Let's Talk About Vision Boards

I won't lie, my capacity for writing lately has taken a downward spiral. That could be due to my more recent discovery that I am growing a human - meaning I am downright exhausted. Thanks, first trimester! But alas, I find myself still sitting down to explore vision boards over these last couple months.

I never understood the power of a vision board until pretty recently. Maybe because I am not necessarily a visual person, I'm not sure. However, I still put one together last calendar year because it just sounded like fun at the time. It was not a traditional looking board. It actually had quite a bit of writing on it more than anything else (shocker, I know). I drew a couple things here and there to accompany my writing and lists, but it was mainly writing. By the end of the calendar year I went through everything I created again more closely and realized that I had either 1) accomplished the goals I had weaved into my board or 2) I was, at bare minimum, in pursuit of the others.

That was pretty cool to see.

I do believe there is value in creating a board that encompasses your vision and goals, and I don't believe it has to be something filled with pictures if that's simply not your style. But in addition to your vision and goals, it really needs to encompass your values - what is bringing you joy throughout the year, what hobbies you will be pursuing, what you want more of in those downtime moments when you are not "actively" working towards your goal.

So if you are reading this today, I am going to share a couple questions to help you work towards creating your own vision board. These are simple questions that helped me get started with identifying my own for 2024. Then I will share a few steps to guide you in physically assembling the board and putting it into action.

First, explore your vision for the year. Think of this as your 360° view of your life - your perfect world scenario. Do not put limits on yourself, do not consider finances in this question. This is where your creativity and imagination come into play. What do you want your physical and mental health to look like this year, how do you want to feel this year? Look at your environment in this exploration. What is your living situation? What about your relationships? Your work? Your car? This is an all-encompassing question and is not meant to be what you deem "realistic," if you will.

Next, dive into your goals. Maybe you have one big one, maybe there are two or three smaller ones. Do they support any piece of your vision? My guess is that they organically do. If you do not have any specific goals in mind, look more at your vision. What feels achievable this year? What is something from there that you want to make reality? Maybe you saw yourself taking a cruise this coming fall. What do you need to do to make that happen? Where can you start? Write that down.

Now we explore your values a little more in depth. Remember that values are intangible. If you need help identifying some of yours, consider the following questions:

• What is important to you?

• What brings you joy?

• What brings you a sense of pride and fulfillment?

Keep your answers simple, they will have running themes. Now look back at your vision. What running themes can you identify within that and your answers to the questions above? Common values for us funny little humans are those such as health, community, faith and spirituality, family, friendships, etc.

Lastly, dive into your hobbies. Not just your current hobbies, but even hobbies you have thought about in the past. Are there any new ones you want to pursue this year? Any that you want to get rid of, or want more of? Are your hobbies reflective of your values? They often are. When trying to identify a new hobby, look at what values are high on your list. I always use this as my personal example, but community and health were big on my values list last year and playing recreational volleyball once a week was a great hobby that ended up being reflective of those two things.

Now that you have answered these questions, let's look at what you might want on your board. Are you a list maker, or a photo person? Maybe you want to doodle your own visions - I did that, too! Make a comprehensive list of want you want to see on your board this year. A few examples from my comprehensive list were things like nursery ideas, varied and colorful foods to support my diet, the new car I would love to have, my own business logo, volleyball, camping, swimming, yoga, books!

Once you have your comprehensive list compiled, it's time for the fun part! Even though answering all those questions above is always the fun part for me. Gather your supplies. I have used a corkboard, but also foam board as well. You'll want scissors, magazines, a specific vision board book if you want to grab one off of Amazon, glue/tape, push pins, writing utensils, index cards, anything you can think of for crafting!

Finally, find and cut out all the photos you want that are reflective of your comprehensive list, or create your lists through writing, make your doodles, etc. Arrange them on the board how you see fit and start gluing!

Most importantly, when your board is completed you will want to put it in a location that you will see it every day. Maybe that's your bathroom, your kitchen counter, your desk. Wherever you place it, it needs to be seen every day. This does not mean you have to sit and absorb everything on your board every day. The purpose is to glimpse it every day and to know it's there.

And then...

Trust the process.

Happy vision board making my friends!

Stay tuned for the next vision board event, hoping to be pool side next time!