And yet, we do possess the power to change a habit. Afterall, we were the ones that created it in the first place. Habits are nothing more than decisions that we made, once upon a time, with emotion and then we kept repeating this action without thought or usually because we were not mindfully present. 

Once a habit is repeated regularly enough and without thought (life on auto-pilot), then it sits in the sub-conscious where it stimulates us to perform certain movements, tasks or thoughts. Habits are learned behaviors. Which is great, because if you learned them, you can also unlearn them (if that is even a word) or replace them with a new habit that will serve you better.

Habits are formed no different than learning to ride a bike or memorize your multiplication tables. I like to think of habits as a dress rehearsal for what is to come. But they don't come easy or often without a fight, ok, maybe struggle is a better word. We humans are creatures of habit. We like them and many of our habits (good, bad or ugly) have been with us for a very long time. Creating new habits might also mean that we need to replace a few old ones in the process.

A Habit Tracker allows you to see patterns. That is when you get to reflect on why certain behaviors or actions take place and begin to make new choices. 

Habits hold a great deal of influence over us and direct many of our actions and thoughts throughout the day. Utilizing a Habit Tracker (a habit in itself) is a great way to begin noticing where the disparity between your goals and your actions lie.

You will find the Habit Tracker on the last page of the Gratitude Journal Workbook (see the links above and below), because why not instill a little gratitude at the same time! As you begin using the Habit Tracker worksheet reflect on at least five new habits that you would like to create in your life that will improve your outlook and ultimately get you closer to your goal. What can you do on a daily basis to stay focused and true to the goals you have for your life?

The changes that I am suggesting are small changes, such as: exercise, drinking 8 glasses of water a day, saying affirmations, meditating, eating right, journaling. If you are a business owner you may want to: connect with five old clients a day, add ten people to your email list a day, message or call three prospective clients daily, etc. Be sure to make these tasks achievable, otherwise your sub-conscious will not play along and yet again you will be defeated and be able to tell yourself all of the reasons why you can not live the life of your dreams.

Don't just accept what life dishes out, if you are not living the life of your dreams. You possess the ability to change the path. Yes it takes practice, yes it takes time, yes you may fall, stumble, get frustrated...but what is the alternative? "Old habits do die hard" but they can and they will with some time, focus and belief that you are worthy of everything beautiful and amazing.

Let me know what you discover about yourself while using the Habit Tracker. Did you find it easy to do for a full month? If you stopped or dropped off for a while, what happened? What did you notice? What about your dreams, are you really ready to commit to them? 

I can't wait to hear what you find out about yourself. That, my friend, is part of the journey!

Cheers to creating a life you will love to lead.
Merry Lynch

Living abroad always seems to bring about unexpected surprises. One of those surprises happens to show up around the dinner table. How about you? Are you a picky eater or do you just gobble up anything that is placed before you without asking? 

It's now been over six years since I began my life abroad and yet I still am caught off guard by the generosity of people. And often times that generosity shows up while sitting at the dinner table. My husband and I often get invited to neighbors or friends to share a meal. It is a place where people get to share their favorite recipes and memories. The table is a place where you share a part of yourself with those around you. It is my favorite part about the life we lead, however it does not come without surprises.

It's funny. We as humans, we all kind of look alike...well okay, maybe your skin color is different from mine or maybe your accent is hard for me to understand but essentially we are all one. The table is where our differences really begin to shine. 

Last week we were invited to friends for dinner. I love hanging with this couple even though they do not speak English and my Polish, although is getting better, is still far from being able to carry on a conversation. It's amazing how far hand gestures can take you! 

As we walked in the door I noticed the table was set, the candles were lit, the music was playing...ahhh a relaxing afternoon lies ahead. Oh how I romanticize life. I know that about me, but I refuse to take off my rose colored glasses.

We sit, sip on some wine, maybe have a shot of vodka or two...we are in Poland afterall. Some traditions I have come to adore and living in Poland my love of vodka has grown immensely. Then...it happened...my heart racing...I begin sweating...my mind is searching for a way out...

As the food begins to find its way to the table my eyes try to focus on what is placed before me. Could it be? Do they really? What do I do or say? Can I?

This is a delicacy I tell myself. And what do people wish to share with you...their very finest...delicacy. What's for dinner you ask? Steak tartare and Aspic is the main meal. This is where differences in cultures arise. As my eyes bug out of my head, my husband is rubbing is hands together with excitement. The hosts see my expression and are verklempt as to what to do. There is no plan B. 

