Making Homestead Dreams Come True - Visualizing and Positive Thinking, part 1

Someday, this will be my everyday view.

There are some important but intangible pieces to the process of making my homestead dreams come true that I'd like to share. However, it is far easier for me to try to describe the tangible things - which is why I wrote my post "Making Homestead Dreams Come True - Claim It" before I wrote this post on visualizing it. Describing the act of putting a rock in my pocket is far easier than trying to explain my beliefs about visualization. However, in the order of things, the visualizing came before the claiming. And visualizing was (and still is) a very important piece of my homestead dreams journey.

I don't think I would already own my land without first visualizing it. But first, a bit more about visualizing dreams in general - from the experts.

Vision Boards and Wish Boards

I am not certain, but I believe vision boards originated the the book The Secret (published in 2007).  I hesitate with attributing that book as the origin of vision boards because people have saved photos of things they dream about of for my entire life (i.e. brides-to-be saving photos of their dream wedding gown is a quick example). But for the purposes of this writing, I am going to use The Secret as the origin.

The Secret

The idea in The Secret is that with the law of attraction, we attract things to us based on what we project. We can focus our thoughts on things/dreams and that helps us move ourselves toward those things/dreams. Those things/dreams can be a dream job, car, and in my case my dream home site and retirement plan.

There are MANY naysayers to this philosophy. Over the years I've read that it is victim-shaming (i.e. what about people with cancer... did they not put out good enough thoughts?) and that it is lazy (i.e. paste pictures to a board then sit and wait... staring at the pictures and doing nothing) and that it is all a money scam - making the writer of books such as The Secret rich (true - it has sold many, many, MANY copies).   I can completely understand those points but I am not in the naysayers camp.  

I think there is a good bit of truth to the visualization and positive thoughts/law of attraction. We all know the people who make a complaint every time they open their mouth. And we all see that those people have more things in their lives to complain about. We all feel that those people are a drag to be around. They bring us down.  I don't see that as a put-down. Frankly, I tend heavily toward the complainer type. I am anxious and my tendency is to focus on the negative "what-ifs". But it is a fact that when I spend time with less focus and energy on the complaints and the negative "what-ifs", life goes better. If I have a vision board, it is easier to focus on the good possibilities and goals, and stay away from the negative thoughts and complaints.

Be a critical thinker and form your own opinions about The Secret. And choose the path that is the best for you. That's what it's all about.  

The Secret website is here.

I took this photo when I had the thought that 

someday my "camping" trips to The Shack will not have to end. 

Someday I won't have to look at it in my mirror as I drive off.

The Chopra Center

The Chopra Center focuses on self-awareness and using that awareness to "close the gap between who you are and who you want to be." Deepak Chopra, David Simon, and friends also practice and preach the philosophy of the law of attraction.  

There are many, many articles, videos, and events to choose from on their site. I'm finding myself getting lost in things I want to see and read. Again, I am FAR from being expert in the law of attraction and if you are interested, I encourage you to read those articles that have been written by others. 

Their brief article Vision Board 101: How to Use This Manifestation Tool explains how to think about and use a vision board. 

Another brief article Intention, Attention, No Tension: 3 Tips to Master the Law of Attraction very much captures how it went with buying my land.

The Chopra Center website is here. 

Prayer and Faith by Religion

I witness a good number of people who use prayer and their faith in a similar way; putting out good vibes and claiming positive things. I am not very religious. So I hesitate even trying to describe what I see with those who are. And I'm not referring to the judgemental folks who are focused on my sins. I am referring to those who are faithful, content, and living their best lives; putting out those good vibes to all of the rest of us.

The best example of this is a guy in a gardening/homesteading group I belong to. He spends his days planting his garden, visualizing what it may look like and praising God with how well it's turning out. This man does not complain about the floods nor the heat waves. He is just filled with faith that things are awesome and he continues about his days. And his days are awesome. 

I think people like this are excellent examples of  people quietly and honestly living in faith and visualizing the good in their days. And I am convinced because they focus on the things they are thankful for, they end up with more things to be thankful about. If that makes sense.

I am Convinced that Visualization and the Law of Attraction Helped me Buy The Shack

I have not even scratched the surface about the law of attraction and how the experts use visualization, positivity, and faith to move their lives in the direction they want to go. You will have to decide for yourself if visualization and positive thinking will help you reach your goals in life.

I believe 100% that visualizing my dreams and having positive thoughts about my goals have been a huge factor in getting me to where I am. I don't believe I'd already own my little piece of land and The Shack without visualizing and the laws of attraction.

Because I've yammered on for a long time already, I will try to describe how I use (and used) visualization and the law of attraction to get where I am in the next post.  And frankly, I was using the law of attraction without thinking about it.... and only in hindsight am I realizing how powerful those behaviors were.

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Blessings

Peacock Feather Canvas on Amazon

Those who know me intimately will do a double-take at the title. Blessings. A word that is too close to traditional religious-speak for me.  I am not traditionally religious. But I am spiritual. I always have been. Lately,  I have been working hard at trying to live a more contented and "in the moment" life.  Too many years have gone by with me embracing the bah-humbug philosophy. There have been times that I put Scrooge to shame.

I am reading a book about being present and having faith in the moment. Being open to the little signs from God. Again, too "traditionally religious" for me. But I do believe in synchronicity, that all humans are somehow connected to each other in some way, and signs.  I truly believe there are signs in our lives. We just need to watch for them.I have been trying to be more aware. It is not easy for me to have faith. But today I felt it come a little more easily.

Sugar was our little foster dog. We began our goodbyes a couple of days ago and today I drove her home. I will miss her but it was a happy thing to do. She was lovingly greeted by her family members - both two and four-legged.  It was good to reunite her. It was good to have contact with decent people.

As I began the trek home, in flooding rain, I felt content. 

With the wind rocking the Jeep as I drove, visibility nearly zero at times, and the downpours causing the roadways to turn into rushing creeks, I found myself enjoying the drive. There is something awesome about the massive amounts of spray that comes from the wheels. The flapping and tapping of the raindrops on the soft-top. Jeep lovers know exactly what I mean.

The drive was a great adventure as it was. Then I noticed something moving in the edge of a field.  I watched, and slowed to a crawl.  The shadows moved slowly and confidently into the middle of the road. And stopped. They looked at me. And waited.

I watched as the windshield wipers cleared the blur.

At first I thought they were turkeys. Then I realized they were peacocks. I love peacocks! I know little about them but I have a few good childhood memories of peacocks. I am always so excited when I see peacocks.

And there they were. Calmly watching me.

They stepped into the road, in front of me. In the middle of this storm.  I swear, they turned and looked at me, as if to say "well?" More than once they looked over their shoulders at me.  They moseyed ahead of me and I enjoyed their presence. They continued to walk ahead of me, very slowly moving down the center of the road before finally moving to the edge of the road.  I watched for a few more moments, before slowly beginning to accelerate around them. I had followed them slowly enough and long enough that I was concerned the farmer would think I was doing something questionable. So I sped up a bit. As I passed and began to draw ahead, they began to run. And I swear, they were trying to keep up and still watching me.

Maybe their owner drives an orange Jeep too. Maybe they were looking for their dinner. I don't know. But I know that traveling with peacocks during a pause in a powerful storm was a gift. A blessing. Truly a blessed day.

There are blessings all around us. We just need to watch for them.