5 Things You Need To Truly Thrive
Did you know that passion alone won’t carry the day?
my daughter, creating her own dreams...
Yes, passion is important. It’s vital to living a truly joyous life that is fulfilling and makes an impact.
But, you need a heck of lot more than just passion to live a life worth living.
There are other things that are just as important. And when they join forces with that glorious passion spark, then WATCH OUT! Very little will stop you from making those big, juicy, inspiring dreams of yours happen!
This list is not the be all, end all.
The top 5 things you need to truly thrive in life:
1. Passion.
Yes, for sure. Passion is the light that makes everything seem possible. It is the love, the joy, the thrill. It’s why you are working on what you’re working on in the first place.
2. A Clear Vision
I am crazy inspired by creativity. But, that alone will not make anything really fabulous happen in my life. What do I want to do with creativity? Do I want to make things? Write? How do I want to express myself? Do I want to help others find their creativity? What is it about this whole business of being creative that inspires me? What do I want to make happen in the world with this passion of mine? In what ways can I tap into and live my life being creative?
These are important questions to ask and answer. How are you going to manifest your passion? What is the vision of how to best bring more of your passion into your life and the world?
Get specific here! For me, I’ve decided I’m going to be an art teacher. I changed my major in school to make this happen. I have a clear vision of how I want to inspire teenagers to express themselves through art. Along the way, I’m also going to make lots of art and engage with the creative community where I live. But, I have a goal, a specific vision of what I want to make happen in the world.
3. A Plan
Just winging it usually doesn’t work. Yes, sometimes we get lucky. Or our passion is so big, we can’t help but to work on making our dream a reality. But, more often than not, the day to day grind of just living will, the urgent pressing needs of our everyday lives, will get in the way and wear us out. Leaving little room, energy and motivation for the yummy stuff that feeds our soul.
It’s such a funny thing, but we are all guilty of it!
We all know that when we are inspired and engaged with life in a passionate way, we feel better, are better mamas and are way more fulfilled and happy. And yet, we put that stuff off until later.
You have to plan for your dreams. You have to carve out room in your busy life to work on them, or they may not happen! I have a plan for getting my teaching credentials, I know where I’m going to finish off my schooling, how long it’s going to take and what I need to do. I am registered for classes and am actively working on that plan.
My dream is coming to fruition because I have a plan. Without that plan, all I would have is the idea.
Knowing what you want to manifest in the world and how you’re going to do that breeds a far greater chance that you will actually succeed!
4. Integrity
Being passionate about something, knowing specifically what you want to make happen, and mapping out a plan for how to get there will make exactly nothing happen if you don’t take action. If you don’t do the things that are necessary to bring about whatever it is you want to create in your life, then your big ideas probably won’t happen.
If I totally slack off in school, don’t do my assignments, don’t engage in my learning and participate with a full heart, then I’m not going to end up teaching. Period.
You have to do the work.
If you say you are going to spend time in your studio painting, you have to do it if you want to be a painter.
And here’s the rub about integrity:
Every time you don’t do something that you set out to do, it clouds your vision, it warps your passion and it leaves you doubting yourself. Which can so quickly send you down the “I suck, what’s wrong with me, my life is hard” path.
The more you take action on your dreams, the more happy and fulfilled you are. The more you blow off stuff and avoid taking action, the more like poo you feel.
So, yeah, integrity is a seriously important component.
5. Support
All of the above, you can for sure manage and do on your own. But, it is so much easier and so much more effective when you don’t go it alone.
Having people around you who support your dreams, encourage you to take action, push you to go for it. This makes such a ginormous difference.
When my people have my back, they don’t buy into my self doubt. They lift me up when I feel like I can’t go on. They cheer on my accomplishments. They say yes to all my lofty ideas. They get me and that gives me courage.
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When you put these 5 things together.. so much more becomes possible.
You really can make any dream, ANY DREAM, you want come true.
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An Easy Way To Spread Some Joy
Spreading Joy. I think that’s important, don’t you?
my kiddos playing football on thanksgiving - JOY!
Really, can there ever be too much joy in the world?
Well, here is a really easy, super simple way to spread some joy around. And, I think because this is such a busy, crazy, often stressful time of the year, all the people that you do this with will be even more impacted.
It’s super simple.
You ready?
All there is to do just listen.
Don’t you love it when you get a chance to talk about your life, your dreams, your experiences? When someone is genuinely interested in YOU.. doesn’t that make you feel great? Important? Loved? Cared about? When someone really pays attention to you, doesn’t it help you get present to your own life, to your journey and to where you want to go?
Here’s what you do:
When you’re with someone.. a friend, a co-worker, another parent. You stop and get present to them. Without saying a word, shift your attention to them. Who is this person? Open your heart up to them and give them permission to totally be themselves.
Doing just that will be amazing. Trust me, try it.
But then, you can ask a question if you want. “How was Thanksgiving?” “What do you wish for this Christmas?” “What was your favorite thing as a kid?” “What do you want to accomplish by the end of the year?”
And then listen. Listen for their dreams, for what they love. Listen for who they really are (not all the stressed out, going through the motions junk).
Listen for their spark.
Give them some space to just share. To talk about themselves and to feel like what they have to say matters. Make them feel important by paying attention.
Easy enough, yes?
I’d love to hear what happens when you try this. Drop me note, or leave a comment. Lets you and me, together, spread some joy in the world!
Leave a CommentHow to Really Make Yourself Feel AWESOME
I have been super duper focused on this idea of “self care” ~ and taking care of the mama.
My thoughts about taking care of ourselves have way less to do with traditional being healthy stuff, and way more to do with doing what you love.
I find that the more I focus on ME, what makes me happy, what do I want to contribute, what inspires me.. what’s FUN? The more my life is juicy and yummy and rich.
Which then has me feeling AWESOME!!!
I think, as mamas, we focus so much on self care (or the LACK of it) because we want to feel good. So we try to eat the right foods and get to bed at a decent hour. But, do you ever notice how you can do all the “right stuff” and still feel blah?
My cure for that?
Do what you love.
Pure and simple. The more your life is filled with fantastic stuff that totally makes you happy, the better you will feel.
I know this for a fact!
Vitality, feeling healthy, having energy, being happy…. that’s a function of engaging with life… diving in and soaking it up.
In this video, I’m talking more about this idea by sharing a little about what ENGAGING in life is looking like for me these days. I hope it inspires you to do less of the trying to get it right stuff and more of the having fun and seeking your own bliss stuff.
(if you are reading this via email, click here to watch the video).
So, what can you do, right now, this very instant to be more engaged? To really go for it. To live boldly and to seek the joy in everything you do?
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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
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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?
