly pursuing them, I probably missed out on opportunities that came knocking. Whenever I did reach my goals, the inner joy I thought would be there was noticeably missing. I found myself saying, “What’s next?”
Instead of drawing up detailed goals and plans, I now use what is popularly referred in self development circles a “vision board” to help me clarify my life’s purpose. Just like Hollywood directors use storyboards to map out their blockbuster films, I have a vision board for my personal and professional dreams.
Having a vision board complete with images, words and phrases allows me to stay in the moment because they help me maintain a sense of direction and integrity while letting me wander and trust in the unknown.
My Old Vision Board
Whereas my old vision board included images of material possessions like a black BMW, a private Honda jet, fancy business clothes, a huge house by the lake and a photo of Oprah (my dream was to be on her show), I now have images of nature’s waterfall (connection with Mother Earth), a healthy man running through the park (physical fitness), a refrigerator stocked with fruits and vegetables (raw food diet) and words/phrases like “Shift of Consciousness,” “Wisdom,” “Love,” and “The Mind-Body Connection to the Next Level.”
When I first created my new vision board earlier this year (see second photo), I had no idea how I was going to make a shift of consciousness nor did I know how I would take the mind-body connection to the next level. I just trusted that I would be led in the right direction and here I am, applying to Maharishi University, a consciousness-based institution!
New Vision Board Created Earlier this Year (2009)
On the professional front, while I expect to continue my role as a public speaker, I envision a complete makeover by becoming a “consciousness expert” with both Masters and Ph.D degrees under my belt. Using rediscovered “self knowledge,” I aim to help co-create world peace by taking part of a future governmental Peace Department. Finally but not least, I aspire to become a Transcendental Meditation teacher.
What a change of ambition in the quest to reinvent myself through a spiritual, transformational journey tinged with higher levels of consciousness!
NOTE: The following was not on the application – it’s just for you……
What about you? Have you thought about reinventing yourself and aiming for the highest good? Let your inner child come out today, get a pair of scissors and a bunch of magazines and start cutting out photos, images, words and phrases that appeal to your inner self and make yourself a vision board. Throw away your goals and put the vision board up in a prominent place where you can see it every day and watch miracles unfold!
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8:02 am on June 16th, 2009 1
You’re back and with a subject near and dear to my heart. Thank you, again and again and as always (I need to stop doing that, huh?)
I had so many goals when I was young but life (guided by God’s hand) kept taking me on these detours of unfamiliar territory. I was so ill prepared and each time I veered off my path, my goals seemed that much further away.
When I did manage to achieve a goal, I missed the journey to get there and discovered, over and over again, that the goal was NOT what I’d hoped or planned it would be. How can we “for sure” know what something is going to be like til we’re in it? Not to say that where I ended up was BAD, just different from my creative imaginings.
And so, at 55, I have a vision board but it is like yours, Stephen. Full of HOPE and LOVE and dreams with no real concrete goal. This is SO MUCH BETTER in that each time I meet a new person, turn a new corner, find a new place to explore it’s not a means to an end…not a fruition of a goal but better. It’s LIFE and I’m finally, after all the unfullfilled goals and confusion of what happened differently or didn’t happen at all..I am FINALLY LIVING MY LIFE!
Even with adversity, sadness, frustration
Disappointment, confusion and a lot of heartache, I’m in my moments and in being so, even the not so good ones are helping me grow and learn and JUST BE! (the name of my fledgling Polarity Practice, by the way)
Namaste, patti
8:07 am on June 16th, 2009 2
I believe that the minute babies are born, their main life blueprints are already planned by HIM. Therefore, sometimes goals do work if they’re happen to be part of the blueprint plan. Sometimes they don’t, even if ppl work hard! Therefore, we should follow the course of nature.
Of course, we can still work hard and try to achieve what we want but we should try not get quite angry, disappointed, or sad if it doesn’t happen the way we want; instead merely accept and find other alternatives where the doors may open.
1:01 pm on June 16th, 2009 3
@ Nita:
Very good point Nita – I especially liked “therefore we should follow the course of nature.”
That’s exactly right!
