Creating a Vision Board

Have you ever heard of a Vision Board? Maybe you already have a Vision Board and if you do good for you! But for those of you who do not know what a Vision Board is, not to worry I am about to help you. A Vision Board is a place where you display images and affirmations of your dreams and goals so that you can stay focused and motivated on what you want to be do or have in life. The purpose of a Vision Board is to give you clarity in an otherwise hectic life. Your VB helps you identify your goals, gives affirmation to what is truly important to you, and will help you focus your attention on your life's intentions. Vision boards are important when using the Law of Attraction which is the belief that "like thoughts attract like thoughts". By focusing on the items on the board many people believe you can make them come true. I have never done a VB per say but I have used visualization a lot in my life time. The most recent thing that comes to mind that I set my mind to and accomplished may seem trivial and you may think it coincidental but I will share my story with you. A local radio station where I live was giving away 50 designer purses. You signed up on their website and then they called a name 3 times a day and if that person called back within 9 minutes they got a ticket to attend the purse party at Saks Fifth Avenue on March 6th. At the purse party they put all 50 names in a hat and then drew them out randomly one at a time. When your name was called you got to select the purse of your choice from the purses that were still left. There were 50 purses valued from $100 to $2295. Only two were the top prize value, a few were worth around $1,000 and most of them fell around the middle to low end in value. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love purses. They also know how let's just say "frugal" that I am. So this contest was right up my alley. As a matter of fact they had the contest last year also and I signed up and listened occasionally but wasn't really that into it because I live in Columbus, Ohio and thought I didn't really stand a chance anyway. As it happened this year when they had the contest I had just started my journey of better health and fitness and my mindset was completely different than it was last year when they had the same contest. So I signed up on their website. I set the alarm on my phone to go off at 9, noon and 3 when they called names so I would not miss it when they called mine out of the 50,000 or so women that registered. I printed a list of the purses and their prize values and I had them listed in order from lowest to highest because I wanted to be prepared when I got my ticket. And I listened. Every day my alarm would go off 3 times a day and I would hear them call someone else's name. I would pull my sheet out and stare at the top 7 purses. Toward the end they had one ticket left to give away. My 3:00 alarm went off and I rushed to get near a radio and that's when it happened... THEY CALLED MY NAME!!! I almost had a heart attack before I found their phone number and called them back. Lo and behold there was another girl with my name who had already called them back but she wasn't the one who was registered... IT WAS ME! I got the very last ticket!!! Oh happy day! Now that I had a ticket I had to attend the event. The days before the event I studied my list. I poured over it time and time again trying to decide IF I wasn't called last again which purse I would choose. I have always wanted a Louis Vuitton Neverfull and they had one to give away that was valued at $1200 (it was an MM). But they had other gorgeous purses that were worth more. As a matter of fact I felt a little guilty but I fell in love with one of the $2295 purses which was a navy, rock-studded Valentino. I dreamed about that bag. I could not stop thinking about that bag. On the day of the event I fell in love even more when I saw it in person. Now I know what you are thinking right about now. You are thinking there is no way they called my name 1st and I got that purse. And you are right. They called some other lady's name 1st. I was devastated until she picked the white Jimmy Choo that I was not very fond of anyway. Then they called another name. And when the emcee pulled the name out and read it out loud I was looking around thinking who is the other girl here named Tina that lucky b@*#h! Then I realized they had just called my name and I jumped up and down and screamed and ran straight to my new Valentino. I did it! I visualized it and it manifested. That was a great night! Now after hearing my story you are probably thinking what a lot of other people actually thought out loud because they said it to me time and time again "You sure are LUCKY". Don't get me wrong I do believe in luck. But I also believe in the power of visualization which is why I can't believe I have never done a Vision Board. So I am going to create my own vision board and I have researched how to create my own board. There are all kinds of articles that can tell you step by step how to do your own board and I was even going to do a step-by-step guide for you here. But I want my board to be my own and I want your board to be your own also. You can google images of Vision Boards if you want but if you close your eyes (wait until you are done reading this first haha) and imagine a blank canvas (it can be poster board, a bulletin board, a piece of cardboard or anything that you can find that you like and want to use) and that canvas has your dream life on it, what would it look like? THAT'S what I want you to put on your VB. Whatever you put on that board should be something that brings you happiness and is a FUTURE goal. This is not the place for things you already have or have accomplished. This board is for new things. It can be a car, a vacation, house remodeling stuff, feelings or ANYTHING that you don't have right now but that you want to get. You also want to include daily affirmations such as drink 128 ounces of water daily. SO, I want you to think about these things and find stuff to start putting on your board. You can cut pictures out of magazines, print them off on your computer, use your own pictures or whatever you want to use. Remember this is ALL ABOUT YOU! And you can keep it simple or go all out. That is up to you as well. Once your Vision Board is complete put it somewhere that you will see it every single day. The purpose is for the VB to be a reminder of where your focus should lie so that your actions will be conducive to helping you achieve those goals so make sure to utilize your board once it is complete. Anyone who creates a Vision Board and would like to share I would love for you to share it with me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/msbling or email me a pic at tibelling@aol.com. Thanks so much for always being here! Have a great weekend. Ms. Bling

