I created a vision board to get pregnant... and I had twins

In February, while everyone else is buying roses, chocolates and bracelets for the ones they love, my husband and I are saving our pennies, staying home and creating our couple’s vision board. 

Creating a couple’s vision board every year allows us to talk deeply about our goals, how we feel in our relationship today and align on what we want going forward. 

This dedicated time to focus on each other’s needs helps us stay focused on what matters: each other’s growth, happiness and our partnership. We always know how we can support each other in this game called life and how we can both enjoy the journey without losing who we want to become.

Last year, my husband and I created a couple’s vision board centered around the goal of growing our family. 

What would it look like to get pregnant? 

Your vision board should encompass the journey in the same way that it does the end result. 

Brainstorming on what your life will look like on the journey to becoming pregnant is just as important as putting that bright-eyed baby on your vision board.

A partner

Unless you plan on having a baby by yourself (which you totally can in this day and age) you’ll need a partner in crime to share the pregnancy journey with. Add the type of partner you want to have accompany you along this journey. 

You may already have a partner, but you’ll also want to add how they’ll show up to support you along the way.

A strong financial position

I wanted to make sure I felt confident that having children wouldn’t completely throw off my ability to accomplish the goals I’d already set for myself. This includes traveling, retiring early and taking family trips (big and small). 

Having a strong financial position would make me feel more comfortable along the way. 

What’s do you want to have

No vision board is complete without adding in imagery for what you want to have. 

A family

If your baby will be an addition to your family, try to find an image that completes your family or gives you those beautiful family vibes. 

For our vision board, we added a family of five: two parents, one daughter and two little boys. (Surprisingly enough, that’s the family that we have now!) 

A baby

Don’t be coy. 

You know that you want a baby in your life so put that baby on the vision board. Seriously, how do you expect to get what you want out of life if you’re not even willing to say you want it out loud? 

Be honest with yourself… and with your vision board creation. 

Find the cutest little baby that you can and put his or her picture on the vision board. 

Family Adventure

I had my daughter at age 19. Since that moment, I became more responsible than I ever needed to be. I worked harder than anyone else. Stayed up later, studied more. 

Now that my daughter is 13, I've grown comfortable with saying “come on, let’s roll!” knowing I didn’t need an hour of packing a bag, warming a bottle and lugging a car seat around with me everywhere I went. 

Going back to the baby stage would undoubtedly mean I’d have more baggage to carry around. But still, I wanted to maintain the same (if not more) level of adventure that our family created when we were a 3-person family of adults. So we included lots of opportunities for adventure into our vision board. I don’t care if it takes more work, I still want to prioritize adventure. 

A loving home

Come on, can you look at a baby without wanting to nuzzle their little cheeks, cuddle them and smell their little heads? 

No, no you can’t. :) 

Creating visualizations around the love and support you’ll have in your home when you do have your baby will remind you what the end goal will look like and how much love and support you’ll have around you when your baby arrives.

How do you want to feel

Having a new baby always comes with a wave of emotions. Some people feel overwhelmed, stressed and tired. Then there are the others. Those pinterest-friendly parents that make the baby-drama look like a cake walk. 

Well, I wanted to be the cake-walk-parent. I wanted to feel freedom, joy, and well-rested. 

I wanted parenting to feel FUN. (My husband has always thought I was a bit crazy to want fun out of my children, but if I can create the life I want, why would I create anything else?)

The purpose of the vision board is to say out loud, visually, that you’d like to position yourself to easily receive a baby into your home. 

Create your vision board around what you want your home to look and feel like when you add a child into your life. And then, like any goal, begin working towards it.

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

Four Simple Ways to Supercharge your Side Hustle (without more planning sessions or productivity apps)

A few weeks ago, one of my students reached out, looking for content in our member portal.

I saw the email within a few minutes and answered quickly. 

Her response made me smile… 

“OMG Chantl, you have a full-time job, homeschool your daughter, and run Thrive Lounge on the side. How are you actually doing ALL of this?!”

