CREATING A VISION BOARD

I have always been a dreamer with a knack for success. The only thing wrong with this was I had too many aspirations that were all over the place with no actual direction on how to merge my thoughts together to achieve my goal “success”. I was clueless on where or how to begin. I was watching a vlog on this day on YouTube where the vloggers were discussing Vision Board, talking about how you can put all your ideas together on a board and set a time frame to which to achieve set goals. Initially, I pondered on how just organizing your thoughts on a sheet would really be of any help. Well that was until I tried it. So the first question might be, what is a vision board?

Vision boards are like the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. It basically involves using images and words to portray personal goals and ambitions. A picturesque depiction of what you have set out to achieve.

The second question may be, ‘why do you need a vision board?’

“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.”- Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Because a vision board involves the use of images, you have this visual representation of your end goal and the efforts required to achieve it. This puts your life in perspective by restoring your attention to what is important and primal. I would best describe a vision board as the ideal form of motivation. It directs your behavior toward what you set out to achieve. These images stare back at you appealing to your senses to put in the required amount of effort in order to be successful. There is always a subconscious force that pulls you towards doing what needs to be done to achieve that set goal. Where focus goes, energy flows.

Don’t have one yet? It may be time to create your own vision board. A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words.

How do you create a vision board?

Take a piece of paper and a pen; write down in details all the goals you aim to achieve. Get on your laptop or computer or phone and go on the internet. Look up pictures which correctly describe each one of your goals and what you would do to reach these goals. Save the pictures. For example, one of my goals is to successfully stand in front of a crowd and speak words of wisdom. I aspire to inspire. These are the pictures I used to represent this goal on my vision board.

   

It perfectly depicts my vision. After you have gotten all the pictures you need for the vision board, open Microsoft word and insert these pictures. You only need smaller versions of the pictures so you need to minimize the sizes of all the pictures. Put them together however you want them to be represented, they could either be in order of priorities or not. When you are done arranging the pictures, save the document, print it and laminate. This way, you get a visual representation of all your goals to look at every day. If you are more artistic, get a cardboard. Cut out images from magazines or books which represent your goals or find pictures online, print them and cut them out. Paste these pictures on the cardboard with glue or thumb tacks, again, in whatever order you deem fit. Put it somewhere easily accessible so that you can get a glimpse at it every day.

The next step is to believe in your vision. You need to believe before you can execute. According to Muhammad Ali, “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It is an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It is a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” First thing you need to do is ask yourself, ‘how much do I need this?’ It is easier to believe once you are able to quantify how important it is to you.

“It is funny a thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”– W. Somerset Maughan. Achieving your goal requires faith and belief. Anything and everything is possible if you just believe. Believe in your potential. Your vision is not unattainable no matter how unrealistic it may seem. Do not accommodate fear, let it out the door. Remember, good things come to those who believe.

“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.”- Oprah Winfrey.

With all these said and done, the most important step needs to be put into effect. Action. It is now time to act on the vision you have chosen to believe in. Time to materialize your vision into reality. The only way your vision would materialize is if you put in actual work. Lying on your bed does not do the trick. Nothing gets handed to you unless you get up and get some work done, well except you win the lottery which is an unlikely chance occurence. Determination, persistence, consistency, perseverance and hard work always do the trick. Give it everything you have got. The only thing you have to lose is absolutely nothing. Make good use of the time you have. Time management is very key. Create a deadline. Try as hard as possible to always stick to the deadline. Do not let any obstacle hinder you from reaching your goal. If you fail, try again and again until you are successful. But do not ever give up or relent. Keep in mind that failure is simply a learning curve in the path to success. Let God be your strength.

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”- Joel A. Baker.

I am on this journey myself putting in all the necessary action to actualize my dreams. I implore you to create a vision board today and set your success story in motion.