Feeling Like a Stepchild

This morning I have been thinking and reflecting on my life. Today I am struggling with an all too familiar struggle that has haunted me since I was a child and I once again find myself not feeling "good enough". This is a lonely and miserable feeling. The reason I am sharing with everyone is because maybe there are other people who feel like I do and maybe this will help them to know that they are not all alone. When my sister was a toddler she had epilepsy. I loved my little sister more than anything and I always will. Her medical condition required that my parents pay special attention to her. She was hospitalized a lot. During those times I was placed with other family members or whoever was available to care for me. I was very sad. I was so sad for her and I was so sad for me because I felt terribly lonely. Everyone would always ask about her and do special things for her because of her condition. I think that is why I became so introverted and self-sufficient. The only person that I could count on was myself. Then there was my father. He was the youngest of two sons. When my dad was in high school his brother died tragically in a car accident. I can't begin to imagine the pain the was thrust upon my grandparents and my dad. As a result of his brother's death my father became the center of my grandparent's world. To say my grandmother spoiled him would be a gross understatement. Needless to say my father grew into a very self-centered but he also became self-destructive. He gambled and drank away everything we had. As an adult it is easier to understand his pain and his plight but as a child I was just a victim of his actions. When I was 13 my mother couldn't take it any longer and we left and they got divorced. Fast forward to my teenage years. My mother needed a change and we moved to Kentucky. By that time my mother was a raging alcoholic who was consumed with her own problems. I got really good grades in school, quite effortlessly, and I had goals and hopes and dreams. My sister chose a different path. She despised me and often tried to embarrass me and belittle me. My sister and my mother would party together quite often and because I was trying to work toward my goals I was again left out in a world of my own. Then there was college. I went to college about 3 hours away from home. There I felt like I had finally found a place where I belonged and I met so many amazing people who appreciated and liked me for me who I was fortunate enough to call sisters. My Delta Gamma family was my first real family. You all know who you are but you probably had no idea of how much I was struggling then or now. Thank you for always making me feel special and making me feel like I was good enough. Fast forward to life after college. My mother got very sick and had to have brain surgery. She got saved (spiritually) and is now a completely different person. She has been permanently disabled since then and has little memory (or seems to at least) of those days when her and my sister made me feel like an outsider. I love my mother so please don't get me wrong. She did the best she could with what she had and as an adult I know that. This post is me expressing my feelings. Seven years ago when I bought my house my family life was not much different than it had been my whole life. My dad's father passed away right before my mother got sick so my grandmother was alone. I tried to call her as often as possible but it became increasingly difficult to even want to talk to her. The only things she ever wanted to talk about was my father and sister's self-destructive behavior. NEVER did she just ask how me and my son were. NEVER did she ask about anything except other people. Sadly my father passed away of a sudden heart attack only seven days after I had moved into my first house that I purchased on my own. Dad just so you know I forgive you for everything you ever did to me because I know that you did not have an easy life. RIP. Fast forward to today. I am a single mother to the best 15 year old son that a mother could wish for. As he grows older he is increasingly becoming more independent and he doesn't need me. Yesterday was a long, hard day for me between work and football/high school activities so maybe that is why I am feeling so vulnerable. Nonetheless I am struggling. If you know me or have followed my story then you probably already know that my sister recently was sentenced to 4 years in prison for drug-related activities. You probably also know that her son, my nephew, is also back in jail. Due to his mother's struggles he has followed a path of self-destructiveness that is heart-breaking to say the least. And I have reached out to my mother more than anyone could know and I have tried to get her away from them and their destructive behavior but she just lives and breathes for them. The only thing she lives for is them. Talking to my mother just makes me feel sad and alone. The only thing she ever wants to talk about is them and the drama that they bring to her life. Today I am struggling with feeling alone and like an outsider. I am struggling to find a place where I fit in and people accept me for me. My new motto is NEVER GIVE UP. I have made a promise to myself that for my sake and for my son's sake I will ALWAYS TRY ONE MORE TIME. Today I WILL try one more time. But when you go to bed crying and you wake up crying that is easier said than done. So for now I am going to make a list of what is making me feel bad and then work on those things. I can't and won't be defeated. I keep reminding myself that when life knocks me down I need to try to land on my back because if I can look up then I can get up. And what happens to me doesn't matter. What matters is what am I going to do about it? That is what I am going to work on right now. WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? I feel like the stepchild so that is what my list will be about today. How do I make myself not feel like a stepchild? Thanks for being here for me always. Hugs, kisses and love to you all! Tina

Love Yourself

Loving yourself is empowering.  Until you love yourself and believe in yourself no one else is going to hop on the YOU train with you!  So today I want you to spend some quality time with yourself.  Make this a regular exercise just like your T25 or PiYo.  In order for this to be effective you must do it regularly!!  Become your new BFF while you are spending this quality time!  Become your new best friend instead of your own worst enemy and great things will start to happen in your life!  EMPOWER YOURSELF WITH LOVE FOR YOURSELF!

Have a great week everyone!!

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