Let’s Kick Off The Week With A Question!
I think asking questions is good. And, answering them is even better! So here is a question for you, that may be hard… but take a shot.. your answer may surprise you!
Share your thoughts about this in the comments below!!
Leave a CommentInspiration Friday: That’s what I’m talking ’bout!
Loved this video with the wise, wise words of big time dreamer and incredibly passionate Will Smith. Good stuff here, worth the watch! This kind of passion and commitment are what has him be so powerful and inspiring.
Where could you bring some of this into your life?
Leave a CommentFinding Your Passion is Not As Hard As We Make It Out To Be – 7 Steps to Get You Started
I think we like to make things complicated. But finding your passion is not really that hard.
First, I think we try to fit things into being a passion, when they really aren’t. An example: I love photography. Like, really, really love. I enjoy taking photos, looking at photos and learning all about it. I often think that is my true passion, but it’s not.
It is something I enjoy a ton, and something I will for sure continue doing for the rest of my life. My true passion? People. And what inspires them, their passions. I am passionate about passion! It’s what I stay up at night thinking about, what is always on my mind, what I work on all the time. How to help people pursue and unlock their passions so they can make their dreams come true. That is what I am crazy passionate about.
Photography is one of my loves and I may even be a little bit passionate about it. But my camera can sit here on my desk for weeks without me even thinking about it. Dreams and passion and making a difference with people. I can’t go a day without diving into that.
Then, I think we think there is some one perfect thing out there that we must find and locate or we will never truly be happy. Which is so not true! So many things in life provide inspiration and joy and fulfillment. Finding your passion can really be as simple as paying attention to what that stuff is, and then cultivating more of that. (Next week, I’ll write more about cultivating our passions).
So, how do you figure out your passion?
1. What are you attracted to? What kind of people, blogs, books, movies, etc. What are those things all about? What are their passions?
2. Dig deeper. Go beyond the surface of the things you are drawn too. Yes, I love photography, but when I look deeper, I really love portrait photography – the kind that truly captures the essence of a person, that gives you a glimpse into who that person really is and what makes them tick. So, yes, you may love to read crafting blogs, but maybe it’s not the craft that is inspiring you – maybe it’s something deeper?
3. What moves you? Do you ever find yourself with tears in your eyes about something or so full of happiness and joy about something? What about that is stirring your soul? Last night, I was watching The Voice, which if you don’t know is one of those singing reality shows. All through the show I was so moved, crazy sappy-happy moved. Why? Because these courageous people were boldly chasing their dreams! And that is what most inspires me.
4. What do you think about all the time? What opens up the floodgate of ideas? What gets your creativity fired up? What do you obsess about and stay up late at night thinking about. Not the junk you worry about, but the stuff that gets you excited as you daydream about it. It is easy to get consumed by what your passionate about when we let ourselves really get into it.
5. Look back over your life, when did you most feel alive? What things from your past really excited you and got the wheels spinning? What about those things? I worked on a film project in high school. It was an 18 minute VHS movie called, “What is the meaning of life?” The month I worked on it was one of the most invigorating, consuming, inspiring experiences of my life. Yes, some of that was the medium – I love film, but more of it was the subject matter and interviewing tons of people about what life means to them, then putting those stories together.
6. Tell the truth as you explore these questions. I was recently working with a mom who was struggling with finding her passion. As we were talking it was so obvious to me what she most loved, but not to her. One of her objectives with our coaching session was to figure out her purpose and passion, and yet it was seeping out of her! She’s a therapist and working with clients is not what her passion is, it is the process. Her passion is learning about, thinking about, exploring and experiment with different processes. It’s the theories that inspired her, not the actual therapy. Seeing that and telling the truth about it was a huge aha moment for her!
7. Give up that it has to look a particular way. Your passion may very well be knitting. You obsess about it, you can’t go a day without picking up your needles, patterns are floating in your pretty little head all day long and yarn stores make you pee your pants. BUT, for many of us, our passion is not a THING. It is more of a feeling, an experience. There are many vehicles for expressing our passion, when we know what it is. A big help in discovering your passion is to let go of the HOW and focus more on the WHAT. Your passion may be the creative process. HOW you explore that can change and evolve over the course of your life. You may find that it’s the theory of creativity that truly inspires you way more than the actual making of stuff. So maybe where you find your bliss in teaching or writing about creativity instead of painting or drawing.
