We work with organizations to help craft their vision to act as their anchor as they develop objectives and goals. Having helped organizations create corporate visions throughout my career, I began to wonder how often we create personal visions?
Since creating a 5-year goal has always felt overwhelming, I usually create annual goals to hold myself accountable in the coming year. I think about each aspect of my life (career, family, finance, hobbies, etc.) and create goals for each and then outline action steps I can take to achieving those goals (see our blog on SMART goals). This year, instead of just listing my goals, I decided to create a vision board.
A vision board is a board made of a collage of images, pictures, and affirmations of one’s dreams and desires. Vision boards are designed to act as a source of motivation and inspiration. It’s like a law of attraction to attain goals. They’ve been endorsed by Oprah Winfrey, among others, and that’s all I needed to give this a shot.
I started by collecting old magazines from friends, family, and even my doctor’s office. While a vision board could be created in one sitting, I spread the creation over 3 days to ensure the mood I was in on any particular day didn’t impact my vision for the year. I ripped out images and cut out words that resonated with me. After this culling process, I laid out my words and images on a large table. I combined similar images and words until I started to see themes and patterns emerge. There were very strong patterns (in fact, strength was a recurring word for me). It demonstrated that my focus should be on everyday moments, family journeys, focus on health (mind and body), believing in myself, romance, and more. It’s not that any of these themes and patterns surprised me because I think they have been things I’ve talked about in the past. By doing this vision board, I see them visually all in one place and it becomes a great reminder to focus daily on these things I desire.
For me, the true power is in sharing my 2020 vision with family, friends, and colleagues who can support me and hold me accountable in the coming year. In sharing this with my children and husband, I felt a bit vulnerable like I was showing them the inside of my mind and heart. But hey, one of the quotes I cut out was “Strength Is Being Vulnerable” so I had to share. And, I figure why not share it with the rest of the world too.
I encourage you to CEEK a Better Way whether that means creating a vision board or not.
My final vision board is the picture below:
