It was 2006. The book “The Secret” had just been released.
Yes, the Law of Attraction buzz had officially arrived.
And I was hooked.

When I received my first invite to a vision board party, my RSVP was an immediate yes. As a gal who’ll try almost anything once, I was committed. I gathered magazines, a poster board and a bottle of wine, and off I went.

We met in a friend’s living room like a giddy group of kindergartners (except we had wine) — cutting, pasting and celebrating. I thought it was a fabulous and a little weird (I thought meditation was a bit strange at the time.)

Over the course of six hours, I created my first vision board.

It was full of images of Paris, a beautiful closet, friends laughing, sunsets, beaches and a bottle of Petrus. You know, the usual vision board images…..

(Maybe you and I even had the same magazine cut outs?)

And I happily went home with a proud sense of accomplishment.

Honestly, I had the full intention of framing it and putting it on my wall, but instead, I had it on my kitchen counter.

And then it was propped up against the leg of my desk.

Eventually it made its way into a back corner of my closet.

And I never looked at that vision board again.

Around this same time in my life, I found myself at a restaurant with a table full of strangers who seemed to be much more “wine knowledgeable” than me. For some odd reason, I was handed the wine list. Initially, I was proud that I was the one chosen to select the wine, as this is something that I wanted to be proficient at doing. I mean, I had a bottle of fine wine on my vision board, right?

This was my moment.

But I froze.

The fact was, I knew nothing about wine.

My wine experience up to that point was Merlot and Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill (I know some of you know what I’m talking about …its clearly not even wine!).

I didn’t know a Bordeaux from a Beaujolais.

And pronouncing them? I wasn’t even close. I’m sure it came out like “bord-ee-yu” and “bee-u-jo-la.” – did you follow my hacked up phonetics? Try it. Hilarious. (correct pronunciations are here).

So, in a moment of social panic, I did the old “point out a random wine on the list” (based on price) and said to the waiter, “Oh, this one, please.”

(I was clearly really good at faking it.)

After that evening, I made a firm yet silent commitment to myself that I was going to explore the world of wine so that I’d never feel like an idiot when a wine list was passed my way.

See, the vision board that I made at the party with my girlfriends was pretty and inspirational, however it didn’t offer me knowledge about wine. I needed to DO something. So, I did what I now teach my clients to do.

I took inspired action.

I didn’t sit around and chant mantras, such as “I am a wine connoisseur.”

Nor did I stare at bottles of wine expecting knowledge to be downloaded into my brain.

And no, I did not make yet another vision board, one that was completely wine centric.

Instead, I researched various sommelier programs. And after taking a big leap of faith and investing a big chunk of time and money, I signed up.

The next thing I knew I was sitting in a class full of wine curious people, like myself. After a lot of embarrassing moments (like the time I shouted out “I love rose wine” pronounced like the flower instead of the correct way), I graduated.

I continued to dive into the world of wine which led me to publishing restaurant reviews (and get paid to eat and drink…magnifique!), attended exquisite food and wine festivals around the country (and tasted the finest…. and limited release wines… for free), and create wine programs (so others could enjoy what I had been experiencing.)

By taking inspired action, my life changed.

The Problem with Vision Boards

A couple of years later, I was invited back to that same vision board party. Curious about how everyone’s life was unfolding, I decided to go. This time, I didn’t bring magazines or a poster board. I did bring a bottle of wine, however.

(I will never turn down an opportunity to catch up with a fabulous group of ladies over wine!)

I watched the same group of women cut out the same type of pictures, and talk about the same type of dreams from a couple years prior.

But, I noticed that something was very different this time.

Their lives were still the same as two years before.

Mine had changed dramatically.

They had created vision boards.

I had lived out the vision.

I haven’t created a vision board since.

The power isn’t in the images. It’s in you.

Now, before all you vision board lovers get all in a tizzy, hear me out.

Here’s what I believe:

• I do firmly believe in the law of attraction
• I equally believe in the law of action
• I believe that in order for a woman to change, she needs to know in which direction she wants to go
• A main factor in creating your vision is committing to falling in love with your life right NOW

Sure, it could be argued that my cutting and pasting a bottle of Petrus onto my vision board set my desire to become a sommelier in motion.

And yes, I insist on have beautiful images and artwork around my desk and home that inspire me. Just not in vision board format.

However, since deep diving into the world of personal development….

I’ve seen far too many people sit around talking and pretending to work on their dreams.

They take classes …..without ever doing the real work.
They put up a dating profile …..without responding to a request.
They read financial books …..without ever sitting down and running the numbers.
They have a bookmarks bar full of delicious recipes …..without ever attempting to cook any of them.
They read fashion blogs ….without ever buying a new outfit.
They attend conferences or retreats …..without implementing one thing they’ve learned.

And, yes these tend to be the same people who create beautiful vision boards without ever showing up for their vision.

I know of people who have created vision boards for years and their lives are still the same.
Why?

They expected the vision board to do the work — instead of them.

I call this “distraction action.”

When I think about my first (and last) vision board experience, it was a great time. It was fun to be surrounded by people who were positive, laughter, a sense of possibility, beautiful imagery and creativity.

If that’s something you’re desiring, then, by all means, create a vision board! (because feeling good is always a good thing)

However, if you’re frustrated that your vision board isn’t working, let me make a suggestion.

Instead of taking 6 hours to make a Vision Board, Do This

If you’re serious about making your dreams come true, you may want to consider taking the time it would require to make a vision board (which for me was about six hours), and perhaps use that time to actually LIVE out your vision.

Want a beautiful home?
* Go grab some paint and color your room.

Want a better job?
* Polish up that resume and send out some emails.

Desire a man?
* Put on your best outfit and go out.

Want a beach vacation?
* Set a date, buy a bikini and figure out how to make it happen.

Want more clients?
* Stop hiding and start putting yourself out there with your message.

Want to lose weight?
* Put on those shoes and head to the gym.

Desire to visit Paris?
* Go online and start researching tickets.

So, m’friend, here we are.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you are here reading to the very end of this article.

I beg of you.

For the love of all things French…..

Don’t pretend to work on your dreams.
Make a commitment to show up and live it.
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French Kissing Life is all about showing up.

It’s about taking inspired action.
It’s about deeply engaging in your experience.
It’s about living in your dream.
….not just thinking or reading about it

I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments section below about how YOU plan to stop thinking about it, and take inspired action (big or small) this week to begin living in your dream.