The Better Me Project—Day 3
Have a vision. Or in other words, create a Vision Board.
No, I’m not kidding. I haven’t lost my mind. A vision board is a powerful way to visualize your goals and make you more focused on them, thus more likely to actually achieve those goals.
I have to confess…I didn’t create my vision board on Day 3. I created it almost at the end of the project, Day 20 something or other.
In retrospect, I should have created it much sooner. In fact, it should have been my Day 1 project. I admit, I kind of scoffed at the idea. Just like meditation, it sounded way too new age and hippy-dippy for me.
Not only did the “Badass” book tout the benefits of a vision board, my yoga instructors have actually held Vision Board Workshops. Still, I didn’t think I needed to go as far as sitting down and cutting pictures out of a magazine and gluing them to poster board to get the benefits of a vision board. I would just sit right at my desk and think about my goals. I’d write them down, too. Words are just as powerful as pictures, aren’t they?
Turns out, I’m a bit of a visual learner. Sure, I had my notecards that I made for my Better Me Project and I wrote down my goals and all that, but I really did need a tangible object in my visual field on a daily basis to remind me of where I wanted to be heading.
I was still not sold on the gluing pictures on a piece of cardboard. (And besides, we don’t get any magazines in this house other than firefighting magazines…what should I do, cut out a picture of a stove on fire and put an X through it?)
So instead, I made a “Vision Board” board on Pinterest:
It’s kind of all over the place and impossible to look at in its entirety. Plus, I have to pull it up on my phone or the computer. It’s not out there, in my face like an actual vision board that I put on that darn poster paper would be.
Sighing heavily, I realized that this project would be next to impossible if I didn’t make the &*%$ vision board. Since we didn’t have magazines to cut out pictures from, I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the computer googling the exact pictures I wanted.
Do you have any idea how hard it is to find pictures of places or concepts that only seem to exist in your mind???? I needed pictures that expressed my goals, places I wanted to visit, and the feelings I wanted to have when I looked at my vision board.
I apparently spent so much time on the computer that hubby began to sulk and claim I was interfering with his computer time. Oh, and I that I broke his chair. (The chair has been broken for a month, but Mr. Cheapo won’t buy a new one because it would take him forever to get his butt imprint the way he wants it on a new chair.)
Anyway, after about three hours, I had a quite a few pictures. I couldn’t find everything I wanted, but this board, like the whole project, is a work in progress.
I found pictures of Aurora Borealis because I really want to experience that. I included pictures of Italy, too, because I’ve always wanted to go there. While there are plenty of other places I want to visit, those two were the most important to include because the pictures themselves were very inspiring.
I included some inspirational quotes—a lot of them were dorky, but a few spoke to me and my feelings about success and achieving my dreams.
I printed out pictures of places I’d feel relaxed reading and writing, to remind me that a writing life could be mine if work hard. I also cut out pictures of strong, kick ass women, running and lifting weights to remind myself that I have to be strong to not give up on my goals.
While these pictures were not all inclusive, I know I can add to it or take away any of the pictures as my goals and visions change. So instead of gluing my pictures to poster board, I used the pretty cork picture board in our living room. Yup, that’s right. Not only is my vision board where I can see it every day, it’s on display for everyone.
The kids immediately began to mock me, but I’m not bothered by them. I can’t be embarrassed by my vision board…it’s me…it’s who I want to be. And it’s who I will be with some sweat, blood and tears. 