Thinking Ahead: Youre Invited

Hi Everyone!

Happy Sunday loves!  So how odd is this, right?  A Sunday post. Hear me out. I usually keep things really light around here, but this post isn’t design related…well I guess it can be in a sense.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking loves. A lot of reflecting. A lot of planning to make big changes in the near future. If you follow me on Instagram you’ll notice that as of late I’ve been posting a lot about life on a grander scale. I don’t talk about my believe system, and I wont go too deeply into here today, but I will say that I believe each of us has the power to live beyond our wildest dreams.  My children teach me this lesson everyday.  I look at my babies and see how they walk through life full of creativity and joy.  Their lens for endless possibility has not yet been fogged by life. They believe with all their hearts that they can do and be whatever they dream.  I look at them and want more than anything that as they grow they follow their passions and walk in the life of their dreams. Then I stop and wonder, when did I stop walking in mine? Did I ever really start?

With the Holiday season in full swing it’s also a reminder that the new year is fast approaching.  I believe in the practice of “write it down, make it happen”, and every year for the past several years on New Years Eve I take some time to tuck away and write down my goals for the upcoming year.  I’m mindful and specific in doing so and I write down the things I aspire to achieve in all aspects of my life….from my marriage, friendships, my relationship with my children, finances, work, home, etc. Normally after I write them down I close my eyes and visualize them, internalize them, and tuck my list safely away.

Yesterday I was picking up a few things at Target and while waiting in the checkout line I glanced over and noticed the cover of the January issue of Essence Magazine

Now while the gorgeous cover girl Keke Palmer looks amazing, (little miss Akeelah and the Bee is all grown up, right!) it wasn’t her that grabbed my attention.  It was the words “Step Into Your Power!…Go After Your Dream Life” that did it.

As I browsed through the pages there’s one article in particular that really spoke to me. It was about creating vision boards and using them to help manifest change in your life. In particular, there was a great suggestion to host a girls night vision board party.  I thought this was an amazing idea!  I reached out to my dear friend Lakeitha, and suggested we host one via social media on New Years Ever. I figured what better way to usher in the New Year than by creating a roadmap of goals and aspirations for the future. Lakeitha has been a major beacon of inspiration for me this past year.  She is the epitome of what it means to take charge of your life and live in your truth.  Not only has she taken her business, Wrist Soiree, to new levels of success, she’s also lost over 100 pounds in the last year! Shes so motivating and positive and her energy is contagious.

While I’ve heard of making vision boards, I’ve never actually created one. I’ve always just been content with my ritual of writing things down and tucking them away.  I can see the power in them though.  Its one thing to have a list of what you want to refer to, but its a completely different thing to have a visual guide of it in plain view. It serves to keep you grounded and intentional with your decisions.  It makes you encounter everyday with the question “what am I doing today, in this moment to work toward my goals?”.

And so I invite you to join us at our Vision Board Insta Party. All day on New Years Eve Id love to see your vision boards on Instagram.  Tag both Lakeitha and I (@lakeitha_duncan, and @ahomefullofcolor), and use the hashtag #visioninstyle when you upload it. Be creative, let your personality really shine here guys.  It can be as big or as small as you’d like.  Use pictures, quotes, words, etc to creatively help you put your visions into focus. Make it relevant to all aspects of your life: career, home, family, travel, fitness, relationships. The possibilities are endless. Place it somewhere you’ll see it everyday.  Perhaps in your dressing area or closet, in your office, your bedroom…wherever.

Over the past year I’ve had people close to me lose loved ones: a wife her husband, a mother her child, and it really makes you aware of life in a sense that you just never know what will happen.  Everyday is precious and we aren’t promised the next.  I challenge you to let go of fears, and doubts, and walk in the life of your dreams, whatever that may be.  Do the thing you’ve always wanted to do, but have been told will never work.  Find your passion and live in it.  Lets encourage one another to reach for the stars. Help one another when we wander from those goals.

This blog has brought me massive amounts of joy since I started it almost 3 years ago, and in the next year expect to see some major changes.  I’m really excited about them, and I hope they are well received.

Heres to a future of change and living your best life! Until next time….

Xo-Shavonda

 

Posted By: Shavonda Gardner · In: life