I have to apologize to Jillian Michaels…

Admittedly I had sort of ignored her.  I never watched The Biggest Loser.  I preferred watching the Discovery Health Fitness Challenge.  The participants seemed more like me.  The coaches seemed more realistic.  The Biggest Loser seemed to be populated with people WAY out of my weight class and the coaches were bombastic and over dramatic.  Then I see Jillian Michaels advertisements all over the television.  It was all too “Pop Culture” for me.

But circumstances conspire….the universe presents us with opportunities….

I am a subscriber to Audible.com (one of the best $20/month investments EVER).  As part of the subscription I get two free downloads a month.  I am addicted to listening to books in the car and I try to switch regularly between fiction and non-fiction to stay well rounded.  Last  month I was looking for a book to listen to, and I knew I needed to get some non-fiction into my literary diet.  I don’t know why, but my eye landed on Jillian Michaels’ book Unlimited.  I spend a few seconds debating it but I was about to get in the car and I wanted something to listen to (the radio stations in my city leave a lot to be desired) so I downloaded it and hit the road.

OMG!  Talk about not judging a book by its cover!  This book is fantastic!  It is an uplifting, no nonsense approach to setting and achieving goals.  Although she uses a lot of fitness based stories and analogies, it is not, in itself, a book on fitness.  Jillian covers all aspects of moving your life in a positive direction.  She discusses relationships, careers, happiness, and of course health and fitness.  She hands you some very clear step-by-step strategies for deciding what you want out of life and then going after it.  She doesn’t mince words.  She doesn’t get new-age.  She puts it in very simple terms.

I have to also say, that I have read a LOT of books on personal betterment and I have heard many of her suggestions before.  I mean that as a positive thing.  These tools work.  Sometimes we hear something so often we tune it out.  Jillian succeeds in reminding you that you have heard these things over and over because they are effective.  If they didn’t work, people wouldn’t keep recommending them.

Jillian reads the book herself and you can tell she is not only passionate about he subject matter, but believes in both the process and in every one’s ability to improve themselves and their lives.  I even learned some things about her in this book that made me take a second look at her as a person. It shattered my previous picture of her as simply a loud TV celeb with a six-pack.  She knows her stuff.  She lives her stuff.  So again….Jillian I am very sorry for prejudging you and thank you so much for the information in your book.

At the moment the thing I am most interested in is her concept of a “goal pyramid”.  Its a way to organize your main goal into smaller, achievable  goals that build on one another until you reach your ultimate goal.  Its very visual and graphic and I am having a good time working on mine at the moment.  If you want to check it out you see it in action at her website.   The site is well done and there are a lot of free downloads and stories that will get you motivated and on your way.

The Vision Board is Older Than History!

Yes, I am a student of personal development, but my first field of study was actually ancient history and archaeology.  I am often amazed how so many of our current and “modern” cultural tendencies have their roots in the oldest cultures.  Recently, while working on a new vision board project (that I will be sharing here soon) I was struck with a sudden insight.  Vision boards are nothing new.  As a mater of fact, vision boards are some of the oldest cultural artifacts we have!

That’s right.  The earliest records of our species were cave paintings like the one seen here, found in Lascaux, France.  What we see here is  a vision board.  It shows, very clearly, the goals of the artist and a very positive outcome .  We see the artist/ hunter represented.  We also see the goals he has set for himself (a good hunt).  Finally we see the positive energy that the artist has put into his Paleo Vision Board.  The animals are filled with arrows, indicating a successful hunt for all.  If that’s not a vision board in form and function, I don’t know what is.

In addition, archaeologist have determined that the artists probably didn’t simply wander into a convenient cave and doodle a sketch on the wall.  The cave was set aside as a sacred space and the drawings were done with great ritual and emotional outpouring.  They put a great deal of feeling and energy into both the creation of this artwork and the goals that this drawing was to help bring about!  In every way this is identical to the process that we use today to create the most potent vision boards.

When you make your next vision board, take a lesson from the people who’s very survival depended on the outcome of their vision board.  Find a place to work that has good energy.  Put strong, positive emotions behind your images, and hold the finish product in high regard.  It’s not just arts and crafts.  It’s a power tool and should be handled with respect.

Please Pardon the Typos

This is a post I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time as a matter of fact it was a little phone. I wanted to see how that is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking app was on my iPhone. So my plan was to simply speak a post. I have minimal training with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I can in Decendents.