If you’re wondering how in the world people on the internet can juggle full-time jobs, families and low-stress internet businesses, I’m dishing it all out today.

THE BIG SECRET?

I’ve built up morning rituals that allow me to balance it all without losing my mind.

Seriously, when you start your morning right, the rest of your day falls into place. :) 

These habits create space for Thrive Lounge without sacrificing my full-time job or daughter’s education.

Sounds simple, but it WORKS.

So, are you looking to start a side hustle?

Maybe you already have one, but can’t find the time to give your business baby the love and attention it deserves?

Grab a pen and paper, my friend. In this blog post, I’ll show you how to set up your day with purpose to make space for what you really want.

How to Create Productive Morning Rituals

The key to building your dream while working full time and thriving at life is to start each day with intention and purpose to be as actively productive as possible.

You control your day, not the other way around!

SWITCH TO AN OLD SCHOOL ALARM CLOCK

How do you spend the first minutes of your morning? 

Mine used to look like this: 

Turns phone alarm off. Checks Facebook and Instagram. Dives into emails. 

… I used to lose at least 20 minutes of my life every morning!

If you have your phone right next to the bed, your morning likely looks just like this, too.

The temptation to go down the ‘notification rabbit hole’ is too great if the first thing you see is your phone.

So instead of using my phone as an alarm, I switched to an old school alarm clock and leave my phone in the basement when I go to sleep.

That one change allowed me to intentionally choose what I do in the morning. 

BUILD YOUR HYDRATION ARSENAL 

I’m a coffee-in-the-morning kinda girl, and if you are too, then you’re going to love this quick tip. 

While my coffee’s brewing each morning, I fill up 4 reusable 20-ounce water bottles so they’re ready for me when I need them. It might seem silly, but I work so intensely that I didn’t have time to wait at the refrigerator to get a glass of water, which led to serious dehydration during the work day.

You already know that staying hydrated is key to higher energy throughout the day. By filling reusable water bottles in advance, you can always grab a bottle and go with minimal interruption to your work.

DO YOUR HIGH IMPACT WORK FIRST 

This one’s easy. 

When you do your most impactful work first, you’ll make progress towards your goals faster and everything else feels so much easier. 

It’s all about making bigger progress in a shorter amount of time.

SET YOUR NON-NEGOTIABLES

Your non-negotiables are things you choose not to do so that you can make more space for things you’d rather do.

What I’m not doing is:

• spending my morning making things look pretty.

• designing logos.

• editing to perfection, etc.

But I am okay with...

…not waiting until something is 100% perfect. <-- Yes, you read that right.

If there’s an email I don’t 100% love, I send it out anyway! Why?

Because not everything has to be ‘knock it out of the ballpark’. Otherwise, I wouldn’t make any progress.

Some weeks are going to be phenomenal. Others average. And sometimes you send out a bad thing.

Showing up every day and doing your best is the key to moving forward and making PROGRESS. No one will care about your perfect logo when your lessons are changing their lives.

Take That First Step

Any new routine or habit will take some adjustment. By creating the space, making the time, and doing the work, you’ll be amazed at what you’re able to do.

Get that side hustle started, write that book, take that course. Whatever dream has been on the back-burner, bring it front and center!

Ask yourself this: Does how you spend your mornings reflect who you want to be or how you want your day to go?

If not, upgrade your morning routine, hit more goals, and increase productivity, all with confidence and purpose. Go get it!

Drop a comment below: What’s your biggest morning time waster?

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.
   

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

Declutter Your Desires to Accelerate Your Dreams

I was broke, flat broke, with no direction or purpose. There were so many things to achieve, I honestly didn’t want to choose.

So, I did it all…

… studying for the GRE, working as a waitress, babysitter, and receptionist, looking for another job to add to the list. I wanted to make money, figure out the next move, try to start a business!

I burned out, with no money left, three credit cards at the limit, and spread far too thin. 

“This ISN’T working.”

