How a Vision Board Can Help You Reach Your Goals for 2020

Are you looking for a creative and colorful way to make your dreams and goals more accessible than ever? Try Vision Boards, the Pinterest-friendly art project that takes the Oath, makes you more likely to achieve your goals.

TODAY spoke to two experts in the field, both of whom have been making vision boards for years, about how boards can really help you achieve your goals and for some tips on how to get the project started.

What are vision boards?

A vision board is simply a physical reminder of what you hope to achieve in a certain amount of time. Typically featuring photos, words, and other visual displays, advocates of flip charts say you can use them for everything from material goals to workplace accomplishments to lifestyle changes, but insist on using them to highlight bigger dreams.

“I would say material things are going well,” said Elizabeth Rider, blogger and author who has been actively using visualization boards for over a decade. “If there’s something specific that you want, like a house or, you know, an object, whatever it is, that’s great. Most of all, your vision board should focus on what you want. you want to feel, you know, whatever, you know that surrounded by your family, of course, most people feel comforted, or that taking that next trip might make you feel accomplished. , focus on the things that make you feel a certain way, not just material possessions. ”

Joyce Schwarz, Director of the Vision Board Institute, agrees with Rider’s assessment.

“The vision board comes from your values ​​and the inside, not just from the outside, not from all Coach handbags and not just from travel,” said Schwarz. “It is important that this comes from your values.”

Schwarz, who said she has been creating visualization boards since the 1980s and now runs an organization dedicated to the practice, said the important thing about visualization boards is the combination of words and pictures that allow for people to “hang on”.

“It allows them to move forward,” she said.

Rider added that it’s important not to spend too much time focusing on the future, even when setting your goals.

“I think it’s really important to live in the present and not in the future,” said Rider. “But what we do in the present moment creates our future. So having a vision board, reminding you of what you want your vision of your life to look like, makes you take daily actions, take those steps towards what you want, but when you visualize that you are in the present moment, which is actually beneficial, because the more we are present, the more we can actually create what we want. “

Are they really helping you achieve your goals?

Of course, just putting photos and phrases on a piece of paper or a corkboard won’t make them come true, but Rider says having a frequent, tangible reminder of what you want to accomplish can motivate you more. Act.

“I started my first vision board, about 11 or 12 years ago, and I just noticed that every time I put something on my vision board, something like that came true,” she declared. “For example, I wanted to be in the top 25 salespeople in my business and I put an invitation to the sales gala on my vision board and next year I was in the 25… It’s not about not just, you know, the magical things that happen, it’s just a matter of visualizing.When you see something everyday, you focus on it and then you see it unfolding.

A TD Bank survey, released in 2016, found that people who keep boards of directors from their “financial and other goals” are “almost twice as confident” about achieving those goals compared to people. who don’t. According to the study, 59% of people who used flip charts or other images were confident they would achieve their goals.

The study also noted that people who visualize their goals “feel more accomplished and happier”.

Schwarz added that vision boards allow people to take a little time and “be grateful” and make sure they are the best they can be.

“When you invite yourself to give the best of yourself, we can help each other and move forward,” she said. “When we do (that) and are thankful for what we have today, it lets us release a lot of hardship. It doesn’t mean you’re going to have the perfect thing, it doesn’t mean your child isn’t. not going to cry … These are little challenges of everyday life. “

Frequently checking your visualization board is an important part of practice, which is why it is important to keep it in a room or area where you spend a lot of time.

“One of the things you want to do is make sure you stay on the path to vision,” Schwarz said. “Check yourself every week. (Ask yourself) “OK, how do I live this vision? How can I live today? “

How can I get started?

The real joy of visualization boards is that they can be as complicated or as simple as you would like.

“Depending on your budget, you can even get a $ 1 poster board and cut it to the right size, or you can go to Etsy or online you can find as a really nice cork board or chalkboard. display that frames, ”said Rider. “There are a lot of options for what to actually use as a table.”

When it comes to adding material, Schwarz said you can aim for a specific goal or set some general ideas for the months ahead.

“I say do vision boards every season,” she said. “And now you can do vision boards all summer long. And you might not want to continue, you might not want to do more than three months of vision work. You can go from there. forward and say “What are we doing? really imagine for our family for this summer? ‘”

There’s also no reason for a vision board to stay fixed either – Rider recommends adding more as your dreams and goals grow and evolve.

“Don’t feel like you have to finish everything at the same time,” she said. “I think it’s a good idea to sit down, turn off the TV, put on some music you like and start creating your board, but don’t feel like you have to fill it all in at once. You might be inspired by something next week, or, you know, things might change, so don’t feel like you have to like, you know, finish the project in an hour or less. “

Schwarz said that in addition to including images related to your goals, your board should have “powerful words”.

“Powerful words are important,” she said. “You know, you kind of have to remember what these pictures represent. Take powerful words. When you create powerful words, you can find them in magazines, pictures, and print them.

The most important thing, however, is to make sure that your board is uniquely yours.

“Use a little bit of your own creativity as you create your life,” said Schwarz. “Look at this creativity, create your life. You co-create your life with your heart, with your faith and with your universe. You can create your life.