There is real power in visualising your goals. After all, if you don’t know what it is you want, it’s hard to decipher if you’re on the right path to actually achieving your goals. I started creating vision boards and Google spreadsheets of what I wanted to achieve a few years ago and I can see a stark difference in how much I accomplish by the end of the year.

Let’s get it straight, I don’t achieve everything on my vision boards, that would be impossible. Some of the goals on my board are long term and likely to move from board to board with me over the space of a few years if not longer. But I can normally identify steps I’ve made to get closer to those longer term goals. Also, it’s worth remembering your perspective and priorities may have changed so what was a goal, may no longer be one.

find inspiration from magazines and online sources

Why create a vision board

Vision boards allow you to visualise your goals. You can be as creative as you want. It gives you a chance to really think about what is important to you and what you want to achieve in the future. There is no one size fits all approach to vision boards. You make of it what you need to. It’s a brilliant way to plan, regardless of whether it’s the direction you want to take your business, blog or your entire life.

What tools do I need to create a vision board

Again, the brilliant thing about vision boards are the flexibility and uniqueness of them. You can use whatever medium suits you. A large sheet of paper or card. Cut outs from magazines, fabrics, photographs etc all work well. Some people prefer to go electronic, copying and pasting images onto a Word document. You can express yourself in whichever manner works best for you.

think about what an ideal day would look like

How to create a vision board

There are loads of different tutorials available for creating a vision board. I’m going to share the method that was taught to me and that I feel really helps.

First, start with a piece of paper and a pen –

• Write down what what brings you happiness
• Write down what you are good at
• Write down what you wish you could do more of
• Write down what a perfect day would look like for you
• Write down what you would do if money / time were no object

Now on the other side of the paper  –

Split your paper into three then write about the following:

• in one section, write down your goals for the next 6 months
• in the second section write down your goals for the next 12 month
• in the third section write down your goals for the longer term (maybe 5 years)

None of this needs to be in full sentences, let alone in long detail. Just key words or phrases to get your brain ticking.

think about all aspects of your life

Now the creativity begins!

Using your medium of choice, be it physical or electronic, start finding images and or materials to bring your notes to life. Try to fill in as much of the paper as you can. Be as creative or concise as you need to be. Try to cover all aspects of your life if possible.

Be sure to put your vision board somewhere you can look at it repeatedly throughout the year. I have mine in electronic form and have a calendar reminder to look at it at least once per month to make sure that my actions are aligned to my vision. Otherwise, it’s easy to stray away from your main goals and perhaps not identify opportunities that could get you one step closer to your overall goals.