There was my inner voice, telling me to stop simultaneously digging my self into a hold and clawing my way out. #Ironic

I decided to take a step back, focus on one thing, and figure that one thing out.

I chose to figure out the money.

Committing to one thing and blocking out everything else meant I was no longer doing things that drained the money I didn’t have.

I got rid of stuff that created the appearance I wanted but couldn’t (yet) afford.

“Goodbye fancy car and apartment!”

As a result, without doing anything else, I immediately had more money.

Immediately, I no longer needed three jobs and could go down to one.

Working one job meant I could go back to school, take the GRE, and get into a top graduate school program.

Having the degree allowed me to triple my income.

Do you see how success can snowball quickly with just one decision?

Within 9 months, my money issue was taken care of for good.

By making a choice, I created a big impact in one direction instead of putting time and energy in different directions, working hard but getting nowhere.

The Big takeaway

Invest in what’s most important and going to make the biggest difference to you RIGHT NOW and put everything else on hold.

This is what is meant by ‘decluttering your desires’.

What is Decluttering Your Desires?

My attendees come in with so many desires, stuff going on, things to achieve, and trying to do it all.

They’re powerful women who have already achieved massive success, and are looking to accomplish even more. They want a degree, a new job, to start an impactful business, write a book or just to make the day-to-day work with more joy in their hearts.

The big thing these powerful ladies struggle with? Figuring out what to do first.

Desires can fill your heart, but can also overwhelm if you have too many.

With so many choices, how in the world do you choose the thing you want to do? 

Hint: You don’t.

It’s actually time to give those desires the ‘Marie Kondo’ treatment! Tidy house equals tidy mind, right? Same with desires.

How to Marie Kondo Your Desires

list your desires

Make a list of everything you’re trying to achieve: big things, small things, and all the things that come in between. Include short-term fixes to things way down the road, like writing a book, buying a house, getting a man!

Lay out everything in your heart and soul, even if you can’t pursue it at the moment. Get all those dreams onto paper to free up headspace for what matters RIGHT NOW.

Otherwise, your goals will always be at the back of your mind, taking up energy, and distracting from what’s really important.

ask hard questions

Once you have all your dreams on paper, you can start to ask the real questions.

• Will doing this one thing lead me closer to where I want to be?

• Will it bring joy and happiness?

• Do I even WANT to do this thing?

Make A Choice

Use these questions to choose one goal to pursue, and leave the rest behind.

Don’t think decluttering means taking away something you desire and can’t wait to do, or giving up on any dreams. 

It’s the opposite!

You’re aiming for the championship by benching certain things to win one game at a time.

Choose one goal to work on right now knowing that once it’s accomplished, those other desires will still be there. And you can come to them later with the time and energy to do them justice.

The Secret To Decluttering Your Desires

believe what you say

… and act as if you truly believe it.

We say “I want to start a successful business.”

And then start three businesses at the same time, apply for a master’s program to land a better job just in case, and secretly keep an eye out for a rich potential husband at the same time.

What if you really believed yourself?

Would you still spread yourself too thin trying to do all the things? No!

You would trust that you have it together, know what’s right, and be confident in choosing that first step towards achieving what lights up your soul.

Know that by making these tough choices, you’re moving toward your dreams.

That’s all I’m asking you to do today.

Declutter your desires so you can choose and do what matters most.

Drop a comment below: Which desire will you choose prioritize first?

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

 This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

---

About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!

Why Making A Choice Doesn't Limit You, It Frees you

When my daughter was young, I never asked what she wanted for dinner. Instead, I would give her a choice of two parent-approved options.

 Without those options, she’d shrug her shoulders and say: “I don’t know.”

 But asked whether it was stir-fry or taco night? She’d immediately pick tacos.

 When you say these are your options, kids know what to pick, right?

 The same applies to adults.

 There are so many things we could be doing, and no gatekeepers stopping us from going after what we want. Write a book, start a website, offer services, become a coach, or a yoga instructor… literally anything!

 But with so many options, many of us feel overwhelmed rather than joyful excitement, and paralysis rather than motivation.

