Visioneering: Creating your own VISION BOARD

A few months ago, I became obsessed with this hilarious show on Netflix called Happy Endings. In the show there is this bubbly kind of desperate boy crazy character named Penny who spends all of her time trying to make life and relationships work for her. In one episode Penny falls into this popular trend in hopes of making her life better/dreams come true, and designs her very own "VISION BOARD." The episode is really hilarious, and you can't help but laugh at Penny and her desperation. I remember watching it thinking, OBVIOUSLY just because you decorate a board and write down all of the unrealistic things you'd like to happen, they won't actually come true. I mean, writing your goals down is one thing, but putting them into action is entirely different. 

When I started Muscles with Meags, and started working with Team BeachBody I started reading a lot of personal growth books (if you follow my blog regularly, this comes as no surprise, and I totally recommend it!). Not only that, but my dad is a successful entrepreneur and he has always tried to get us to read books like that. He even started this Christmas trend a few years ago with my and my cousins called "Five minutes of Finance with Uncle Wayne" and bought us all copies of "The Wealthy Barber." The year after that, it was "Think and Grow Rich," and after that, "The Wealthy Barber Returns." You'd think after watching my dads success over the years I would have just listened to his advice and pick up the books he encouraged me to read, but I was pretty stubborn. In general people who read self-help books get kind of a bad rap. "You're great! You don't have problems! Why do you need to read a self-help book!" I realized after continually working on Muscles With Meags, in combination with being a musician that if I ever wanted to turn my creative ideas and talent into something prosperous and bare any sort of financial reward,  that I would have to become used to a few things. Facing rejection, hearing people say no, and picking yourself up when nothing seems to be working out the way you wanted it to. I am still learning that the desires you feel in your heart take consistency, passion and a lot of hard work. I'm no where NEAR where I want to be. I'm hoping ten years from now, that will be different. 

So, without further ado, I decided after reading an amazing book called "The Compound Effect" in combination with listening to my dads simple advice of writing your short term goals down, that I would create my very own vision board! It sounds silly, and I FELT silly making it, but it was actually sort of fun! I want to encourage you to do something similar! Failing to plan is planning to fail, right? Here is MY suggestion, based on what I did!

1. Purchase a cork board from any department/home office store. I literally got this big one for 12 dollars. Totally worth the investment. Cork boards are good because you can put things up and take things down really easily. You'll come to find that your goals will change over time!

2. I put my cork board in my room, and I wanted it to match with my other stuff! So, if you wanna get artsy-fartsy, do what I did! DECORATE IT! Not just with your goals but actually the base board. I grabbed some cheap fabric with a nice design on it and just used a staple gun and tacs to secure the fabric on the back. Also, I had these fake flowers from a decorative store, so I took the leftover ones I had from a different art project and pined them onto the board corners, to match my black red and white theme. Lastly, I wanted an all encompassing word to describe what I was going for, so I printed of a piece of paper that says DREAM and tac'd it to the middle of the board.

Incomplete decorated cork board

So far with the flowers, the fabric and the board, I had spent less than 20 dollars. Not only is it great for your personal growth, but its a creative and fun accessory for your room!

3. The next step was setting up my work station. I knew that if I wanted my goals to come true I would need to create a space that I could get some thinking done. Now, I know sometimes its hard to find a work space that's separate from everything else. I don't have my own office or anything and for most of my university years I spent my time working on the kitchen table or in the library! And that's FINE! But I would suggest IDENTIFYING a space that is your work space. Even if its a little corner in a comfy char in your living room, you know that whenever you sit in that chair, its time to generate ideas and work! I thankfully found this super ugly TOTALLY HIP AND RETRO olive green desk that my dad never threw out from the 80's,  that he graciously lent me for my working space, and I just put it in my room. grabbed a book holder, a lamp and a nice candle (you need to be able to work while you're relaxed, after all) and made a point to hang my vision board right above my desk, so I can never take my eyes off the future prize. I used thick tacks to hang my board on the wall, and VOILA, vision board process almost complete!

4. Last, but most importantly, it was time for me to actually personalize the vision board. If you are creating your own, here is what I would suggest. Make lots of lists! After reading my book I began making lists of exactly what I needed to be reminded of every day, and wrote rough drafts of my lists in the summer time. I spent a morning outside "visioneering" for my vision board. Made tons of little lists. Daily Goals. Weekly Goals. Short Term Goals. Long Term Goals. 

