Your Dreams In Action: Create A Vision Board That Works
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What Is A Vision Board?
If you’re like most people, you have an idea of what you want to achieve in life. Maybe you want to travel more or get a promotion at work. Perhaps you want to lose those last 10 pounds or find your soulmate finally. Whatever your goals may be, one of the best ways to achieve them is by creating a vision board.
A vision board is a tool that can help you visualize your goals and create a roadmap for achieving them. It’s the perfect tool to connect with what you want in life and keep you motivated on your journey.
Why Traditional Vision Boards Don’t Work
Traditional vision boards focus on the end goals like those mentioned above.
Traditional vision boards often fizzle out because they focus on the “what” – the end goals that can feel too big and unrealistic. Instead of inspiring us toward our goals, traditional vision boards cause us to zero in on how far away from them we really are!
This can be discouraging and make reaching our goals feel impossible. Over time, we lose motivation or stop looking at our boards altogether! They become pieces of artwork just hanging on our walls.
Make Your Vision Board Actionable
So, how do you create a vision board that works? Create an action-driven vision board instead.
An action-driven vision board follows the same steps as a traditional vision board but goes one step further. Instead of writing down just your dreams and goals, you’ll also write down the significant steps necessary to attain them.
Here’s an example:
Goal: I want to save $50 every month.
Action Step: I will make my coffee on Mondays and put the $10 I usually spend into a savings jar.
We achieve our dreams and goals by putting in the work – through our daily choices, actions, and consistent commitment.
Adding action steps for each dream or goal to your vision board will shift your focus from the end goal to the smaller steps you can take daily to ultimately achieve them. Are you ready to create your action-driven vision board? Let’s go!
Getting Started: Supplies
To create your action-driven vision board, you’ll need these supplies:
- A poster board
- Markers
- Magazines, photos, images, and words that inspire and motivate you
- Glue sticks (or another adhesive)
- Scissors
- Index cards and post-it notes
- Decorations like glitter, sequins, and stickers (optional)
- Space to create
Create Your Actionable Vision Board
As shared above, the steps to create your action-driven vision board are the same, with one additional step. Let’s get started:
Choose a Theme.
Think about what kind of theme you want for your vision board. Is there one specific area of life that you want to focus on, or multiple areas? This is your board, so choose something meaningful and tailor it to your needs.
Be specific about what you want to achieve.
This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s essential to have a clear idea of what you’re trying to accomplish before you put your board together. Take some time to meditate on your goals and what they mean to you.
Write down your goals.
Make your dreams and goals real by writing them down on your index cards. The more specific you are about what you want, the better. The best goals are clear and realistic. For example, instead of writing down “I want to be rich,” write down “I want to make $100,000 within the next three years.”
Break each goal into smaller action steps.
Game changer alert! For each goal, ask yourself, “What three to five major steps are essential to achieve this goal?” An “essential step” is one that, if not done, makes reaching the goal much more complicated or just impossible. Under each goal, write their three to five action steps. Like your goals, the best action steps are specific and realistic. For example, instead of writing down, “I will get up earlier every day,” write down, “I will get out of bed every morning at 6 am.”
Put Together Your Board.
It’s time to have some fun! Collect images and words that inspire you and relate to your goals and action steps. You can find inspiration anywhere—in magazines, online, books, photo albums, etc. When you have what you need, place your index cards with goals and action steps, images, photos, and words wherever you feel it works best on your board. Once everything looks good, use glue sticks (or another adhesive) to firmly attach all elements to your board. This is the fun part, so let your creativity flow!
Place your vision board where you’ll see it.
Post your board in a place you’ll see it every day. Make it part of your life. Start scheduling your action steps into your day, week, or month. Set aside a time of day to sit with, reflect on, and visualize your success. If necessary, update your board with new images and words, or refine your goals and action steps. Most importantly, celebrate yourself for every win, big and small.
Bottom Line
Creating a vision board can be fun and creative. But making a vision board that helps you stay in action and progress toward your goals is a powerful. It can energize you during life’s low points, too. We hope this post inspires you to create your action-driven vision board and achieve incredible things for yourself and your life.
