Seven Gifts (Visions & Values)

Welcome back to my 

Visions & Values series!

After I made my Visions & Values board, I had the idea to make a smaller board as a motivational reminder. I want to take care of the things that are most important to me in life.

It's one thing to want whatever it is you want, or to desire an improvement in something you already have. It's quite another thing to actually work toward it and to make sure you're being a good steward of it.

So... I made a seven gifts board. I had never seen anything like this, so if it seems weird, well, what can I say?

The seven gifts: SPIRIT, FAMILY & FRIENDS, HEALTH, HOME, MIND, MONEY, TIME. Just about everything I value and that I need to care for each day can be tucked into one of those categories.

SPIRIT: my relationship with God, my emotional well-being, Bible, prayer, worship, inspiration, counseling...  

FAMILY & FRIENDS: relationships with others  (starting with those who live with me) including spending time with them, serving, encouraging, peacemaking, hospitality, advocacy for the vulnerable, home schooling, social media...

HEALTH: diet, exercise, medication management, sleep, water, doctor visits...

HOME: organizing, decluttering, cleaning, decorating, shopping, cooking, laundry, home repairs, gardening...

MIND: mental growth, reading, writing, creating artwork, problem solving, memory, brain storming...

MONEY: budgeting, penny pinching, contentment, planning, record keeping, giving, resourcefulness with my possessions...

TIME: schedules, eliminating time wasters, using the little minutes...

~*~*~

What did I do with my "seven gifts" board?

I put it by my bed to look at each morning, evening, and in between.

And I think, "What do I need to do today to take care of these seven gifts in my life?" or "How did I do today?"

I usually get a sense of satisfaction as I mentally go through my day. Maybe I didn't do as much in one area, but I focused on another. Or maybe I need to get back in gear on all of them; tomorrow's another day!

HOW I MADE IT:

I found the blue board (with two thin metal rods across it) at Target for $3. The rods had little clothes pins on them. I tried using them with card stock tags for about a week, but it didn't look right. Just temporary-ish.

So I bought wooden mason jar tags on sale at Jo-Ann Crafts and painted them with acrylic paint. It took several tries to get the color right, and I ended up redoing them. Messy!

Then I took colored permanent markers (the same ones I used for my vision board) and drew on the symbols and words. If I did it over again, I would use a very fine tip permanent marker.

I attached the tags to the board with light blue lace that I already had. Blue - from robin's egg to teal - is my signature color in my bedroom, so I keep this pretty lace on hand for whatever.

I propped up my seven gifts board on my bedside table with one of those little picture display racks. Voila!

Spirit, Family & Friends, Health, Home, Mind, Money, Time: How are you doing with your seven gifts? What would you add to the list?

Blessings,

Virginia Knowles