A vision board or dream board or mood board is a collection of images or visual cues for goals you aspire to achieve. Their aim is to inspire and motivate you on a regular basis and get you thinking about ways you can work towards these goals.
Now I know that some people may have created vision boards for 2020, which may not have transpired as they would have wanted, and the exact reasons around these will be unique to everyone, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from being optimistic about 2021 or any of the years to come. Below I will be sharing some great strategic tips on how to create a vision board that can transform your life.
1) Be realistic with yourself
I am not saying don’t dream big, but what I am saying is be mindful of your resources. E.g If you want to build a business empire but you are starting from scratch, it would be wise to figure out the average time it takes for someone in your circumstances to get from point A to point B, then see if your current resources (time, money, skills, manpower etc) will help meet this goal or if you need to gain another piece of the puzzle. Are you in a position to do what it is you want to do? Being unrealistic will only set you up for a nosedive and may dishearten you from ever creating another vision board.
2) Include imagery of the actual effort required to achieve your goals
As an example, having an image of a nice house on your vision board is great, but you must remember that the house is an end product, and there will be prerequisites to achieve this product. Including additional images such as a lady getting a promotion or the phrase “side hustle,” an increasing account balance, or a checkmark for an excellent credit score, will serve as reminders of the steps you will have to take to actually achieve that dream house. In fact, a 2011 study revealed that when fantasizing about something e.g a dream car, your brain can react as though you already have it, as a result, you are more likely to relax and be less disciplined to taking any form of ACTION.
3) Include your WHY
Say for instance you have decided that you want to learn a new language (which is no easy task), you will need to have a strong desire to achieve this goal, for learning a new language isn’t really a pressing need if you’re already getting by with the language(s) you speak. Including say a picture of someone you want to better connect with, or a job that’s linked to that specific language, or a phrase such as “expand my audience” can all serve as your why. Whatever you choose, your why must be so compelling that it will trump any adversity that may come your way and keep you on track to achieving your goal.
4) Be specific
I remember when I put down “get a pay rise” in one of my vision boards, I even set the deadline for it. And it came, just in time, as expected. But what I had failed to specify was exactly how much of a raise I wanted. Needless to say, I have not made that mistake again, and you don’t have to either. If you have decided that you want to lose weight, specify exactly how much and by when. If you want to grow your newsletter, specify how much and by when. If you want to cook more, specify how much and by when. If you want to…. I am sure you get the drift by now. Also, avoid vague goals such as “get organised” or “travel more” because this leaves you open to ending up anywhere.
5) Less is more
I am pretty sure there are a ton of things you will want to achieve over the next year, but there is no point in spreading yourself thin, especially when you have small children to look after. Setting too many goals will undermine the entire process as you won’t be able to give the required attention to any of them, resulting in either poor performance or burnout (which will eventually lead to poor performance). It is far better to hone in on 2 or 3 important goals and see them to completion one at a time, than to half-ass everything.
6) Don’t leave anything to chance
And finally, avoid including anything that you hardly have any control over such as winning the lottery. It would be great if this happens, but let’s be real, it probably won’t. Make sure the ball is actually in your court.
Conclusion
Life will often try to get in the way of your goals and distractions will come and go, hence why vision boards are perfect; they provide consistent reminders of your plans for the year ahead, and work by helping you to visualise, project, and manifest your desires. Whether you have decided to cut and paste pictures onto a board, or drag and drop images using software such as Canva, your vision board must move you when you look at it. As cheesy as it sounds, life is really like a blank canvas and the best part is that you get to decide exactly how you would like to design yours.