While taking a personal growth course, I discovered a remarkable and effective method of visualizing my dreams and goals, and I offer it to you! Called “Treasure Mapping,” it has changed the lives of entrepreneurial women across the country, personally as well as professionally. The process involves going through old magazines and cutting out images, words and expressions that represent what you want to manifest in your life. Then you paste them into a journal or, as in my case, onto a large piece of oak tag. Hang it some place handy and be sure to look at your “wishboard” often.
Here is my experience with treasure mapping. Back in 1989 I owned a small public relations and marketing company. I had just moved to a new home with my husband who suddenly and unexpectedly found himself unemployed. With two young children and financial obligations, our prospects looked bleak.
Enter Treasure Mapping. Going through a stack of women’s and business magazines, I “cut and pasted” pictures and words that expressed my hopes and desires. The images I chose included a woman working out, a couple walking hand-in-hand along a beach, and a family happily spending time together. At the time, our car was falling apart, so I added in the photo of a new Range Rover. I threw into the mix such headlines as “500 of America’s Fastest Growing Companies,” “Success,” and “Vision.”
Coming from a survival mode, I frankly doubted any of these dreams were attainable. Nevertheless, I focused on my map morning and evening. Some months later the poster fell behind the dresser, disappearing from sight, and I forgot all about it.
Flash forward two years. My daughter Sari, crawling around in my bedroom to find a lost ball, pulled out the long lost treasure map and showed it to me. Looking at what I dreamt of and wanted for myself so long ago, I was dumbfounded. Everything I pictured had materialized! I had lost my extra weight and felt wonderful. After a year and a half of unemployment, my husband had a stable job. We had enjoyed a romantic vacation. The family was doing better than ever, and yes, my business was thriving. About the only thing that hadn’t materialized was that, although the Grossman-Abrams family had a new car, it wasn’t a Range Rover!
Almost immediately, I created an even more ambitious treasure map. Not many years later – you guessed it – my life had taken another quantum leap. We had the larger home I pictured, my family was healthy and happy, and once again, my new business was flourishing. That company, which is my current business and my lifelong passion, is the Women’s Leadership Exchange. WLE helps women grow their businesses beyond plateaus and become business leaders. I had also landed the major “presenting sponsor” we needed. It was the very same company–OPEN: The Small Business Network from American Express–whose logo I had taped on my map! No coincidence there!
Treasure Mapping helped me the design the life I wanted; I highly recommend it to every person who is determined to make her dreams a reality. It’s not about magic: it’s about focusing on what you really want and then harnessing the power of the subconscious mind. I truly believe Treasure Mapping can help each of you visualize the path to achieving personal and professional goals.
Article by Leslie Grossman
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