I can do this, I say silently to myself. They haven't died yet so maybe there is a chance that I won't either. I'm just gonna put my big girl panties on and grab a spoonful of the Steak Tartare and the other offerings that are on the table yet I stop at the Aspic. I have to draw the line somewhere. Seeing the jelly shaking with the turkey meat inside just freaks me out. Seriously! I know, I know, the jelly is all collagen and this dish is really good for you but my mind takes over. Does that happen to you? I know I can't be the only one...or am I? 

Thank goodness for the bread basket. Poles love bread and are excellent bakers so I can always make do. This time, I took the Steak Tartare and spread it on a slice of bread. Steak Tartare is made from the finest cut of beef and ground on the spot from the butcher. You then add spices and some Worcestershire Sauce and capers laying some fresh onion on the top. Many times Steak Tartare is served with a raw egg on top, thankfully that was not the case here although I found out after the meal that they had already mixed it in!!! Oh my, thank goodness I didn't know that ahead of time. 

Recently I was forced into a reset. I was pushing, not listening to what my body was telling me. Do you believe that your body talks to you? I lost my rhythm, turned my back on my boundaries, disassociated myself from my values. Where in your life have you or do you do that?
It’s uncomfortable and scary when this “being out of balance happens.” It shows up everywhere in my life. Clutter, confusion, anxiety, fear, sleeplessness. Can you relate?
Whenever this happens to me, after I am finished with my pity party of course, I turn my focus inward and follow these five steps. See if any of these resonate with you. Which one(s) would be helpful for you to focus on? 

1. TIDY UP – Marie Kondo your life or just a closet. Start somewhere to clear the clutter. It doesn’t matter where the clutter is. Wherever it shows up the clutter also begins to create the same confusion in your mind. Take some time to go through your home. Open your spice cabinet, the god forsaken “junk drawer”, your shoe rack, clothes closet, your desk. Where do you want to begin?
2. BOUNDARIES – Often times this is the pile that you have swept under the carpet. As women we nurture. We turn our focus on others needs, finding it difficult to look back at ourselves and the needs of our life, business or dreams. How can you begin to add structure to your day? Are you using an appointment calendar (ie: google calendar, calendly, asana, monday)? How about using your phone and setting timers throughout your day. I find this especially helpful. What tricks do you use to keep you on track?
3. BREATHE – In recent studies, focusing on our breath has the ability to slow the heart rate, promotes a feeling of calm and offers an anti-anxiety effect. In the book, Three Deep Breaths by Thomas Crum, he talks about the journey of the mind-body connection in relation to the breath. The first breath being the Centering Breath, the second being the Breath of Possibility, and the third being the Breath of Discovery. Imagine a breath as it travels throughout your body; clearing, opening up and allowing. The beauty of aligning your breath is that you can do this anywhere and at any time.  
4. EXPERIENCE “AWE” – There are many ways in which we can experience awe and the benefits make it all worth it. From improved relationships, to less stress and being genuinely happier. Being in “awe” allows us to experience the vastness that life has to offer. When we are experiencing fear, confusion or depression our view is focused on overwhelm. Being in “awe” allows us to see possibility, adds light where there was none, beings our attention to something bigger than ourselves. In the book, Awestruck, psychologist Jonah Paguette says that by turning our focus to wonder or being in awe of, we are actually letting go of our ego. By letting go of our ego we become more integrated and centered which releases the feeling of confusion.
5. LEARN SOMETHING NEW – By seeking out new information, listening to a positive message, immersing yourself in a new interest you take the focus off you and drop down into possibility and growth. When I find myself in confusion or anxiety, I turn to my library or my favorite inspirational leaders on YouTube or HayHouse and go deep into discovery. I pull out my journal and let it flow often losing complete track of time and judgement of myself and my misery. What would you like to discover? Who are your go to inspirational leaders?

So, if you find yourself needing to hit the “reset button”, then try these five tips to get clear, focused and invigorated about life again! Embrace the reset, it is a way to compliment your life instead of complicate it.
 
Cheers to a beautiful day!

Merry Lynch

​Covid has left many blessings as well as much devastation in its path. The lessons seem to be endless about my fears, judgments of others, the way I take care of my body or the lack thereof, the way I view the world around me. Being separated seems to have touched everyone’s lives in a harsh reality and difficult beyond belief. The lesson that is most unexpected are the emotions I have around being able to gather again.

Recently, after being away from my family for over a year, I was reunited. Living as an expat has many gifts for me. But not being able to travel and hold my daughters and grandchildren for an extended period of time totally caught me off guard.

As I write this post, I am in central Idaho. A state that I had never visited until my daughter was transferred there for work. My thoughts about Idaho were, that is the place where potatoes grow, and pretty much that was a far as my thoughts went. Growing up in Maine, another potato growing state, was all that we ever talked about.

