• go to The Respect Institute

First thing: I'll finally be doing a personal blog on Respect Rx. Technically the whole site's been my blog! But now I'll actually blog from me-to-you about what's happening around here and my own road to respect (it's a 4eva process as you all know!).

Second thing: Click below to see my vision board that I made this weekend! I've had less flashy versions of a vision board before—you know doodles in my journal or 8x11 sheets with flow-chart looking stuff that showed what I wanted to do DO with my life. Why a vision board? Cuz seeing is believing and all that jazz. Honestly, though. Everything that's been even slightly worthwhile in my life, or that I've learned from (even if that learning made we want to claw my eyes out in anguish!), came from two places: Having a vision. Or not having one (oops!!). When you get in touch with what you want, and really picture it happening, it's so much easier to actually choose to do all those little mini steps in between your vision and making it a reality. Also, getting to mess around with glue sticks, glitter and stickers? Need I say more?

And if you think vision boards are cheesy. Two things: Cheese is yummy. And: The Obama camp made one (which is featured on our friend Joyce's web site)!

My vision board has a couple of themes:

• My Values: All those words everywhere and in the white circle.
• Respect Rx: Where I want it to go and our goal to empower millions of girls and women through our retreats and Respect Rallies! Including having our own Retreat Center some day. And I'll just envision it: Someday SOON. Like in 5 years! People, it's a vision board, not a grocery list! I put pictures of girls I've worked with and Jen Jones who works with me here at Respect Rx. Love you all!
• Kids: Maybe I will, maybe I won't. But I'm open to more kids coming into my life whether I'm those kids' "parents" or not.
• Health: That's the surfer girl. I have set an intention of becoming a surfer!
• Travel: India in particular.
• Abundance: Our work being valued and me creating more funding for girls and women by valuing what I do first! Respect Rx will create profits and redistribute them to organizations and people who are helping girls and women. Watch out Oprah! We're ready to give BIG.

It's just fun to see everything I want to create reflected back. I'm not tied to "how" it happens. You can see that these are my VALUES. Values + Vision + Taking Action = Booming Self-Respect and Fulfillment.

Want to create your own VB? There are tons of books and web sites about this—check out Christine Kane and Joyce Schwarz who has a new book coming out this fall, THE VISION BOARD: Unlock the Secret to an Extraordinary Life. Here are the DIY basics:

• Picture what kind of life you want and goals you want to reach if time, money and resources weren't an issue. Include goals you're already working on. You want to see them through don't ya? Sit quietly a moment and really picture it. It helps to see yourself 5 or 10 years from now: What do you have going on that really rocks? Stick it on your vb.
• Think BIG. This isn't your "boring-just-getting-by-life-list." This is your VISION board.
• Break out the art supplies. Magazines, stickers, pens, paint, glitter. Whatever. Look for symbols of what you want to be and what you value and where you want to go.
• Start pasting stuff to your vision board. It helped me to start with my values and power words (inspired, passion, love) in the middle and have everything build from there. Add quotes. Add a picture of your role model. Add the logo of the company you want to work for. Add the dollar amount you want in your bank account. Add a picture of where you want to live and vacation. Add whatever represents your vision—you get the picture!
• Hang it where you can see it all the time and look at it each day.

From your vision, you can set lively goals that you actually WANT to do. More on that later! Anyway, this is my vision board. Have a peak:

Comments (4) | by Courtney on June 16

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