Now, I know for some of you, it may be that you have never bumped into your passion. Keep looking! It’s out there. Just stop trying to make it so complicated. Be committed to living a passionate life. I’m willing to bet it’s not too far away or too mysterious. Follow these steps, listen to your heart, and surrender to it. Be willing to be surprised by what it is that deeply inspires you.
Does this help? Do you have any questions about it? Any aha moments you want to share about? Let me know in the comments below. And please share this with your peeps!
Leave a CommentVision, Purpose & Passion: What the heck all that means and How to Be Visionary
We all talk alot about passion and purpose. I talk around here about Vision. Well, how do you go about living a Visionary Life?
First, some Lisa definitions:
Passion
It tugs at your heart, makes you smile. You think about it all the time. The wheels get spinning easily. Ideas. There are plenty of those. When you are passionate about something, it is part of you, your life blood, what makes you tick.
Purpose
This may or may not be that same as your passion. Purpose usually has nothing to do with you. It’s about those around you, the people you impact and how you make a difference in their lives. Purpose is about sharing your gifts with the world, helping to make it a better place.
Mission
This is what you set out to do. Think of missionaries venturing out to speak their truth and bring more people into their way of thinking.
Vision
Take all of that – your passion, your purpose and your mission, combine them all and you will see a new world, new possibilities, new ways of living and being. What once seemed totally impossible now has it’s own heart beat. Dreams and ideas, fully realized. You can see it, feel it, taste it. This is your vision.
How do you create a visionary life?
1. You have to be clear about your passion, your purpose, and your mission. From there, a vision will show up. A vision for your life and the lives of the people around you.
2. You declare it, own it, share it. You vision is beautiful, please don’t be afraid to share it.
3. You live it. You work hard to line your life up with that vision. You let go of the things that don’t match, that weigh you down. You bring in more of the stuff that lift you up, closer to what you see possible.
4. You eagerly learn and grow. You know that to bring newness in you have to learn new ways to think. You have to shed the thinking of the past and invent new rules to the game. This takes patience and courage. But, you know that standing still will get you no where, so you walk toward learning and you embrace the fragile spaces of growth.
5. You are gentle with yourself. Nothing happens over night. You may even fail to bring about these new changes, but you don’t give up. You are kind with yourself as you venture forward.
6. You help others. Part of learning, of living a big, beautiful life is about reaching out, offering a hand and lifting the people up around you so that they can shine, right along with you.
7. You find the help that you need. You know that you can’t always do it alone. You ask for help, you get advice, coaching, support, whatever you need to keep going, to keep moving forward.
8. You celebrate all the miracles and beauty and kindness around you. You rejoice in the opportunity to live this life without taking it for granted. You know that to keep creating, to keep living into your dreams, you have to stop and appreciate all that is happening, right now, in this very second.
9. You speak out. Your voice counts. What you have to say matters, so let it rip! Start a revolution, inspire a movement, ignite the passion in others.
Do it now!
What can you do today that is visionary, that makes a difference, that has you and the people around you shine? Share with me in the comments below. And, if you are stuck, trying to figure out what your passion or purpose is, stay tuned. I will be talking more about this in the next few days!
Making Money, Dreaming Big, Community and Kicking that Mom Guilt to the Curb
I am working away this weekend… planning, writing, figuring out how to make all my fun ideas happen. 
This is so what I love to be doing!!! And I am amazed at how true it is that when you find your passion and run with it, pretty much nothing feels like work! It is all just doing what you love!
I’ve been wanting to share about what is brewing over here at Visionary Mom. So, I decided that, instead of writing about it, I would make a little video so I can really share my excitement and give you a sneak peek at all the good stuff coming your way.
Here is me babbling away on a Saturday afternoon. Enjoy!