5. Finally, I finalized my lists by narrowing them down a bit. If you have 10 daily goals, you'll find it impossible to keep up with them. I would chose three to five, or even less! Work out. Read a bit of something motivation. Spend one concentrated hour with family. Tidy room. Those were my most important ones and I still fall short some days! Don't overwhelm yourself. I know I did when I first started out. I have way too many daily goals! 

I also decided to put goal dates on my long and short term goals. Even if you don't reach them in time, it gives you a sense of urgency! Nothing feels better than crossing off a goal on your list two months before your end date. There might be some goals that you DON'T cross off in time. But look at all the things you did! I realized after writing my goals down, and having them in front of me every day that I woke up, they were at the forefront of my mind and I was able to ween out the unimportant things and start focussing on things I really want. 

6. Finish your board by putting up motivational quotes, pictures of people who inspire and support you, hand written thoughtful cards that people have given you - basically anything that keeps you motivated, energized and reminds you that the journey is WORTH it and you have a support system. If that support system is your faith and you put bible passages up there, do it! If that support system is your best friend, put a picture of him/her on it! You get the idea. I actually need to make it a goal of mine to put up MORE picture and motivating material that way my board isn't too overwhelmed with text. But I'm loving it so far!

Here is my incomplete but working progress VISION

 It's sort of hard to see, but notice I have crossed off 8 out of the 8 short term goals on my board. I created it in September, so in 3 months I have been able to cross of a whole slew of goals that I wanted for myself, and have already started working on long term ones. In fact, I had recording of my E.P down as a long term goal for June of ned year, and am already on my last song. As soon as it gets to the forefront of your mind. all the things you didn't think could happen, all of the things that you wanted to happen but didn't know where to start...will start. And it all starts with writing down your plan. 

Thats all I have for now folks. Visioneering may seem corny and like a waste of time but I'm totally endorsing this idea because it has totally worked for me. Achieving things that I didn't think I could do or I thought would take forever has helped to inspire confidence, allowed me to take risks, and helped me deal with rejection and keep a positive attitude. How far are you willing to go for your dreams? Maybe you are working on saving up for a car, or getting into a school program that you really want. or getting a promotion at work. Maybe its something you have total control of, like getting in shape for the summer, or starting to eat clean. Once you write it down, you will start to design and break down steps that you can take to get there. Thats where your daily and weekly goals come in. But first, allow the thought and the dream to consume you every day. Allow yourself to be reminded of it as as soon as you wake up each morning, no matter how busy you may be. For this, I recommend finding your "why." Don't solely plan on HOW you will achieve a goal. Put things on your vision board that remind you WHY you want to achieve it. Remember, successful people and unsuccessful people have a lot in common. They both hate the same things. The difference is, successful people do them anyways. On your next day off, instead of sitting in front of the TV binge watching One Tree Hill (even though, thats totally okay!!! Nathan Scott please marry me), maybe set aside a half an hour to write your goals down instead. Spent the 45 minutes you have designing your board, and you can even watch TV at the same time. I know it will help, like it has for me, if you put your mind to it. 

"You know successful people aren't necessarily more intelligent or more talented than anyone else. But their habits take them in the direction of becoming more informed, more knowledgeable, more competent, better skilled, and better prepared. "

"The one skill most responsible for the abundance in my life is learning how to effectively set and achieve goals. Something almost magical happens when you organize and focus your creative power on a well-defined target. I've seen this time and time again: the highest achievers in the world have all succeeded because they mapped out their visions. The person who has a dear, compelling and white-hot burning "why" will always defeat even the best of the best at doing the "how." 

Quotes taken from The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy (Publisher of Success Magazine)

If you decide to create a vision board or even a goal list after reading this, or if you just wanna chat about your goals with someone who will listen, Don't hesitate to reach out to me. Happy visioneering.

P.S. To add to your super organized vision board, heres another DIY project you might wanna check out! It's a personalized calendar/to do list made out of a document frame, paint chips, and some creativity! Super effective and inexpensive. White board markers will write on glass and wipe off easily. Check it out!