Vision Board Your Way Through Those Forgotten Resolutions

Are your New Year’s resolutions already off track? Not to worry. March is the perfect time to reboot!

…5…4…3…2…1 Most of us make one or two resolutions we plan to tackle right after the clock ticks down and we welcome the New Year. We resolve to do things that uplift and better our lives, make us healthier or more prosperous. We plan to dump a bad “boo” and find someone worthy of our love and affection. We finally commit to make the trek to Kenya, to become a pescaterian, to create an investment club and, of course… to lose that wretched ten pounds.

If you’re having trouble sticking with your resolutions, try creating a vision board.

Why create a vision board? Because even the most inspired, value-added New Year’s resolutions can devolve into mundane checklists that feel like drudgery to complete. It is easy to lose sight of the motivation that led you to make the resolution in the first place. Creating a vision board helps keep the passion, dreams and emotions that were your initial catalysts alive and activated. It fuels you to stay focused on how your world and life will be made better through your resolutions so that sticking to them feels exciting and victorious, not tedious. Viewing your board should fill you with a hunger to hustle hard to achieve your goals.

Vision-board-visionaries “VBVs”

VBV Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx attributes her success in turning the need for footless pantyhose into a billion-dollar business to visualizing her goals on paper. Both Oprah Winfrey and talk show host, Steve Harvey, are proud VBVs who encourage everyone with big dreams and lofty goals to use vision boards to execute and achieve them. Harvey’s goal to provide college scholarships to 10,000 students is front and center on his vision board. Over ten years ago, Oprah created a vision board displaying a picture of then presidential candidate Barack Obama and the dress she would wear to his inauguration. Obviously, it worked!

Ready to be a vision-board-visionary and recommit to your New Year’s resolutions? In 2018, technology requires you to ask the following question: “Tac Board” or “Tech Board”?

“Tac” or “Tech” Board?

“Tac” or tactile boards are the traditional vision boards—inspirational words and pictures that represent what you want to be, do or have in life that are mounted on poster board or tri-fold presentation boards. The words and pictures are usually clipped from glossy magazines or downloaded and secured on the board with glue, tape or thumbtacks in visually pleasing ways. A “Tac” board is a touchable representation of your vision and appeals to those of us who are energized or calmed by touch and feel or learn best through seeing words and images. It can be ten feet tall or ten inches small if you like! You can pick it up, display it at home or work and even take photos of it to display from your phone.

A “Tech” board is a vision board made from a web application on your computer, tablet or mobile phone. You can easily drag, drop and crop your own pictures, images or quotes and, with some apps, surf the net to find them. The internet “world is your oyster” for available content to create a visually appealing board. A “Tech” board goes anywhere that you take your device and can be retrieved at a moment’s notice. Once completed, you can display it on your device and even make it a screen saver. Three apps that have fairly robust free versions are Jack Canfield Success Vision Board, Hay House VB and My Vision Board.

Throw a Vision Board Party?

In 2018, with the popularity of vision boards growing, you have the option to party while you vision. Group vision board building with like-minded “VBVs”, especially over adult libations, can get you inspired to turn your New Year’s resolutions into bold, powerful visual displays that keep your motivation and excitement at a high level.

Set the stage

I attended a vision board party a few weeks ago with a group of women, who, similar to me, are building their personal vision for speaking, training and consulting businesses. Our host, Cherrie Fisher, a diversity expert specializing in creating partnership agreements in the construction industry and Principal of CKF Consulting Group, knew we’d all arrive breathless from a hectic day of activity.

She cleverly kicked off the party by walking us through affirmations that she relies on every day to summon up positive thoughts: be, accept, value, forgive, bless, express, trust, love and empower yourself. She invited Dr. Nancy Little, CEO of Energy Creators, to walk us through a self-care wheel with the six categories that create life balance: physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, personal and professional. Having a “prompt” to make self-affirmation and self-care cornerstones of our vision boards was a great way to kick off our session.

Cherrie not only provided sustenance for the spirit but also for the body. Several bottles of wine uncorked and ready to pour, plus enticing nibbles all rested on an island a few steps away from our work space. Lit candles added a peaceful glow to the room. These simple acts set the stage for us to see beyond our daily routine and into a measurably better life that was available to us if we simply provided a vision for our resolutions to sit in. The right vision board party setting helps you rise above the tyranny of the immediate to capture a vision for your goal, or even your life.

With wine glass in hand along with a fierce focus on self-care, I click on the My Vision Board app. Yes! I decided to go with a “Tech” board in keeping with my resolution to stay on top of technology. After about 90 minutes, I had dropped and dragged my way into one fine looking rough draft of a Tech vision board. The app allowed me to use my own photos of people I love who inspire me to be my best self and to create a banner to remind myself that I am a “BADASS WOMAN!”

The other VBVs decided to do Tac boards and spent most of the time scouring magazines to find images or words that captured their vision. Even though building a Tech board is a faster process once you learn the apps, I did miss the excitement of building a large board that can hold 3-4 times the images that my Tech board could fit. But, with an app, I can easily create multiple boards – even one per resolution or goal.

During the party, we swapped war stories, shared tips and laughed a lot. True VBVs take time to live the moment too!

Let Your Board be Your Boost!

As the party came to a close, our host sent us on our way with a small candle and instructions. We were told to light our candle whenever we worked on our vision boards solo to channel the spirit of collective encouragement that we shared at our party. I followed instructions and the flame of the candle lit a fire in me to press forth and complete my board. I now take the time to look at it regularly to keep me focused and inspired, especially on the days when my motivation is flagging.

Doing transformative things requires constant injections of inspiration and excitement. My vision board provides that boost. And, when I look at my board, I am reminded of the words of author and poet, Alice Walker:

“Look closely at the present you are constructing: it should look like the future you are dreaming.