Intentional Living – Her Guided Evolution®

How to Create a Vision Board

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 23:07:45 +0000

If you want to be balanced and operating at your highest vibration, I think creating a vision board is one step you can take to move toward that in a tangible way. What is a vision board? A vision board is a visual representation of what you want out of life and for yourself in terms of career, personal life, relationships, etc. It’s a visual articulation of how you want to exist in the world, what you want out of life, and what you want to accomplish. You may be thinking, visualizing something is not going to make it a reality. Why should I even do this? And yeah, that’s true. But I think creating a vision board is worth the time for a few reasons. Why you should you create a vision board? • One, you can use a vision board process to listen to yourself. Coming from a place of love, asking yourself what is it that you want to accomplish or how you want to feel, what do you want to create in your life. • Two, I think making a vision board can help you stay motivated and recommitted to my goals. There is psychology research (I’ll put links in show notes) that shows visualization can help you feel more confident and help motivate you toward reaching a certain outcome. • Three, it’s an amazing feeling to look back and realize that you’ve put in the work and created what you wanted in your life. I’ve created vision boards in the past. I remember creating a vision board a few years ago, finding pictures that represented earning a PhD and eating a vegan diet, and here I am. I truly believe there is power in taking your dream or your vision out of your head and going through this process because it puts it out into the universe. AND you’re admitting to yourself that this is what you want. That’s why I want to share my current vision board process with you. I expect this process will evolve and change as I grow in my spirituality. But right now, this is the exact process I am going to follow to create my new vision board. Going to create a vision board after I’ve turned in everything for this semester. I put it on my calendar, and I am going to do this process, maybe have some tea, combine it with a little at home mani-pedi, some meditation music. I’ve broken down this vision board process into 3 steps. Step 1: Do a Brain dump. This should be a written or typed brain dump where you stop and take a moment to think about what you want for yourself. No judgment, write the first thing that comes to mind, don’t consider if it “realistic” or not. I do this digitally. Do it in Word, on your phone, or write it in your journal. But yours could be written in a journal. I like to limit it to accomplishments in the next two years. That way it feels more immediate for me. It’s less overwhelming, and I can tell if I’m making progress along the way because I know, 6 months into working toward this, I should have something to show for it at this point. Start by writing paragraph where you describe your ideal self in detail. Think about: If you could wake up tomorrow and be your ideal and best self, what would this person sound like? What would she think about? What would she not think about? What habits would she have? What habits wouldn’t she have? For me, this would be someone who is living a balanced life, committed to sticking to an Ayurveda lifestyle, practicing yoga and other spiritual practices. Following a routine, exercising consistently. Practicing meditation and deep breathing to feel more relaxed and at peace. Journaling. Keeping space neat and clean. Feeling creative and doing more design. Disciplined with working AND taking breaks. Not drinking regularly, if at all. Feeling confident enough to work consistently toward things that scare me in terms of my career and as a scholar. This is the type of person I’m working toward being. So, really think about who you are trying to be and write out the first thing that comes to your mind. Take about 5 minutes or so. Next, I like to write out bullet points and describe my vision based on different areas or segments of my life. Segment into areas: Career, Personal, Social/Relationships. I encourage you to do whatever segments make sense for you. 2. Make it visual and easily accessible to you. Make it visual and put your vision board somewhere that is easily accessible as a reminder of what you’re working toward and to keep you motivated. You can create a physical or digital vision board. Or you could even do both. Create a physical vision board, use posterboard and use magazines or print out pictures. Choose pictures that correspond with your vision and hang it up on your wall in your office or bedroom. You could paste the images in your physical journal or notebook. Print out a bunch of pictures. If you want to create a digital one, like me, you have a bunch of options. You can make it on Pinterest. Create a new board and name it 2021 Vision Board or something. Pin things that correspond what your goals and vision that you laid out in your brain dump. Link to content from Pinterest. For example, if you want to buy a house, do search on Pinterest on home buying tips. If you want to start practicing yoga regularly, pin some articles about a regular yoga practice. You can keep it simple and make a vision board in Word or Canva. Post images that correspond with your brain dump. Whatever format you choose (physical or digital), you want to make sure that your vision board make it accessible. Physical – put it up somewhere around your house. Office, bedroom, on the refrigerator. Digital – If you do make your vision board in a Word document, link to it on your computer desktop. You can put it in your Dock is you have a Mac. Take a picture of your physical or digital vision board and put it on your phone home screen via a widget. 3. Last thing you’ll do, make a plan and follow through. It’s easy to go through this process and stop at #2. You get all the good feelings of thinking of yourself accomplishing these things, but it’s harder to take strides and actually put in the work. But I encourage you to plan out how you’re going to make your vision a reality. Break them down into smaller goals and put it on your calendar. So, the last thing is to break down your vision into action steps and do the work to bring your vision to life.

