Creating a vision board

Description of Project:

I had heard of vision boards throughout my life but I had never put a great emphasis on them.  I've always wanted to do a vision board but I would never make time to create one. Until I saw a movie called, “The Secret,” released in 2006 it inspired me to finally make my own vision board.  The Secret talked about the, “law of attraction”, how it works in our everyday lives.  We use our feelings, desires and thoughts to manifest what we want in our lives.  Having a vision board helps keep the images fresh in our minds. 

So I finally decided to start on the vision board.  I started with a plain white poster board, glue and scissors.  I gathered a few magazines current and old.  I clipped images that inspired me to work hard and what I would like my future to look like.  I separated my goals by categories.  My general health goal involved a healthy diet so I looked for images of real not processed foods.  I want to get back in the gym and my fitness goal is to have a lean, fit body so I looked for images that reflected my target goal.  I looked for images of places in the world that I would like to visit someday; I did the same thing for my dream home, car, personal wants and career.  This board is the first thing I look at when I wake up in the mornings.  It serves as a daily reminder of why I am going to work and school.     

Below is my work-in-progress 2012 vision board.   

Goals:

My first goal was to make the time to actually sit down and start the process of doing a vision board.  Next was to find images that had value to me in helping me reach my personal and professional goals.

• Eat healthy everyday 
• Have an exercise regimen that works
• Volunteer at my son's daycare and at a woman's support group
• Graduate from DePaul University
• Save money for a 2/bed condo 
• Go on vacations with my son

Skill Gained:

• I learned to focus on specific ideas/ thoughts for short-term and long-term goals.  I was going with the flow of things, my life was in auto pilot but now I have more control of what happens in my life just by setting goals.
• I learned to organize my goals on paper.
• I learned to manage my time better by focusing on my priorities.

Lessons Learned/Learning for Life:

Whatever I am trying to achieve in life I know I will be able to reach as long as I stay focused.  This board motivates me when I'm faced with a challenge.  I find myself looking at the board when I'm feeling low in my spirits and looking at it helps me stay positive again.  My vision board will change every year as I accomplish the goals I've set myself to achieve.  I will continue to create new vision boards as I will always have new goals to achieve.   

Impact of Project:

I found this vision board method helpful as it has become a tool to help me stay focused on my goals.  Since I look at the board every day the images are fresh in my mind.  If any negative feelings creep up  during the day what I do next is to recall images from the board.  I anticipate I will do a vision board every year.  I've encouraged my friends and co-workers to create vision boards for themselves.  I recommend it to anyone who needs a visual guide to set out their goals.