Your life on earth should count for something bigger than life itself.  God created you and I to be leaders of our own lives. Life should be a great adventure as you go from vision to vision, dream achievement to dream achievement. This should be the norm. You can live in a zone where anything is possible for you. But you must see with vision.
 

360 Interior LifeDesign Insight: Knowing and understanding what you were born to accomplish is purpose. Seeing your purpose in your mind by faith is vision.

As the leader of your life, it is your duty to clarify your vision and keep it in front of you at all times.  It becomes the fuel to your life’s engine. Are you going to live by design, or are you going to procrastinate and drift along? I seriously doubt you were designed to drift along. You were designed for destiny.  And writing your life plan enables you to draw out what’s already inside of you to fulfill your destiny.

Roll your works upon the Lord commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, so shall your plans be established and succeed.

God created you, designed you and equipped you with everything you need for your vision. Your heritage, your ethnicity, your skin tone, your dialect, your weight (well that’s negotiable , and your height are together packaged for the fulfillment of your vision. Here are 21 indisputable principles of vision that will spark your engine and spur you into vision mode:

1. Vision is your seeing-eye to where you are going in life.

2. Vision is the offspring of purpose. Your purpose will ignite your vision.

3. Vision is your recognized purpose.

4. Vision is the foundation of true leadership.

5. Vision: if you can see it, you can design it

6. Vision is distinctive, unique, organized, detailed, realistic

7. Vision is inspired by God.

8. Vision is future-focused and demand driven.

9. Vision is a legacy.

10. Vision is manifested in stages.

11. Vision is designed to make you uncomfortable.

12. Vision is a personality changer.

13. Vision is greater and more powerful than the visionary.

14. Vision is strategic.

15. Vision is why your exist.

16. Vision is the basis of all planning.

17. Vision is magnetic.

18. Vision is compelling.

19. Vision is emotional.

20. Vision is powerful.

21. Vision is the generator that empowers you to action.

Your mission in life and your vision are two different things. A mission is a general statement of purpose, what you stand for. Your vision is the product of a clear sense of purpose. Whatever your plans are, commit them to the Lord in prayer. Once you put them on paper, you will have plenty specifics to pray about. This is a vital step because no matter what you believe, you will need God’s direction.

If you need help flushing out your life plan and vision, contact me.

Live by Design,

© 2011 Dr. Deana Murphy All rights reserved.

Do you wake up some days and feel that you just can’t seem to get your mojo going? You know what I mean, you’d rather pull the covers over your head and pretend life is going to automatically fall into places as you’d like it to. Hey, we all get off track sometimes. It generally shows up dressed as  distractions, procrastination, disgust, bewilderment, indecisiveness or just plain ole fatigue. It happens.

I can recall times when there were so many different projects on my plate and I’d work a bit on one then jump to another. But nothing was coming to completion. It appeared I was just merely going in circles, playing musical projects. There’s no formula for being flawless in this journey called life. But I have some good news for you. There are ways to redesign your life to function as you were originally designed.

Think about this. When you plant a seed in the ground, it always produces that which it was intended. For instance, plant an apple seed and what do you get? Apples! Plant a flower seed and what grows? Flowers? When God created you, He already planted the seeds inside you for a specific purpose and vision He purposed for you to grow into. But distractions, procrastinations, disgusts, bewildering, indecisiveness and fatigue sometimes are inflicted by others. You know, the things people say or do that causes you to become blinded to the vision and purpose seeds originally planted inside of you. Upend this lifestyle today. Become acquainted with you. Redesign your life. Here are the top six ways to do this:

1. Caution yourself
You were placed here for a reason. There is a life’s design seed in you beckoning to blossom into your purpose and destiny.

2. Take back control
Okay, you’ve swerved off the path for a moment. It happened. Don’t dwell on the time lost. Move on and find yourself.

3. Inventory your talent, desire, passion seeds
What are you good at? What do you do just for the fun of it? What would you do if you wouldn’t be paid to do this? Perhaps it’s something you’ve always enjoyed doing as a child. Perhaps it’s something you’ve always wanted to do but was afraid. Don’t be afraid. Remember, God has already planted the seed inside of you. Don’t allow it to rot in the soil of your heart. Give Him a good bang for His investment in you.

4. Revisit your goals
Let’s face it. Goals are the heartbeat to life. Without them you’re walking around with blinders on. Stretch yourself. Jump into the challenges that come your way. Reposition yourself. Push yourself to do the things you desire. Not only for yourself, but to shine in the face of those who told you that you can’t.

5. Stop Stressing
Put things in perspective. Use your mental energy in ways that you enjoy. As important it is to exercise your body, likewise it is with your brain. Crossword puzzles, reading for relaxing, visiting museums, listening to soothing music, and this one I particularly enjoy: thumbing through high-end magazines for selecting the furnishings for my next home. Use your imaginative energy on things you desire that will elevate your thinking. Laugh out loud often, like every half hour. Don’t take things so seriously; just be serious about making things happen.

6. Design your focus
You are drawn to your most dominate thoughts. Everyday I sit alone where it is quiet and focus on the design of my life. This is the most important aspect of redesigning your life. See yourself in, on, or at the desires of your heart. Then say out loud to yourself everyday what you are focusing on. If your focus drifts away, gently pull it back. Utilize the seed of imagination that God placed inside of you. Use it to your advantage and redesign your life.

No matter how old you are, how long you’ve been in a career path that you dislike, or what the naysayers are shouting, redesign your life today into the person of your desire. The seeds are inside of you. Water them and watch them grow.

I’m so glad you stopped by to read my post. Please leave me your comments.

Sharing my passion,

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article
in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is a dynamic speaker, award winning author and

a conscious home and lifestyle expert who has been helping

people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle,

and approach life’s design in view of Spirit and family relations.

