Visionary Board Retreat

39 North Downtown Board of Directors

I recently joined the 39 North Downtown community organization board of directors. We had our first board retreat on Friday at Visionary Reno where we created vision boards. We worked on individual boards and a group board. It was an excellent activity that I highly recommend personally, professionally, and for all your non-profit groups. It is a great tool for building focus and making goals a reality.

What is a vision board?

A vision board is a collection of images that help you clarify and focus on whatever you want to be or make happen in your life. The concept is based on the law of attraction: “like attracts like.” Thinking about something means you invite it in. What you put out to the universe will be attracted to you.

Supplies:

• A large board for photos and magazine clippings
• Scissors
• Glue sticks or tape
• Pens
• Fun decorations like gems, pearls, ribbon, pictures, etc.
• Magazines
• 2-3 hours of dedicated time to focus on creating a vision board

Our board of directors’ visionary experience took place at Visionary Reno. Our exercise leader was Jessica Snyder, owner of Visionary Reno. Jessica started by giving us some ground rules and encouragement. She frequently leads inspirational workshops and team building classes. She puts out so much positive energy you can’t help but be inspired.

Our goal for the day was to create vision boards for our involvement as 39 North board members. We went through magazines and ripped out any pages that meant something to us or resonated with what we wanted to do with our board position. We didn’t have to know why the magazine page meant something to us, we just had to pull it out if it inspired us on our mission.

After pulling out lots of pages, we started cutting out the meaningful parts of the page. We then separated the cut outs for our individual boards and for our group board. As we were crafting our boards we were visiting with each other and discussing what we wanted to achieve. We also got to know each other better through small talk and a little bit of a gossip session. It was a great team building exercise for our group since we are always so rushed when we see each other. The exercise took about two hours.

We each started crafting our own boards. Jessica helped us put together the group board. When we were all done, we each mentioned one highlight from our board and then we went over the group board. It was a great exercise because it got us all moving in the same direction on the same goals. It was a very inspiring afternoon!

I highly recommend using vision boards. No matter what the goal or project is, a vision board can help you visualize what you want to do and keep you focused on your objectives. If you live in the Reno-Sparks area I encourage you to contact Visionary Reno and make an appointment. They hold classes for individuals, nonprofit organizations, work teams, and groups of friends. You will definitely feel inspired!

If you can’t make it down to Visionary Reno, you can try to make a vision board at home.

First you will need to find a place at your house that is an inspiring setting. When you go to Visionary Reno you walk into a beautifully decorated room stocked with everything you could possibly need. Visionary Reno is clean, it has all the supplies you could dream of, and if you like…it also has a bar where you can buy drinks. Try to replicate this inspiring setting in your home. Find a nice quiet place with no distractions. Look for a clean working space that inspires you and allows you to focus on creating your vision board.

Next, you will want to start working on what you would like to get out of this experience. You want to work on visualizing a goal or focusing on what you want to feel. It doesn’t have to be anything big, small goals work too. Don’t just focus on materialism, focus on how you want to feel and how you want to live.

Start the exercise by looking through magazines and visualizing and focusing on what you want and what you want to feel. You can’t mess this up. Anything can go on your vision board. As you look through the magazines start ripping out pages that mean something to you or that you identify with. Even if you don’t know why you like the page, or why it resonates, just rip it out.

After you’ve got a nice pile of magazine pages, and you feel good about what you’ve found, start clipping out the meaningful pieces. Clip out pictures, phrases, anything that will help you create the vision that will inspire you. Then start laying these pieces out on your board and gluing them in place.

It was funny to watch our board members do this part of the exercise because two of us are event planners and very Type A personalities. We put everything in order all organized and then started gluing. Other members just glued the pieces as they went and built it as a puzzle in real-time. It was funny to see the group dynamics and personalities showing up in such a small gesture.

Once you finish your board look back over it and go over all your pieces. It is really inspiring! You can’t help but feel you are on your way to reaching your goals.

After you are all done make sure you put your board in a place where you will see it often. This will help you stay motivated on your achievable goals. Use this as a daily affirmation to keep focus on your goals and you will see results in no time.  If you can see it, you can achieve it!

I have placed my vision board on the book case near the front door at my house. I look at it every time I leave the house and every time I come home. I take pride in the board and I feel like my goals and objectives are obtainable. I already feel like this exercise has inspired me and that I’m ready to put more energy towards my goals.

Vision Board 1-27-17

Here are some tidbits from my vision board…

• An extraordinary year – Make this an extraordinary year. There are changes on the horizon and lots of opportunity. Make the most of this for 39 North.
• Gardens that inspire – We are planting seeds right now that will make the community better for years to come. We just need to water these seeds and watch them grow
• You’ve Got A Great Team – The 39 North board is enthusiastic and ready to climb mountains. With a great team like this, we will make a difference.
• Local Designers on Decorative Arts – We want to focus more on art and bring more art to Sparks, NV.
• Share Some Holiday Happiness – Make 39 North Pole Village the best one yet. Share the event with more people and get more sponsors and Griswold Challenge contestants.
• Own A Moment In Time – Remember to focus on the present and not get too carried away planning the future. Live in the moment.
• Business – I’m the new leader for Sparks Business Connection so I need to focus on that and take it to the next level.
• The Change Maker – Make positive change.
• Dig A Little Deeper – Keep working even when you think you don’t have anything left.
• Photo of a present with the letter C – This is to remind me to focus on what a blessing my boyfriend Charlie is and to show him appreciation.
• Travel – I crave it, and I need more of it.
• The essentials of life – Don’t lose sight of what is important and what you can’t live without.
• Tiny Home Big Dreams – My house may not be the biggest right now, but the dreams under its roof are mighty.
• I’m thankful for… – this is a reminder to show appreciation and count my blessings.
• Who Wants Happiness? You – ME! Work hard to make things happen. Remember to give myself time and space to be happy and do what I enjoy doing even if it has nothing to do with accomplishing goals or moving to the next level.
• Simply Beautiful – Making a difference and reaching new heights is a beautiful thing.