 This, my friend, is the tyranny of choice.

 With unlimited opportunities, why are we not DOING any of them?

 Research has shown time and time again that the more choices you have, the less you actually get done.

 Looking at every option, comparing everything, trying to figure out what’s most important, what’s good, what’s not…

 … and before you know it,  information overload!

 “I’m overwhelmed, got a headache, don’t want to decide! I’ll pick tomorrow.”

 And tomorrow goes by again, and again.

 How about, instead of worrying about the end goal, we focus on the joy of choosing. Doesn’t that sound like a much better plan?

 WHY CHOOSING ISN’T LIMITING, BUT FREEING

 Let’s try this exercise.

 What if I asked what you really wanted out of life?

 What if I then said pick that one thing and just do it?

 Sounds so simple, but the reality of putting it into practice can be difficult.

 One thing I teach is how to choose that one thing and do it with joy and the least amount of stress possible.

 You want to pick something, do it, get it done and feel great about what you’ve achieved.

 Imagine this: you also want to write a book, start a business, create a course, be a speaker, you’re multi-talented!

 Each goal needs research, an outline of steps to take, which must be followed up by intentional action, and all this takes valuable time.

 Let’s say you only have four hours a day to get things done. You could allocate an hour for each option, but that would mean some slow progress.

 And you’d be spreading limited resources – time, money, energy – in a lot of different directions.

 That’s what too much choice gives you. A lot to think about and do!

 It doesn’t give progress, that excitement to finish or quick wins. Instead, it demotivates and slows you down.

 So, what happens if you just picked one? Go for it, play the big game, lay it all out and finish.

 You’d then be able to move onto the next thing, knowing in your heart that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

 HOW TO MAKE CHOOSING JOYFUL RATHER THAN STRESSFUL

 There’s no reason to run around in circles or have a thousand things on your plate. You need to just pick one and tackle it head-on.

 “But how do I choose?”

 That’s the biggest question I get and what I’ve been teaching in my signature event Finish Line by Design—how to choose and move toward your dreams. But don’t worry, everything else isn’t forgotten, it’s just on the back burner for a later time.

 Now you’re making progress, two things can happen.

 You love the thing you’re doing so much that you don’t want to do anything else.

 Or you think, wait, I don’t like this at all! Let me put this down and go onto the next thing.

 And when you do it that way, there’s no more FOMO. Tried it, didn’t like it, and moving on with confidence because it’s not for me.

 MISSING OPPORTUNITY SEARCHING FOR OPPORTUNITY

 I read an article once about choosing the person you want to marry. With all these dating apps, everyone is swiping non-stop. And there are so many options, you keep on going because Mr. Perfect is just around the next swipe, right?

 Or did you swipe past him looking for something better only to regret it later?

 And now Mr. Perfect has gone off with someone who made a choice and picked him!

 The lesson? Don’t swipe by opportunities hoping for something better. Make a decision, pick one, and try it on for size before you swipe left.

  CHOOSING IS KEY TO ACHIEVING A BALANCED LIFE

 While I love talking about getting what you want out of life, my big thing is balance.

 I don’t believe in hustling or overworking, but in joyful and balanced achievement.

 That’s why I teach people how to accomplish big dreams by making choices, and to do so with ease, joy, flow, and balance. How to get to that finish line without stressing out!

 I want everyone in this world to have more time with family, for things that make them feel alive, on dating sites if that’s what you really want!

 And it’s ok to choose dating as important. You don’t have to choose career or side hustle; you can choose YOU.

 What’s important is to pick one option and give it your all.

 So go out there, choose, and make moves my friend!

 Drop a comment below: What’s your biggest worry when making a choice?

Want To Start Planning Your Vision Board Party? 

1. Download the FREE vision board party planning checklist.

2. Craft your inspiring vision board workshop talk with our FREE High Impact Storytelling Journal Prompts. 

3. Plan, promote & host your first (or next) professional & profitable vision board workshop with our signature course, Sold Out Vision Board Parties.

About the author

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!