Musings - New Year's Vision Board

 A vision board is a collection of images and words that symbolize your goals, dreams and visions of success for what you want to accomplish.

Joyce Marter contributed to HuffPost these thoughts on Vision Boarding:

Think of the idea of "self-fulfilling prophecy. Over and over again, I have seen that if we anticipate an outcome, it is more likely to occur that way because our thoughts precede our behaviors. As author Wayne Dyer said, Our intention creates our reality.”

Determine your vision for the coming year as the first step.

Getting Started – Focus on What YOU Want your life to feel and look like.  Stretch, if there were nothing -- nothing at all -- to hold you back, what would you like your life in the next year to be like?  If there were no limits?  Consider these areas of life for some inspiration:

• Financial – Money, wealth, and budget

• Relationships – Close friends, family, and close colleagues

• Network – Professional connections, greater community

• Physical – Places and things like where you live, travel, artwork, furniture, etc.

• Personal – projects, hobbies, self development,
and fun

• Body – Your energy, health, appearance, and clothing, planned down-time

• Self – Strengths, talents, and character

• Spiritual – Deep connections and sacred spaces

• Nature –  The great outdoors and retreats  

A theme may emerge, and you don't have to include every area listed.  You may decide to do one vision board for personal life and one for career/business life.  Make this fun and play with the opportunity to envision a great year ahead how you really would like to see it with no limits.

Get more specific.  Many people think in big concepts such as I want to travel more, I want love in my life, I want a better job.  But envision what that actually looks like.  Where is the first place you want to travel to? Is it a national park, Paris, or a place of family significance?  What should that love life be like? Respectful, a true partner, romantic or practical?  That job you want, is it an easy commute, better pay, a respectful boss who encourages growth and challenges you or lets you do your job without interference?  Get into what it really means to you and put that on your vision board.

Buy a poster board, cork board, or large paper and gather together pictures and words from magazines, Pinterest, or other print images you find on the internet or maybe draw/paint your own to symbolize and represent your goals.  I have even seen Vision Board Kits available on Etsy and even vision board clipart books on Amazon.  Yes, there are online-digital versions of vision boards, too.  Canva has several vision board templates.

Next, gather scissors, glue, maybe decorative paper and washi tape, and markers.  Set aside a good hour or two with a space where you can spread out images you've gathered and work uninterupted.  Make it relaxing - a mini retreat - with some inspiring music, maybe some candles or essential oils.  

It can be an organized layout with right angles and columns/sections or it can be loose with some overlapping and images at odd angles.  It's completely up to you.

This is also an activity that can be done as a family and teaches children to dream and envision for their future.  Also, check your library and local events for vision board workshops.

It's best if you place your completed vision board somewhere that you can see it regularly to remind you of your vision, soak into your subconscious, and give consideration and attention to it over the next year.  Where is that place for you, an office or personal space? If you opted for an online-digital vision board, find a way to print it out and display.  

So consider the placement and size you'll need.  Also, take a photo of it to keep on your phone, maybe use it as the background for your computer.  I have also seen a vision book similar to a scrapbook, but again it should be someplace accessible often to look at.  

As your dreams are realized, write the date on the image on your board. At the end of the year, review your vision board and circle the images that manifested, so over time you have an on-going record of your fulfilled dreams.

Enjoy the new year, may fantastic books be part of your great year ahead.  Let me know in the comments your vision board tips and tricks and how vision boards have worked for you.

New Year-Fresh Start

Happy New Year!  Ready for 2023?  

As we face a new year, many are setting resolutions or goals for the next twelve months.  While it is good to have goals, check out the post I wrote two years ago about micro-changes that makes it easier (click here).  

Also, as you look at the next twelve months and what you want to accomplish, consider a vision board.  Vision boards don't have to be big, you can always use a sheet or several sheets of paper and doodle, write, and attach pictures.  

However you approach setting your desires for the year into goals, here are some tips: 1) write it down with details, 2) define how you will measure your progress along the way, 3) make sure your goal is achievable-actually doable, 4)  acknowledge the practical requirements necessary to meet your goals.

For well rounded goals here are some life areas to consider, although you don't have to do a goal for each area this provides a beginning point for defining what you want that you may not have considered before.  Here are 9 life areas to consider:

• Self (talents, values, character, mental enrichment)
• Emotional Self (emotional outlet, support system or therapy, self-love, and self-compassion)
• Spiritual (practices, uplifting, sacred spaces, soul nourishment)
• Relationships (family, friends, colleagues)
• Financial (cash flow, budget, investments, savings)
• Network (key people, online communities)
• Physical environment (home, office, possessions)
• Body (strength, health, radiance)
• Nature environment (wildlife, seasons, outdoor spaces)

In case you have financial goals that involve saving money, Here is a expense tracker to help you with budgeting (click here).  I did a post a few years ago on the 52 week saving challenge that also might be of interest (click here).

Another financial concept that has gained some traction in the last several years that might be of interest is a "No Spending Challenge."  A no-spend money challenge is where you don’t spend any money (besides essentials if absolutely needed) for a specific time period.  The time period can be for just a weekend, a full week, or even a full month.  This sort of challenge helps you to save money for many things, including building savings for unexpected expenses that arise, such as a last-minute trip, or car repairs. Or even to build an emergency fund, or to pay down debt. Some people have specific debts they want to pay off or down, like a car or save for a home down payment.

If you are considering a full week there is planning involved to make sure you have enough food and regular/necessary supplies ahead of time. A full month is even more planning and preparation for necessities.  

You’ll also have to cut all extracurricular activities from your schedule that aren’t free.  Keep track of your spending with a visual tracker. Having a visual tracker that you can look at daily will get you excited about saving.  Here is a tracker you can download if this is of interest (click here).

This is a list of non-essentials that you don't spend on during the challenge:

• Entertainment
• Impulse purchases
• Take-outs
• Alcohol
• Non-essential personal care such as makeup or perfume
• Tickets to most events
• Starbucks
• New clothes or shoes
• Home decor
• Hobbies
• Eating out (make meals at home, pack a lunch for work, thermos of coffee to work)
• Unsubscribe from "deal" or "Sale" email alerts

Whatever your goals, don't create stress with unrealistic goals.  Keep reading my friends, you don't need a goal or target, just enjoy!