There’s less than a week left in 2021!?

That means it’s the perfect time to look toward the future and decide what 2022 will have in store for us. ⁣

To do this, I’m creating a vision board this month. ⁣

Don’t close this tab just yet – I know that sometimes things like this can seem silly or pointless, but I want to share with you why they are important and how they can help you and/or your business in the coming year. ⁣

Here’s the what, why, and how of vision boards.

WHAT is a vision board?⁣

A vision board displays what you want out of life – and it can be anything: health, money, a new house, spiritual peace, you name it! ⁣This can include physical things that you want to have, but should also include how you want to feel, as well as milestones you want to reach. It is a visual representation of your goals and aspirations, and it encourages you to visualize what you want to achieve, much like Olympic athletes visualize their success before a competition.

WHY should you create a vision board?

1️⃣  It forces you to take a step beyond simply thinking “I want more out of life”, which can be vague and uninspiring, and allows you to actually focus on concrete, achievable goals.

2️⃣  It helps move the chains if you are feeling overwhelmed or stuck in your current situation.

3️⃣  It is a daily reminder of your progress toward your goals, and seeing it daily will help keep you on track and motivate you to keep going. ⁣

HOW do you create a vision board?

1️⃣  Set your goals and aspirations. Consider lifetime or long term goals as well as short term goals. Think about what you want out of your career, financials, personal growth and development, spirituality or religion, education and learning, relationships, or physical health and wellness. ⁣It is important to vary the types of goals on your board, so try not to focus only on work or only on money.

2️⃣  Gather materials and search for or create images to represent each goal. This is a visual representation of your aspirations, so the key is to find or create images that resonate with you, put them together in a way that is pleasing to you, and display it somewhere you’ll see it every day. ⁣Feel free to search “vision board” on Pinterest for some ideas and inspiration, but keep in mind that, ultimately, the goal is to keep you inspired, so don’t get stuck in trying to make your board like everyone else’s. Do what feels right to you. There is no right or wrong way to create a vision board. Your vision board can be physical (think: poster), or digital (think: computer background).

3️⃣  Write out your goals, and attach a time frame for accomplishing them. Adding a time frame helps to make each goal concrete. It also helps to hold yourself accountable. I like to keep my written goals in my Notes app on my phone, not displayed on my board, but it is completely up to you how you do this.

The important part is to write out your goals using this formula: ⁣

⁣I will ___________ by ___________. ⁣

Example: I will complete a 5k by August 2022.⁣

There is no limit to the things you can accomplish in the next year, or even the next decade! Try using a vision board to help you set and achieve some goals.

Remember, you can reflect on your vision board and edit it at any time. It is never set in stone.

Achieved a goal?

When you achieve a goal, mark it somehow on your board, so that you can visually see yourself making progress. You can check it off like a list item, write the date you accomplished the goal, or mark it completed in any creative way you can think.

A former coworker of mine had a great idea: she printed her photos in black and white for her original board, and as she completed her goals, she replaced the images with the full color version. What an excellent visualization!

Want to focus on business goals?

If you are a small business owner or entrepreneur, it is easy to take this vision board to the next level by swapping out your personal goals with goals for your business. What goals do you have for your business? You can create this as a personal project, or include management or team members as a collaboration exercise.

You’ve set your goals. Go get ’em! ⁣