1:04 pm on June 16th, 2009 4
@ Patricia (Patti):
What a story Patti! Very well said directly from the heart. It goes to show that even at your age, you are still learning, processing and developing your inner potential, using different methods to become who you are meant to become. What a powerful revelation.
I’m so glad you are inspired to pour out your inner wisdom with us in this way. It makes your contribution so much more meaningful, just like Nita’s comment. I enjoy hearing from subscribers and visitors because when they open themselves up like that, then end up not only enriching my own life but those of others who happen to stumble by.
Thanks!
9:10 am on June 17th, 2009 5
I think this blog post came right on time. I was feeling so down yesterday (and pretty much for the whole month) because this year has become a downward spiral of confusion as far as what I see for myself in life. So I went home and wrote a list of goals that I needed to do this year in order to feel like I’m doing something with my life. I thought it would make me feel better but it didn’t. The fact is I suck at following to-do-lists. Goals and deadlines have always been of relative importance to me, much to my parents’ agony.
I’ve heard of the concept of a vision board before but this post really nailed it on the head for me. Thanks for taking the time to write this!
Also, I may be late but congratulations on your acceptance to Maharishi University! You are an inspiration to us all…
2:46 pm on June 17th, 2009 6
Stephen, many views exist on success. I sense it is a matter of self-perception. When a person loves and accepts himself unconditionally, then he views himself as successful as he is. There is no ned to do anything, pursue any goals or evolve into success. Although each being is in a state of becoming, each stage can be viewed as successful as it is.
5:42 pm on June 18th, 2009 7
Stephen:
Thanks for your thoughts on this topic. I need to get that vision board started. I’ve downloaded lots of articles/PDFs on vision boards. I also started sort of a visionboard on Powerpoint. But I’ve never seen the whole process through.
8:30 pm on June 19th, 2009 8
I enjoyed the post. I’ve never seen a title so intriguing.
I think that vision boards are just another way of representing “goals”, though my personal definition of the term may be different than yours.
To me, goals and dreams are the spice of life; without them, what would you aim for in any context.
But I don’t mean to sound like I disagree with your points. Livving in the moment is an even more spicier endeavor than aiming for goals.
I think you can do both and be seen as “successful” or even as a “failure”.
12:47 pm on June 25th, 2009 9
Stephen, you don’t just sit and look at your vision boards. You also take the active steps—like signing up for college—to make those vision boards come true. If you sit all day and just hope that your vision board will come true, nothing happens. You have to move, to make things happen. You are a great mover and shaker in life.
10:11 am on June 30th, 2009 10
@ Patricia – Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker:
That is quite an astute comment – very good observation. I had to take action and apply to the school, write up the essays and visit the school. Impressions were made, new friends were made and a new vision was born. I am totally taking a huge leap of faith in doing this. Even as I sit here, I’m pinching myself and saying, “Are you really doing this?”
Then I take a look around my place and see boxes strewn all over and say “Yep, you are indeed doing this!”
A friend is helping me move to Iowa one week from today. Can you believe it?!? Just like I never thought I’d move to Michigan and now Ohio, I can’t believe I’m moving to IOWA – of all places! Just when I’m trying to get away from cold winters, I’m going even deeper because I heard temperatures frequently go below zero. ACK!
But it’s all good – it’s all part of the divine plan. How could it not be?
10:26 am on June 30th, 2009 11
@ eetion:
Oh, I’m totally cool with anyone who wants to disagree as long as it’s done with respect, honor and integrity, which is exactly how you’ve done it.
I’m glad to have you on here even if you disagree with me – well, I certainly don’t discount dreams because that’s part of the process of achieving what you desire in life. I just got tired of writing down five, ten, twenty year goals. I think the word “goals” have gotten overused, trampled upon and changed to the point where people just forget about living in the moment.
What I do get from you though is having goals adds excitement to a person’s life. That is true, I can’t disagree with that.
So I guess we both have good points, hmm? Sounds like it! Thanks for your contribution. I appreciate it much.
