This I Believe…
I believe the world needs MORE people willing to take risks. Not money risks or let’s see what happens here kind of risks. But, risks of the heart, risks that take courage. Risks that might leave you heart broken and devastated, but that will more likely transform what is possible and leave such a huge impact that the risk will seem like nothing.
I believe the world needs LESS holding back, less keeping it together, less trying to be perfect.
I believe that moms have the most beautiful hearts and, with that enormous stockpile of love, we have the power to make a difference. We have this amazing capacity to let people (not just our kids) know how special they are and that they matter. We have so much love to give.
I believe that if we stop being careful, if we let go of our fear, if we unleash that love on the world, we can make an impact. We can change peoples lives and help people connect with their truer selves. I believe that us doing this is the beginning of peace and joy in the hearts of all people.
I don’t believe that motherhood is hard or a burden. I don’t think it should be used as an excuse or a reason for why we can’t do stuff that we love. Being a mother doesn’t take away, it adds, and makes us better women.
I believe in you. I believe in your heart, your gifts, your art, your message. I believe you have something to say that’s worth saying.
And, I believe that it’s time. It’s time to take the leap. To go for it. To let go and release all that you are into the world.
What are you waiting for?
xo, Lisa
Leave a Comment
This One Thing Can Make ANY Dream Come True
I’ve been crazy busy this past month.
Pretty much all my attention has been on majorly cleaning up, painting and preparing my Granny’s house for us to move into. Then there was the moving in part.
Oh and don’t forget the basement flooding the first week. Whew! Yes, crazy indeed.
But now we are done, settled in and I’m busy reading design blogs getting ideas for how I want to spruce things up. 
While I’ve been totally focused on this project, pretty much nothing else has been happening. Very little writing, business building, outdoor playing, art making, etc. Any left over energy was 100% devoted to the mamas on the Visionary Mom Teams.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how amazing it is that we got so much done in so little time. We seriously kicked ass and met our deadline to have the move complete before school started (which was yesterday and awesome btw!).
From all this, I’ve come to this one big realization:
Whatever you focus on and pay attention to is what creates your life.
Sounds simple, but this is really important.
I hear so many people say “I wish…..” and then feel like crud because whatever it is that they want just isn’t happening.
(photo credit ~ Manifest Destiny Card Set on Etsy )
But, the only way to have the life of your dreams is to focus on, pay attention to and take action on whatever it is you want.
For me, I decided that I want my own house to live in. So I set a pretty unreasonable deadline, got my family inspired by my mad plan and then gave the bulk of my attention and energy to doing whatever was needed to make that goal happen. It was hard work. And I poured my heart and soul into this project, even if that meant other things were not getting much attention from me while I dug in.
But, now I have a really awesome little house to live in that I love!
Everyday when I’d wake up to go work on the house, did I always want to? Heck no! In fact, often I didn’t. Deep house cleaning? Not my thing.
But, the dream, the vision of raising my kiddos in the same house that I grew up in. THAT is what I focused on, THAT is what I gave my attention to, THAT is what I took action on.
That dream is what I talked and thought about while I scrubbed walls and ripped up carpet.
And so, in a very short time, I fulfilled one of the things I wanted for myself this year: A great home to live in that is super affordable and that gives us the space we need to make all our dreams come true.
So, the one principal that can make your dreams come true is this:
Here’s how to apply this in real life:
First, some examples of how this doesn’t work:
- Wishing to be more creative, but focusing, paying attention to and taking action toward having the cleanest house on the block.
- Wanting to leave your day job and start your own business, but focusing on getting that raise, paying attention to trying to make your work better, and only taking the normal day to day going to work actions.
- Dreaming about selling your house and traveling the world with your family, but focusing on house projects, paying attention to stuff your want to do around the house, and taking action on making your yard awesome.
All of that attention and action is GREAT if what you most want in life is a clean, orderly home or you really love your job and want to be super successful doing whatever you’re doing, or if you your dream is to have the most awesome home to come home to everyday.
If, however you want the other stuff, here’s how to apply this principal to make those things happen:
- You are wishing to be more creative, so you focus on all things creative, you pay attention to opportunities to make stuff, and you take action every day, no matter what, to do something fun and creative in your life.