(if you are reading this via email, click here to watch the video)
To make sure you get a copy of that free program I talked about, just enter your email below and I will send it to you as soon as it’s ready. If you are already on an email list with Visionary Mom, you don’t need to sign up again.. I will make sure you get a copy.
5 Ways to Tap Into Your Creative Mojo
You, my friend, are a creative woman.
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You are. Whether you believe it or not. To be creative does not mean that you make ART, or are always doodling cute little things on whatever you can get your hands on.
Creativity is a state of BEING.
It’s a way to live, a place to think from and something you feel.
You seriously can be sorting laundry and have that be a creative act.
Don’t believe me?
Remember when you were pregnant with your first little one and it was time to get all their tiny little clothes ready?
You lovingly washed everything, folded and put it all away. And I would bet money that in that moment, you were being creative! You were present to the growing life in your belly, imagining how he/she was going to be. You were full of love and super eager for the big day to arrive! You had no idea what this little dude was going to look like, or what kind of mischief they would be up to at the bold age of six. But you held up those itty-bitty baby clothes and you imagined!
Those moments are ooolaalaa magical! When we are in that creative element, when the juices are flowing and we feel ALIVE, knowing that our lives have meaning and purpose, it feels amazing! And, we get to be amazing! Creativity is sexy and powerful and, I swear, it makes us look and feel younger!
Here are five easy ways to tap into your magical, yummy creative force:
1. Start the day with a few moments of quiet. Sip your coffee or your tea, sit down and just be. Let the goof balls run around being wackos and include that in this one small, still moment. Savor this moment in your life and everything that is happening. Forget the to-do list, the dishes can wait, just be.
2. Make stuff. Doesn’t matter what it is, but try to consciously make something every day. It could be a drawing, a fun snack for the kids, a family portrait, or even the bed! But allow yourself to experience the fact that YOU are MAKING something! Put your own fun little creative spin on things. Play! Affirm all the little things you get to make every single day.
3. Day dream. Imagine your life with you totally FREE, living exactly how you want to live, doing all the things you want to be doing. Feel it, experience it. Tap into what it is you really want for your life. Don’t be afraid of it! This is your daydream, you can have anything you want!!
4. Talk to people who get it. People that understand about dreams and totally get what you wish for in your life. Stop trying to convince the naysayers. Right now, they don’t get it. Hopefully, someday they will. But, until they do, find and create a little tribe of people that get it. Forge inspiring relationships with these folks, knowing that you have full on permission to create a really kick butt life and they will cheer you on every step of the way!
5. Just do it! Stop waiting for the inspiration to strike and just get started. I know, for me, I like to put things off, waiting until I feel motivated. And then that quickly turns into agonizing over how badly I need to do whatever it is. And then, I remember, “oh, yeah, I just have to START!” When I do, I usually get inspired and into it and it’s fun! Why? Because I’m doing something I love, instead of thinking about it.
And that is really the biggest thing about tapping into our creativity. It ain’t going to happen sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else have a blast playing the game. You have to stand up and walk out onto the field. Only out there is the magic going to happen.
What do you think? I’d love to hear from you!
How do you tap into that creative energy? How is it when you do? Do you consider yourself to be a creative person? Please leave a comment down below with your thoughts.
And, please share about this on FB or twitter!
Leave a CommentJump up and down because this is YUMMY!!!
Have you ever read the amazing words of Danielle LaPorte over at White Hot Truth??
She is really, really, awesome and insanely inspiring. Her blog is one of the reasons that I conjured up the courage to start Visionary Mom.
Well, today is her birthday, and she has something amazing just for YOU!
Today is pay what you can day for her insanely helpful digital program, The Spark Kit.
Yup, you can pay anything that works for you. Incredible, huh?
I HIGHLY recommend this program for those of you who want to to work in ways that are 100% true to who you are, your dreams and your passions.
Once you click the link and read about The Spark Kit, go to her main page and leave a comment with the price you want to pay to grab this deal, which is only good TODAY, so don’t procrastinate this one.