I can start a new paragraph.
I can make a list
like this
I want to

the point of this post is just to illustrate how accurate this app can be iPhone for getting your ideas out there. I do not contingent at it, touch, or fix anything in this post. I’m just going to speak it and posted. However any interest legibility I think I might have to type up the transcript of this and post it directly under it. That way you can see what I intended to say versus what dragon that. Actually recording. If this works. It’s a fabulous tool for getting your ideas out. I do most of my good thinking in the car and there’s really no way from you right all I’m driving. This way I can do rough drafts of posts, chapters and e-books, grocery list or anything else that pops into my head well I’m on a particularly dull stretch of road.

What I can tell the iPhone app gives me about 20 seconds of speaking which is actually pretty good after 22nd I simply can’t continue and do another 20 seconds and it depends the new text right to where I stopped speaking. 20 seconds is about all I can keep in my head up. When I write I can rearrange and put my thoughts out there added to

I just look at that last line and it didn’t record that very well.

Typing lets me edit on the go speaking doesn’t let me do that so I only use the 22nd four o’clock maybe a paragraph anyway that’s how it works I will post for my next post because driving and talking isn’t natural to me yet transcript will see you later

Sent from my phone.

That last bit was a totally unedited entry from my iPhone and the Dragon Naturally Speaking app.  I guess its not quite as polished as I would like it to be but still, its pretty amazing for a free app.  I used a set of ear buds with a microphone and it picked up the gist of what I was saying even if it didn’t transcribe it perfectly.  The app allows around 20 seconds of recording before it cuts you off and transcribes what you just said.  Never fear, though, when its finished its transcription you just hit the record button and it picks up right were you left off.  I haven’t found an upper limit to the amount of dictation it can take in this manner.

I love this app because I get most of my best ideas while I am driving in my car.  This way I can capture the idea and send it to an email to myself.  I also seem to think better when I am walking so I can totally see using this as I walk around my neighborhood, getting my blogs roughed out, and getting a head start on chapters in up coming books, or even reminiscing for my journal.  All of  this text can be emailed from my phone and stored in my inbox to be copied, pasted and edited.

As you can see the transcription is far from perfect, but it is great for a VERY rough draft.  It goes a long way to getting you started on any writing project.  Sometimes facing that blank page is the first, biggest hurdle to getting a project done.  This way you have something to start with.  Problem solved.  I’ve always heard that “writing is re-writing anyway.  I fully intend to get better with this app.  The opportunities seem enormous.  I think that they designed the app to learn as you use it so the I expect the transcriptions to get better over time.

Now, for the benefit of those that are interested, I will attempt to edit my dictation into what I originally said:

This is a post I’ve been meaning to do for quite some time. As a matter of fact it was a little fun.  I wanted to see how that is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking app was on my iPhone, so my plan was to simply speak a post. I have minimal training with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. I can end sentences.

I can start a new paragraph.
I can make a list
like this
if I want to

the point of this post is just to illustrate how accurate this app can be  for getting your ideas out there. I do not correct, edit, touch, or fix anything in this post. I’m just going to speak it and post it. However, in the interest of legibility I think I might have to type up the transcript of this and post it directly under it. That way you can see what I intended to say versus what dragon was actually recording. If this works. It’s a fabulous tool for getting your ideas out. I do most of my good thinking in the car and there’s really no way for me to write while  I’m driving. This way I can do rough drafts of posts, chapters and e-books, grocery list or anything else that pops into my head while I’m on a particularly dull stretch of road.

From what I can tell the iPhone app gives me about 20 seconds of speaking which is actually pretty good. After 20 seconds I simply can continue and do another 20 seconds and it appends the new text right from where I stopped speaking. 20 seconds is about all I can keep in my head. When I write I can rearrange and put my thoughts out there added to

I just look at that last line and it didn’t record very well.

Typing lets me edit on the go. Speaking doesn’t let me do that so I only use the 20 seconds  for maybe a paragraph. Anyway that’s how it works. I will post for my next post because driving and talking isn’t natural to me yet transcript will see you later.
Sent from my phone.

The bits marked in red are parts I can’t figure out. I cant remember what I was thinking.
Here are some tips:

• Use earbuds with a mic.  That way you can see when you are out of time and push the record button again.  Besides if you are driving it makes it much easier all around.
• Learn the dictation language.  “New Paragraph”  “New Line”  “Period” “Comma” etc.  These are code words that let DNS know how to format your text
• Speak naturally.  If you slow down it actually confuses the app.  Some very smart people went to a lot of trouble to make it easy to use.  Stilted speech also leads to stilted thinking.
• Edit you text as soon as you can.  While it is still HOT in your head.  The colder it gets the more difficult it will be to remember what you wanted to say.
  

