Careers Archives - Mindfully Written

How to Use a Vision Board to Plan Your Next Life (or Career) Move

This post first appeared on Brazen Life, a lifestyle and career blog for ambitious young professionals. See the original.

Are you at a crossroads in your career? Perhaps you’re looking for the perfect career for your skill set. Maybe you have an OK job, but it’s not quite what you hoped. Or maybe you’ve finished school and are planning your next move.

When change is on the horizon, it’s common to overthink, worry and question everything. The brain takes over: you create pros and cons lists and the agony of the decision can take over your whole life. Luckily, you’ve got another way to work through this situation. It may seem silly, even trivial or new-agey, but creating a vision board can provide clarity, attract your ideal career and save your sanity.

A vision-what?

A vision board is a visual representation of what you want to manifest. At the most basic level, creating a vision board can help you see what you’re thinking. It puts visuals to complicated thought processes where words may fail. Oftentimes, the images you choose don’t necessarily make sense, but when put together, they create a representation of your true self.

On a deeper level, vision boards help you attract what you want in life. Think of it like asking the universe for what you want. If you don’t know what you want to create or manifest, the universe won’t know, either. The key in manifesting is to know what you want and articulate it. Many of us have a hard time articulating our deepest desires in words, so creating a visual image helps.

This process taps into a deep, unconscious part of yourself that knows your ideal career. This part is free from cultural desires or what you think you want or are taught to want. You might be surprised to see the career you want isn’t about money or prestige or that you’re interested in a different industry.

Vision boards are useful for many life changes, from finding a mate to buying a house, and can be used for general life purposes, like career or vacation goals. There aren’t any rules except to find a bunch of words, images and visual representations of what you want and put them on a board. Size and your artistic ability don’t matter.

Remember that the brain wants to create whatever it’s told. If you constantly tell yourself you’re a failure or don’t deserve a good job, you’ll never achieve what you truly want. What you put on your board needs to transcend these self-defeating thoughts to focus on the positive potential in yourself. Whatever you believe, you become.

Create a vision board in five simple steps

Creating a vision board is simple:

1. Collect your supplies

Find every old magazine in the house that can be cut up, pull out the scissors and glue and have a dedicated piece of cardboard or poster board to use. You could even use cork board and push-pins. Be as creative or simplistic as you’d like.

2. Set aside time to work on your vision board

Sit down with your supplies, maybe some nice music, a glass of wine and no distractions. Either do this by yourself, with your partner or have some friends over for a vision board party.

3. Close your eyes and center yourself before you open the magazines

This could be as simple as taking a few slow breaths or as complex as a full ritual and meditation session. Don’t try to do anything new, but do what feels appropriate. If you’re trying to find a job or attract your ideal career, repeat “ideal career” or “find a job” to yourself a couple times. By doing this, you set the intention of what you’re doing and remind yourself of your goal.

4. Open the magazines and cut out anything that resonates with you or inspires you

This is big: don’t try to create something or think too much. If you flip a page and an image speaks to you, cut it out. If you see a keyword and it creates some thought or reaction, cut it out. Flip pages and cut and lose yourself in this process. Let go of the desire to analyze or figure anything out. By refraining from thinking about it, you’ll be able to access deeper areas of yourself.

5. Put the images and words onto your board

Either find a creative way to arrange them or just slap them on.

What to do with your completed vision board?

When your board is complete, hang it somewhere you’ll see it. Look at your board often, think about it, study the images and keep the intention or goal in mind. Take some time in the morning or before bed to reflect on your deepest dreams, goals or desires. Use all your senses to imagine the end result, like what it feels like to sit in your new office or the happiness you feel when helping people.

This may not be a quick process, but by keeping your vision board in a noticeable place, you’ll constantly be sending messages out into the universe that you’re serious about creating this change and you’re ready for that goal to manifest into reality. If you’re truly committed to manifesting this change, the universe will respond. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Stay focused, but be patient. You can create your own reality and attract your dream job.

Brazen powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, Brazen Life, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.