Get your spark on right here:
Just wanted to pass this on to you…. a great resource at a can’t pass up price. I hope you use it and it makes a difference for you.
xo, Lisa
***Yes, this is an affiliate link. And YES, I really do believe in this product. It will knock your socks off!
Leave a CommentStepping Into Your Dreams: A Tale of Heartache and Possibility
If you are not working on your dreams, if you are not moving forward, stepping into them with courage and gusto, my guess is that you haven’t said yes to them. If you want your dreams to happen, you have to say yes!
And, more importantly, you have to say… NOW!
Thinking about stuff does not make things happen. Period.
Yes, there is all that yummy law of attraction stuff. But, trust me, the people who are making stuff happen with that are ALSO taking action. They are moving forward, stepping into their dreams.
And that, is THE key. You have to step into it.
You have to move toward it with your yes volume turned way up. It’s actually more like diving in, head first, with no guarantees.
I get alot of stuff done and I have done some pretty awesome things with my life. But, not from thinking about it. Every great adventure I’ve had started with a big, bold ~ yes!
My Story
10 years ago, when the company I worked for asked me to move to Sweden, I said HECK YES! I gave all my stuff away, flew home to say goodbye to my mom, and took off. It was just 3 short weeks from that invitation to me walking through the Arlanda Airport at midnight with a big, huge smile on my face.
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I lived there for 2 years and got my ass kicked! I worked so crazy hard and I failed. Yes, I failed! I did not accomplish what I was sent there to do. It was painful at the time. Heart crushing. I left Sweden defeated.
But, now, when I look back at my life, living in Stockholm is one of my most favorite memories. So much of who I am today is because of that experience. The failure and the disappointment were SO worth it! (even if they really sucked at the time)
When I met my husband, we rushed off to Las Vegas to get married. We only knew each other for a few months. I was wowed! Yes was oozing out of my pores! All I wanted was him and this life we were creating.
Now, 7 years later, we are divorced. It stings. It hurts. This was not what we planned. But, I now have these 2 amazing kiddos. And I know what it feels like to live and act from a place of pure passion. The failure of our marriage has taught me so much. About speaking up, asking for what I want and not tolerating junk in my life that is not working.
As I look out into the future and the hope of falling in love again, I remember that feeling of blissed out yes! And I know that I will do it all over again, given the chance. Why? Because I want passion, I want adventure, I want the thrill of living from a place of FULL OUT! I want love.
About a year before we separated, my ex-husband and I started dreaming about living on the road. We wished it and hoped it and “what if?ed it” for a good long year. Then, one day, we said, YES! Let’s do it. Nothing in the previous year got the ball rolling. But that day, the day we said YES, I remember it well.
Everything changed. We started to take action and within 3 months, we sold or gave away everything we owned, moved out of our house and into an RV. It was crazy! But that day we decided yes, let’s do it, the whole world of what was possible changed. We saw the way and we eagerly stepped onto the path and started moving toward our dream.
Alot of people around us didn’t get it. They told us it was a bad idea. But, we did it anyway. We followed our own bliss.
And we had problems.. the dang beast broke down, we froze our butts off staying in an RV park up in the mountains, crazy leaks galore, and we weren’t sure how we were going to support ourselves on the road, but we just kept moving forward. Knowing that we were making our dreams come true.
Then, as you know from above, our marriage fell apart. It wasn’t sudden really, it was a slow build, and that final straw happened. I packed up our small amount of stuff and moved in with my mom. Heartbreaking.
This big, awesome dream that I poured my entire heart and soul into, it crumbled at my feet. I was devastated. On so many levels. The marriage, the dream of living on the road, the sadness of my kiddos. I’m sure you can imagine.
But here I am, still speaking my truth and still dreaming. And, I’m pursuing new dreams. I’m saying yes to two big things right now…
I’m in school, studying art, something I have wanted to do for a long, long time. I am discovering this artist in me that has been begging to get out.
And, I am working for myself, doing something I love, making a difference and helping people to be the best they can be. Visionary Mom is such a huge blissful fulfillment for me.
Those other dreams? To live on the road, to have a mate that inspires me, to work and thrive in another country? They are still there. You better believe it! At some point in my life, I hope to start saying yes to those things and boldly taking action toward fulfillment. Even with the failure, the dreams are still there.
