Are your New Year’s resolutions already off track? Not to worry. Now is the perfect time to reboot, starting with a vision board!
Most of us make one or two resolutions we plan to tackle right after we welcome the New Year. We resolve to do things that uplift and better our lives, make us healthier or more prosperous. You may plan to dump a bad “boyfriend” and find someone worthy of our love and affection. Others finally commit to making a trek to Kenya, to become a pescatarian to create an investment club, and, of course… to lose that wretched ten pounds.
If you’re having trouble sticking with your resolutions, try creating a vision board.
Why create a vision board?
Because even the most inspired, value-added New Year’s resolutions can devolve into mundane checklists that feel like drudgery to complete. It is easy to lose sight of the motivation that led you to make the resolution in the first place. Creating a vision board helps keep the passion, dreams, and emotions that were your initial catalysts alive and activated. It fuels you to stay focused on how your world and life will be made better through your resolutions so that sticking to them feels exciting and victorious, not tedious. Viewing your board should fill you with a hunger to hustle hard to achieve your goals.
Vision-board-visionaries “VBVs”
Sara Blakely, creator of Spanx attributes her success in turning the need for footless pantyhose into a billion-dollar business by visualizing on paper. Both Oprah Winfrey and Steve Harvey, are proud VBVs who encourage everyone with big dreams and lofty goals to use vision boards. Harvey’s goal to provide college scholarships to 10,000 students is front and center on his vision board. Over ten years ago, Oprah created a vision board displaying a picture of presidential candidate Barack Obama and the dress she would wear to his inauguration. Obviously, it worked!
Ready to be a vision-board-visionary and recommit to your New Year’s resolutions? Now technology requires you to ask the following question: “Tac Board” or “Tech Board”?
“Tac” or “Tech” Board?
“Tac” or tactile boards are the traditional vision boards
These contain inspirational words and pictures that represent what you want to be, do, or have in life. They are mounted on poster board or tri-fold presentation boards. The words and pictures are usually clipped from glossy magazines and secured on the board with glue, tape, or thumbtacks. A “Tac” board is a touchable representation of your vision and appeals to those of us who are energized or calmed by touch and feel or learn best through seeing words and images. It can be ten feet tall or ten inches small if you like! You can pick it up, display it at home or work, and even take photos of it to display from your phone.
A “Tech” board is a vision board made online.
You can easily drag, drop, and crop your own pictures, images, or quotes and, with some apps, surf the net to find them. The internet “world is your oyster” for available content to create a visually appealing board. A “Tech” board goes anywhere that you take your device and can be retrieved at a moment’s notice. Once completed, you can display it on your device and even make it a screen saver. Three apps that have fairly robust free versions are Jack Canfield Success Vision Board, Hay House VB, and My Vision Board.
Throw a Vision Board Party?
With the popularity of vision boards growing, you have the option to party while you vision. Group vision board building with like-minded “VBVs”, especially over adult libations, can get you inspired to turn your New Year’s resolutions into bold, powerful visual displays that keep your motivation and excitement at a high level. You can also do these over Zoom.
Set the stage
I attended a vision board party a few weeks ago with a group of women, who, similar to me, are building their personal vision for speaking, training, and consulting businesses. Our host, Cherrie Fisher, a diversity expert specializing in creating partnership agreements in the construction industry and Principal of CKF Consulting Group, knew we’d all arrive breathless from a hectic day of activity.
She cleverly kicked off the party by walking us through affirmations that she relies on every day to summon up positive thoughts: be, accept, value, forgive, bless, express, trust, love, and empower yourself. She invited Dr. Nancy Little, CEO of Energy Creators, to walk us through a self-care wheel with the six categories that create life balance: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, personal, and professional. Having a “prompt” to make self-affirmation and self-care cornerstones of our vision boards was a great way to kick off our session.
Bring Wine and Food
Cherrie not only provided sustenance for the spirit but also for the body. Several bottles of wine uncorked and ready to pour, plus enticing nibbles all rested on an island a few steps away from our workspace. Lit candles added a peaceful glow to the room. These simple acts set the stage for us to see beyond our daily routine and into a measurably better life. The right vision board party setting helps you rise above the tyranny of the immediate to capture a vision for your goal.
With a wine glass in hand along with a fierce focus on self-care, I click on the My Vision Board app. Yes! I decided to go with a “Tech” board in keeping with my resolution to stay on top of technology. After about 90 minutes, I had dropped and dragged my way into one fine looking rough draft. The app allowed me to use my own photos of people I love. I choose those who inspire me to be my best self and to remind myself that I am a “BADASS WOMAN!”
The other VBVs decided to do Tac boards. They spent most of the time scouring magazines to find images or words that captured their vision. Even though building a Tech board is a faster process once you learn the apps, I did miss the excitement of building a large board. A large board can hold 3-4 times the images that my Tech board could. But, with an app, I can easily create multiple boards – even one per resolution or goal.
During the party, we swapped war stories, shared tips, and laughed a lot. True VBVs take time to live the moment too!
Let Your Board be Your Boost!
As the party came to a close, our host sent us on our way with a small candle and instructions. We were told to light our candles whenever we worked on our vision boards solo. This is to channel the spirit of collective encouragement that we shared at our party. The flame of the candle lit a fire in me to press forth and complete my board. Now I take the time to look at it regularly. It keeps me focused and inspired, especially on the days when my motivation is flagging.
Doing transformative things requires constant injections of inspiration and excitement. My vision board provides that boost. And, when I look at my board, I am reminded of the words of author and poet, Alice Walker:
“Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming.
