Vision Boards and Goal Setting
Vision Boards are something I complete at least once a year. In December of 2014 and January of 2015 I contemplated what I would like my vision for this year to be. The title I gave to this particular board is “Life Is Good.” Colors and words really energize me so I have a precious box of clippings of headlines, photos, words that I draw from. I go through magazines looking for particular things that grab me. It is so fun.
Before I started the vision board, I just held the question in my heart “What do I want to focus upon in 2015. What are the specific areas I want to grow?” This year I had several areas.
Wellness
- Eating better, feeling better physically, stay healthy
- Emotional wellbeing: to treasure myself.
Embracing the Now. Really savoring the moment, every hour, every day and asking the question
“What can I offer the word that no one else around here can?”
Grow my consulting practice where I practice presence, guided by soul, and help others create great lives for themselves with a power new technique I am developing.
Play with friends and share joy and smiles.
Enjoy Intimacy with a beloved by getting close without going nuts. Then I found the best quote that I would not have put on my board before now, which says that “Intimacy is a willingness to be vulnerable.” Oofda! Now that’s some personal courage, because Vulnerability scares me to death.
Find my new place that is an oasis to nourish my heart and mind, feed my soul, where I can savor the summer, garden and be joyful.
My process is an intuitive organic one which is like the intuitive way I live my life. When I finish, I have created something visually attractive that holds my attention all year long.
Other people like to be more goal oriented. Whatever works for you is terrific.
If you are more logically, sequential in your thinking, then I would invite you to listen to Vishen Lahkiani who is the CEO or MindValley and FinerMinds, which are personal development companies that are very inspiring. He did a speech redefining goals. He separates goals into 2 categories. Are these means goals or are they end goals?
Three questions help you turn your attention to End Goals.
- What experiences do I want in my life?
- How do I want to grow?
- How do I want to contribute?
You can listen to Vishen’s talk Goals Revisited. I urge you to listen to a description that helps you convert your thinking from taking steps to achieve an end, to seeing a broad vision for yourself ad directing yourself toward that dream.
Another framework is to try to make sure your life is balanced by making aspirations in 12 areas in your life.
- A) Health and Fitness
- B) Intellectual Life- skills, languages
- C) Emotional Life –happiness in the now, getting rid of limiting beliefs
- D) Character – values, what do you believe in, compassion, humor
- E) Spiritual Life – how often do you meditate, feeling more interconnected with all life
- F) Love Relationships – Learning to Care for Other, for Self, for the Relationship
- G) Parenting Vision
- H) Social Life
- I) Financial Life
- J) Career: What do you want to build?
- K) Quality of Life
- L) Life Vision – what mark do you want to leave on the world
These 12 categories are discussed in another Vishen talk called The Theory of Awesomeness: How to live in the Ultimate State of Human Existence that he got from a man named John Butcher.
Here’s my thought. To build a balanced life, you want to think about the huge vision of your life and create what I call a life plan. I can’t accomplish a goal in each one of these areas in one year of my life. I just can’t focus on that many things. It puts me into overwhelm. But if you have some extra time, you may want to begin creating a Life Plan, just as banks require Business Plans if they are thinking of giving you funds. If you write it down, you are much more likely to achieve your vision.
A couple of other blog entries might be helpful for creating Vision Boards
Be Clear About What You Want: The Key to Vision Boards
Law of Success Vision Boards
New Year’s Resolutions and Vision Boards
Prosperity Secret of 17 Seconds
Intention
Setting Daily Intentions