I-Ching Hexagram 27 … Yi

This hexagram is a picture of an open mouth; above and below are the firm lines of the lips, and between them the opening. Starting with the mouth, through which we take food for nourishment, the thought leads to nourishment itself. Nourishment of oneself, specifically of the body, is represented in the three lower lines, while the three upper lines represent nourishment and care of others, in a higher, spiritual sense.

THE JUDGMENT

THE CORNERS OF THE MOUTH.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Pay heed to the providing of nourishment
And to what a man seeks
To fill his own mouth with.

Over a lifetime of strange studies and historical intrests I have become interested in various symbols and the ideas behind them.  Sometimes a symbol, properly understood, can relate an enormous amount of information, emotion and motivation.  There are several of these symbols that I try to keep around me as signposts and reminders.

Yi is a particularly important symbol.  I am very interested in fitness and nutrition, and even cooking.  On the surface it pretty obvious why I am attracted to this symbol.  Its about nutrition and nourishment.  True!  The meaning of Yi can be taken much deeper than this, however.  If you go below the surface of food/nutrition and look at it as life/nutrition, you get a very powerful idea.  Just like the old saying, “you are what you eat”, whatever you bring into your life becomes your life.  Just as picking the very best ingredients for a recipe can make all the difference in the finished dish , think of selecting only the most vital and nutritious thoughts, people, ideas and activities to make up your life.  Filling your life with too much “junk food” (pointless tv shows, poisonous people, etc.)  is as bad as a strict diet of Big Macs and Twinkies.

So start feeding your life what it needs.  Make it grow into the life you always wanted.

Or….How My Niece FINALLY Started Keeping a Journal!

For years I have been trying to get my two nieces to start keeping a journal or diary or notebook or ANYTHING. I have one niece, Kate, that likes to read diarys and books that are written as diaries but never keeps one herself. The older niece, Nicole, has made several attempts (mainly to make me happy) to keep a diary, as sketch book, even dream journals, but never seemed to have any luck.

Then, as I was looking through the web on my own quest to see how other people are journaling I came across something that the creator calls a “Junque Journal” on YouTube. I loved it! It’s a totally creative, no pressure way to compile a “journal” of all the bits of your life that some how fall through the cracks.

Here is the video from YouTube:

I immediately introduced Nicole to the process and we spent a Saturday afternoon preparing the composition book and pages for the journal. We painted, inked, tore, glittered, taped, tied ribbons, stapled and anything else we could think of to use up old crafting supplies. The trick is to have the pages ready so you can just shove stuff in when you get the urge.

I have to admit, I didn’t really think it would go much further. We often have these art sessions, then, like your refrigerator, the light goes out when the door closes. Rarely, if ever, does the creative process stick with the when they leave my house. This time, however, I was to be amazed! Nicole took to her Junque Journal like I’ve never seen her do before with any of our projects. I was at my brother’s house one day and she plopped that big, beautiful, chunky, clunky, overstuffed, wonderful book down on the table. I was speechless. Check it out for yourself. I made her let e take a couple of pictures of it.

Truth be known, she far out stripped me on this project. I have yet to add a single thing to my junque journal. Her advise…don’t even think about it. Just shove stuff in it. No rhyme or reason or themes. Just put stuff in. It becomes it’s own, organic, living thing with no help from you. All you have to do is feed the thing.

Go ahead and give it a try. I’ve never found a journaling technique that is as wild and free as this Junque Journal!

When the iPad first came out I fell in love! But I was cautious. It was a big chunk of change to part with and I knew that the next generation would be better. I reigned in my impulse buying and it’s finally paid off. I am now the proud owner of an iPad 2! I am loving it.

The first thing I did was download the WordPress app and the Evernote app. Now I can journal and blog on the go. I am all about being mobile.

Not only should it make me a more productive journaler, but what really sold me were the art apps. I love sketching, drawing and painting and have actually been using some art apps on my iPhone, but the screen is just too small. Now I can draw on a page nearly the size of a sheet of printer paper!

Mind mapping, video editing, vision boards, photo albums…all more accessible on the go with my new iPad!

Yes, this post has been composed and uploaded from the iPad. I am using the onscreen keyboard so please forgive any typos. Last year I purchased a folding Bluetooth keyboard that I can use to make typing content even easier.