FREE Daily Self-Care Plan: https://herguidedevolution.com/plan
FREE Journal Prompts: https://herguidedevolution.com/4

3 Signs that You are Growing and Moving Toward Your Purpose

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 20:39:02 +0000

When you’re evolving and being moved toward your larger purpose, it can be a scary, unsettling, and difficult experience. Simply put, growth is uncomfortable. In this episode, Shanice prompts you to look at three areas of your life that might signal that you are in a period of growth and transition. She offers strategies to help you adjust your mindset and rise to (or cope with) the occasion. Shanice also shares guided journaling prompts, so that you can connect with your intuition and gain clarity into who you are meant to be.

The Conversation

3 Signs that You’re Growing and Moving Toward Your Purpose

You are struggling emotionally. (5:20)
You feel called to move in a certain direction and accept new opportunities. (13:33)
Your relationships are changing. (20:56)

Journal Prompts

If you’re struggling, what might you learn from this experience?
What could this season of growth be pushing you toward?
Am I running from my purpose? If so, why? What am I afraid of?
How are your relationships different now than they were 6 months or a year ago?
Who in my life supports me and is growing with me? Who isn’t?
If I could wave a magic wand and become my ideal type of person, what would she look like? What would she sound like? What would she do everyday? What would she not do that I’m currently doing?

References

Peer-reviewed study on uncertainty and the human brain

Resources

FREE Journal Prompts: https://herguidedevolution.com/4
FREE Daily Self-Care Plan: https://herguidedevolution.com/plan

The Truth About Work-Life Balance

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 22:09:39 +0000

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In this week’s episode, Shanice talks about why she thinks the pursuit of work, life, and family “balance” may not serve women. She discusses how these conversations often rely on the assumption that moms should be giving their careers and their families an adequate amount of time and energy (often at the expense of herself). If you have ever felt like you were struggling to measure up in motherhood, your career, and your life in general, this episode is for you.

The Conversation

(3:55) Work, life, and family balance is often a standard that only applies to women.

(6:21) Shanice doesn’t have a problem with women who want to take on traditional roles and are choosing to fulfill that role.

(13:44) Shanice takes issue with the expectation that women should to take on these roles along with the other expectation of maintaining careers.

(10:39) Conversations about work-life balance are even more complicated for Black women who are often stereotyped as mammies, superwomen, and Strong Black Women.

Action Step/Journal Prompts (13:44)

Do you feel guilty when you have to work and can’t be with your kids? If yes, why? What does this mean to you?

Does it feel impossible to maintain your house while you’re working from home? If so, does this bother you? Why?

Do you feel less than worthy when the dishes are dirty, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, the floor needs to be mopped? If so, why?

Introspection (14:56)

Shanice shares what inspired this week’s episode.

Books Mentioned in Episode

Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins

In the Wake: On Blackness and Being by Christina Sharpe

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Balancing Your Emotions

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 28 Sep 2020 12:30:17 +0000

Many of us are struggling because we’re at home with our kids, and there’s a lot of chaos going on in the world. In this episode, Shanice offers some strategies to help you balance your emotions and tolerate the full range of feelings that you may be experiencing right now. She talks about the importance of working on accepting negative emotions, which may help you make space for positive feelings like joy, peace, and happiness. She also reminds you to take ownership of your emotions (rather than giving your power away to other people), so you can choose to respond to situations in ways that serve you and improve the overall quality of your emotional well-being.

The Conversation

8:40 – Defining Emotional Well-Being

“Emotional well-being refers to the emotional quality of an individual’s everyday experience—the frequency and intensity of experiences of joy, stress, sadness, anger, and affection that make one’s life pleasant or unpleasant (Kahneman & Deaton, 2010).”

11:01 – The importance of accepting your emotions

15:12 – Taking ownership of your emotions and claiming your power

19:58 – Making space for positive emotions

22:32 – ACTION STEP: Make a note in your phone titled “Positive Emotions.” Make a simple tally mark throughout your day and log any time you experience positive feelings. This is meant to help you feel your positive feelings more deeply.

Introspection (23:21) – Black women matter and are worthy of health, well-being, joy, peace, and happiness no matter what the world tries to signal to us.

Resources

FREE Daily Self-Care Plan
FREE Journal Prompts
4 Journal Prompts for Unproductive Days

Caring for Yourself After a Tough Emotional Week

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 07 Sep 2020 15:11:34 +0000

In this week’s episode, Shanice opens up about navigating anxiety and depression while trying to cope during this unprecedented time. She shares some of her struggles with mental health (even though she felt VERY uncomfortable doing so) and offers some suggestions on how you might care for yourself after an emotionally draining week. If you are not okay, you are not alone. We’re all just trying to make it through this uncertain time!