How To Overcome Routine & Change Your Life

by Amber Erickson

At some point in life, we all find ourselves just chugging along. Following the routine and just going with it. We like this routine because it’s predictable, it’s safe and it’s comfortable. Routine gives the illusion of being in control.

Routine is helpful in this crazy world and does help keep some of us sane, but what if there is a downside to this safe, comfortable pattern of events? What if we are sacrificing our own potential by taking the safe path? What if this routine is keeping you from truly being happy?

Whoa.

Let that sink in for a minute, then think about the last time you did something scary or uncomfortable. It doesn’t have to be a big, life-changing thing, but when was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone, did something out of character or took a risk?

Do Something Uncomfortable to Change Your Life

There is a book or process or whatever that challenges people to do something everyday that scares them. While this seems generic and maybe even a little strange, it has some serious merit. Doing something scary can change your life.

Routine leads to autopilot and monotony. Doing something scary creates excitement, laughter and a new perspective.

Changing your behavior and actions can change the way you feel or perceive something. Trying something new and scary has the potential to open up a whole new world of possibilities.

Overcome fear
Boost confidence
Produce feel-good hormones
Create excitement and heightened energy
Promote connection if doing it with someone else
Challenge your preconceived ideas of what you’re capable of
Become more comfortable feeling uncomfortable

Creating any change in life can be slightly uncomfortable. It’s learning to become ok with this discomfort and work through it that real insight, growth and change can happen. What is the saying: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. The way to bust through this is to shake things up, bust through those patterns and see what’s possible. Learning to find comfort in discomfort can change the way you perceive life, the way you approach challenge, stress or change and the quality of your relationships.

Here’s the caveat – this doesn’t have to be revolutionary. You don’t have to jump off a cliff (unless you want to), but really, truly think about where your life is a bit stagnant and see how you could step outside your comfort zone and change your life. Here are a couple ideas:

overcome your fear of asking your boss for a raise
conquer your fear of spiders (or snakes)
if someone asks you to do something and it scares you, say yes and actually do it (nothing illegal or super dangerous please)
take a class, try to learn a new instrument or start a new project that intimidates you
try a new recipe or buy an ingredient that you have no idea how to use
let someone else order for you at a restaurant
play in the mud, go sledding or catch frogs like you were a kid again
tell a friend or loved one what’s really on your mind (honesty can be really challenging)
tell your spouse what you need from them (physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.)
think about what your oldest friends would say when asked the one thing you’d never do – then do it
if you work out, use heavier weights, or more incline or longer time – see what you’re really capable of
develop a bucket list of sorts of things that scare you but you’d like to try and consult that list every once and a while and do them (think skydiving, taking a solo international trip, getting a promotion, quitting your job, moving to a new area, etc)

I am not afraid of discomfort (generally) and have made many big changes in my life, so I can speak to this topic on a personal level. The times I am most happy and spirited and enthusiastic is when I’m doing new, challenging things. It’s exhilarating and frankly, kind of addicting. Not that you need a huge rush every time, but the feeling you get from being in that slightly uncomfortable zone is special. It’s easy to get into a rut in life, just working away, doing the things you should be doing and letting each day pass by uneventfully. Those days are so forgettable and aren’t really contributing to your growth and transformation.

Some of the things that have made the biggest impact on my happiness and general feeling toward life were moving to Colorado, learning to mountain bike, teaching yoga, quitting my old job, starting freelance writing, participating in new activities around town and trying new things. These are the times when I laugh, I smile and not a worried thought or preoccupation exists – it’s like the time of true contentment, happiness and presence.

One good example is mountain biking – it’s so hard. Physically it’s working through a lack of oxygen, fatigued muscles, and then climbing another hill and then having the technical skill to navigate rocks or roots. Most of the time on the bike is uncomfortable in one way or another. I always push through (often with lots of verbal support) and after the ride, I’m on top of the world. I exceeded my past abilities, maybe didn’t fall for once or made it up a big hill – these things push the bounds of what I think are possible and open up new possibilities. If I can do that hill, why can’t I do this bigger, scarier one? And if I can climb hills, maybe I can do this or that or another thing I’m afraid of. We never know just how strong, smart, confident, or whatever we are until we’ve been challenged.

