By The Brother 

Monica and I met with our amazing friend, T8 (don’t ask) for some appetizers at The Lazy Dog in Folsom.  The brussel sprouts were tossed with capers, and the cauliflower buffalo wings were delicious on the palate! While stuffing our faces with tasty treats, we discussed futures, goals, and life in general. As we were chatting it up, one thing I was thinking of and shared with them was wanting to get better at setting goals and achieving them. I was thinking of possibly coming up with a small reward for reaching each one.

T8 suggested that I try creating a vision board. She described what that entailed, which is to get some magazines and cut out words and pictures that show what it is I see for my future. I thought, what a great idea! I said that would be cool to try someday. Monica and T8 looked at each other and then suggested, with excitement and enthusiasm, that we get started that night and for each of us to create a vision board! And we did. We coalesced at the Barnes and Noble around the corner and took action immediately by buying a few magazines to get us started.

After that night, I worked on it here and there for about a week. Each time I wouldn’t think too much about the process or of what it would look like when it was finished. While skimming through a stack of used magazines that I purchased for ten cents each at the local library, I cut out pictures and words that popped out to me while not worrying about what others may think. I did my best to keep my personal critic at bay. In the past I would be too weirded out to try something like this, not feeling good enough to strive for anything that sparked my fire because it didn’t align with others’ visions.

What did I visualize to create on my canvas of life? That’s all that ran through my mind. I had the feeling of new beginnings and of freedom. I printed out some words that I couldn’t find in the magazines and I didn’t judge myself as I grabbed my son’s glue stick and started sticking the cutouts on the blank spaces.

My vision board is now complete and up on the wall where I can see it everyday when I awaken in the morning and before I go to sleep at night. I felt pure joy by being out of my comfort zone yet again, to try something new and inspiring. Why wait to take positive action? There is no time like the present. As Jim Rohn has stated, ‘Life is short, even at the longest.’  Its time to act and I’m excited to see where the roads take me each day that I am blessed with breath. It felt good to put health and wealth on my vision board. Faith and wisdom, smiles and more smiles. Pictures of the ocean and mountains. The words courage and hope, compassion and passion, along with love and service. Sports pics, music, family and much more filled the spaces. At the top it says, ‘be ready for anything!’

I’m more ready today to connect with this universe than any time before in my life. Those two beautiful ladies shared inspiration and love with me that night at the Lazy Dog and I am grateful. This is the kind of action I would like to take, actually doing and not just thinking. To not wait until someday to try something new, but to start now. That’s why one of the words pasted front and center on my vision board is… action!

Life is good baby! Soak it up.