Stop waiting for Oprah to call! 10 simple steps to making your vision a reality!

Are you waiting for Oprah to call? Or Ellen or the Voice? Wait, maybe you are hoping you will win the lottery?  You might not think I know what I’m talking about. After all, I’m not a millionaire. I don’t have millions of followers. I haven’t realized all my dreams. I have more work to do.

You can keep waiting for Oprah to call but I have to keep it moving. Nine years ago, I stopped waiting for someone to rescue me, to choose me and I found something more important than anything. I found my purpose, I accessed my passion and I stepped into my best life.

I’m 44 years old. Oprah practically raised me. She started her show when I was 16 years old and for the next 25 years, at 4:00pm Central Standard Time, I was greeted by the sounds of Oprah solving my problems, telling me where to buy, showing me how good it could be. I’ll always be grateful to our country’s personal coach. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now if she hadn’t paved the way for self-help.

For a long time, Oprah was part of my vision. I auditioned for a show on Oprah.  I envisioned getting interviewed on one of her sets. My daughter drew a picture of Oprah and everyone said I would be the Indian Oprah. Then she retired. Sure, she has a cable network but somehow I realize, that time is over. I watch others stand in long lines to hopefully get a look from American Idol or America’s Got Talent. They create Youtube channels hoping someone will see them and suddenly they will be the benefactor of millions of views. I hoped that too.

But one day, I stopped waiting for Oprah to call. And that’s when everything changed.

My personal recession began about a year before the rest of the country, around 2007. I finally when I realized I was going to lose my house in foreclosure—a result of a very dumb move into a “variable interest rate mortgage.” Without boring you with the details, I’ll just describe the results: at any time, your mortgage payment will increase, with no upper limit. Nice, right? My no-income verification loan payment (which I could barely afford) doubled in 18 months.

I was embarrassed, uncomfortable, panicked, angry and generally lost. I am the daughter of two very successful immigrants, East Indians no less. We are known for our hotel ownership, math and science skills and no-nonsense child-rearing in the United States. I had no excuses, no one to blame, a crumbling marriage, a secretly unhealthy lifestyle and a feeling of growing panic.

Fast forward to today, July 13, 2015, 9 years later. While there are remnants of those dark moments lurking in the corners of my life, I am a happy-as-a-pig-in-mud successful entrepreneur, healthier than I have ever been and still in love. I am going to tell you how to start. I am going to give you simple (FREE) steps to make it happen. And, I’m going to give you a resource that will cost you less than $10.00. But before I do that, there are a few things you need to know.

Caveat #1: I didn’t find my lifeline at the bottom.

My transformation began when I hit that bottom, but I didn’t find my lifeline there. My bones ached and my heart twisted with yearning. I had no idea when it was going to end. As my so-called “perfect” life slipped away from me, I had to fight for the right to transform. I applied for a new job, one with better pay. I allowed my house to slip away and accepted (what felt like humiliating) help so I could move into another house. I stopped stopped treating my body like trash. I stopped using my adversarial marriage as a reason not to change. And that’s when “IT” happened. I was in the process of digging out when my transformation life-line appeared.

You might be in a place where you want change. And you are waiting with arms outstretched. God save me. Somebody help me. I can’t walk. I can’t move forward. I’m broken. I get it. Here’s my first tip: Move. Get up. Grab a crutch, wrap up your wounds, dry your tears and start to move. Your rescue is on it’s way, it’s buried in your action. Get moving.

Caveat #2: Your purpose has always been there. Just watch, listen and acknowledge.

I was sitting in the Des Moines airport, getting ready to board a plane to New Orleans to attend a mortgage banking conference. I wandered into the bookstore and found myself standing before the self-help section. As I let my fingers trail along the spines, a thought randomly popped into my head.

If I’m going to be a speaker, I should know what’s out there.

The truth is, it wasn’t random. It was just buried. As a young girl, I pretended to be a speaker, lining up my stuffed animals, and delivering inspirational speeches. My first non-fiction book as a pre-teen was “The Power of Positive Thinking.” I loved Back-to-School-Specials because of their hidden lessons. Every time I heard a speaker, I thought, I can do that. I could do better than that.

I had just ignored it. I stuffed it. First because I didn’t know how to execute and then later because I didn’t understand how I could fulfill my purpose AND my responsibilities. At that moment, as I stood in that airport, I felt I was unworthy. Who would take advice from me who had failed in so much?

No matter what is going on in your life, your life choices, your current path, your purpose will never disappear. If you don’t believe me, the Bible says. If you don’t believe the Bible, there is always Oprah. You have stress. You have a to-do list. You have children and responsibilities. You are busy. Don’t worry, your purpose is RIGHT THERE, waiting for you. Listen to that voice. The doorway to your best life is in there!