Travel has enriched my life in so many ways. Living in a foreign country has tested my limits on confidence, fears of the unknown and fears of embarrassment. I feel fortunate to experience the world and the people that live in it. But then whenever I visit the country of which I was born I get to view it through different lens. Not in a way that, the grass is always greener, but in a place of awe.
​
Everything about Idaho is BIG. The sky is a big, bold blue and claims it so proudly. The mountains hold their space so boldly. The rivers and lakes flow smoothly and clean. It can be almost overwhelming, as though the beauty is too much for my eyes to take in. 

With all of this beauty and space surrounding me, I turned my thoughts inward and asked myself, “where am I showing up in my life as big and beautiful?” Nature has a way of showing me the way, leaving a path to follow and sometimes it just goes unnoticed. Life gets busy and I often don’t take the time to look up and pause, asking myself, how are am showing up to the world?

Nature gives back every day, do you? Just as a flower bursts through the soil, can you turn your negative thoughts into those that nurture and flow endlessly? As the rivers and streams flow, can you go through life without the struggle of swimming against the current? Nature offers so much reflection of our daily lives.

The pause makes all the difference. The quiet space as you take a moment to breathe in and out, allowing your cup to bubble over with all of the goodness that you have to offer. Letting the overflow lift others up out of the darkness.

The big and beautiful and endless skies has all of that to offer, all you need do is look up and pause. 

Cheers,
Merry Lynch

​Are you longing for a circle of women friends who make you feel at home despite the constant overwhelm of day-to-day life?

Have you lost sight of yourself and the hopes and visions you once had?

You're consumed by pressure to succeed no matter which way you turn. There's a job to maintain, the partner to please or gain, the future to secure, maybe the children to raise into brilliant brains. All of this while you've placed yourself on the back burner of your own life.

Until one fine day, you find yourself in a battle you've mainly fought alone, that has left you now bleeding on the ground. Exhausted with a slew of self-deprecating thoughts.

What if there were a sisterhood, a women's circle, a group of ladies just like you to pick you up and straighten you out? To show you how to ignite your courage and self-esteem and guide you back to passion and purpose?

Luckily, there is.

What the heck is a sisterhood anyway?

"Because there's only one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood" – Maya Angelou

Sisterhood, also known as a women’s circle, is an incredibly powerful network of women. They come together from all walks of life ready to join hands, hearts, and minds for a more significant cause. Think of it as solidarity—that brings and holds us together based on shared values, ethics, or similar interests and aspirations.

It's like an inner group of sisterly friends with whom you encounter and groom love, kindness, appreciation, and much more—emotions many of us have long deprived ourselves of. Or worse, compete with each other for.

 So sisterhood really is—as Tara Isis of Wild Woman Sisterhood says

“an environment where women connect and in respect and quality.”
​
As such it holds a sacred space for its members—for their disappointment, slips, and bruises. And a space to unleash the great powers that lie within each one of us. When we finally connect to these forces, there's no holding us back.

Why do we all need sisterhood?

“When we gather there is a collective power to heal, find our voice, rise up and make a difference.” — unknown

Sisterhoods bring the best of qualities in women to the surface, once we learn to accept them as our own and begin to refine and make use of them. The list of benefits is long, so let's just take a brief look at some of them:

• Bonding: As social beings, we need bonding, though we often find ourselves lost in quite the opposite. But when we learn to support and hold each other in sisterhood, we regrow our ability to solidify our identities beyond the limitations they place on us. Strong bonding among women provides the impetus to lift us into our future success.
• Empowering: Feelings of unworthiness, shame, and guilt often paint the sky dark, making it challenging for us to find our precious jewel underneath all of this. Sisterhoods are about freeing ourselves from these wrongly held beliefs and traps and pointing toward the powers of gratitude and creation of empowerment.
• Belonging: Belonging is a sense of feeling at home with one another, where we exchange emotions and thoughts without judgment. Belonging is about supporting the group and standing up for each other.  And it shapes our renewed understanding of our relationships with one another.​

          “We are all looking for a tribe, a place where we feel we belong” – The Expat Woman 
       

• Mentoring: Mentoring plays a vital role in sisterhoods and grooming their members. Reciprocity in sharing and seeking advice is key to overcoming self-sabotaging behaviors by growing confidence and courage to pursue the life we really want. Without mentoring, we'd be back to square one. The benefits that result from experiencing and developing these qualities are phenomenal. You see shy, old, young, insecure, abused or poor women stepping out of their comfort zones, equipped with a new dash of self-confidence. You now brave life with your more authentic self. And as you grow, you share and pull each other up and even further forward.

