What do I want to do?
What do I want to accomplish?
Where do I want to go?
What do I want to be wearing as I accomplish these fabulous goals in this fabulous new year?
I decided to look great this year. I’ll need to look as good as I feel, so yesterday I went clothes shopping. I know the stereotype is that women love clothes shopping, but that’s not true of me; I’d rather play outside.
But my jeans were becoming fundraising pants—anytime I wore them, people offered me spare change, old socks and leftover chinese food.
But my jeans were becoming fundraising pants—anytime I wore them, people offered me spare change, old socks and leftover chinese food.
So I took myself to the mall.
I had a clear plan of what I needed; jeans and a shirt. I had a clear vision of what I wanted—the cut, the style, the fit. Off I went to the store, tried on shirts until I found the right one, and did the same with jeans. Bada bing; out of there in under an hour.
My little story illustrates the point that finding what you want—and need—is easy once you’re clear on what it is. I had clear mental images of how the shirt and pants would look, feel and fit. As I tried on clothes, there was a sense of recognition when I put on the items I eventually bought. “Ahh, there’s my shirt. Yup, these are my pants.” It was like putting on clothes I already owned. Familiar and comfortable.
How does clothes shopping act as a metaphor for life?
Life is like a mall—it offers a huge variety of choices and selection. You can have this career or that; this type of relationship, or none at all.
In both Life and malls, your intent and vision influence your experience. Wandering through a mall is fine—you can browse any store, stop to eat, maybe take in a movie. But if you're there to buy pants, your trip may become frustrating and ultimately futile. If you want your life to have direction, you need to be just as clear:
In both Life and malls, your intent and vision influence your experience. Wandering through a mall is fine—you can browse any store, stop to eat, maybe take in a movie. But if you're there to buy pants, your trip may become frustrating and ultimately futile. If you want your life to have direction, you need to be just as clear:
- How will you know what stores to enter (what opportunities to take) if you don’t have a vision?
- How will you know when you’ve achieved your goals if they are vague?
Vision counts. Many teachers tell us to have a vision board for our life goals. This is brilliant. But vision boards aren’t magic—you still have to go to the mall. You can’t sit home with images of great jeans you’d like to own and pray really really hard for them to manifest in your life. Well, you can, but chances are that the UPS guy isn’t going to magically show up at your house. You need to take action.
You don’t need to know how it’s going to work; as Julia Cameron says, we need to show up and let god do the rest. I didn’t need to know the sizes and styles carried by each store. I didn’t need to know their supply chain or history of recent sales. I didn’t even have to plan where to park. I just held a vision and took appropriate action.
So get clear—really really really clear—on your vision. Make a vision board; write lists. Imagine what you will feel, see and hear when you manifest your goal. What will each day be like—what will you wear, where will you be, who else will be there? When your vision is so clear it almost exists, go to the mall of life. Find what you want. Be picky, demand comfort, style and fit. Oh and a good price too.
You’ll look terrific and feel great.