All forms of diaries and journals fascinate me.  I guess that goes without saying.  One of the pitfalls of this hobby is that it becomes hard to stick to one kind of diary when you are constantly attracted to new and different techniques.  It makes for a lot of false starts, I can tell you.  That’s why this year (it was a new years resolution I didn’t tell you about) I have decided to keep a simple, day-to-day diary.  No bells, no whistles and no rules.  I just wanted to put a date at the top of the page and go for it each and every day.

That worked until about the middle of February.  I was reading some articles online that talked about the simple elegance of keeping information in a plain old text file (.txt). It’s easy to update, easy to search, easy to copy and works on any computer, Mac, PC, Linux, even my iPhone.  It had an enormous appeal.  I mean, in my job I am sitting in front of my computer ALL day.  Why not do my journaling at my desk?  The more I thought about it the better the ideas sounded.  Not only could I keep a simple text file for my diary, I could keep it online somewhere.  I thought about Google Docs first but then I thought it would be great to be able to update it from my iPhone and I really haven’t found a good app that lets me edit Google Docs.  Then I remembered that I used an offline storage service called Dropbox (dropbox.com).  I could keep my text file there and then download it to any computer I was using at the time.  I would then put it back in Dropbox when I was done so it would be they’re waiting for me the next time I wanted to update it.  I even found apps that let me keep text notes on Dropbox from my iPhone.

I used this technique for a couple of days and found it was a bit clumsy.  I had multiple copies of my diary that I had to remember to take off of my various computers and the apps on my phone didn’t let me edit the text files, just create new ones so I had to spend time consolidating them later.

That’s when the “AHA!” moment hit me.  I was already using the online notebook service called Evernote.  It had everything I needed.  It was basically a simple text file.  I could organize my diary folder into months.  I could update and edit from the app on my phone.  I could access it from anywhere.  I could even take photos with my phone or upload pics from my other cameras that could be included in the diary.

To date, it’s working perfectly.  I keep a regular diary of thoughts and plans and “what happened today”. On my Evernote account I have folders for pictures and illustrations that I want to include in the completed diary.  Finally, at the end of the year, I intend on sending the whole thing off to Lulu.com and have it printed, pictures and all, into a nice book to put on the shelf with all of my other diaries.

Sure I still keep a notebook around.  Nothing beats a plain old notebook for on the go brainstorming and note jotting, but as soon as I make some sense of the notes I try and put them right into the Evernote file.  I am committed to keeping this entire year on Evernote.  I am already picking up some tricks that I can share with you in other posts, so I’ll be letting you know how things are going as the year progresses.

When I started covering these ideas for interesting vision board techniques I intended to just do two articles.  One post on using graphics software to create and print a vision board and the second post covering making vision board movies.  Recently I have come a cross a great technique that definitely warrants sharing.

If you read this blog or know me at all you know I interested in bookbinding.  I love making journals, notebook, and sketchbooks.  I even print out game guides and bind them for my video games.  I was looking at different book binding crafts on YouTube a few days ago and came across a quick and easy scrapbook technique. It’s simple and elegant and lends itself to a great many projects.

Its called Teesha Moore’s Amazing 16 Page Journal

Teesha Moore’s Amazing 16-Page Journal

Teesha uses some really nice watercolor paper for her journal.  I did this for my first one and I have to admit I loved the results. But after the first journal I made I started thinking of the mind numbing possibilities for this simple project.  I did some experimenting and found that I could do a pretty good job using poster board.  It doesn’t crease as nicely as the watercolor paper but it’s a LOT cheaper and comes in lots of colors (incase you aren’t into the watercolor thing she teaches).  The only catch is, using the dimensions she sets out for the book, you will need to use two sheets of poster board if you want the same number of pages.

Maybe by now you have made the connection between this journaling technique and vision boards.  This book will give you a very attractive way to build your vision board and even let you uses pages to separate subject matter for you visions.  The one I am working on now has a large page spread for my new home, a smaller page dedicated to a car I love and pages dedicated to friends, romance and fitness.

Since all parts of the book aren’t visible at once as they would be for a more traditional vision board, you might consider making the cover an over view of your goals, then you can flip through the book at your leisure.

As with any vision board, have fun with it.  Make it yours.

I am also working on a means to collect several of these vision books into a larger format.  Ill share that with you as soon as I complete a few so I can show you how I do it.

Thanks Teesha! (www.teeshamoore.com)

Sample Mind Movie

So you have spent hours going through old magazines and using a giant glue stick and finally you’ve mapped out the vision of your perfect life.  The poster board collage is stuck dutifully on the door to your bedroom closet and you can see it every morning when you get dressed and every night before bed.