“Sisterhood is the underlying force behind feminism, and even unites women who don’t know one another. It’s about a nurturing type of love, and an empathy for each person’s life experience" – Norbert Juma, Everyday Power

How a sisterly way forward pays off

Sisterhoods harness the collective power and energy of like-minded women. Pay It Forward is such a sisterhood — a sponsorship based support that is passed on—from one woman to another.

Its founder, Merry Lynch, a survivor of sexual and verbal abuse, today claims

"Without the emotional and financial support of other women, my life most likely would have taken a turn for the worse."

Driven by her longing to reciprocate the help she got when she needed it the most, Merry has created this platform to help women in need to come together and experience what a sisterhood member describes so well:

“Because of you donating I was able to attend without guilt. Being able to just stop and think about what it is that I truly want! And now, I am paying it forward for other survivors of sex trafficking to go through the experience as well! This is the ripple effect of your generosity! — Catherine Wilson

Merry’s sisterhood uses a variety of vision board techniques (check out Rosemary Bointon's post on Your Vision Board: How to Live your Dream Now +Examples) that profoundly help you to discover the unique path you're on along with the ins and outs of human behaviors and emotional intelligence. It brings women together in on-line events, offers mentorship and emotional support. It's a place where you mutually assist each other in your individual quest for growth.

You’ve allowed yourself to be seen while demonstrating bravery and courage. You’ve experienced the powers you and others have and what can happen if both unite.

You’ve understood what sisterhood is all about—that it’s more than just a bunch of women. That it’s a path to sisterly freedom that leads to travel, to love, passion and purpose, to a new job or simply to the abundance life has to offer.
This could be you. All you have to do is reach out to us.

Have a look at what the Pay It Forward Sisterhood can do for you! Click the image below....

 
Guest Blogger: Kerstin Krause
Kerstin Krause is a certified content writer, a seasoned traveler who's walked her talk, a passionate writer on the stuff life teaches us, an aspiring motorbike rider and so much more. She currently publishes on medium.com where you can find more of her work.
https://medium.com/@kerstin.i.krause

Do you know what a vision board is or what you could use it for?  Maybe you’ve heard of them but don’t know what they can do for you.  Try this. 

Imagine that your wildest dreams are coming true. 
 
Look deep into your mind’s eye and see that dream taking shape.  See yourself doing the actions that bring your dream into reality.  Imagine the feelings.  Let them well up and explode into your mind, like shooting stars across a night sky.
 
It’s a powerful moment when you can see your dreams, when you can visualize the life that you want for yourself and your family coming true. 
​
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a reminder of that dream and those feelings to look at every day, to remind you where you want to get to and what you want to achieve?
 
What if you could capture those feelings and dreams? Wouldn’t it help to start working towards living your dream now?
 
Well that’s what a vision board can do for you.  Want to know how?
 
Let’s start at the beginning.
​ 

A vision board is a snapshot of the picture of the dreams and desires that you hold in your head.  Using pictures, photos, words and illustrations. you fashion them into a collage on your board: a visual embodiment of your dreams, desires or ideal life-style. 
 
Your vision board not only embodies your dream, but acts as a prompt to your brain (especially your sub-conscious) to achieve that dream you have so lovingly crafted. 

Some people say that vision boards and goal boards are the same thing.  Others disagree and say they are different: because a vision is an end result whereas the goals are like objectives or milestones along the road to achieving the vision. 
 
Sometimes your vision only relates to one aspect of your life: eg being successful in your career or owning your own house. A purist might say that’s a goal because once you’ve achieved it, it enables you to live the life you dream of – ie live in a house that you own.
 
To me, it illustrates how you can use vision boards to dream dreams or set goals for yourself wherever and however you want to.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s all encompassing or only to achieve a specific goal in one aspect of your life. 
 
You can set the big picture or you may find It’s much easier to work towards one aspect at a time.  You can have more than one board: you might prefer to create a goal board for each separate part of your life which all adds up to that life you dream of.  

​Catherine, from Maine in the US, is a great example of how a vision board can work.  She wanted more freedom which meant she needed more help in her work.  She made her vision board and here’s what happened:

So Catherine had a very solid result from her vision board within a couple of weeks.  But it doesn’t always work that way. 
 
Dreams are flimsy things that can drift in and out of your mind.  It’s easy to forget them or ignore them. But a vision board makes your dreams and visions of life more concrete through visualization.  You can literally see the feelings that you were expressing about your dream. 
 
Creating a vision board is an emotional journey and the vision board helps you to align its emotional impact with your rational thinking.  So it both reinforces your dream and inspires you to take action towards your vision of a better life.  
​

​Some people don’t believe that vision boards work and like a lot of things in life, they won’t work unless you put the effort in.  But a vision board is something tangible to look at each day to remind you to visualize what you want to do or be. It conjures up those pictures in your mind, where you are achieving your dream. 
 
