Well, it's about that time...when everyone realizes that the year is almost over, and wonders where 2011 went. It's also that time when everyone starts looking forward to the year ahead, wishing and hoping for bigger and better in their lives. I usually find that people (myself included) have two conundrums when we get to this point in the year. One is that we often can't remember what we did in the months past - did we even do ANYTHING? The other issue is that we look blindly into the new year, setting resolutions based on what we want, with no understanding of the plans we need to put in place to obtain them. On December 30th, 2010, I went on Oprah's site and created a Dream Board, also known as a vision board. Many people had no clue what kind of new-age nonsense I was dabbling in when I said I was working on a vision board. The funny thing is, so many of us create variations of them, without even knowing. You're on Kanye's workout plan? Have you ever posted a picture of the person (celebrity or even the old you) whose body you want on the fridge or bathroom mirror to motivate you? After getting an amazing mark on an exam, have you ever tacked that up on the inside of your locker to remind you to get to the library and study hard for the next one? This is what a vision board is all about - using images and words to positively reinforce the goals you have for your life.
Here was my vision board for 2011 (click to enlarge):
There were tons of goals that I wanted to accomplish this year, and when I look back at my vision board, I see just how much I got done. I had health and fitness goals (see Amerie's sexy legs in the bottom right). I wanted to develop and maintain positive friendships (see the Girlfriends pic in the top row). I had plans to have an amazing wedding and kick off the start of an even better marriage (see my ring pic in the top left). I wanted success, patience, and to do a better job of embracing change, among many other things. Looking at my board, I'm actually quite proud of myself that I accomplished or made progress on a lot of things this year.
I loved doing the vision board on Oprah's site - I planned to do it the old-fashioned way of cutting and pasting magazine clippings onto a bristol board, but this way I could add so many more personal touches, and could save it in digital form. It was my desktop image for the first few months of the year. I printed it out and taped it to my wall. I emailed it to myself and would set random reminders for myself to go take a peek and see how I was doing.
Placing images and words on a vision board alone won't get you what you want. What it will do is force you to think about what you really want to accomplish, and think about how you're going to get there. It's a motivator and a reminder that what you want IS attainable - it just takes focus, insight, and planning. Speaking of which, it's time for me to get a glass of wine, play "Who Gon' Stop Me" off of Watch The Throne, and get started on Vision Board 2012!
Click here to start working on your own vision board via Oprah's site!
Have you ever made a dream/vision board? If your answer is "yes", how did it work for you?