- You want to leave your job and start your own business, so you focus on what you want to do, you learn, you plan, you dive into your ideas and you take action every day, no matter what, on starting that business. ‘
- You dream of traveling full time with your family in an RV around the country, so you focus on saving money, you pay attention to other people who are doing it and you learn as much as you can from them; you take action every single day, no matter what, on cutting your expenses, getting rid of your stuff and getting your family ready to hit the road.
This is the one principal you want to remember to make your dreams come true:
“Whatever you focus on, pay attention to, and take action toward is what gives you the life you’re living.” Tweet this quote!
Manifest Destiny
One Of The Biggest Secrets To Living A Phenomenal Life…
If you want to live an amazing, inspired, visionary life, here is one thing that will make a huge difference:
Tend to the space that you live from.
Say what?! Here’s what I mean…
Everyday, with everything that you do… you do it inside of SPACE. Another way of thinking about it is the background that colors and shapes your life.
We don’t live in a vacuum. We live in the space around us.
Whatever is in that space around you, it shapes how life goes, what you experience and how you feel. And, our thinking determines the kind of space that we get to live from.
Some examples:
A very poor, homeless woman, struggling on the streets very likely lives in a space/background of “life is hard, this sucks, so unfair, there is nothing I can do.”
A creative mama who takes pictures all day and shares the stories of her life on a beautiful, fun blog most likely lives inside the space/background of “Life if beautiful, what’s happening right now that I can capture and share?, oooooh that’s a great blog post!”
An overwhelmed, totally exhausted, no time for herself mama who has zero energy to work on fun stuff might live in the space of “I’m so tired, I need sleep, my kids are driving me crazy, I wish I had more energy.”
The thinking about your life – the stuff that’s in the background – absolutely effects how life goes for you!
So, to create a life that you love, that fulfills and excites you.. you have to tend to the background space that you live your life from.
If you want to live a more creative life, you have to think from living creativity.
If you want to grow your amazing small biz, you have to think from a kick ass business owner’s point of view.
If you want to set up a beautiful home for your family, you have to think about what that means and be hunting for ways to make your living space more beautiful.
Dwelling on the junk and feeling sorry for yourself will just give you more of the junk.
Thinking about possibilities and dreams, sets up a space around yourself that allows for those dreams to come true.
Yes, you still have to take action, make plans and get to work on those ridiculously cool plans of yours but…
If the space you do all that inside is funky -”no magic, life is hard, poor me” kind of thinking – even the best laid plan are likely to fail.
So, to create a fab life, tend to the space that you are living inside. Are you inspired? Are you thinking as if this great life you imagine is really happening? Are you CEO thinking about the projects you’re working on?
Whatever is in the background will shape the foreground.
So… nourish those background thoughts you’re having!
Sometimes It’s HARD Work Making Our Dreams Come True
I recently wrote this in my journal:
photo credit
“I want a nice house to live in, not an apartment, that has space for me to be creative, a yard, a place for a garden. A darkroom. A place that feels like family and is a real home.”
Guess what? In a few short weeks I will be moving into that exact space.
For those of you who are new around here, I’ve been living with my mom for the past year or so since I got divorced. My mom is super duper supportive and we get along great, but well, you know.. it’s still living with MOM.
I’ve been creating in my mind what I want, where I want to live and wishing for the perfect place to call home for me and my kiddos.
Then, a few weeks ago both my aunt and my mom had this flash of brilliance at the same time: “Why not have Lisa and the kids move into Granny’s house?”
My gran has been living in a nursing home for the past year and her house is empty.
The problem is that it was a mess! She was a bit of a hoarder and smoked inside for 50 years, plus the past several years she has not been well, so housekeeping was.. optional. If you can imagine…. (then imagine it way worse!)
With this brilliant idea of having us move in, my family has gotten motivated to tackle the mess.
But, it hasn’t been easy.
My goal is to have us moved in before school starts for all of us in August. So, we’ve had to hustle.
And sweat. And get covered in paint. And work through sheer exhaustion, sore muscles, and feeling 100% worn out.
If you’re friends with me on facebook, you’ve probably read the updates.
HARD. WORK.
And that, is sometimes what it takes to make your dreams happen.
But, we tend to resist that.
Jumping into something and committing to work my ass off is not always what I want to do.
My guess is that, you too, avoid taking on too much, procrastinate big projects, and push off getting started for “someday.”
But, your dreams are just not going to happen if you don’t dive on in and make them happen.
You have to work for them. And sometimes that work is going to be hard.
But, I can tell you that it’s so worth it.
