Three-panel Vision Solutions

While Visioning® a dream is an amazing process, collage also works when seeking solutions to daily stress. For instance, I work a full-time job, a part-time job and also care-take the ranch where I live. My life is completely opposite from my recent two-year stint as a pet-sitter. Needless to say, I've struggled to maintain balance.

I've endured shoulder, arm and hand difficulty as I've acclimated to computer work most of the week. I've learned to say “no” to many friend invitations in order to say “yes” to me. I've become bad at returning calls. While I know it is vital to create a schedule that includes  creative time, I'm struggling with time management.

Now that my body is used to my work life; thanks to my stand up desk and willingness to try a variety of keyboard, mouse, and chair combinations—my stress has taken the form of an eczema breakout. And it is no big surprise that it's happening on my shoulders and arms.

In order to accept and listen to my symptoms, my go to solution is the three-part collage. 

Image courtesy of http://youngmommymemoirs.blogspot.com

Here's how it works.

Take a large rectangle paper (18 x 24 inch) and fold it into three equal sections. (Three pages of 8 1/2 x 11 works too.) Lay the paper on the table in front of you and number them as follows:

The left section is Number 1: where you are now.

The right section is Number 2: where you want to be.

The middle section is Number 3: the solution.

Take several minutes to breathe, grab a magazine and go. The key is to work quickly, only using a few images per section depending on the amount of time you have. The process is focus on one panel at a time in number order.

Rip out a few images that grab you, trim and glue (or tape) to the page. Then work the next panel. In between each section, take a few minutes to breathe and look at the images, but don't stop to journal.

For example: I just took a break to complete a collage on 18 x 24 inch paper in 40 minutes.

Regarding the eczema question, my surprise about section 1 is that I don't have a picture of skin anywhere. Instead I have the truth-telling phrase:

“I'm aging and panicking. Where can I find peace?”

Gulp. This really is where my head has been at: I've been feeling my age in all aspects of my life.

Panel 2 depicts a sleeping woman and the phrase OWN every Sunday.

Sunday is my one day off and basically, sleeping on Sunday is exactly where I have been for the past several months.

The middle section, representing the middle path between worrying about aging yet wanting to sleep my time away is an image of two horses standing in a field with the word Soulbringer across the photo.

So. Without picking up the pen I've already discovered two things: my stress has to do with growing older and that my sleep through Sunday solution is no longer working. I have an inkling about what the horse images are, but I want to spend time gaining clarity before I share!!!

NEXT MONTH: My favorite techniques for discovering the secrets of my vision board.

If you don't want to wait that long to learn how to work with your own collage, check out Lucia's book, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams. The chapters are loaded with journaling methods you can use to gain insights to your vision.

To purchase Lucia's book or information on her 2014 workshops, click here to go to her website.

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning Coach, writer and musician who practices the art of collage in all of her creative projects. To find out more, visit her at www.writeinside.com

Visioning® Solutions

It is mid-January, do you know where your goals are? If you are happily moving towards your intention, then HOORAY, keep going! But if you are like me, you are still figuring out which one of your many desires to actually commit to paper.

In addition, I've often found that setting a goal had the opposite affect. That is, I give up because my desire seems too big, too far away or takes too much energy. Esther Hicks, co-author of the Abraham-Hicks series of lectures and books explains goal-setting this way, 

“There is something in the attitude of trying that makes you turn and go the other way (against the current that leads to your dream.) But it is something different if you just let go. You call it surrender, but we don't mean giving up. You can't give up on your desires because your dreams are eternal.”

As a long-time visionary, I know that we set goals because we believe reaching them will create happiness. But I want peace and joy regardless of external circumstances. This intention, combined with Visioning®, will itself lead to my desire.The reason is that Visioning® is the solution when we are in the middle of a stressful situation. In chapter 11 of her book, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams, Lucia addresses the topic of work and career. She sites specific case studies of others who solved issues through collage and journaling. One case addresses dealing with difficult people on the job—specifically the manager from hell. Having the manager of hell as a boss doesn't seem like the path to peace.

Photo from LinkedIn.com

“Visioning is a highly effective method for dealing with such situations from the inside out. Why? Because it is possible to safely express emotional buildup through a picture of “what is” and then move on to visioning “how it could be.” The release of tension through collage and writing frees up tremendous amounts of creative and physical energy. Worries and anxiety can be dumped out onto the paper, clearing the way for the vision of a positive future.” page 175, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

Of course Marissa, the visionary in the case-study successfully arrived at a solution through Visioning®, but you'll need to check out the chapter yourself if you want to know the specifics.