Conjuring up pictures has a posh name:  visualization.  Visualizing yourself doing something and going over how exactly you’re going to do this is termed mental rehearsal.  They are great tools used in many fields to help achieve a specific result.  Athletes are renowned for using them.  So do musicians, negotiators and entrepreneurs.  Performers (such as dancers and actors) use it to help control their nerves, teachers train students to ace their exams.  

A famous English rugby player, the goal kicker Jonny Wilkinson, used to visualize a woman he called Doris, sitting between the rugby posts holding a Coke can. He imagined a blue line connecting the ball to her can of coke, through the goal posts.  Then he pictured his kick of the ball sending it soaring through the posts and knocking the can out of her hand.  He’s a legend of rugby now.
 
Scientists found that visualization has the power to change the physical structure of the brain because the brain doesn't distinguish between a real or an imagined exercise.  It helps you to focus. 
 
So looking at your vision and visualizing yourself doing the things you dream of is not just day dreaming. None of this means that you can make a vision board and just forget about it.  

​Here’s how you make your vision board work for you.

Visualization is very motivating and trains your brain to believe you can achieve what you’re seeking.  But you need to practice visualizing the life or dream you are evoking.  Looking at your vision board on a daily basis and visualizing your dream, it focuses your thoughts and primes your brain to take the actions and do the work so that you can achieve your vision. 
 
The best approach is to review your vision board every day. Then ask yourself what you can do today to make the dream manifest. 
 
Some people find it sinks into their sub-conscious better if they review it last thing before they go to sleep.  You wake up primed to focus on the actions you need to do to achieve that dream.

Some people have results from their vision board remarkably quickly, like Catherine did.  Others take longer: their ideas need time to simmer for longer.
 
Here’s Agnieszka’s story.   
 
"I did my vision board with Merry in 2019. Since then, some "miracles" happened in my life. I gave up my job and now I have my own company, I work internationally and step by step make my dreams come true. My vision board helps me stay on track and every time I have doubts or a bad day, I look at the picture and I see myself in the right place."
Agnieszka is the CEO of Newlandd Learning & Development and you can find her here:  https://newlandd.com/.

The very first thing you need to do is to dream your dreams, list your goals and hunt for your lifestyle ideas.  Choose the one you’re going to spend your time working on.  Do you find that tough?  Here are some ways of getting into it. 
 
Ask yourself the following questions:

• What would I like to happen in my life?
  • A new relationship
  • A new house
  • A new job or career
  • The something that I need
  • Pass an exam
  • Lose weight
  • Get fit
  • Be happy
  • Is there a dream I want to achieve? 
  • Do these aims accord with my values?   (Will it make me happy to have a sports car if I also want to lobby for more climate change action?)
  • Rather than material possessions, do I want to feel more of certain feelings – eg be happy, feel helpful to others, feel useful, feel successful?
  • What can I do to incorporate these feelings and dreams into my actual life?
  • So choose a dream.  Something that you’d like to achieve and start working on it now.
     
    

​Tip no 1: Take your time working on your dream.  You might find that all sorts of things come welling up that you didn’t expect.  Here’s what Mari from Thailand said about the vision board course that she did:
 
‘These workshops gave me time to reflect and do some inner soul searching into what I really was seeking.  I am worthy and deserving of all that I seek.  Thank you for helping me to uncover that.’
  
Tip no 2:  Ditch any negatives – your subconscious doesn’t like negatives but latches on to them. Eg don’t dream of not being as fat as an elephant – the first thing your mind does is conjure up a picture of yourself as a fat elephant.  Dream positively of being healthy and slim. 
 
Why does this happen?  We have an immediate bias towards the negative – a hangover from primitive times when we expected to be trodden on or eaten by a dinosaur or some other wild animal. So the sub-conscious latches on to a negative goal because it wants to train you to be ready to run away from a nasty surprise as fast as possible.  

Some people want to dive in straight away with a huge dream.  You can devise your vision board to reflect both the big dream and to fill in its component parts.  So, you might develop your dream in steps, each new one leading to your next topic. 
 
You might feel that you have a random set of dreams perhaps with multiple related ideas eg:

• Travel
• Bucket List
• Self-improvement
• Your career
• Finding a purpose
• Relationships

 
This is Melissa from Idaho's vision board. She and her, then boyfriend, quit their jobs to travel and volunteer in orphanages in Cambodia, Philippines and Vietnam. They now are married, have a baby, and have their dream jobs. They both had relationships in the past that did not work out and wanted to make sure this was right.

Like Melissa, by working on the bigger picture of your dream and how to achieve it, you might end up developing a career which will enable you to travel with your partner and might also provide you with extra income when you’re retired.  How cool would that be?