When I stand inside my granny’s house – the house that I grew up in and my mom grew up in – when I watch my kids play in the back yard, the same way I did as a child… When I realize that I can build a darkroom in the basement bathroom, or imagine where the garden will go next summer, or plot out where I’m going to make my art…. when I realize that the perfect space that I imagined for me to live in with my kids is happening…
The sweat and the sore muscles are so worth it.
My dreams are coming true, they are happening, and they are happening NOW.
So what about you… what’s a dream that you want bad enough to work hard for?
8 Reasons Why Working For Yourself ROCKS!
photo credit
Do you dream about working for yourself?
I’m not going to lie, it’s not always easy. It does take hard work and commitment and pushing through the fear and the doubt. And, there can be alot of fear and doubt!
But, there is something so juicy and yummy about being your own boss.
Here are my favorite reasons why it’s so worth taking the plunge….
1. I get to be home with my kids when they’re home. I am right here – listening to them play, learn and grow. I get to be part of it. Yes, they can interrupt and sometimes I don’t get all the stuff done that I want to, but the tradeoff for that is we get to be together, which is really important to me.
2. I can work when I want to work. Sometimes I get up early and get rockin’ ~ sometimes I stay up late and work under the light of the moon. That kind of flexibility makes doing things (like taking art classes at my community college) workable.
3. I get to work on what inspires me! I am someone that doesn’t like to spend my time doing junk that doesn’t matter. Because I work for myself, I get to pick what projects I work on and what type of work I want to do. If something has lost it’s spark, I’m not stuck with it. I’m constantly exploring new ideas, and what’s even better, I get to execute and make those ideas happen!
4. How successful I am is entirely up to me. This can be terrifying, but it’s also incredibly fulfilling. I know that the big wins are mine. I can also own and take responsibility for the stuff that’s not working. This gives me great sense of power and accomplishment – and pride!
5. I get to seek out the people that I want to work with. I love that I have so much in common with the moms I work with. Often it feels like I’m just hanging out with good friends and that makes work not feel like work!
6. My kids get to see my dreams unfolding. They watch me work and know that dreams don’t just fall off trees – you have to work hard to make them happen. But, when you do, you get to live life on your own terms, a life that is deeply rewarding and FUN! As a mom, it’s important to me that I teach my kids these life lessons. I love knowing that I am.
7. I can work wherever I want. Outside, at the coffee shop, on the couch, in the mountains, at the beach! My office moves with me and even though I’ve not (yet!) fully experienced this awesome perk, I LOVE knowing that it’s there and that I can take advantage whenever I want!
8. Making a difference is one of my core values, it’s part of my big vision for life. My business is an expression of that. Because I’ve designed it that way. One of the biggest perks to working for yourself is that your business can be part of your big vision and you can go to sleep every night knowing that what you do matters and is 100% aligned with who you are and what your life is about.
So what about you….. why do you work for yourself, or why do you dream about it?
Leave a Comment
Wanna Chat About Visionary Living?
I’ve been toying with the idea of hosting a live chat/conference call to give you guys a chance to discuss (with me!) what it takes to live a Visionary Life.
So, I’ve put together a twice monthly call series, that will dive into how to live a life that is full of inspiration, fulfillment, joy, passion and deep satisfaction.
The first call of the series will be this Saturday at 12 noon EST. The call will run for 45 minutes and you’ll have a chance to ask questions and get coaching, directly from me!
Our topic this week is: “My Formula for Living a Visionary Life.” We’re going to discuss the key elements that, when present, will guarantee your life will be freaking Uh.MA.zing!
Want to join us? Just enter your email below and I’ll send you details about how to get on the call. AND if you can’t join us on Saturday, no worries, I’ll send you the link to listen at your convenience.
Sign up for this FREE series here:
I hope to hear your lovely voice this Saturday!
xo, Lisa
Leave a Comment
Trusting What Inspires You…
I know that alot of us struggle with “Am I doing the right thing?” ~ “Is this the right path?” ~ “How do I know what I’m supposed to be doing?”
I have the answer for you in the first of a new series called Visionary Living… short little bites that will help you sink your teeth into living a visionary life.
Is this video, I invite you to look within.. listen to what inspires YOU, so you can stop questioning yourself… and start LIVING!
Letter From My Future Self
A letter from the woman I long to be, from that future “me” that all of us strive for, that woman living in a future life that I hope to someday be living….
photo credit
Dear beautiful mama,
Slow down. Life goes so fast and I know that you have big plans and dreams. But don’t rush.