So, 2014 is going to be all about applying Visioning® to situations that keep us stressed out, instead of blissed out. Learn the method firsthand Sunday, January 19, 2014 from 10am to 5pm in San Luis Obispo, CA., by joining Lucia at her Visioning® workshop. The cost is $100.00 and space is limited. Register by calling 805 546-1424 or by emailing luciacapa@aol.com.

For more information on this workshop or Lucia's other 2014 workshops, click to go to her website.

Dorothy Segovia is a writer, musician and certified Visioning Coach. She welcomes your questions, comments and suggestions about this blog. Contact her through her website at www.writeinside.com.

Vision the Holiday

This the perfect time to create a vision board. Regardless of past holidays, family wants, Hallmark images and advertisements for the latest gadget, how we feel about the holidays is our choice.There are countless ways to celebrate, the important thing is that you feel like you are celebrating, not obligating.



 It is not necessary to make a large scale collage. A small 8 1/2 by 11 collage will suffice.  Here are a quick review of the steps.

1. Make a wish.
2. Search for images and words.
3. Focus on the vision.
4. Compose the design.
5. Explore and find order in creative chaos.
6. Create the collage.
7. Articulate the vision.
8. Reinforce the dream.
9. Embrace the reality.
10. Celebrate the dream come true.

So what feeling do you want to create this holiday? Lots of activity with family and friends is one way. Spending some time alone to reflect or taking an evening walk to see the lights is another. Eggnog by the fire listening to music is yet a different choice. By taking time to collage with your Creative Self, you are sure to cut through the plethora of decisions if you let your heart guide you.

Finally, the Mayo clinic has great tips for beating the stress. Not surprisingly, acknowledging your feelings is at the top.


Celebrate, appreciate and create.

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning(R) Coach and author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Obstacles. Read more of her writing at www.writeinside.com.

Visioning® and Appreciation

While celebrating a dream or major step along the way is important, creating appreciation lists on a regular basis is key to a bliss-filled life. Whenever I get into a funk, jotting down my blessings can shake me into a better state of mind. At the very least, it halts a negative cycle. The reason is that I am focusing on what I have instead of what I do not have. In addition, the simple action of pen to paper brings body and mind together in the present moment.

In addition, we can also show appreciation for our creative self.

“Acknowledging all the support you received throughout the Visioning® process begins with thanking your creative self. As the source of your creativity and the sustaining force that helped you reach for your dream, your creative self deserves your gratitude and appreciation. This is an opportunity to express thankfulness from the bottom of your heart and to do it in as creative a way as possible. Starting with a thank-you letter, you can go on to conceive a unique and very personal ritual of gratitude to your creative self.” page 165, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

From goalviz.com. The benefits of a Gratitude Journal and How to Use One.

Lucia goes on further to suggest that we write a thank-you letter to your creative self. What has it given you? What has it taught you?

Next, she has suggestions for designing and carrying out a gratitude ritual, also thanking our creative self. Some ideas include: creating and displaying a prayer or card, dedicating a special corner in our home to our creative self, and creating a ceremony of thanks.

“With your nondominant hand, allow your creative self to write a message to you. If you have questions, write them with your dominant hand and allow the creative self to respond with your non-dominant hand.” page 166, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

Appreciation is an inside job: a simple, yet boundless gift that you give to your self.

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning® coach and author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Accidents, a how-to book with music CD. Visit her at www.writeinside.com

Visioning Step 10: Celebrate the Dream Come True

"There's no way to know when it's the right time to do this step. You'll have to decide. It depends upon how your dream unfolds and at what point you feel the need to start celebrating. It may take a few weeks, months or more, depending upon the complexity of your heart's desire. The creative self has its own internal rhythm that gives us what we need when the time is right. Dream your dreams, do your work, but have patience and faith as well. Turn the results over to your creative self and trust the process. And remember that it is a process; there's no end point. Celebration occurs when you feel like acknowledging yourself, your creative self, and others who have helped you in your journey." -- page 161, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

These are the concepts in the above paragraph that catch my attention: "feel the need to start celebrating," and "celebration occurs when you feel like acknowledging yourself."

Photo from ladieslotto.com

I generally thought of celebrating as "the cookies are done, now we can enjoy." But throughout the Visioning(R) process, I have found all sorts of reasons to celebrate. 

1. I dared to name what I want in my life.
2. I committed my dream to collage.
3. Following the journal steps in each chapter gave me the feeling that I am moving towards my dream. 
4. Turning my dream over to my creative self allows me to reach my dream in ways I never imagined.

