A Useful Vision Board

Welcome to my vision board. Here I will be journaling about every step that leads up to my ultimate goal of living in British Columbia. I will list the challenges I'm facing, as well as the progress I'm making.
*Click here to go right to updates on my progress.

If you have read my About My Journey page, then you know how passionate I am about living in British Columbia. So, that's the first subject that goes on my vision board. I have faith that this will help me realize my dreams. Having faith is the first step to realizing your dreams. That's what the Laws of Attraction have thought me.

British Columbia Dreams

I would say that this dream started around 2004-2005. We were going on a trip to Oregon in September 2004 and for that I had bought a guide book about the Northwest Pacific. That's when I first learned about British Columbia. Since it was in Canada, and we used to live in the US back then, I focused on Oregon, a beautiful West Coast state that took my breath away.

As 2004 turned into 2005, and Bush won his second term in the US, I started to grow edgy about living in the States. My plans of moving to Oregon from Atlanta turned into moving out of the US and immigrating to Canada. First we started with researching the official Canadian Immigration Web site, and then we sent out job applications, mainly in B.C., but also in other provinces. Getting served with a deportation notice from the US immigration, in the meantime, helped make the process become urgent.

As a form of vision board to visualize our arrival in Canada as permanent residents, I used two Canadian flags sent to us by a friend in B.C. (whom I had met online), which I hung on the wall across from our bed in our bedroom. Every night we looked at the flags and prayed and visualized about Canada as our next country to settle in. Every morning it was the first thing we saw when we woke up. And as you can tell, using the Canadian flag as a vision board helped... We arrived in Canada as permanent residents the following year (2006). How we did it, is described here.

Something obviously was not completely in harmony with my B.C. dreams and mental vision board, as we ended up in Saskatoon instead of B.C. That something was rather a "someone": my husband... and myself. He was scared to start a new life in an expensive place like Vancouver, B.C., and at some level I may have been agreeing with him. He was more attracted to Saskatoon. Since it was thanks to his skills that we could immigrate to Canada, and he got the job offer from Saskatoon, and it was also easier to get into Canada through the Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program, that's where we ended up.

My husband unfortunately is still my biggest challenge to overcome so far. He still has that fearful attitude about B.C. Even my kids were opposing me at first, but I was able to strike a deal with them: I promised that I would not force our family to move until summer 2011 when my older daughter will start going to University and my younger daughter will start attending High School. That way they won't have to quit their current schools, where they have made lots of friends.

As for my husband, I think I will leave it up to the Universe (and the power of my vision board) to generate the outcome I long for. I have exactly 2 years from today to summer 2011 to see if his attitude changes. By then we will have stayed in Saskatoon for 5 years. I think that is enough sacrifice on my part.

In the meantime I'm secretly visualizing that I can start making frequent trips to B.C. to explore the cities I like and decide which one I'd like to settle in. It's not just what I would like in our future neighbourhood, but I'm also keeping in mind what my daughters and husband would like. We generally like the same things in a city: not too crowded or dense, but also not too quiet... maybe a sort of a cross between Saskatoon and Vancouver is what I'm looking for.

We like Saskatoon's small city feel, but we miss the tasty food and entertainment of a big city. My husband likes the prairielands of Saskatoon (yes, I admit, they are charming) and I like the beautiful mountains of B.C. (even he likes them). Great schools are important for my children's education. Considering all of this, I have narrowed my search down to... (drum roll, please): Abbotsford!

Abbotsford has everything we want: prairielands with breathtaking mountain backdrops; a thriving city with a mixture of many immigrants, which translates into lots of authentic international restaurants; an even bigger, cosmopolitan city (Vancouver) at an hour's distance to enjoy whatever may be lacking in Abbotsford; and did I mention the breathtaking scenery? Not to mention its close proximity to some fantastic resorts, such as Whistler and Harrison Hot Springs.

However, Abbotsford was not the only city on my radar. I was also considering Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge. These two cities are right next to each other and are known as the horse capital of Canada... I love the sight of horses! Just as much as I like to see swans!

Make Your Own Vision Board

I have recently created vision boards (and other boards) on Pinterest and on Houzz to help me visualize and focus on all my big dreams. I get chills of excitement when I fantasize about my biggest dream: my dream house!

Here are guidelines on how to make your own vision board if you want other ways of creating one. And if you need inspirational quotes to get you going, you can find a healthy dose at Brainy Quote. Enjoy! :)

Vision Board Tip

Remember to also watch your thoughts and feelings, as the Universe is paying close attention; you don't want to send the wrong message. Create a routine where you look at your vision board daily to help you along with inspiring thoughts and feelings of gratitude.

Updates on Progress

Though I haven't quite reached all my goals on my vision board (yet), I am making progress, and here are my updates:

Oct. 1st, 2010: After more online research, I've come to the conclusion that Pitt Meadows or Maple Ridge might be a better location for me than Abbotsford. But I still haven't had an opportunity to visit any of the locations. :(

June 16, 2011: After careful consideration, I decided Abbotsford is after all still the best choice. What played a major part in deciding on this city is its University of the Fraser Valley, where my daughter will be pursuing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. So... it's been decided; this August, 2011, we are moving to our dream destination!! :) I am so excited and can't wait to get there.

Sept. 17, 2011: I am in Abbotsford! I arrived on 31st August in the late afternoon... and the first thing I saw as we parked the car by Super 8 motel, was Mt. Baker towering over the city... It took my breath away! :) I'm busy settling and adjusting to my new surroundings, but the toughest part is finding a job... and having to miss my husband as he is back in Saskatoon until he gets a suitable job offer here. Once he gets here, life in Abby will be better...