You can’t get where you’re going if you don’t know where that is! Every year, it is a great idea to chart your course for the upcoming year by creating a Vision Board. What is a Vision Board? A “visual” representation of what you want to create or what you want to accomplish.
I recently read an article on the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware. They are:
- I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I hadn’t worked so hard/much.
- I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
Take a good look at that list. I bet we all can relate to something on it, no matter what age we are currently! So, my question to you is: What are you going to do about it???
I am reading a leadership book, Boundaries for Leaders by Dr. Henry Cloud; he says that leaders need to create boundaries. The definition of boundary is: a structure that determines what will exist and what will not. As leaders, we will always get what we create and what we allow.
What do you want to create for 2016? What are the boundaries you need to create to assure that will happen?
Create a Vision Board as a visual representation of what you want to create and become this year. The idea behind this is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires. You want to create a visual of your work and financial goals, your family and personal goals, your educational goals, your spiritual goals.
Here is how you do it!
1. Sit quietly. Think about what one word or phrase that will be your “filter” or “theme” for the year. (For me this year, my phrase is “Create Space”, last year, my word was “Planning”.) In my quiet time, I think about what area I really need to grow or develop myself to allow myself a more peaceful and productive life personally and professionally.
2. Collect/purchase magazines in a lot of different areas that might include: finance, work, family, spirituality, hobbies etc. Old calendars are great too! They can have some great pictures and “sayings” on them that might resonate with you.
3. Purchase a foam core board or poster board. Some like to have a board for work and a board for their personal life. I like to have everything on one board because they are connected in many ways. Do what feels right for you.
4. Start cutting images, phrases, key words, even letters from the magazines, periodicals, calendars etc. You can lay them out on your board as you cut them out or collect them in a file to put on your board later. You may want to add a picture of yourself, your “significant other/spouse”, your friends, family, loved ones etc.
This is your board!
5. Once you have enough images/words/phrases cut out, start to lay them out on your board, (don’t glue right away, you will find you may want to move things around and add and take things off as you are laying the images and phrases out) step back and really take a good look, ask yourself if it “feels” right. Does it represent your personal and professional goals? Let you intuition guide you.
6. Glue all of your images/phrases/words on the board. (I have found that rubber cement works best!)
7. Feel free to be creative, write words on the board with magic markers, paint or glue fabric or lace to really make the board your board! Allow your creativity to shine through!
8. Finally, put your vision board in a place where you will see it EVERY DAY! Allow the magic and law of attraction to occur!
Review your Vision Board every quarter or even monthly. Ask yourself, “Where do I need to adjust the rudder to accomplish my goals?” “Where have I gone off course?” “How can I get back on course?”
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible to the visible.”
Tony Robbins