Finally, when a dream manifests I know I'm going to collage another. And another after that.
Yes, achieving a goal is fantastic, but celebrating the steps make the journey even sweeter.

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning(R) Coach who dreams big. She is the author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Accidents book with music CD. She can be reached at www.writeinside.com.

Visioning Step 9: Embrace the Reality

Embracing your dream means accepting all the challenges that come with it. Expecting it to be handed to you without some inner work in unrealistic. Committing to your dream is like becoming a parent; you're in it for the long haul, “for better or for worse.” page 151, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

My for worse came when I couldn't buy a vowel to actually move to Ventura, in spite of working a collage with all of the steps and methods for over a year.

Oddly enough, here's where a miracle stepped in. Last April, on the day I was packing to move to a 5-week pet-sit in Morro Bay, I received a call from an employment agency to interview for full-time work close to Ventura. Miraculously, because I had a feeling this was going to happen, the day before, I had phoned a colleague about whether to accept an “interview in the bush within commuting distance from Ventura” rather than the “paying-pet-sit-in-the-hand in San Luis Obispo county”

He told me that all I could do was make my best choice, honor my commitments and surrender the outcome.

I decided that honoring my commitment for a paid, 5-week gig was more solid than an interview with an agency which would result in an interview for a temporary to staff job. On my Ventura collage, the lower right corner has 4 girls' feet resting on a table. When I walked into the Morro Bay pet-sit, the painting on the wall depicted 4 womens' feet resting on beach-towels. In both images the feet had brightly painted toenails.

I knew that I had made the right decision.

To fully accept that your dream will come true, you have to see yourself playing the role in your new visual scenario. What part of you wants to emerge? The artist, the homebody, the business entrepreneur? Of course, the role is not who you are, it's a way of experiencing. The role allows you to stretch and grow and become a fuller human being. Page 149, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

Before the Visioning® method, I was afraid to ask for what I wanted. But now, I have not only learned how to ask, but I have also let go of the outcome. Surrendering my dream and giving up are two different things.

I surrendered when I realized that I was trying to force Ventura into place.

I surrendered to the fact that I actually had no idea how to be a successful business-person. I needed to continue asking for help: from a support group, a 12-step sponsor and private sessions with Lucia to release stuck energy.

Allowing your Vision collage to bear fruit requires that you embrace both your dream and your present life with awareness. Page 147, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams.

I just left a 2-day pet-sit at the home in Morro Bay with the painting of the 4 womens' feet. It's time to create a new collage that focuses on a stable environment where I support myself and my creative projects. Will it be in Ventura? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe...

Dorothy Segovia is a certified Visioning® coach and author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Accidents, a how-to book with music CD. Visit her at www.writeinside.com

Visioning Step 8: Reinforcing the Dream

This phase of Visioning invites you to simply contemplate your collage. You do this by looking at it as well as picturing it in your mind's eye. This is how you reprogram your mind to believe in the reality of what you truly want. You are undoing the programming we've all received that says: believe only in what you see, feel, hear, taste, and touch in the present moment or what you experienced in the past. page 138, Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams

The key idea in Step 8 is the great undoing. That is, you are taking a stand for your heart's desire that flies in the face of outdated beliefs of where you think you should be in your life. The undoing is releasing self-judgment, outer criticism or comparing yourself to anyone. Colorado life coach Tama Kieves has this to say about the importance of undoing in her July Mojo message newsletter. ..A life of vision means you are following what you cannot see– but know. Following your heart is radical. It’s the commitment to follow a juice not of this world. Your life may look like less than you imagined, but do not be deceived. You do not yet know how to imagine. If you want to live a singular life, you cannot compare yourself to other. I suggest you take back your freedom. Take back your focus. Take back where you place your attention...

Reinforcing the dream by spending time with the completed collage seems deceptively easy. Yet, this is where many dreams fall by the wayside. Because the work phase of actually creating the collage is done, it is easy to look at the collage for a few days, then jump over to the next collage.

But contemplating and burning your dream's images is an act of creation. Activating the feeling of living your dream is serious play. Allowing yourself to become immersed in the collage images sets the stage for the images to come true. By spending time with your dream a minimum of 3x a day, you are telling the powers that be: yes, I'm ready for my dream to become reality.

Dorothy Segovia is a long-time dreamer, and author of My Body, My Car: How to Coach Yourself Through Life's little Accidents. www.writeinside.com.