A few years back, Bill and I attended a Treasure Mapping workshop. This class involved creating a vision board—a creative and fun way to set the intention for what you desire in life. And this new and softer method of goal-setting was a breath of fresh air for me.

Putting together a vision board encouraged me to connect with my heart, while randomly pulling pictures, headlines, words, images, and phrases out of magazines that matched my vision, or, what I wanted in life. The task was simple in looking through magazines: Go for what grabbed my attention, what resonated with me, what beckoned my spirit.

Noticing what was “calling” to me

In paging through the magazines I brought to class, I was particularly drawn to a photo of my favorite guitar hero, Pete Townshend of The Who, in action. I knew I had to have him on my vision board. For me, he represented living life out loud and giving life all you’ve got. I love that!

Then, the word “backstage” jumped out at me. I had to have that word on my board, too. What that meant to me was being involved in life; not in the crowd, not on the sidelines, but being as up-close and personal as one can be in the game in life.

There were a bunch of other phrases and words I tacked on to my vision board that reached for the stars in speaking to my dreams, my fitness level, my business goals, embracing confidence, and being a bit of a rebel (okay, I still have a bit of work to do on that one).

So I framed my new creative expression of art and put it up on the wall in my office. I smiled when I saw it but didn’t give much thought to the details in it. I just knew that it reflected a fun side of me and made me feel happy.

Fast forward a few months later

My favorite band, The Who, extended their U.S. tour. Cool, I thought, and Bill and I looked into some of the west coast dates to see if we could plan a spring vacation around a few of the shows.

Things moved quickly and we booked a flight. We combined a trip to see family, visit the wine country, explore the Redwoods, and of course, pay homage to our favorite rockers. The first show was in Reno, Nevada.

We made our way to this mini Las Vegas, and the night before the show, Bill and I searched for a bar to celebrate our first night of vacation. Within minutes of ordering a drink, we struck up a conversation with the guys next to us.

They ended up being part of the road crew for The Who!

We were shocked that we just happened to be at the bar where they chose to go (after all, there are plenty of bars in Reno to choose from!). We hung out with them for the evening, laughing, sharing stories, and becoming friends.

At the end of the night we exchanged cell phone numbers. The guys said they didn’t have any extra tickets for the show the following night, but we should call them before we head to the next show in Fresno, California, and they’d get us great seats. I told them I appreciated it but we already had tickets. “Get rid of them,” one of the guys said. “These will be better.”

The Reno show was great, of course. A night of rocking with true legends! And then we made our way over the mountains the next day on our trek to Fresno. A scary snowstorm and white-knuckle driving the whole way. The Who’s opening band didn’t even make it out for the next show.

But we did. Whew!

The magic continues to unfold

Once in Fresno, we made our way up to the ticket counter and gave our names, saying that we were on the guest list. In exchange, we were handed an envelope.

Inside, we saw that the guys had given us complimentary second row-center tickets. Amazing!

We had a blast whooping it up before the show with the locals and even got the attention and interest of the local news crew; they were intrigued with us Midwesterners traveling “all this way.”

The concert was phenomenal and the band was on-fire. We had a blast up on our feet, singing, shouting, and dancing throughout the whole night.

Then after the show, one of our new buddies who had gotten us the tickets motioned us over from the side of the stage. Before we knew it, we were whisked backstage! Got a quick tour and then straight to the band’s luxurious tour bus for an after-party.

Who would have ever thought?!

What a fun night with all kinds of unexpected surprises. Our time on the tour bus was quiet and low-key, and I’m sure you’re wondering so I’ll tell you now: No, we didn’t get to meet the band. That’s okay, though—that might have put us over the edge!

When Bill and I were ready to head back to the hotel, we made our traditional run to the In-N-Out drive-through and continued to soak in all the excitement.

The next morning as I awoke in our comfy hotel bed, my eyes shot open wide and I think I stopped breathing for a moment. As I was grinning and reflecting on all the fun from the night before, it had just hit me.

Soaking in the synchronicity

Everything that had just unfolded was a manifestation of the vision board that hung on my wall back home.

Seeing Pete Townshend…going backstage…and what I didn’t mention earlier is that on the joint vision board Bill and I created together was a cut-out headline that said “FRONT AND CENTER” in big, bold lettering. When I added those individual pieces to my vision board, I wasn’t implying that I wanted to be up front at The Who or go backstage. In fact, that idea had never even crossed my mind.

All I did was put together a few seemingly random things that resonated with me.

Look what happens when you remain open to where life’s road takes you!

The Law of Attraction states that it is up to each of us to determine the “what” and the “why”—what it is that we want and why it’s important to us. The “how” of it (as in, how it all unfolds) is up to the universe. There’s no reason for us to fret over the details.

There are more fun stories about subsequent shows on The Who tour later that year, including up-front experiences in Little Rock, Arkansas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma…and ending up with Pete’s guitar pick landing right at my feet!

These last several years, I’ve learned that when you put an intention out there—and stay true to following your joy—anything is possible. Literally! Need some more examples? Here are a few additional mind-blowing synchronicities and Law of Attraction principles in action!

–How Synchronicity Led To A Front-Row Kiss
–Rockin’ With The Who
–Is Front Row Asking Too Much?
–Neil Diamond, CEO’s, and Magic

My professional background and training involves a more concrete style of goal-setting. And while I still work with that method of planning to set myself up for success, I now balance it out and enhance it with a bit of creativity and more of a heart-focus, often using a vision board to help me set my intention. What a powerful process!

Interested in making your own vision board? Be sure to check out our friend Barb Laporte’s book, Goal Achievement Through Treasure Mapping, in the Resources section which launched this exciting new perspective for us!

Have you ever created a vision board? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience!

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