Watched the Oscars last night. First time watching it in LA. If you’d told me I’d be doing that this time last year…
Seeing Oprah Winfrey talking about Best Actress nominee Gabourey Sidibe reminded me of an interview with Larry King where she talks about ‘The Secret’. Oprah had read ‘The Colour Purple’ and became obsessed with being in a film version of it. Nothing was working. Then she did this…
Oprah told last night how Gabourey skipped school to make the audition for ‘Precious’ on a Monday. On Tuesday, she got a callback. By Wednesday, she had the part. It reminded me how an important part of manifestation is…action. It isn’t just about visualisation, although that is important of course. You know it’s working because you start getting opportunities and ideas. Then you have to act on them.
The Oscars also reminded me of a story I heard years ago about Catherine Zeta Jones. Apparently, before she came to the States to try to make it in Hollywood, a fan gave her a gift. It was a collage of photographs of all the great female screen idols. In the middle, there was a picture of Catherine.
At the time she was well known in British TV but not in the States. She’d tried a singing career but it had stalled. At the time, it must have seemed a big leap to get to the same position as these great screen legends. The rest is history.
Sometimes, our dreams can seem like a big leap. The first step is to visualise it. The second is to believe it will happen. The third step is to act when you get an opportunity. The fourth step is to receive what you want.
The alternative? Do nothing and hope our dreams will materialise through chance.
1. Was invited to a vision board workshop at beautiful ranch in Topanga a few weeks after arriving in LA. (Hadn’t even heard of vision board workshops before this). Met the fantastic ‘certified vision board facilitator’ (Ditto).
2. Competition to win a one-hour session with said facilitator. Guess who won it? That’s right. Me. Shock number two – she hands me her card. She is an editor and I am writing a novel. My novel includes a vision board (*insert twilight zone music here*).
3. Had a fantastic session with said facilitator. She suggested using it to look at my book since we’d made vision boards at the workshop. Judith Fine-Sarchielli. Fantastic editor, vision board coach, and Tuscan chef (she lived in Italy for 20 years)
4. Re-wrote some of book as a result and uploaded to ‘Authonomy’ website run by Harper Collins. Bit of a time-consuming site but worthwhile for feedback. My pen name is ‘Amelia Field’.
5. Volunteered to help Judith with vision board workshop. Watch this space…
6. Now have a second updated vison board made at the workshop. Love it. Also made one to depict my book’s plot at Judith’s suggestion. Amazingly useful. Made a third vision board for friend who gave me a wonderful intuitive healing session. Her professional name is ‘Loving Essence’. First time I’d had anything like that and I felt a bit awkward but she was so kind and wonderful that it was a complete pleasure and very interesting. Board I made was themed around ‘gratitude’ (pic below). Another idea from Judith. Vision boards as gifts! Great idea.
The weather here is gorgeous today, while in England it is snowing apparently!
This morning the cleaner arrived (yes, we even have a cleaner provided – a dream come true for someone who hates cleaning as much as me) and so I went out for a walk on the beach for a while. I bought myself a bagel, a cup of coffee and a magazine, and went and sat and watched people surfing, jogging and sailing. Children were playing and people were relaxing, it was really idyllic. Now look down at my vision board and you might see some similarities! I might also mention that there are palm trees everywhere here…
I am still focussing on my vision board even though it isn’t here with me at the moment. Hopefully our stuff is going to arrive towards the middle of the month. I do have the photo below as well obviously but to be honest I can remember what’s on it, probably because I created it. I’ve already started to think about the things I’m going to add when it arrives though. I’m excited about that and I’m going to start collecting pictures.
I’m in the United States now, living in a beautiful place by the sea or ‘ocean’ as people say in the States. The other day I walked down to the beach and saw a lot of people running, a large number of sailing boats out on the sea, and a woman doing yoga on the beach. If you see my vision board below, you might have a chuckle as I did!
My vision board is being shipped over along with some other possessions at the moment. Should be here in around a month. As I looked at it a lot before we left, however, I can see it clearly in my mind and still focus on it. Plus I have the image below which I luckily photographed to post here!
I’m not sure if I’ve recommended this book before but if not, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is really inspiring and also light-hearted and funny. Doesn’t take itself to seriously which I think is a great strength in a personal development-style book. Apparently it’s being made into a film starring Julia Roberts at the moment. She read the book and became a big fan, I think her production company is actually making the film.
From Dawn Abraham in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles, California
I had so much fun designing my dream board. I look at it now and so many of the things I put on this board have either come true or something even better has happened. The magic from my board is still generating and manifesting itself today.
You see I didn’t fool around with my dream board. I went to town!! It is full of all the wonderful places I intend on traveling and the people I want to meet and share my life with.
I have yoga poses I want to achieve. I am meditating on the beach overlooking the ocean at sunrise (I did that in Florida when studying with Deepak Chopra, it was incredible) I have inspiring affirmations that say:
Affirmations
”I Am RENEWED”
“I AM RELAXED”
“I AM CONFIDENT”
“I AM UNSTOPPABLE”
“I AM FOCUSED”
“I AM SELF AWARE”
“I AM CALM”
“I AM ENRICHED”
“I AM PLAYFUL”
The sky is the limit. Anything you find that inspires you put that on your dream board.
I have to say that when I first made this vision board I thought that everything would happen right away. Some of the things actually did happen with in a short amount of time while others still had to grow for me. I look back and now realize that if every one of those things happened right away I wouldn’t have had time to appreciate and fully experience them all.
Dawn Abraham.
**NB: Further useful advice from Dawn about creating a dream board can be found at her website