Routine leads us to not be present. Getting outside your comfort zone and doing scary things promote being present, being alert and feeling alive. When it’s put that way, what’s stopping you?

{Note: The photo is my sister sitting in her kart before a karting race. It was terrifying – these things go crazy fast – but so much fun}

Save Your Sanity With These Simple (& Cheap) Self-Care Ideas

by Amber Erickson

The concept of self-care is pretty simple: the things you do to take care of yourself. Easy enough, right?!

Unfortunately, most of us don’t really take care of ourselves to the extent we need to live happy, healthy, vibrant lives. We focus on taking care of family, working, sleeping, eating and maybe fitting in a workout or sparse social life. What we fail to realize is that taking time to nurture all of our needs is the only way to feel whole and complete and prevent dis-ease. These needs include physical, emotional, spiritual, social, environmental, intellectual, etc.

Self-care is often talked about in two circles – mothers and health care providers. These two groups seem separate but have many of the same characteristics. They are so busy providing, nurturing and giving that they have nothing left for themselves. But then not giving to themselves starts a downward spiral of guilt, fatigue, exhaustion and then eventual breakdown or burnout. Parents need adult interaction. They need time away. Nurses need to take lunch breaks. They need relaxing days off. While the topic of self-care lends itself nicely to women who try to do too much, it’s absolutely applicable to men as well. The stress of trying to be the breadwinner and the unrealistic cultural ideal of what a good husband/father/man is can create unnecessary pressure to do more and be more.

Regardless of your lot in life, this all sums down to one simple idea: We all need to take care of ourselves. Period. If you want to be healthy and happy, you have to take care of yourself every day, not just when things go wrong.

If you’ve never thought much about taking care of all sides of yourself, here is a simple list of ideas to get started. Remember that self-care doesn’t have to be expensive or extravagant. Sure, an exotic vacation every year does help to relax, unwind and rejuvenate, but the effects are short-lived. The day-to-day self-care is what really helps you be more patient, more present and more calm everyday. While it’s common to think self-care time takes away from family or work time, think of it this way: Self-care allows you to be a better mom/partner/employee/etc. Taking care of yourself means you have more to give others.

If you still need help getting there mentally, think of it as an investment. Each time you take care of yourself, you’re making a positive contribution to your sanity, your household, your workplace and your community. Giving all the time only leads to resentment, frustration, anger, short-tempers and hostility. Which do you choose?

So what now? What does self-care look like and how can you get started?

Here are just a few ideas. Self-care is a personal process – you need to find what soothes, satisfies and restores your spirit.

Exercise
Take a class (yoga, pilates, zumba, etc.)
Eat Right
Try something new (that’s fun) – bonus for bringing your significant other or friend along
Laugh
Play
Maintain good hygiene
Meditate
Practice yoga or other movement therapy
Take walks (bonus for bringing your furry friend with)
Spend time outdoors
Read (for fun)
Draw, paint or use your creativity
Get a massage
Go out on a date (without your kids)
Take a vacation (even something simple close to home)
Knit, sew or make things
Prioritize personal development
Practice relaxation techniques (guided imagery, visualization, progressive relaxation, breathing, etc.)
Consult an expert (psychotherapy, marriage counseling, yoga therapist, life coach, personal trainer, etc.)
Reduce screen time (put down the phone and step away from the TV)
Make a lunch or coffee date with friends (positive, loving friends only – no negativity and gossiping)
Take a bath

As you can see, the options are quite diverse, cover a variety of price points and are of varying length or commitment. The goal is to do some self-care every. single. day. Your health, happiness, sanity and life satisfaction will thank you.

Now it’s your turn. How do you take care of yourself? Share your favorite self-care techniques and experiences in the comments.

No Time for a Healthy Breakfast?: These 6 Options Will Make You Rethink

by Amber Erickson

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper, so they say. We all know that we need to eat breakfast, but it isn’t always that easy. It’s a common routine: hit snooze, jump out of bed, rush to get ready, get the kids on the bus, remember to feed Fido and if you’re lucky, you’ll make it to work on time. No time for a healthy breakfast? You’re not alone.