I know you have fear, mama. We all do. Your dreams? They may not turn out. Things may not go to plan, you may mess things up. True all that. Believe me, I know!
But, I ask you this? Would it be worth it? If you did fail? If you crashed and burned? If you got your heart broken? Would if be worth it if you got to experience, for that one moment, the YES! The yes of being alive and believing and going for it? Would it?
One thing I will tell you is this: you can and you will survive heartache. And heartache will happen. It sucks when it happens. But, you can also keep moving forward. And, with that, you will get to experience new dreams, new possibilities, and new hope.
Are you willing to take the risk?
Leave a CommentWhat do YOU want to be when you grow up?
Today was my son’s kindergarten graduation. Which, I thought was going to be a pretty lame ordeal. But, it ended up being totally inspiring.
We got to witness these cute little munchkins walk up onto the stage and declare to a huge audience what they want to be when they grew up. We heard a lot of princesses, soldiers, teachers, veterinarians, firemen, etc.
And then, it was my kiddos turn, and this is what HE had to say….
(if you are reading from your inbox, click here to watch.)
OMG. Seriously? I about fell on the floor. MY kid! And he is for reals. His room is often a super fly science lab and we have experiments happening all the time in our kitchen. His latest adventure? A formula that will bring dead people back to life. Love my kid. Man, I love him!!
So, What does this have to do with you? (besides me just totally wanting to show off my awesomely fun kiddo?)
Well, all afternoon I have been thinking about how cool it is that he walked up there in front of all those people and boldly shared his dream. And, did they think he was stupid? Or that his dream was a bad idea? Or whatever you tell yourself about your own dreams? NO! He brought down the house. Wild cheering from all!!
When you are six, you are allowed to dream big and wish for anything that you want for your life. So, what about now?
What do YOU, really, really, no kidding really want for your life?
No matter if you are six or thirty-six, you can be anything that you want. You can do anything you want. You can dream and you can bring down the house with the bold declaration of what it is that you want to do!!
First step?
Share it. Grab yourself a microphone, open your mouth and tell the world what you want. Belt it out, proudly – passionately. We are listening and, I promise, we are going to cheer for you wildly.
My son totally made me smile today, with his courage to march to the beat of his own drum. He is totally not afraid to be who he is. It’s mad inspiring!
Today, I invite you to follow his lead. Share who you are with the world. Announce your dreams. Let it rip!!
Leave a CommentAre You Having Fun?
It’s an honest question. And I’m wondering if you have an honest answer.
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If you were to look within and really, no kidding, tell the truth… are you having fun with your life?
Do you laugh often?
Are you giddy with excitement?
Do you get swept away by the moment because it is so freakin’ cool?
Are you filled up with possibilities?
Can you smell the amazing opportunities all around you?
Is your heart full of joy, because you are doing what you love?
If you find yourself answering no to some of this.. why not?
Do you spend your days doing things that don’t inspire you?
Are you angry and bitter, holding on to junk from the past?
Have you lost your passion and enthusiasm for those things that used to fill you up?
Are you tired and worn down, with little energy to really feel alive?
Do you talk to yourself about all the bad stuff or how rotten you are?
All of that, you have the power to make a difference with.
You are not stuck.
You are not trapped.
You can rest and take care of yourself.
You have the capacity to forgive – both yourself and those you used to only feel love for.
You can commit to living a life of passion.
And you can courageously go for it, find that thing that you love and build your whole life around it.
You can, so what are you waiting for?
The right time?
Enough money?
Feeling like you are ready?
Knowing what your passion is?
Support from your family?
Space to work?
Knowledge?
What? What is holding you back?
I promise, whatever it is, it is only an excuse. It is not “The Truth” – if you want something bad enough, you will find a way, you will make it happen, you will dig in and find the courage.
The only thing holding you back is you.
So, today, what can you let go of?
What can you embrace?
What can you celebrate and get excited about?
Have some fun, mama! You deserve it!!
Do that thing you love.
Open your heart and cherish those around you.
Let go of all the self judgement and sabotage.
Tap into your passion, get inspired, don’t be fearful.
Life is beautiful. YOUR life is beautiful.
Have fun with it!
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