What you really, really want.
Vision board season is upon us. Here's how to get clear:
January always brings a rush of inspiration (or pressure) to create a vision for the year ahead. I’m always creating and revising my vision, but I do like to tap into the collective energy of new year optimism.
Last weekend, I attended a planning party hosted by Dr. Kohli Murchison. It was a space to gather and dream together — to make forward motion on our current projects, map out a way to the finish line, and/or get clear on our goals for the year.
As I sat on the floor and cut out images of gardens and artfully-plated food, I remembered that everything want to do this year is related to My Highest Vision.
My Highest Vision is a mental picture of what I really want out of this life — the very best, most fulfilling, most enjoyable life I could imagine.
One of my favorite things about this human experience is that we have the power to give thoughts form. (Humans stay making some shit up, for better or worse.) Knowing this, I figure that while I’m here on this planet, I might as well activate my power to have the best time I can possibly have, and to use my life as a positive contribution for a purpose greater than myself.
Those who know me know I take “having the best time I can have” very seriously. I like to think about it often. I have many strategies and practices for imagining My Highest Vision, and here are some that have felt most potent over the years:
I look at other people’s lives. They say comparison is the thief of joy, but I’ve found it to be an inspiration to it. I look at other people’s lives so I can expand my concept of what is available to me. Yes, sometimes I feel jealous. I allow myself to feel jealous because it simply means that someone has something I want. That feeling is information. It points me in the direction of the vision. I study how other people live their lives — how they relate to their loves ones, how they dress, how they adorn themselves, how they make themselves feel at home in the places they live. I scroll Pinterest. I skim through the travel magazines on airplanes. I watch those Netflix shows about extraordinary houses. I like and comment on Instagram posts from liberated bad bitches living outside of the US and the algorithm shows me more. It helps me to see other people’s lives because then, when I create my own vision, I’m starting from a template I can edit and make my own, instead of a blank page.
I let myself want it all. I take my desires seriously. I do not shame myself for wanting. I accept every desire, just as it is. I let myself dream. I let myself feel moved. I pay attention to my body’s reaction to things. I am clear on what an" “enthusiastic yes” feels like in my body. When something resonates, my heart flutters. I feel an opening in my chest — I feel my lungs expand. When something feels good, I can feel it in my toes. “Yes” makes me want to close my eyes and hum. My highest vision is a life full of enthusiastic yes’s.
I orient myself towards possibility. I am always looking for ways to improve the situation. In every room I enter, and for every experience I have, I think about how to optimize it. I ask myself, “How might I adjust the elements for maximum relaxation, presence, and pleasure?”
Give it a try now! Look about the room in front of you. How might this get better? Could the lights be dimmer? Could the windows open? Can you get a gentle crossbreeze? Could it smell like a temple? Can you put a beautiful thing in your light of sight?
I recognize and accept that every moment cannot be full of beauty and wonder. Some moments are mundane — utterly unremarkable. Some moments are heart-wrenchingly painful. Some moments feel like nothing at all. And these are all reasons I insist on creating beautiful, enjoyable experiences for myself. I know that the storms are coming, so I do my best to stay in the sunshine as long as I can.
I thought long and hard about what I really cared about. I wrote down a list of my core values — the qualities that make my life most meaningful — and then I imagined what my life would look like if each of these things was fully experienced and embodied on a day-to-day basis.
I let myself dream without limitations. This sounds cliché, but it is a major key. I let myself create a vision without reason or logic. I let it be so grand that it felt ridiculous to say it out loud. I visualized the best-case scenario. I imagined miracles and unforeseen blessings. I did not allow my vision to be compromised by the burden of “being realistic.” I gave myself a magic wand with the power to do anything. I freed my imagination. I let it run wild.
These days, I’m not so much attached to whether or not my highest vision comes true. I’m more concerned with staying fully present for the process. There is pleasure in the pursuit! The road towards everything I want is paved with so much goodness already.
What’s the point in rushing through the journey?
If you feel inspired, try this exercise:
Write down all the ways you’d like to feel — all the emotions and sensations you’d like to experience. For example, “I want to feel grounded,” or “I want to feel rested.” Make a list of 10-15 feelings. Then write 3-5 pathways to each feeling. What activities help you feel that feeling? What are the conditions that must be met in order for you to feel it?
For example:
Grounded
Meditation practice at the beginning of the day
Spending time in nature, without my phone
Having alone time in my house
Giving myself enough time to move slowly through tasks
Somatic practices such as jumping/shaking, deep stretching, dancing
Having my money together (knowing my bills are paid at least 3 months out)
Sexy
Getting dressed up to go out
Slow dancing in the mirror
Self-pleasure practice (thank you, magic wand)
Having silky soft skin (thank you, coconut oil)
Flirting
Singing along to sexy songs
Give this a try and let me know how it goes! If you haven’t created a vision for the year — if your imagination is on the “let’s just get through the end of today” setting, it’s fine.
Perhaps now is not the time for you to be visioning — perhaps it’s time for rest and just rest.
Whenever you’re ready to activate some new timelines, simply get clear on how you want to feel, and start wherever you are.
I love you!
together,
Jamila