Or…

You read my earlier post and did the entire thing digitally and printed it out in many formats.  You have a poster on your bedroom door, a screen saver and even a copy folded up in your back pocket at all times!

Let the good vibes roll in!

Well my friend you have taken a large step in the direction of achieving your to your goals.  I can’t let a good thing go, however.  I’ve been thinking and I think I’ve come up with a couple more exciting vision board techniques!

If you have been collecting images from the Internet an/or scanning them into your computer for either your digital vision board or to print and cut out for your analog version, then you already have the raw material you need to take another giant step into vision boarding for the twenty-first century.

I have two techniques I want to hand you.

Number 1  MAKE A MOVIE!

Most computers have the software necessary to take all of those images you’ve collected and turn them in to a pretty impressive slide show.  You can just dump them in to Windows Movie Maker or iMovie (PC and Mac respectively) and voila!  Instant movie.  Now you can show your creativity by changing the transitions between images, adding motion to some of the scenes, typing over the photos and adding words of inspiration and motivation.  You can even add some background music.  That’s a dimension you just can’t get with a poster board!

If you are not familiar with the software, don’t sweat it.  It took my 15-year-old niece all of ten minutes to show me how to use it.  Kids have totally educated themselves in video production (YouTube).  If you don’t have a teenager available, trust me, it’s pretty easy.  Basically you open the software and drag all the photos in your folder to the storyboard, and then just put them in the order you want them in.  There are plenty of tutorials online (even on YouTube).

There you have it, your own movie/visionboard, email able and playable on any computer you care to play it on.  Possibly even playable on your phone.

If you take it one step further (though I have to admit this gets a bit more complicated) you can burn it to a CD that you can stick in and watch while you are going about your business.  I know a lot of people that like to keep the TV on, even if they aren’t watching it.  They like the “company.”  What better company than your visionboard playing in the background with your favorite music.

Number 2  PUT IT IN A FRAME

I’m not talking about finding a giant, ornate frame for your poster board creation (though I kinda like that idea).  What I am talking about here is a Digital frame.  They are available everywhere these days, in all sizes and all price ranges.  The nice aspect about these frames is that most of them now have a “slide-show” function.  Take all those wonderful, motivating images you’ve collected and move them to a digital frame.  Flip the “slide-show” switch and enjoy.  Your vision board plays right there, you can have it on your desk, by your bed, or on the kitchen counter.  Some are battery powered so they can literally travel anywhere with you.  Believe it or not, many of them can also play music.

Doing a quick search on the net, I’ve located some great examples of movies others have made.  You can head to YouTube and do a search on “mindmovie.”  I bet you will be pretty inspired.

Now you have two more ways to keep you goals and aspirations right in front of you.  Using some readily available technology you can update your concept of a vision board and give it the extra dimensions of sound and movement.  Give the glue stick a rest and give these methods a try.

A vision board is a great way to keep your life plans, goals, and ambitions clearly focused and in your mind at all times.  By creating a vision board of your ultimate life design you have in your possession a clear, visual representation of the important things you want to achieve and accomplish.  By keeping it in a place that you see often and regularly throughout the day,  you are constantly reminding yourself and your environment of exactly where you intend to go in life.  There have been countless studies on the effectiveness of such a clear, persistent and positive vision.  Either by activating the Laws of Attraction or as simple a reminder to keep you on track, vision boards are a proven tool for changing your life.

One of my vision boards for getting lean

Traditionally, creating a vision board was an exercise in arts and crafts.  You would take a poster board or a foam-core board and a stack of magazines and start to cut out images  and words that represent you and the things you are aiming for, and gluing and/or taping these images and words to the board.  When you are done you have a collage of the things in life you are gunning for.  You then place this board in a spot where you could see it often and regularly.  For instance over your desk or on your fridge or bedroom door.

More recently there have been several types of software that let you create vision boards on your computer.  You surf the Internet and find the images (or scan them), then plug them into the software and you get a pre-made template of a board with your own images pasted into it.  You can then use it as a screen saver on your computer or, in some cases print it out on a regular 8.5×11 sheet of paper.

Both of these methods are highly effective, but each is a bit limiting in its own way.  Don’t get me wrong.  However you make your vision board, it’s a good thing.  The hand-made, cut-and-paste version, is big and beautiful and full of your own energy.  The way they are laid out is a reflection of your own artistic personality and means a lot to you (even if its only subconsciously). The limiting factor is also what makes it so special.  It’s one of a kind.  You may place it on your bedroom door, but there it stays.  Its not very practical to carry a large piece of foam-core with you throughout your day, but wouldn’t it be cool if you had it with you more often to keep it in sight and therefore in mind?  Keeping it over your desk may keep it in sight but unless you can really personalize your workspace it may not be an option.

