I don’t know about you, but I love a fresh start. I look forward to a new year for this exact reason, and January brings a sense of relief and excitement for me. As a teacher, it signals that we made it through the first semester and that we are halfway through the school year. (Summer break is in sight!) January makes me reflect on where I am in life and on the accomplishments that I have made. Then, I can begin to focus on new goals.
Give me all the personal growth books and let me all the blogs about goals, finding God’s purpose for me, dreams and The Law of Attraction. I want it ALL! I am that person. I feel like it’s now or never, and that I better get to chasing my goals or it may never even happen if I don’t make it happen!
Then, I quickly realized this has been me for the last two decades. Every January has always brought a new word to focus on and goals to write down, and of course a new visionboard. Each year, my girls and I will do this together. We search for images that represent what we want to see or focus on for the year and place them on a board. Have you ever done anything like this? If not, I think that you should give it a try!
The research behind vision boards shows that seeing your goals in one place everyday gives you a reminder of the things that you are working towards. The research has shown that it can make you think more positively, be more optimistic and increase the chance of success in reaching your goals. This is because you have the constant reminders of your goals somewhere that you can see it at least once each day.
I have also introduced this concept in my classes at school, and the students have always seemed to be very receptive to the idea. Some of my students have even come to tell me when their goals become a reality, and that it was something they included on their vision board. One concept that has changed greatly over the last two decades from when I started making my vision boards first is technology. Visionboards used to just be a piece of poster board, cork boards or construction paper. Then, all of the cutting out of pictures and ideas would come from finding stickers from craft stores and from magazines.
Now thanks to technology, with Google and apps on iPhones you can make visionboards in less than five minutes with no scissors or glue at all. You can now have your vision board on your phone as your lock screen which makes it even easier to see your goals everyday. You can even make them on a Google Doc and print off copies to have with you in your car, at work, or at home.
If you have not made a vision board, below are the steps to complete your own! I challenge you to try it out, even if it’s just once. It is a great personal growth tool where focusing on your goals can help you achieve them in the long run. My experience with vision boards has been very encouraging, and I hope it can make a positive impact on you like it has on me!
1: Make a list of goals and dreams goals that you have for your life.
2: Choose the type of media you’ll use for your vision board.
Be creative and select a media that will work best for you. Here are the most popular options: poster board, journal, cork board, notebook paper
*Also, Technology such as iPhone and computer screen saver options when using Apps or Google Docs.
3: Gather images and inspirational quotes that represent your goals.
Also, gather images that represent where you will go and what you will do when you achieve your goals. Magazines are a great place to cut out fun images. Also, you can search Pinterest to gather images you want to print and cut out!
4: Layout and create your vision board.
Place your images, embellishments (ribbons, bling, love notes, etc), quotes and photos in a collage on your board. Move them around until the flow between them feels good to you… then adhere them to the paper/board you chose!
5: Choose a location for displaying or keeping your vision board…
Your vision board is now ready for you to post it up and use it as a visual reminder of what you are working towards in your life and business! Revel in the images. Look at your board often and connect with why you created it.*Take a photo of it, make it your computer, phone, or tablet background!
6: Change and update your vision board regularly.