But before you dash through the nearest fast-food drive-through or grab a pastry at the gas station, think again. You can have a healthy breakfast with your busy lifestyle. It just takes a tiny bit of preparation.

I, like you, struggle with breakfast, even though I’m a writer who works at home. I like to sleep in, get dressed, grab a quick breakfast and bring it to my desk to eat while I delete junk emails, browse Facebook and otherwise start the day by getting up-to-date and organized. I just don’t want to cook or even take the time to make oatmeal. Being gluten-free, the quick options are limited (no toast or bagels or cereal here). Plus, the quick options generally are loaded in refined carbs, sugars and other weird stuff.

If you think you have no time for breakfast, especially a healthy one, it’s time to think again and plan some prep into your routine. Take ten minutes at night to prepare your breakfast for the next morning or set aside weekend time to spend an hour in the kitchen.

Here are six great options from some amazing sources.

Overnight Oats –

This one truly is grab and go. All you have to do is grab your container (mason jars are great) and a spoon and head out the door. This post from Prescribe Nutrition gives a personal touch to this simple recipe.

Pre-Made Smoothie –

I talked recently about making awesome green smoothies, but for a quick grab-and-go breakfast, make your smoothie the previous night. Put it in a mason jar with a tight lid and stick it in the fridge. Come morning, you’re ready to go.

Baked Oatmeal –

I love this recipe from Oh She Glows. Side note: I skip the dry sugar in the crunchy topping and don’t feel like I’m missing anything. This oatmeal reheats really nicely and lends itself to creativity once you have the basics down.

Hard-boiled eggs –

Boiling eggs has to be one of the easiest breakfast ideas. Simply bring some water, your eggs, salt and a dash of vinegar to a boil. Once rapidly boiling, let it boil for a minute or so and then turn off the burner and cover. Let sit for at least ten minutes, but it’s ok to forget about them (I always do). Older eggs peel better. Up the nutrition here by also having some fruit and/or nuts.

Homemade Granola –

The options are really endless here. Make chunkier stuff to snack on from an environmentally-friendly container or throw some in yogurt (if you can handle dairy) or kefir (which is dairy but easier to digest), but watch for added sugar. Plain is best. Throw homemade granola in a green smoothie for an extra nutrition punch. This recipe from Elana’s Pantry is sans oats. This one from Oh She Glows is made from buckwheat. And this one from PaleOMG includes pumpkin and looks to satisfy the sweet tooth.

Healthy Muffins –

Be careful about adding too much sweetness (ahem, chocolate chips) but have fun with some of these muffin recipes. While being the perfect grab-and-go, eat-in-the-car breakfast, they have the potential to become unhealthy if you don’t watch the ingredients. Look for ways to get veggies in the mix (like carrot muffins) or use fruit for sweetness. Think of muffins as a quick breakfast idea that probably isn’t healthy enough for every day but could come in real handy for some days. Here are 41 recipes from Paleo Grubs.

With all breakfast ideas, quick or not, the key is to watch sugar, especially adding refined sugars, and try to find ways to incorporate protein and vegetables. Other than that, play around with recipes, see what your family likes and have fun with it. For an added boost, grab an apple or banana as you walk out the door or toss some blueberries into your granola.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be a drag, nor does it have to be stressful. Find what works for you, but remember, you do have time for a healthy breakfast.

What is your go-to quick breakfast food? Share your favorite ideas and recipes in the comments. I’m really hoping to hear from some of you on this one!

{Photo Credit: jules}

Trouble Sleeping?: The Key to Better Sleep

by Amber Erickson

Getting good sleep is necessary for a happy, healthy life. Yeah, it’s that important, but many of us just don’t sleep that well. We wake feeling tired, struggle through the day and then lie awake at night. Luckily, there are some things you can do to get better sleep.