I’ve enjoyed the process of creating a vision board. I’m a big fan of this concept and the law of attraction.

If you are already a vision board enthusiast, please comment below about your experiences with vision boards and what is on your vision board. 

For everyone else, I encourage you to go out and make a vision board, heck make five of them! If you’d like to go to Visionary Reno and experience the perfect setting to dream, please check out their website and contact them to sign up for a session.

Salute to Women of Achievement Luncheon

Honoree Lisa Jansen and sponsor Carlton Geer, Nugget Casino Resort

I was an Honoree at the 2015 Salute to Women of Achievement, the annual Nevada Women’s Fund luncheon. The experience was amazing! I was honored with 57 other women, including many women I look up to in the community, such as our Mayor and one of my favorite County Commissioners.

The Nugget nominating committee wrote a list of candidates and I was chosen to be honored. The award means a great deal to me, especially because I’ve known many of the past and present Nevada Women’s Fund board members and honorees. They are truly remarkable women that I’ve looked up to as I’ve developed my career.

One of these women that has inspired me is Fritsi Ericson. I joined Rotary Club of Reno at the ripe old age of 23. Upon joining the club I noticed there weren’t that many women, but one of the few women I met was Fritsi Ericson. Fritsi is a brilliant doctor (retired) a community volunteer, a philanthropist, and someone I look up to for her grace, sophistication, education, sense of humor, and authenticity. Fritsi is not only a Rotarian, she was one of the founding board members of the Nevada Women’s Fund back in 1982. Her desire to inspire women to achieve has touched thousands of lives and she has made a difference in the world. I’m honored to be acknowledged by this group that Fritsi helped found.

Another member that has inspired me is my former boss, Beth Cooney. She is also a board member for the Nevada Women’s Fund. When I first started working for Beth at the Nugget she taught me about the charity organization. I’d always heard about the organization but never really knew how much of a difference they made in the community until Beth opened my eyes. Beth was one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. She worked in the casino gaming industry, which is still a profession dominated by men, and she exceled! Beth was a great leader and role model. She has been extremely supportive, and someone I look to as a mentor. Although I don’t work for her anymore, I’m blessed to still have her as a friend and mentor. One of the biggest lessons I learned from Beth was that I could embrace my feminine side, out-work, and out-smart those that judged me as a young woman not capable of being in charge. Being an honoree meant so much to me because of Beth’s connection and all that she had taught me about being a professional woman working in a male driven industry. The example she set has motivated, inspired, and helped me move to the next level in my career.

The Luncheon…
Being an honoree is a great experience. The day starts off with a continental breakfast and networking with other honorees and Nevada Women’s Fund volunteers and board members. The whole day is essentially a special event. After the networking games there was a workshop on leadership by Meggin McIntosh, a 1992 honoree. The workshop focused on leadership skills and our habit of living in the past, present, and future tense. It was a fantastic workshop, and Meggin is incredibly funny and entertaining.

After the workshop we attended a reception with our sponsors where we were treated to mimosas, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. All my favorite things! We enjoyed the reception while all the luncheon attendees were being seated. Then it was our turn to be presented as women of achievement.

2015 Salute to Women of Achievement Luncheon

They had us walk out in a precession line to Katy Perry’s song “Firework.” My boss and I were last in line. We walked in with the other honorees and sponsors to a standing ovation of over 1,000 event guests, and a line of Nugget servers, chefs, and our banquets team cheering for us. Then I saw my family-friends and coworkers at the Nugget table cheering for us. It was really fun! After the precession we were introduced on the main stage with our sponsors and then seated for lunch.

Honoree Lisa Jansen and Dr. Connie Mariano, author of “The White House Doctor”

Dr. Connie Mariano, author of “The White House Doctor” was the guest speaker. Her presentation gave us a sneak peek at her life and what it was like to be the doctor who treated three presidents. Dr. Mariano was a dynamic guest speaker and a little bit of a firecracker, just like you’d expect from a retired Navy rear admiral. During her program she spoke about being authentic and finding your authentic voice, it really stuck with me and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since the award ceremony. Authenticity is one of the most important characteristics, yet often overlooked or covered up with fakeness.

After the lunch was over we were able to meet Dr. Mariano and have her sign our complimentary books. I’m looking forward to reading her book this summer.

Family-friends Gail & Jim Pfrommer and Bob & Jennifer Pohl

The Nevada Women’s Fund 2015 Salute to Women of Achievement Luncheon was an exceptional event. The event was well planned and everyone enjoyed the experience. We all walked away after the luncheon feeling inspired. I myself was inspired to keep striving for excellence and to help other women along the way, just like I was helped throughout my career by many great ladies that cleared the way and made it easier for my generation.

Since 1982, the Nevada Women’s Fund has distributed $6.3 million to worthwhile community organizations and funded 1,350 scholarships. For 32 years they have been inspiring achievement. For more information about the Nevada Women’s Fund or to donate to the cause, please visit their website at www.nevadawomensfund.org.