Me and my favorite number: ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN

I read the book about vision boards (message me if you want to know which one), from wheels up in Des Moines, Iowa to the bumpy landing in New Orleans. I decided to create one for myself. Lest you think I bought the process wholeheartedly I want you to know I liked and hated the idea at the same time. I loved it because it might be possible to change my life. I hated it because it implied this sad situation called MY LIFE was all my fault. Either way, I created one within a few weeks of returning home. The “visions” on my board fell into three categories:

• I had tried and failed but I still wanted it.
• I had no experience but I still wanted it.
• Logistically I was misaligned (age, geography, children) but I still wanted it.

I have 4 kids. The mortgage industry was imploding. I was too old, lived in the wrong part of the world (let’s face it, Des Moines is not exactly the media mecca of the world), and I possessed NO experience in speaking, television, radio or entrepreneurship.

So here’s what happened: 119

ONE HUNDRED AND NINETEEN HAPPENED TO ME.

In those 119 days after the creation of my first vision board (I am on VB #10) I had claimed, realized, experienced, and took possession of every dream and wish on my big, bad board. I lost 6 pounds (which may not seem like a lot but for me I promise you I just couldn’t lose it!), My husband gave me a second wedding ring (I had lost mine and really wanted to wear a ring that didn’t turn my finger green). I got a second car, which you would have to hire me to find out how that happened with a poor credit score and no money. I was asked to film a television pilot and I also was hired to host a radio show, 5 days a week.

So how did I do it? I didn’t audition for the television show, and I didn’t tell my husband I wanted a new ring.

Oprah never called.

I aligned myself with the life I wanted. I set my mind on things above instead of what was going on around me. I stopped identifying with the total and complete lack that characterized my life and I began aligning with the abundance in my soul.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 1: I admitted my vision to myself. 

Instead of convincing myself my present reality was good enough, I allowed myself the privilege and honor of seeing and acknowledging my dream.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 2: I put my vision out there.

Even though there was very little in my life that would warrant hope, I spoke descriptions of my vision. I said, I want to be on television. I want a talk show. I asked what it would take to get on the radio.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 3: I told my brain to notice what I wanted it to see. I took charge.

Once I had admitted it and spoken my vision in front of others, my brain was cued to see what was already out there. The guy who owns a production studio at the charity event. The radio announcer sitting next to me. The car, the ring, the money, the opportunities already existed. Now I could see them.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 4: I created proposals. I asked for what I wanted.

As I asked, I prepared for a YES. And yes, I felt stupid. When I was asked what my radio show would be about, I pulled out an outline. I was ready for my wildest vision to become a reality.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 5: I showed up ready to go.

A good life precipitates a good life. Once my purpose and passion united, I could feel it coming and I wanted to be ready. I started to work out, for instance, because I didn’t want to have to suck my stomach in as I stood on stage speaking to an audience! I practiced speaking into a camera.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 6: I tried stuff. 

I experimented with everything. Nothing was characterized as a failure as long as there was effort and education. I put together a coaching framework and tried it with 10 clients. I set up events and invited everyone I knew, week after week. Effort, execution, education—over and over and over.

• Life after Oprah-strategy 7: I failed. 

Having said that, I did fail in the traditional sense. One week I spoke to an audience of TWO after a week of marketing the event. I stumbled as I spoke, sometimes missing the intended target of the meeting planner. I can tell you more, and I promise it is really good, but you’ll have to set up an appointment for that!

• Life after Oprah-strategy 8: I kept trying.

No matter what, particularly in those first few years, I kept trying. I created audio tracks using Audacity. I burned the messages on CD’s and wrote the titles on the discs in with a black sharpie. I sold a few. Then I burned them on a CD and created a sticker. I sold more. Then I found a fulfillment center and went global. Yup, I sold a few more. I just didn’t give up.

• Life after Oprah strategy 9: I formulated a brand.

I love my first professional photos. I’m wearing one of those green sweater/ faux white button-down shirt combos, and my face looks perfectly composed. I just wanted to look like and act like successful people. I quickly found if I attempted to blend in to the crowd, no one would find me! I needed to step into my wild thing, boasting an entertaining yet informative experience no matter what I did. I continue to find my voice and dare to be more “me” than ever before. And with each step, I become more successful.

• Life after Oprah strategy 10: Rinse, Repeat.

I went back through the cycle over and over again in my health, wealth, romance, personal space and career. It never ends. I’ve completed my 10th vision board. I have bigger, more impossible dreams. I’m still uncertain at times. I’m still afraid, but now I’m more focused on creating opportunities to support others than I am in staying in this reality.

It can always get better. I can always be better.

Are you waiting for Oprah to call? What’s your excuse? You don’t have enough time or money? You don’t know how to express your purpose, you’ve been hiding it for so long? Create a vision board. Use those three categories I mentioned as I built my own board. Just TRY one or two of those steps to abundance. I know it works. I think it’s time.