I have been thinking a lot about change, in part because the theme this month at Inspiritual is vision. It is also the change in seasons with Pampered Chef. We have over 70 products being retired and/or coming back restyled. There are those products whose time has come and there are products whose time is just beginning.
This change is not unlike our lives. There are things, people and opportunities which come into our lives for a season and then their time comes to an end. There are times we need to let something go because it has served its purpose, it no longer fits in with the vision we have been given for our lives, or some other reason. The same is true for Pampered Chef. As the vision for the company changes, as the food trends in this country change, so do our products.
Vision requires us to call on our values and our imagination. The spiritual practice of vision encompasses the discovery of fresh insights about the way things are and the cultivation of different outlooks on what can be. You might have heard about people creating vision boards. This is one way of practicing vision. Practicing vision helps you tap into your inner wisdom and be in tune with Spirit. Practicing vision requires you to draw on all your gifts and skills. As numerous teachers have taught me, “if you cannot see it, you cannot achieve it.”
Sometimes what we vision involves us drawing on our judgment, skills and sense. Other times our vision may come to us in other ways, like through dreams or other forms of revelation. Sometimes practicing vision requires us to examine our belief system. If we do not believe we can do something then we cannot practice envisioning ourselves doing it. Every time I have tried to do a new technique in the kitchen, I have had to envision myself doing it.
Practicing vision is more than just seeing ourselves doing X, it is also about envisioning how we are going to feel when we achieve X. For example, a friend of mine has a vision board where she not only has symbols of what her vision is, but cards from friends with positive energy as she wants to be a source of positive energy when she achieves her X. Sometimes practicing vision means we have to have a new attitude. Maybe you are like a lot of people and do not like doing housework. Then practice visioning it (whatever ‘it’ is, your desired outcome) as an act of service. A friend of mine hates to cook, but she has been practicing this and thinking about how every time she cooks she is contributing to the health and well-being of her family. This changes how she envisions creating meals.
With the old products leaving and the new products coming in my vision for this part of my life is changing as well. I envision new ways of sharing products with people and new ways of sharing how they can enhance the quality of one’s life.