She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,

Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.

She has also appeared on HGTV and Fine Living.

This Saturday my family will be serving at our church’s annual Easter egg hunt. This annual event generally brings children and families peacefully from both the congregation and nearby neighborhoods. Fun and games are on the menu for the children who will be putting their expectations and  appetites on autopilot to feed on these joyous activities. It is a time for them to run and rush to search under every nook and cranny looking for those beautiful designs on those prized eggs.

These kids are fully charged and powered to resurrect every beautifully hidden painted egg, probably not so much to wolf them down but merely to simply have fun during their annual routine of seeking the competitive edge over their peers.

I’m reminded of how our lives sometimes can seem to slip into autopilot mode as the best within us are hidden from view while simply doing the routine things for the sake of just doing life… …competing for attention, recognition or  acceptance.

Just think about this for a moment. If we aren’t careful, life can sometimes become so mundane that we forget there is a rhyme and reason for being here. Our lives have purpose. We may not always know what it is but one thing for sure by running and rushing each day in search of the competitive edge will certainly not resurrect the dead areas in our lives. Gifting and talent, innovations and inventions dwell deep within us and today the challenge is RESURRECT THEM!

Take your destiny off autopilot. Write the vision. Read the vision. Speak the vision. Put your destiny in good hands – your own.

1.  Take your destiny off auto-pilot. Purpose today to opp-in and take advantage of opportunities that will better your quality of life. See the assistance of  like-minded people. Some things can’t be accomplished alone. And don’t just have a come-se come-si attitude, or whatever will be, will be outlook. Take control. Navigate by your gut. If you feel passionate about it, then do it.

2.  Write the vision. Make a list of the things that you feel and know needs resurrecting in your life. Perhaps it’s taking care of your body, exercising or clearing your heart and mind of the past so the new you can emerge, better habits, less distractions. Write down those areas that are dead that needs reviving.

3.  Read the vision. Read what you’ve written over and over each day.

4. Speak the vision. Speak what you’ve written over and over each day.         Speak in the first person, “I am,  I will,  I can.”

5. Put your destiny in good hands – your own. Step out, take action,        ignore the nay-sayers, stay focused, just do it!

Easter season brings to remembrance of Someone who was once dead; Who was resurrected by the power of divine purpose and destiny. This same power dwells within you. Give power to that purpose. Resurrect your life today!

I always enjoy sharing my passion with you, and I equally enjoy your comments. Happy Easter!

Sharing my passion,

Deana

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. No parts may be duplicated without
permission.  www.DeanaMurphy.com  http://designingfortheking.com

The Blueprint … I once read that the principles of design have been in existence for many centuries, and elements of design were not invented but discovered, and skillfully incorporated and balanced by artisans and designers over the course of history. If discovered, then they preexisted! Can the academic design principles and elements used today be a consequence of the preexisting principles and elements of old? So we can conclude the principles and elements of design were originated by God at his creation… the compass for your divine designs today. Nothing exists that he did not make (John 1:3, TAB).

Point One. The Space.
–According to Genesis 1:1–2a, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. This tells us that God located the problem—chaos, described as empty and formless. By his own will he decided to design (NLT).

Divine Design Tip:
Beginning with an empty room—the space—this becomes the blank canvas, so your senses are not influenced by the fabric already occupying it. Here is where you can identify what you are working with.

While paying close attention to the condition of floors, walls, doors, ceilings, and windows, you will notice how light enters the space and how users enter and exit. You will see how traffic flows—how users move about. Then the strengths and weaknesses in the space will be revealed to you. Here’s the opportunity to transform any weaknesses to work in your favor.

Point Two. The Vision.
–Having a vision for your designs is very important. You have the creative ability to look farther than you can see. According to Genesis 1:3–4, “Then God said, let there be light, and there was light … then he separated the light from the darkness” (NLT). God’s first divine command begins the process of transforming the chaos as a means of bringing about life and order, in other words, “Let there be order.”

Divine Design Tip:
All things begin with a thought translated into an image. Whatever your thoughts are behind your designs should be written down. Recording your every thought and collecting ideas for inspiration about your spaces, no matter how inconsequential they may appear, gives birth to the vision for the continuation of bringing order out of chaos. Afterwards you can share the vision with the other users. Now they can grab hold of your vision and share in the excitement of its planning. (Habakkuk 2:2, KJV)

Point Three. The Plan.
–Adventure in design can be looking to express the godly ways we desire to live and the ways we desire to design for the King. This requires thinking about how we actually live each day. According to Genesis 1:6a, 8a, “Then God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters … and God called the firmament heaven … ” (KJV). Apparently God separated the waters of the earth from waters of heaven, and then he expanded the atmosphere over the space.

Divine Design Tip:
Atmosphere was obviously very important to God. He found need to divide and separate some things in order to expand his space and create a heavenly atmosphere. This tells us we must separate from some things in our living environments so that a heavenly atmosphere can reside. So the question is how?
By separating from worries about all the things we have to do and all the things we want to get. The stress and anxiety strangles the spiritual orders we’ve heard, and nothing spiritual results from it (Mark 4:19, MSG).

What this means to me when planning our space we must create a setting where the Holy One desires to abide. The Holy Spirit enjoys a place where he feels at home—a place absent of strife, confusion, and physical evidence of worldly lusts; a place where spiritual orders fill our thoughts, direct our conversations, and determine our actions. Now we are creating an atmosphere for bringing sanctuary and peace in our living environments.
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If these three points speak to your heart, leave a comment and do share this with others. Much much more on this topic is in my new book, Designing for the King. You may order your copy below. Let’s Talk.

Sharing my Passion,

Deana