You will arrive where you want to be when you do.
You’ll experience life the way you want it to be, you will.
But I have this advise for you: Enjoy the ride getting there.
Connect to the moment you’re in. Savour it.
Your kids will be grown before you know it. So, enjoy them. Right here. Right now.
The journey is sweet. So, yes, keep your eye on the target, keep moving forward, but check out the scenery along the way.
Love yourself for who you are today.
To get where you want to be, that takes knowing how to get there. You can’t discover the route if you aren’t willing to look at your life, how it is, today.
What if what you’re doing right now is exactly what you’re supposed to be doing, because it is what you’re doing?
What if all the steps along the way are tiny little perfect moments of your life?
If all you can think about is the future, you won’t enjoy the now.
And the now is your life.
Each little moment is moving past and if your attention is on something else, you’ll miss the beautiful sweetness of your own life.
You’ll miss out on your life! Your one precious life.
Down the road, when you “arrive” at where you want to be, when those big plans happen, if you’re not well practiced at enjoying your life – in the moment – if you don’t know how to do that, the big arrival will slip away, just like these moments. Experiencing the joy and fulfillment of living a created life will be missed.
Likely, you will have your attention on the next big project, never getting to settle in the life that you’ve made happen!
So slow down. Enjoy this moment.
Yes, keep creating and dreaming and wanting more for your life. That’s healthy.
But pay attention to the road you’re on, that’s taking you into the life you’re dreaming about. At some point.. the road you are on – right now – will be that future life. So learn to experience it today. Practice being in your life, vs. just dreaming about it.
Love your life right now, today, in this moment.
Leave a Comment
10 Ways To Squeeze More Out Of Your Day
You are one busy mama. Working hard to be an amazing mom AND trying to make your big dreams happen?
Not an easy task.
photo credit
Not to mention the day to day, regular ol’ stuff that you can’t neglect… yeah, THAT stuff!
What is a creative, passionate mama like yourself to do?
Here are a few easy, peasy things that will help you get more done in any given day:
1. Get up earlier. I’m not talking 4am early unless that totally works for you. But an extra hour goes a LONG way.
2. Turn off the TV, the computer and anything else that steals your precious time.
3. Tackle the not so fun stuff first ~ get that junk off your todo list so the rest of your day can be FUN!
4. Keep things simple. Don’t over-complicate things and make them harder than they really are.
5. Focus on one thing at a time and stick with tasks until they are DONE! Sprinkling your energy here and there and all over the place is just spinning your wheels. Focus on completing things!
6. If you’re having a motivation or energy slump- pick short, easy tasks to get get done super quick. Finishing things gives you energy. Try it and see for yourself.
7. Get enough sleep. This is BIG! When you’re tired, you work ..s…l…o…w. Having enough rest means you’ll have energy the next day.
8. Say no to stuff that’s not going to further you living the life of your dreams (I talk more about this in the Visionary Mom Toolkit -it’s a key factor is getting stuff done).
9. Take a break to connect and just be in the moment. This will make you happier, calmer and grounded, which will make getting back to work more productive.
10. Ask for help. Ask for 2 hours without the kids, ask for someone else to do something you don’t want to do, ask to be left alone, ask someone to help you get something done. Ask for the help you need to get your good stuff done.
Really, the name of the game to accomplish all your precious dreams is to just do it, but these simple tricks will help you do that. Dreaming big is awesome, but making those dreams actually happen? That’s glorious.
Leave a Comment
What is Your Art?
We are all creative and brilliant.
photo credit
Yes, even you!
Do you ever doubt your own creativity, or wish you were more “artistic” or tell yourself that living a creative life if for someone else?
I think we all do this from time to time.
But, you are creative.
You make art, in your own special way.
Living a creative life does not mean you have to paint or sew or know how to decorate.
You can be creative in the way you dress, in how you listen, in the way you raise your kids.
You can be creative at dinner time without being a master chef.
You can be creative in how you help others, or how you go after your own dreams.
You can be creative at your work, even if you’re an accountant!
You can be creative as you walk through the forest, or as you tidy up your house.
Art is everywhere!
The opportunity to create and connect and experience life as a magical place full of chances to express yourself…
Those are artistic moments.
Life is your canvas.
So, what do you want to create?
Leave a Comment
