Not sure what you want? A picture paints a thousand words As the daughter of a photographer, I have always had a great love for visual images. Some of my fondest childhood memories come from sitting in my Dad's darkroom and watching him manipulate light and chemicals to create the perfect image (this was before the days of Photoshop, which he uses now!). A well-captured image can convey so much emotion and meaning and I loved to talk about the process of finding the perfect shot as much as looking at it. In my coaching practice, a big part of what I do is help people come up with a compelling vision for their life or business. A lot of people get stuck trying to craft words about a life that they cannot quite picture. Instead of painfully searching for words, try these visual tactics to discover your vision: Purchase a large bulletin board or piece of foamcore. Place it somewhere where you can look at it often, and use it to collect images that represent your vision. Feel free to move, change and shift the images as you get new ones. Pay attention to where you place pictures in relation to one another, what features prominently and what is more subtle or in the background. All are clues about the nature and priorities of your vision Go to the bookstore and buy your favorite 6 magazines. Thumb through and pull out pages that strike your fancy. They can be headlines, images, advertisements, or whatever. You may find that you enjoy very different types of magazines such as Forbes, Good Housekeeping and The Outlaw Biker Tattoo. This is good -- none of us is one-dimensional, and the picture of your life should include all aspects of yourself. Imagine that you are a photojournalist that has the assignment of capturing images that reveal your ideal life. Keep your camera with you for at least a month and take pictures of things that strike your fancy. They can be people, situations, businesses, nature, children, bugs ... in short, whatever gets your pulse racing. The side benefit of this is that if you have the assignment to visit places contained in your ideal life, you will learn a lot by visiting them! If you are a bit of a (closet) exhibitionist, participate in the wildly popular art blog PostSecret where you can submit a visual representation of a deep, burning secret that you aren't ready to share with anyone. It is fascinating to see the kinds of messages and images people submit! Create a personal deck of soul-tending cards using Soul Collage. This is a very cool site, where you can buy a book that explains the process and get supplies for creating your own set of cards that express your vision and soul. You can also look at samples of what other people put together. I am embarrassed to say that I bought my supplies over a year ago and have yet to do it ... but not from lack of desire! For the group-minded, this could be an excellent activity to do in a relaxed afternoon workshop. Search for stimulating pictures in online photo directories such as iStockphoto.com. You can search for images in a whole range of categories and download your favorites to print out and put on your bulletin board, or to create a slide show as described below. For the technically savvy, create a Powerpoint or Flash presentation with key images and words. I used this technique coupled with key phrases when I wanted to send out an inspirational message to oppressed cube dwellers worldwide with My Declaration of Independence. (And no, I didn't do the Flash programming, my extremely talented and competent friend Darron Padilla did it) I was surprised at how much the images told the story, as opposed to just the words. Paint your picture - literally! Those of you who have art skills can paint a picture of what you see as your ideal life. It could be literal or abstract -- see what comes out. Whatever means you use, I encourage you to break out of the world of words for awhile and explore the world of images. You may find that simply by looking at the world a different way, creativity flows in new and unexpected areas of your life. What ideas do you have for using images to get clarity in your life? Please share them at the blog! The Blog In Escape from Cubicle Nation, I write about 5 entries a week on topics related to helping people in corporate jobs break out and start their own business. Here are some recent posts from the month of February: Is your business idea the next YouTube or a Jump to Conclusions Mat? Overwhelmed with too much to do or life in general?  5 tips to make things easier Love her or hate her, what you can learn from Rachael Ray about building a brand The critical importance of "beginner mind" when starting a business The "big four" every entrepreneur needs If you want to be notified of new posts, you can sign up in the box in upper right corner that says "Sign up here - and I'll let you know when I post." Or if you are savvy about RSS, just click on my feed button right below the sign-up box. Tired of reading? Catch the Escape from Cubicle Nation Podcast. I post a new episode every other Monday. Here's the place to listen to past shows and sign up for automatic updates. Escape from Cubicle Nation Teleclass I will be offering one f*ree teleclass each month on the topic of Escaping from Cubicle Nation with a Question and Answer format. We always have a great discussion, and the calls are recorded to listen to afterward. Call Details: Escape from Cubicle Nation Q&A Wednesday, March 7, 2007 3pm-4pm Eastern (12pm Pacific, 1pm Mountain, 2pm Central, 8pm UK) To sign up, send a blank email to march7teleclass@aweber.com. It is important to confirm that you signed up of your own will by opening up and clicking the link in the confirmation email. It will come from me (pcs@ganas.com) and the subject will be "Confirm your request for information for the march7teleclass." Follow the simple directions in the email and you will confirm your attendance and receive the call-in details. I really look forward to meeting you on the call! Not a Get a Life Subscriber yet? Click here to subscribe. Welcome new subscribers! I am so happy that you have joined the Get a Life subscriber list. You are in good company! Get a Life readers are smart, funny, ambitious, compassionate and interested in the world around them. If you know any like-minded individuals who would benefit from this eZine, please send them an invitation to join via the Get a Life Referral Page. All the best, -Pam Pamela Slim 480-663-3252 pcs@ganas.com skype: pamela.slim To View Past Issues of Get a Life click here ©  Pamela Slim, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the Get a Life eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution. Please also notify me.