Stop and Make a Mental Picture

posted 16th January 2011    Written by: Lindsey    CATEGORY: Inspiration, Life Lesson, Lindsey, Season 3, What I've Learned

In the past six months I have undergone radical transformations in my life – from living at home to living on a sailboat in the Bahamas – from ultimate worry about my path to peaceful acceptance of my present situation – from Quarterlife Crisis to an optimistic outlook.

A few months back, I had a realization. I could sit around dwelling on the fact that I was in a “crisis” OR I could choose to celebrate everything in my life, including this period of unknown (which, I got news for ya, I have YEARS of unknown in front of me and that is okay with me! Sort of!!) When I freak out about the coulds and shoulds of my life, I have to remind myself that I am carving out my OWN path, that not one person out there is living this life – it’s MINE – and there is no such thing as what I should be doing, there is only this moment, and my choice of whether I live happily in it.

Molly posted 30 Tips for an Extraordinary Life a few weeks ago and I saved it to my computer. It’s that good. If we all chose to live by these rules, life would be seriously amazing. The one that stuck out to me: “Get clear on your core values. Honor them daily.” My core values were shriveled up in a drawer. Not honoring them daily, that’s for sure. When I peeked at them again, I wasn’t sure how core those values were to me anymore. But how to get clear?

Last year I hit a rut, and my friend suggested I make a mind map. Like the little clouds and bubbles that graphically show your mind on paper. I thought he was being kind of silly – it seemed like grade school stuff. But I did it. And it helped. So much.

Since then, whenever I feel confused about anything, it’s my favorite tool to get myself together. I moved home from beautiful Lake Tahoe, California to live with my parents in small-town Michigan based on a revelation I had while making a mind map. It’s so funny – I was rereading some old journals and one day I was sooo confused about everything, but sure that Tahoe was the place for me. Then I made a mind map that night and the next day I was making arrangements to move home. And that was it. That was the moment I decided to move. Because of some silly clouds and bubbles.

Whenever I get stuck, I always turn back to my mind mapping technique. As the new year came and went I had a hard time deciding what exactly I planned to achieve in the coming year. I love love LOVE my life right now – and I am so incredibly fulfilled in many ways – but I came to a big, confused roadblock when I throught about my relationship and career goals. Mainly because I’m living in my own bubble right now, with no relationships or careers.

I turned to the Joy Plan I finished in August and reassessed my core values. Some of them stayed true, but some I didn’t feel quite resonated with me anymore. I turned back to a blank sheet and mapped out my mind. Using this, and some past maps, I redefined my core values into 8 segments that I FEEL with passion. Some stayed the same, some broke down into separate branches, some changed names to better reflect what I truly value.

Now that I’ve done it, I have 8 values that live in my heart, that I think of and try to honor every day.

Love of Self
Gratitude
Connection
Bliss
Intellect
Health
Productiveness
Value

I know why I feel so fulfilled in areas of my life – I’m working on Love of Self through daily practices, Gratitude through a regular journal, Bliss through living in the moment in the beautiful Bahamas, Intellect through learning new skills and reading amazing books every day, Health through staying active and eating well. I know why I felt lost in my relationships and careers – because I wasn’t honoring my values of Connection, Productiveness & Value on a daily (or EVER) basis. Getting clear on these values gave me a whole new perspective – keep on this path (5/8 ain’t bad!) but work towards honoring all 8, daily.

For those of you that have done the Joy Plan, I encourage you to reflect on your core values a few months afterwards and see how you are living with them. For those of you who haven’t got a Joy Plan, you should totally check it out (I love mine, I travel with it!), but at least sit down and make sure you have core values to guide your life. Try making a map of your mind. Start with your name as the center, and make spokes of the things that are important to you, the things you value now, the things you want to have in your ideal daily life. It’s fun, and sometimes incredibly revealing. And if you do something crazy afterwards, I wanna hear about it!

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Comments (3)

3 Responses to “Stop and Make a Mental Picture”

  • Alisha Says:
    January 16th, 2011 at 10:33 am

    My Joy Plan is like my little bible. (Though admittedly, I still have one more week to finish before it's complete.) I love that you took the time to re-evaluate your values and make sure that they still fit. We are constantly evolving and I think it's natural for them to change.

    Love the idea of the mind-map for sorting out your personal stuff too!

  • Lindsey Says:
    January 29th, 2011 at 9:53 am

    Mine too! I love that I can continue to evolve it as I do, but use it as a reminder for what I want and where I'm going. Good luck finishing up & committing to your happinesses :)

  • Jasie Says:
    June 24th, 2011 at 10:38 pm

    niceooooo…:)

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