FREE Daily Self-Care Plan: https://herguidedevolution.com/plan
4 Journal Prompts for Unproductive Days: https://herguidedevolution.com/4

The Conversation

How you might care for yourself after an emotionally draining week:

(10:24) Let yourself feel your feelings. They are temporary, and they will pass.
(13:15) Reach out for support. You are not a burden.
(17:01) Reconnect to your spirituality.
(20:06) Re-commit to your healing when you feel up to it.

Mental Health Resources

Find a therapist: Therapy for Black Girls

Find a therapist: Psychology Today

National Suicide Hotline (United States): 1-800-273-8255

Live Chat: Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Liberate App (Meditation for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)

Books for Anxiety

Overcoming Health Anxiety: Letting Go of Your Fear of Illness

Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly Wrong: A Guide to Life Liberated from Anxiety

Declutter Your Life for Spiritual Growth

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 11:00:19 +0000

Decluttering can be a spiritual and emotional practice that helps you let go of fear. But, decluttering can be challenging for a lot of us. Do you find yourself surrounded by clutter or holding on to a lot of stuff that you don’t need? In episode 10, Shanice shares: 1) why letting go and decluttering can be so difficult, 2) why it’s important to declutter our houses (and our lives), and she offers some tips on 3) where and how you can start the process of letting go and decluttering.

Show Notes: https://herguidedevolution.com/declutter
FREE Daily Self-Care Plan: https://herguidedevolution.com/plan
FREE Journal Prompts for Unproductive Days: https://herguidedevolution.com/4

Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates

Finding Inspiration and Motivation

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 13:36:07 +0000

It’s the year 2020, so many of us are still working from home. You may be struggling to get work done because you have to home school your kids, and you have limited access to peace and quiet. You’re probably feeling uninspired and unmotivated because you’re stuck in a vicious cycle of doing the same thing over and over again every single day. If you find yourself in this situation, Shanice shares some quick tips and strategies to help you feel more inspired and motivated while you’re working from home. That way, you can get your work done with a lot less effort.

The Conversation

If you are struggling to find inspiration and motivation while working from home, Shanice recommends that you:

Make a new playlist (4:26).
Seek out inspirational content (e.g. audiobooks, podcasts, books, YouTube videos). (7:18)
Do guided journaling. (14:02).
Start a new hobby (17:56).

Introspection (22:38)

For the introspection segment this week, Shanice encourages you to actively manage stress with breathing techniques and mindfulness strategies.

Resources Mentioned

How to Use (Social) Media Mindfully

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:00:00 +0000

In episode 8, Shanice talks about mindful media consumption (consuming content with intention and in a way that serves you) versus mindless media consumption (consuming a lot of content that is negative and/or doesn’t serve you). You’ll learn how to evaluate your social media usage and the content that you consume, and Shanice offers tips to help you curate your social media feeds to promote positive vibes and personal growth. Oh yeah, there’s also a little rant about respectability politics at the end!

Show Notes: https://herguidedevolution.com/8
FREE Daily Self-Care Plan: https://herguidedevolution.com/plan
FREE Journal Prompts https://herguidedevolution.com/4

A Week in the Life

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 11:30:00 +0000

In this week’s episode, Shanice gives you a behind the scenes look into how she manages her mind and prioritizes her well-being while working from home with kids. You’ll get some ideas on how you might structure your work from home schedule, tips on how to move forward despite feeling unmotivated, and reminders to stay in the present moment.

FREE Daily Self-Care Plan: https://herguidedevolution.com/plan
FREE Journal Prompts for Unproductive Days: https://herguidedevolution.com/4

How to Have More Patience With Your Kids

Shanice Jones Cameron, PhD — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 06:00:30 +0000

Look, we all struggle with parenting sometimes. It’s not easy raising tiny humans! In this episode, Shanice shares some tips that help her keep it together while being a (twin) mom of 3 children under 4 while working on a PhD. Listen to this episode to learn how you might extend your patience while you’re with your kids.

Timestamps

3:17 – Tip #1: Adjust your mindset.

9:06 – Tip #2: Put your kids on a schedule.

12:10 – Tip #3: Listen to positive podcasts, music, audiobooks, and YouTube videos.

14:00 – Tip #4: Ask for a break or take a breather.

16:02 – Tip #5: Rely on your self-care practices.

20:20– (Introspection) In this week’s Introspection, Shanice reflects on old beliefs that have been holding her back and encourages you to challenge old beliefs that may be holding you back from evolving into the person you want to become.

Resources Mentioned

FREE Daily Self-Care Plan

Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka