Practicing Writing a Vision
I didn't know I was going to France...
I am months behind on the goal I set to release my second e-book out into the digital World. I set a date that the book would be ready by my birthday, which now are torn calendar pages long gone in the trash pick up. My birthday was in February and the e-book was not ready. And that is okay. The same thing happened with my first e-book in the series (there will be a total of 4 e-books) and as I embark on my third e-book focused on creating community, I will buffer timing.
I am here to tell you this though, I am close.
As the design, cover (I’ll share a teaser reveal below), layout and final edits are almost complete (huge shout out to my marketing coach and business strategist Madison Salavec), I am so close. I will be announce a launch date this week, so stay tuned for that.
As I have been perusing the pages, I wanted to take some time to play with the vision questions myself. The vision process is truly a practice you can re-visit again and again - as I have so many times in my own life. I have a chapter in the e-book that offers different entry points into designing your vision - as I speak this ad nauseam: there is not right way to vision, there is only the portal that actually feels accessible to you right now.
One of the ways I design a vision is pen to paper. I choose a date in the future and I meet myself there on the pages and write a scenario, a scene, a moment in time. You can explore some of the questions below as I have shared what came up for me in writing my future today and was pleasantly surprised to close my eyes and land in … France.
A reminder, there is no right or wrong answer. And a reminder, this is all practice and a form of play so that your imagination has a container to feel safe to express itself. Know that when I share this with you, I feel tendrils of vulnerability and yet, I also feel very alive in the uncertainty of it all. How divine and for some, annoying. This is why I speak the importance of vision work with/around/combined/supported by core values work (the topics of my first e-book, Getting Found)…
Okay, let’s go see…
TIMELINE: Take three deep breaths. In five years, take a moment to land there.
Where are you?
I am on a trip to France with my family. We are exploring the arts, a life less cars and taste testing every baked good in every café to choose a winner at the end of our trip. Chris and I sip coffee and kiss a lot in public, like we always have.
What does the environment look like?
There is a feeling of devotion with the environment. We are now in Chinon and there are vineyards and people care deeply for the Earth, their craft, one another.
And how does it feel on your skin?
Relaxed. As if I finally learned how and my skin can finally breathe. Realizing she was holding her breath as much as I was before.
Who, if anyone, is there with you?
My husband and my three children (now age 8, 12 and 14*).
* gasping for air with the list of my children’s age like that.
What does your community look like?
While away, a neighbor has sent photos of our chickens, she and her family are watching the flock while we are gone. One day in a café, the girls and I send family and friend postcards I will have to figure out how to send them.
How do you spend your time?
Each child will get to plan a day for the trip. They will act as tour guide and Chris and I will be along for the ride. The other days, Chris and I will infuse spontaneity, fun, whimsy, art, and adventure.
What will you live/do differently from what you are living/doing now?
The trip will be entirely analog. From old school watches to paper maps and talking to strangers.
How do you feel in your mind?
Curious and open.
How do you feel in your body?
I feel strong and agile, both physically and mentally. I have a style that feel eclectic and playful where I am at in my life right now.
What inspires you in this space?
Travel always awakens a part of yourself that you did not know. How inspiring to know you still are unfolding, all the parts of you.
Does anything surprise you?
I hope so. The reflection of travel in my Sagittarius beloved. The adventure my children feel exploring a new country together as a family.
What are you reading?
Poetry. With written notes in the margin and doodles and scribbles as if I am writing back to the poet on the pages.
Who have you become?
A woman who lets go and laughs a fully body laugh - with herself, with her children, with her husband, with her community, with strangers, within a book and with a tree.
What does success mean to you now?
A woman who lets go and laughs a fully body laugh - with herself, with her children, with her husband, with her community, with strangers, within a book and with a tree.
If you could ask your future self for advice, what would it be?
How do I get from here to there? I feel far away.
What did they say?
She raised her glass and said, ‘sounds to me like you need a new relationship with time.’ And she winked, laughed a full body laugh and took a sip.
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E-BOOK COVER REVEAL
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Why is a neighbor watching the girls instead of me??