Now you get to the fun part.  You need to gather images to put onto your vision board.  Ooh – where to begin?  It can make you feel like a kid in a sweet shop.  The best ones to choose are those that evoke the emotions you feel when you think about your dream.
 
Start looking for images whether in art, in magazines, your photos or which embody the feeling that you are seeking to gain.  Maybe you see an advertising image in the street or on your computer.  Take a photo or download it.
 
Start collecting quotes that inspire you to take action towards that goal or dream as well.

Allow your imagination to roam as to what helps you to conjure up your dream.  You can use all your senses!  So if you want to improve your health, choose a picture of a healthy meal coming out of the oven.  Admire the colours of the food. Imagine savouring every mouthful and enjoying it all the more because you can smell the healthiness that it’s going to give your body.   
 
Or maybe your dream is to be a better friend.  So  have a photo of a big hug from your friend to conjure up the warm feelings of friendship that you want to achieve.  Feel the bones in your friend’s shoulder as you put your arms around them.  Exaggerate the sensations, the feel of your friend’s body, maybe the way that they smell, the touch of their hair as you hug.  The warmth and joy you feel.
 
Make a collage of all the images and photos. Then shuffle the pictures around until it looks right for you. Try different combinations. You might find the process starts you off on refining your dream, providing more detail. 
 
Strengthen the images by adding quotes, sayings or even inspiring words, such as ‘connection’, ‘closeness’, ‘focus’, ‘adventure’ or the emotions that inspires you.
 
Keep going until just by looking at the collage, you can feel the emotions that led you to choose those images.
 
Now you need to decide what kind of vision board suits you best.

Some people are happy to show their vision boards to the world and proudly display them in their kitchen.  Other people don’t want to make a mess with glue and bits of paper and would rather have a private document tucked away in their computer.  We all have different ways of dreaming our dreams.
 
It’s quite possible to make a virtual vision board.  You can find online templates on sites like Canva or BeFunky.  Mindmovies is a great tool because it’s like a short film for creating a picture of your life.  You can also use Power point, Evernote or mind maps. 
 

Ok, I freely admit that I’m not the most artistic, so my vision boards tend to be pretty simple, but here is an example of a virtual vision board that I made really quickly for my 200 Plant Foods Challenge. I made it on Befunky.com using their collage maker.
 
It’s personal because a lot of the photos are my own, taken in our badly lit kitchen (not the taro drink though and I couldn’t get all the potato colors together myself although I did try).  

​I included the photo of produce for sale from my friends’ organic farm which reminds me to eat bio/organic as much as possible as well as reminding me of the value of friendship and eating together as well. And of course, I have a vested interest in Rosemary, which is for remembrance.  It’s another reminder to keep eating the veggies!
 
Don’t forget you can print out your virtual vision board too.

The best place is the one where you are most likely to see it and focus on it on a daily basis.  Catherine put hers on the wall just above her computer screen so that she was constantly looking at it.  Good places for a lifestyle vision board are on the fridge, on any noticeboard you have or on the inside of your front door.
 
On the bathroom door or on your wardrobe door are great places to see it before you go to sleep.
 
Or simply frame it and hang it up as a picture somewhere such as in your hallway or going up the stairs.
 
If you drive each day, try finding a place to put a small copy somewhere easy to see in the car – eg on the dashboard.
 
Take a photo and print out a small copy and keep it in your wallet or bag. If you’ve done a career vision board then in your office is a great place. 
 
Alternatively, a good place for a virtual vision board is as a screen saver on your computer or phone.  You probably spend quite of time looking at them!  So use them to give your sub-conscious a shove.

​You can use this technique to

• To up your motivation
• To plan out your year/month/life
• To plan a special occasion – eg a wedding, a 50th birthday party
• To redecorate your house
• To revamp your wardrobe

 
The examples are endless!

Kids love creating pictures and creating a vision board for themselves which can be a really good way of teaching children (at an appropriate age) life lessons about how to achieve things and how to discipline themselves to work towards their aim.
 
You could do it as a family and encourage each other to play your parts in achieving the vision.
 
If you’re a student, you can use a vision board to incentivize yourself and help you to study.  (Just remember, vision boards don’t study for you, but they help you to focus and direct your brain’s attention to what you need to do).
 
Want some real examples?  Here you are.

​Remember Mari from Thailand?  Well, she’s a teacher.  What she did was teach her students to create their own vision boards.  What a great idea!  Here are some of the vision boards her students created.

Here’s Dorota with her vision board.  Maybe you can guess what she was looking for.  Yes, you’ve got it!  She was looking for love.  Here’s what Dorota said:
 
""Merry - my last vision board all came true. I found my soulmate and married him. Merry has the passion and knowledge that it takes to make personal development interesting, relevant and inspirational." 
 