The digital versions of the vision board cover some of these problems.  You can print a copy and keep it with you and its probably okay to have it as a screen saver on your computer at work.  However I find that an 8.5×11 printout of a vision board is really selling yourself short.  You need bigger space for your big plans.  While the screen savers are very cool and all, fitting your goals into the software’s template takes a lot of “you” out of the equation.  The pictures are “you” but the arrangement is the creation of the software designers.

My approach  gives you the best of both worlds with a few added benefits.

It’s a two-part approach that may require a small learning curve (but not much more of a curve than learning to use a dedicated vision board software).  The two parts being; the creation of the actual board and the production and distribution of the finished product.

Creation:

To start , I am recommending a digital approach to creating this vision board.  Instead of using a software package dedicated to vision boards (though I imagine they would work just as well) you can use any photo editing software.  You may have some already on your system but if you don’t there are several packages you can choose from and some of the best ones are absolutely free.
The first software package I am recommending is GIMP.  This is a very powerful software package that is a fantastic image/photo editor, nearly on par with Adobe Photoshop.  While Photoshop will set you back hundreds of dollars, GIMP is absolutely free.  If you are completely new to image editing you can find tutorials all over the web and some very good video tutorials on YouTube.  Once you’ve learned the basics of Cut-and-Paste, Resizing, and Layers, you are on your way to creating any type of collage or photo mosaic you could need.  The learning curve is the steepest but the larger freedom to create is well worth it.
Another free piece of software is Picasa.  This is a free download from Google for photo editing and they have recently added a “collage” feature. That takes your photos and arranges them for you on the page to create the collage/vision board. Your layout choices are much more limited. But it’s a much less complicated procedure.
If you don’t want to download and install software (even for free), or maybe you aren’t near your own computer but still have Internet access there are several online image editors and collage makers.  The one that I looked at before writing this article is called Collagr.  This site offers you the tools to take the URLs of images you find online and dump them into a collage online.  Again the layout is pretty standard but not bad looking.  For creating a quick vision board on the fly its very usable, available, and FREE.

Using any of these resources will give you a great range of possibilities for creating a vision board suitable for your needs.  Just remember it will take a little playing around to see how they work for you.  Don’t get discouraged.  Have fun with them.

Production/Distribution

Now you’ve collected images and words that are important to the plan you have for your future and you’ve used the software to put them all together into an awesome vision.  Now what?

Firstly and most importantly you save your work.  Make sure you save it as a jpeg (.jpg) file that you can find on your computer.  In the case of Collagr, it seems that you can only save it to the site.  Don’t panic.  Once its saved to the site. Click on it until its displayed in a window of its own then right-click on the collage and save the image to your desk-top.  It will automatically save as a .jpg file.

Now for even more computer fun.

This jpeg is just your basic file.  Here are two more pieces of software you are going to love.

The first is called Posterazor, and again it’s a FREE download.  Posterazor is super-easy to use.  It takes your jpeg file and blows it up as large as you want it to be, then prints out pieces of the image on sheets of paper so that it can be assembled, like a puzzle into a much larger poster.  I’ve seen entire walls covered with poster made from this software.  Now you have a large poster of your vision board.  But since it’s a digital file you can print it out as many times as you want and in any size you need.  You can have a giant poster in your bedroom, a smaller one on the inside of your office door and an 8.5×11 folded up in your pocket or used as place holder in your organizer.  I even use a very small image as the wallpaper on my phone (it’s way too small but it does remind me that I have these goals).

The final piece of software is a free ONLINE version of Posterazor called Blockposters.  Its basically the same as Posterazor but it takes a much smaller file size because its online.  I use it all the time but because it’s a smaller file to start with it tends to not blow up as large and stay clear.

And there you have it.  All the tips you need to create uniquely satisfying, multi-functional, any-sized vision boards on your (or any) computer.  In no time at all you will master these resources and not only will you be turning out great tools for manifesting your future but you will be picking up some highly useful/marketable skills in the process.

Create with:

http://www.collagr.com/ (online)
http://picasa.google.com (download for free)
http://www.gimp.org/ (download for free)

Enlarge with:

http://www.blockposters.com (online)
http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/ (download for free)