10:35 am on June 30th, 2009 12
@ Tim:
Best of luck with seeing through this process Tim! It’s a fun and rewarding process. Don’t be surprised if you begin to see manifestations of what’s on that new vision board. All you need to do is look at it every day (put it on your front door so that every time you leave, you can’t help but see the words/images).
Sooner or later you’re going to get some ideas – I call them divine insights – that will require you to take some sort of inspired action leading you closer to the vision. It’s pretty cool! Let me know how it goes over the next couple of months. I’d love to know what manifested for you!
10:52 am on June 30th, 2009 13
@ Liara Covert:
You bet – self perception is everything. It’s so amazingly true, it’s not even funny.
Here’s a secret I’ll share with you. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I either feel fat or thin, depending on how my stomach looks. Isn’t that crazy? Despite my ongoing evolvement, I still struggle with essence of the ego. The funny thing is even when I am thin, I don’t necessarily feel any better about myself then when I have a little baby fat around my stomach.
How’s that for an honest admission of my self – perception at times!?!?
11:09 am on June 30th, 2009 14
@ Valerie M:
Believe it or not Valerie, I entered the new year 2009 feeling pretty much the same way! I did a lot of introspection, went for long walks in nature and constantly communicated with God/the universe, asking for clarity and guidance. Gradually it became clear to me what I needed to do at this phase of my life and creating a vision board certainly helped.
Thanks for your note of congratulations – it’s one week from today when I move my things into storage out in Iowa. It’s only another month before school starts! I’m so excited and grateful for the changes that are coming my way.
Best wishes for your journey–just remember that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be right now. The answers will come to you if you allow it. Taking long walks in nature, exercising, eating better and getting good sleep will help clear the mind to make way for some powerful insights on what to do next. It’s all inside you.
6:59 am on July 29th, 2009 15
You have a very nice vision board, I would love to start mine soon as well if I have the time. For me, it’s ACTION that brings the realization of these goals and nothing else!
3:02 pm on July 29th, 2009 16
@ PLR Videos:
An idea for you to consider that helped me – why not create a vision board party for your friends? Invite them over and have fun cutting and gluing images, words and phrases on a large piece of paper with some kind of color background? Provide food and drinks if you want. It’d be fun. Lots of people are doing that these days and it’s inspiring them to create their futures.
5:07 pm on August 3rd, 2009 17
What a interesting idea. Best of luck on your journey.
8:37 pm on August 4th, 2009 18
@ Green Energy News:
Glad you enjoyed the article and thanks for the good wishes. I’m here in Iowa now, settling in.
12:59 am on October 8th, 2009 19
Really Great Post Stephen. I have a vision board that was definitely designed by my inner child. I love it. Best to you!
Troy
1:52 am on November 10th, 2009 20
I have to say that I am so happy to have found your site and especially this post, I have had the worst year of my life and in a space were I don’t think I could ever get out of let alone feel happy again, but after reading this I am now a little more inspired to to make changes that will benefit me, and put me first, I can’t wait to get home and start my vision board, bring out my inner child that feels so trapped. So a big thank yo Stephen.
4:39 pm on February 4th, 2010 21
What are your personal and professional goals?
This question is very often asked at job interviews.
The way you answer it in this message is what most interviewers expect to hear from the applicant “I have a vision board for my personal and professional dreams”
12:21 am on February 10th, 2010 22
@ Jerry:
That’s a pretty good and creative response!
9:09 am on April 10th, 2010 23
I have a personal goal of leading a more sustainable lifestyle by example. I have gotten rid of my clothes dryer and now whenever the sun is shining I proudly display my clean laundry on a clothes drying rack in the center of my drive. I no longer drive my car everyday. Most days it stays parked while I ride my bike the 3 miles to work. I find that my stress level is much less than it was when I was commuting by car. I have also became a vegetarian and buy a large majority of my produce from the local farmers market. I believe that be leading by example others will see what a happy life I have and they will want to incorporate a few of these things into their own lives.
9:35 pm on May 12th, 2010 24
Hi..
This is my first visit. Your article is very interesting and enlightening. I was impressed with the topic you write, especially about the vision board. I will create my vision board.
Thanks for your sharing.
Adit