Dorota is living her dream.

You now know how to make a vision board.
 
Visualize it now:  see yourself choosing the dream that is going to inspire you.  The one that is going to come true for you.  Then imagine all the images that conjures up – now you’re hunting down those images.
 
You assemble them into a beautiful swirl of ideas, hopes and dreams.  You find the perfect place to keep your dream in front of your eyes.  You see yourself working out how you’re going to make this dream come true.  So every day is a happy day because you’re growing ever closer to your dream. 
 
And now you realise you are living your dream, even if you haven’t got to the end result.  But you’re enjoying the journey and making each day count – and who could ask for more?
 
Now it’s up to you.  Take that first step, make your vision board and start living your dream, today.
 

HOW TO MAKE A CRAP BOARD – GET FACE TO FACE WITH YOUR LIFE

My favorite workshop to facilitate is a program focusing on VISION BOARDS. I just love them. Vision boards have totally propelled my life into what it is today. I have used vision boards throughout my life whenever I felt stuck, frustrated, off track, un-loved & un-worthy. I think I came out of the womb knowing the power of a vision board. Heck, just the other day I layed out a vision board on my desktop and covered it with a piece of glass so that I see it all day long!

Staring at my vision board makes me happy...or merry! The words and images that I chose uniquely represent what I am wanting to attract. It keeps me focused on my goals and gives me a swift kick in the ass when I need it. Next, you have to hang your vision board in a place where you see it serveral times a day. This will insure that the images and words become top of mind awareness. Making you ready for all of the goodness that is about to flow your way. I usually hang my vision board in the bathroom or bedroom, this time I decided to create one my desk. Whatever you do, don't just make it and file it away. Things just seem to unfold and opportunities seem to be placed in front of me, crazy as that sounds. People call me “lucky,” I call me “prepared”. 

Earle Nightingale says that, luck is just preparedness on steroids. I can do that. I can hold onto a vision and put things in place to allow for the flow to happen. But the caveat here is that I then am the one that has to take action. That part can be a bit scary because afterall, who am I to live such a beautiful life? What? Who am I NOT to? Nonetheless, it can be scary once things begin to appear or doors begin to open. There is a lot of head stuff that has to happen in order to feel worthy or ready for all the goodness the world has to offer. Vision boards can help with that.

Oprah has this to say about vision boards, watch it here:

​Some people think vision boards are all fluff and are a silly waste of time. Where do you fall? Have you ever created a vision board? I have so many stories that have happened in my life which I can directly point to one of my vision boards for. And if you hang around with me long enough, you'll get to hear them all. 

But for the non-believers out there…I suggest you do a Crap Board. Mark Waldman describes Crap Boards in this way, putting down on paper everything that is bothering you and thinking about it deeply, helps to release the worry. A kind of meditation, if you will.Take a deep look at the life you have. Write down everything you hate about your life. In detail. Pull out magazines and cut out images and words that reflect how you feel about your current sucky life and then...let that shit go!

Don’t miss a thing, use the acronym below to you make sure you have the bases cover:

• C – conflicts
• R – resistance
• A – anxiety
• P – problems

Got it? List everything. All the people you are in conflict with, everything you are resisting or pushing against, the things that keep you awake at night or that you are in constant worry about, the financial woes and then the never-ending list of problems. Take a deep look at the crap you are lugging around and holding onto for dear life.

Paste all of the images and words on a board and hang out in front of it for a while. So, now how do you feel? That’s what you've got. Now if I were you, I would take the thing outside and burn it and go back inside and begin to build a vision of the life you want.

Build it and it will come!
Merry
​
P.S. If your interested in learning how to create a kick ass vision board that attracts, then sign up for the waitlist of my upcoming on-line program. I will leave no stone unturned and no information on the power of your thoughts left out. You’ll get it all. Click the link below to get notified when the program launches. Are you ready to unsuck your life?
 

It was over 36 years ago now when my then husband and I had a disagreement, he asked me to leave…so I packed up our girls ages 4 and 18 months and left.

I was devasted, scared, ashamed, embarrassed, angry and relived all at once. The emotions ran over me like a freight train.

Since that time many twists and turns have happened. The ups and downs of life, the accomplishment and the setbacks. But the one thing I am sure of is, I made the right choice.

Recently at the wedding of my youngest daughter I had obligatory gathering which included my ex-husband. Cordial is the word that comes to mind. Oh, how far I have come. I am proud of the woman, mother and grandmother that I have become.

