Pinterest opened up a new world for dreamers.
We pin the life we want for ourselves including healthy recipes, home decor ideas, and trendy clothing.
But most of our pins center around aesthetics and less on intention.
Why a Vision Board?
Pinterest is valuable but also provides unlimited ideas. We pin, pin, and pin, without taking the time to take action on most of our findings. Vision Boards are a purposeful way to create a clear and ideal life for ourselves.
As a certified life coach, I often encourage my clients to think through what they want their life to look like this year, next year, and 5-10 years from now! Vision Boards combine pictures, quotes, and written statements to inspire us to follow our dreams. They are an outlet to release our plans for the future while also providing a visual reference of our ideal life.
Let’s get started!
Reflect/Plan
Although Vision Boards are inspiring, they don’t make our dreams come true. We must take action, and it starts at the beginning.
We must start by answering the following questions:
1) When you think about your life a year from now, what does it look like?
2) What parts of your life need the most attention so you can move forward in a positive direction?
3) What brings you joy?
4) What obstacles may keep you from following your dreams?
5) What goals do you want to set for yourself?
After this reflection, you will want to plan the next steps and answer these two questions:
1) What are the next steps to get you from where you are to where you want to be?
2) What pictures/words/symbols come to mind that inspires you toward the life you want for yourself?
Answering these questions will give you the freedom to move forward in an intentional way. After reflecting, get creative! Start getting hands-on and plan your vision board to inspire freedom.
Create
Gather supplies such as a journal/poster board, glue/tape, magazines, pictures, scissors, markers, paint, and any other craft materials you think you may need. Remember not to treat this as a visually appealing Pinterest board. Consider how everything you choose relates to your goals and dreams and be purposeful about your design.
Action Steps
After you create your Vision Board, start to plan the action steps:
1) How will you reach your goals?
2) What steps do you need to put into place to make your dreams happen?
Symbolic Reminder
Although the board itself is meant to be your motivation, it is unlikely you can take it with you wherever you go. Choose a symbol you can place as a constant reminder of the life you have chosen for yourself. You can do this by carrying around your vision board journal or making the poster board the background of your phone. Maybe you need one quote to put on your mirror or the dashboard of your car. Whatever it may be, weave your dreams into your daily life.
Celebrate
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate your progress. Celebrating is one way to motivate you to keep going. Celebrations can be big or small. Just make sure you give yourself the acknowledgment you need to continue moving forward.
“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” –Oprah Winfrey