At the start of every year, I hunker down with some old magazines, scissors, and glue. I spend some time reflecting and even journaling, and then I get down to the business of creating my vision for the coming year. I include words that I want to live by, passages that speak to me, and pictures of places I would like to visit. I cut out images that represent things I want to achieve or experience. Once I’ve put it all together on a poster board or bulletin board, I put it in a prominent place, where I can see it often. Usually this is right next to my desk. It serves as a reminder of who I am, and who I want to be. If I am somewhat veering off-course, my vision board serves to center me, and brings me back to the visual representation of what I want for myself, and my life.
What’s great about vision boards, is that you don’t have to wait for the new year to create one. And it can be revised at any point to reflect the shifts in your vision. It makes me feel excited, and even powerful, to think about how I can literally create the life that I want. If I can dream it, if I stay focused on it, if I live in faith that it can happen, then it will.
What I’ve found is even better than doing a vision board, is doing it with other women! So why not throw a vision board party, and invite some other mamas over. Support each other through this process, as you share about your dreams, maybe even your struggles. And by being an active participant in each other’s creative processes, you also create a network of accountability for staying the course, as you work towards that vision.
The last step in the vision board process, is to allow yourself to experience the excitement of imagining, and achieving, your dreams and goals. Let yourself revel in what it might feel like. Literally let yourself bask in that joy. And settle into the serene sense of things working out the way you want them to.
Creating this vision, isn’t just about day-dreaming, or slapping some pictures together, and waiting for it all to happen. It is about the intentional expression of what you want, supported by new habits and behaviors, which allows that change, that future, to feel more accessible, and sustainable.
So get going on those vision boards, and see where those dreams will take you!