That young woman who married a man over 40 years ago blossomed through a choice she made. It wasn’t always easy and surely wasn’t always fun, but the road taken proved to be the best path for me. I am forever grateful. Divorce was not in vogue when this all happened. I had no college degree (at that time), had not yet figured out how I would support myself or my girls or even who I might become. But for me anything was better than the verbal and emotional abuse I sustained. Although, there were no bruises or my body, no physical signs of pain, the abuse ran deep and was devastating.

But there was something inside me that said, “life didn’t have to be this way.” That I had a choice and although the outcome was unknown, the risk was worth it. It turned out that the cost was of epic proportion, not in dollars but in heart break and yet the choice; was still the right one.
I had to learn to forgive myself for not having the where with all or stamina to stay and take the abuse for the sake of the family. As the outcome was life altering.

It took years, no, decades to forgive myself.

Today, at the wedding of my youngest daughter, I had the opportunity to revisit those feelings. I am proud and worthy of the life I have built.
The choice was mine, just as it is yours and every other day of your life. And although the choices you have maybe different from mine those 40 years ago, the fact is, you still have a choice. No matter how big or small.

What are you intending for your life, even if only for today? Are you ready to commit to you and your dreams? What are the steps, the tiny steps you can take to move you forward? The choice is yours.

Cheers to a fabulous you!
Merry

Could I live there? Have you ever asked yourself this question while traveling or perusing through travel magazines? Or maybe you are as addicted to International House Hunters as I am? I seem to ask myself this question everywhere I go, even if it is down the street let alone in another country. I look at my husband and say, “could we live here?” It’s a constant discussion that we have, even after ditching our home and our belongings for a one-way ticket more than 5 years ago.

In 2013, we got tired of asking this question and actually decided to give it a try. Life had taken a turn. We got thrown some curve balls that helped make the decision easier. The stock market, a chronic illness, and our daughters now had lives of their own. 
We’ve tried this before, so there were a lot of naysayers. In 2003, when I sold my first business, we decided to give this living abroad thing a try. We failed, well, it was me really. Technology at that time was not nearly what it is today, and I found it a struggle to stay in touch with our then college age daughters. I just couldn't stand the guilt. I got all caught up in my head and ended up throwing in the towel and heading back to the states. But now it's different. Things have changed, I have changed. 

This time was different. There were choices we needed to make. Sure, our circumstances have changed this time around. We were older, the kids are out on their own. My husband decided to retire. I had just been diagnosed with late stage Lyme disease which seemed to be taking my life away day by day.

The end seemed ominous. I realized there were some things I had to learn. I knew there was more to me, but I was scared. I had to learn to fight back but to something that I could not see. I had to become more afraid of living than I was of dying. Dying seemed easy, all I had to do was sit back and let the disease take its course. I was afraid of what my quality of life would be, so I had to speak up and keep searching, to keep asking, to seek help, to get back in the game of life. It was frightening and liberating all at the same time.

So my husband and I made a conscious decision to choose life, we just didn’t know where that life would be. We first had to begin the journey by downsizing…everything. Furniture, dishes, pots and pans, artwork, linens. This stuff seemed to be weighing us down. So, thanks to Craigslist, Goodwill and some very happy friends and family, we parted with all of our belongings. We each packed 50 pounds worth of clothes and shoes into a suitcase and off we went. Now that I look back on it, I wouldn’t have even taken the 50 pound suitcase if I knew then, what I know now.

For those of you looking to clear the clutter, it was the best thing we ever did. Not that I am advocating that you ditch everything, but what I know for sure, is that there are things in your closet, your drawers, your pantry, basement or garage that you have not touched in years. It’s time…let that shit go.

We traveled around for the first year and half. Being all starry eyed about what the world had in store for us. We then decided to take the plunge and sign a lease. That was frightening. The guilt came flooding back in. My life was beautiful again but was I worthy? What a head game. It took a lot of getting of used to. We moved to foreign country where I do not speak the language, I don’t know the metric system, I have never taken public transportation before, I never know what I am eating, where I am going, I struggle with telling international time but I am totally in love with my life.

And even though we have just purchased a flat, the question always continues…”could we live here”? The lessons I have learned are priceless, the people I have met are invaluable. The traditions and cultures that we have had the opportunity to experience have been profound.
We learned that living with less is actually living with more. That experiences are more important and the things we own. That it doesn’t matter the color of your skin, the language you speak, the food you eat, the God you worship; what matters is that sharing of one’s life experiences can foster friendships deeper than any ocean.

Where do you dream of living? What are the things that are important to you in your surroundings? Have you ever asked yourself, “could I live here?”

Let me know your thoughts. Leave a comment below and let's start a conversation. Starting somewhere is the biggest step of all.

Cheers to a fabulous life!
Merry

P.S. Don't forget, sharing is caring!