How to Create Your Future using a Vision Board

Do not limit yourself. Allow yourself to dream.

Introduction to a vision board

A vision board is an ideal way to use your creativity while supporting your goal development. It becomes a visual representation of your goals. Visualizing is an important practice used by many successful individuals in all areas of life. When you visualize well enough, your body and cognitive responses are in sync with the activity actually occurring in real time.

The body’s ability to use visualization is the reason face time calls have become so popular. Yes, we are at a certain place in society where they are sometimes necessary. Being able to have a visual representation of that person really makes it feel like you have actually ‘seen’ them. Sports stars who use visualization for their skills can demonstrate increased heart rate and respiratory rate. Why? Because at that point, it is real to them. So much so, that they are able to transfers the visualized skills into real competitions with improved performance. Using a vision board makes this visualization process tangible. You are still setting up images that you are striving towards, but you create your vision with physical tools not just using mental imagery.

Decide on your focus

You can focus on your whole life or create a main theme you want to focus on. You can also use your word of the year to set your intention, as well as use for the focus of your vision board. Need more information on how to formulate your word of the year? Check out the post below.

Choosing Your Word of the Year

Your whole life can be your focus for your vision board. You can also choose a segment of your life you would like to focus on. You could choose your home life, personal development, spiritual, your profession, family, relationships, children, self care, etc.

Brain dump ideas

Brain dump is defined as the act or an instance of comprehensively and uncritically expressing and recording one’s thoughts and ideas (as on a particular topic). https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain%20dump

Using a brain dump is a great way to find your focus or develop your focus to a greater degree. Some keys to performing a brain dump are found in the definition: write down everything (be comprehensive) and do not be critical of what you write down, so you will be unhindered (uncritically). I always enjoy a good brain dump. It is a practice I use each week to get things done and see what I need to make a priority each day. Have you done a brain dump before? Did you find it helpful? 

Using a brain dump on a regular basis allows you to empty your mind of unnecessary thoughts. There has been a significant amount of research on the thought processes of humans and how many thoughts we have each day. The number is astounding. Based on research, we experience up to 60,000 thoughts each day. Many thoughts can be on repeat from the previous day if you have not addressed something or your subconscious continues to focus on it. Now, you can use a brain dump to capture some of these thoughts and let them go. Hopefully, this will free up your mind for new thoughts. New thoughts that can propel you towards your destiny. Successful people do not dwell in the thoughts only. Once they harness a thought, they put that thought into action. A brain dump assists you in locating those thoughts that can create your own personal successes.

Questions to use to help with vision board development

Where do you want to be in 1 year?

Think about yourself in one year’s time. What things will you have accomplished? What would you have done? Where would you have gone? Use your vision board to create a visual representation of these things, events, and wins. Your vision board helps you see your successes before they occur in real time.

Where do you want to visit?

If you like to travel, what places are currently on your list? Are there favorite locations you want to return to? Are there certain activities you enjoy that relate specifically with a certain location? Use pictures from previous vacation or get some travel magazines and utilize these on your vision board.

What skills do you want to develop?

Skills can be hard skills like typing or your profession degree requirements. Skills can be soft skills like communication or your ability to be a team player. In order to improve bother personally and professionally, we have to evaluate skills within ourselves and address some of our deficits. A vision board can capture some of the skills you would like to improve upon.

What types of things would you like to obtain? 

You probably do not focus on actual things that you want in your life. But we all know that it is better to have things that you enjoy than not to have them. Think about the things that you would like in your life. The things that you work hard for and are extremely excited when you have them. You can locate pictures of these to put on your vision board.

Materials to use for your vision board

• Affirmations
• Card stock
• Glitter
• Glue
• Highlighters
• Magazines
• Markers
• Paper
• Pens
• Pictures
• Quotes
• Scissors
• Sharpies
• Stencils
• Stickers
• Tape
• Washi tape

As you are gathering your materials, think about how large you would like your vision board to be. The size will also help you decide on what type of materials would be best.

Placement of your vision board

The size you decide to make your vision board will play a part in where you can display it. If you make it small enough to fit in your planner or notebook, then you can look at it each day. You can also make it the size of poster board and hang it on the wall in your office or use a cork board and pin pictures to the board.

Being able to review your vision board on a regularly, even a daily basis, is very beneficial to your ability to accomplish your vision. Reviewing your vision daily keeps it in the forefront of your mind and allows you to be able to focus on the action steps you need to take to accomplish your desires.

Location ideas for placement

• On your cork board/ bulletin board
• In your planner
• Hanging on your wall in your bedroom
• On your mirror in your bathroom
• In a calendar you carry in your purse
• In your favorite notebook
• In your journal

Update vision board or repeat process as needed

Please don’t take all your time, create a vision board, and then not utilize it. Put it where you can see it and then update it as things become a reality. Review it at a scheduled time frame. Then, as your focus changes or you need to address other things in your reality, update your board to make room for more successes.

Resources

Reviewing your goals each morning https://medium.com/personal-growth-lab/5-reasons-why-reviewing-your-long-term-goals-every-morning-leads-to-success-bb31ebef82d

Find out more about hard and soft skills https://www.thebalancecareers.com/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills-2063780

I am passionate about optimal work life balance and I can help women excel in both areas without compromising in either area because I have found systems of planning, organization, and personal development that help achieve goals. I created this blog to discuss topics on our journey of motherhood that we experience daily. Come on this journey with me. Be you, be focused, be well! Find Your Flourish! |Shanna|