Hello my friend and welcome to MyMO – the blog. Part productivity, part inspiration and with a detailed action plan, I hope you enjoy reading this weeks blog post as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I absolutely adore the morning. For me, mornings are full of routine (walking and feeding the dogs), nurturing (meditation and yoga), contemplation (my morning cup of coffee) and action (setting my intention for the day).
But day after day, week after week and year after year, I have often felt like I was standing still: walking in quicksand, slowly sinking while I tried to move forward. My dreams – my life – seemed somewhere over the horizon, way in the future, not in the here and the now.
The missing piece, I discovered, was my lack of intention toward the future. What did I really want and, more importantly, what did I intend to have happen? I realized that my focus was on getting through the day. And I did manage to accomplish that every single day. But the long term goals were getting lost. They always existed somewhere in the future, something that would happen eventually when I got there.
Then I read something that literally changed my life.
The words were simple but they really resonated with me: “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” That lightbulb moment was a game changer for me. I went from micro-managing my day to macro managing my life. If you feel like your life is full of hard work and few results, this blog post is for you.
For me, the transition was starting with a vision board. A vision board is a simple but very powerful tool to help set the intention for your future, and keep your productivity channeled in that direction. It can be as simple or as complex as you would like and is incredibly easy to create. The key is in the preparation.
How to Create a Vision Board
1. Start with a mantra. Mine was “What would my future look like if I knew I could not fail?” What were my dreams? What would I love to accomplish if anything were possible?
You probably have a mantra in your life, something that you read or heard that spoke to you. Was it an inspirational quote on Facebook? A lyric in a song? A poem you read in your childhood? Whatever it is, use that to ground and center yourself and hold it in your mind as you write down all the things that you would love to accomplish in your life.
2. Listen to your inner voice. Your “friend,” the inner critic, is probably going to be the first voice that you hear. You’ll know who it is because its the unproductive voice in your head telling you that you can’t do this, or that if you don’t listen, something awful, embarrassing or major (not in a good way), will happen. Yeah, that voice is really not your friend, and there is no place for it here. If the voice pops in, go ahead and let it know it is not needed at this time and try to focus on that other voice. You know the voice that makes your heart sing when you hear it? That’s the voice you want to listen to.
3. Once you have completed your brain dump, go ahead and file it away. You may or may not need it again but at this point you should feel energized and ready to go while at the same time a little tired and ready to rest. Inner feelings can be very exhausting.
4. Gather your supplies. Here are some of the supplies you may need, depending on what you choose to create.
- Poster board
- Foam board
- Glue sticks
- Hot glue gun
- Paper punches
- Card stock
- Scissors
- Stickers
- Stencils
- Markers / Sharpies
- Paint
- Magazines
- Photos
- Your diary or journal,
- Computer and printer
- Canvas
- Ribbon
- Stamps
- Bulletin board with special push pins
5. Ideas for creating the vision board that is best for you. If you are an artist, maybe you will paint or draw your vision board. Flip through magazines and cut out pictures and words that resonate with you. They can be words or quotes, photos of beautiful vacation destinations, food, pets, friends gathering, couples hugging, whatever represents a vision of what you want to attract into your life.
Gather photos, your secret stash of fortunes from Chinese fortune cookies, notes from loved ones or drawings from your kids. Your vision board can be made out of anything you like. Poster board, foam board, a bulletin board with lovely push pins, or create a vision book from a beautiful journal.
The Best Time to Create a Vision Board
Don’t put off creating your vision board because you think it needs to start on January 1st., or when you have more time or when you retire. The best time to create one is now!
The great thing is that it can be as unique and different as you are, so really this can look any way that you want. Personally, I am a bit of a minimalist. I don’t have a lot of magazines lying around, so I typed up everything that resonated with me using my computer and printer and then cut the words down to size. Using some punches and card stock left over from my scrapbooking days, I planned my board to have bit of contrast between the white paper the words were printed on and the white poster board used as a backdrop. A glue stick was used to keep it all together and velcro command strips to hang it on the wall.
Here is my finished board. Note that, when I hung the board, despite my best efforts, it was a little crooked. I decided to leave it that way! It reminds me that nothing is ever perfect. The most important thing to remember is that this is not a competition. Every vision board is unique, just like you. Have fun, keep it upbeat and positive and create to your hearts content.
When I first created my vision board, I read it almost every day. I haven’t read it in weeks because I don’t need to. I created it from a place that lies deep within me. It lives and resonates in my soul.
If you’d like to create a vision board but you just don’t know where to start, click here to set up a virtual organizing session and I will walk you through each step. If you live in the Indy area, click here to set up a WAGS party.
Once you have completed your vision board, post a picture here and let me know how creating a vision board has changed your life. Has it helped your productivity? Please share!
Thanks so much for stopping in and spending a few moments of your time with me. Have the next blog post delivered right into your inbox by clicking here. I hope to see you again. Have a productive, Miller Organized, day!