Why Sleep Matters

During sleep, your body is able to rest and repair. This rest and repair doesn’t happen during waking hours, so it’s vital to have quality, uninterrupted sleep to allow your body to work its magic. Outside of resting and repairing, during sleep you are also consolidating memories and releasing hormones. These hormones regulate everything from appetite to growth. Getting too little sleep leads to fatigue, mental cloudiness, prolonged illness, compromised immune system and an inability to heal and regenerate cells properly. Falling into REM sleep (about every 90 minutes during sleep) your brain is the focus. This is when dreams occur and the brain is being recharged for the next days’ activities. If you aren’t sleeping soundly and getting into this stage, you will wake feeling exhausted and unable to focus. This makes productivity and creativity really challenging.

For adults, 7-9 hours per night is the commonly accepted rate. There is evidence that less than 7 or more than 9 hours per night is detrimental to health, so aiming for this range is best.

How to Get Better Sleep

So how can you get better sleep? Some people have sleep disorders and may need to talk to their doctor or sleep specialists for possible treatment methods. For those of us who have busy minds and or just don’t allow ourselves to sleep enough, here is a list of solutions to help you get more restful sleep that promotes health and longevity.

1. Create a perfect sleeping environment. Keeping your bedroom cool enough will help promote sleep. Also, the key is dark and quiet. Consider noise and light reducing shades for your windows if you live in well-lit or noisy areas (cities). Earplugs can help as well. Finally, keep the room clean and tidy, decorate in a way that makes you feel happy and comfortable. Remove excess stuff, especially from the nightstand. Use your bedroom only for pre- and post-sleeping activities like sex, sleeping and dressing.

2. Avoid stimulants after noon, especially caffeine and nicotine. Similarly, avoid alcohol because while it might make you feel sleepy, it disrupts the sleep cycle.

3. Don’t eat too late (or too early). You don’t want to go to sleep too full or too hungry. Ideally you’d still be satiated, but not at the hungry stage when you crawl into bed. If on occasion you can’t help but eat late, keep it light.

4. Exercise and move your body. Movement, sweating and ridding yourself of excess energy can help you feel tired and fall asleep. Avoid late-day exercise, especially stimulating varieties, but it can be nice to end the day with very slow, restorative types of movement, like yoga. Yoga and/or mediation are great to promote sleep because you can learn to calm yourself, calm your mind and relax your body, all necessary to falling asleep and staying asleep. With consistent practice, it’s possible your body would need less sleep because during meditation your body and mind are able to rest much like during sleep.

5. Get outside. You may remember being a kid and playing outside all day and then just collapsing at night. Blame it on the fresh air, but getting outside, getting out of your chair and being active is a great way to get tired. Wearing yourself out (within reason) is a good thing for sleep quality.

6. Develop a consistent schedule. Attempt to go to bed and get up at roughly the same time everyday, including (and perhaps especially) on the weekends. You may be tempted to sleep in, but establishing a routine is better for your quality of sleep in the long run. Sticking with a schedule will teach your body to start getting tired at a certain time and to wake up at a certain time, without an alarm.

7. Create a pre-sleep routine that prepares yourself for restful slumber. Avoid electronics, which mess with the brain’s ability to tell if it’s tired. Pick a time every night when you start to wind down. At that time, shut off the t.v., put away the phones and tablets, do not work or do stimulating activities, but instead, do calming, enjoyable activities like taking a bath, reading, listening to calm music, meditating, journaling or doing restorative or gentle yoga poses. Keep lights low or use only candlelight and make the activity meaningful to you. Before bed is a great time for spiritual practices, which are often calm and peaceful activities. Taking the time to set the tone for sleep can help you feel relaxed and tired by the time you crawl into bed.

8. Reduce stress. Again, yoga and meditation can help. Often poor sleep comes because you can’t turn your mind off or you’re stressed or worried about something. Yoga and meditation can help you calm your mind and more appropriately control your emotions. Other ways to reduce stress include setting priorities, delegating tasks, simplifying your life and taking a break from your biggest stressors. one way to work through stressors and get them out of your head before bed is journaling. Sometimes just giving them your attention for a few minutes, including potential action plans or to-do’s to reduce the stressor could help clear your mind before bed.

With these suggestions you should be sleeping like a baby in no time. What else helps you fall asleep? Share your experiences in the comments.

{Photo Credit: Diane Yuri}