1. Vision Boards and Action Plans
2. Be Specific
3. Use Categories
4. Include Affirmations
5. My Experience With Vision Boards
6. See It Everyday
7. Take Action

Have you joined the vision board wagon yet? I wouldn’t blame you after its explosion in popularity from The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. 

Before vision boards, there were New Year’s Resolutions. Vision boards go a step further by forcing you to plan out steps to get from point A to point B. For example, one year we had a New Year’s get-together with friends and family. We placed a shoe box on the table and cut out a slot for people to drop slips with their resolutions in it. The plan was to read over them at the end of the year to see what we accomplished. Needless to say, that box was put away and forgotten about. I still cannot remember what I wrote.

Moving on…

Vision Boards and Action Pans

A vision is the ability to think about or plan the future.

An action is the act of doing something.

So having a vision is the first step. The next step is to decide on the actions you will take. Those actions are necessary to bring your visions to reality.

From my experience, it’s not enough to have a vision. People have visions and ideas all the time, the difference is in the actions.

Vision boards can take many forms…there are no rules. Simply include items that represent where you would like to see yourself.

It can be as simple as one visual reminder to keep you focused. Or a whole variety of visuals.

But, of course, the more important part of your vision board is your action plan.

There doesn’t seem to be a word coined for these types of boards. Some might call them “Action Boards” like what Neil Farber refers to in this post: Throw Away Your Vision Board. Or maybe it’s simply a variation of the vision board.

Whether you call it a vision board, an action board, or a vision board with an action plan, the key takeaway is you must take actions in order to complete your goals.

Setting an Action Plan

An action plan forces you to think about what it will take to get to your goals.

A good way to set up actions is to set a top-level goal. Then underneath, write the smaller steps, actions, and goals you plan to take to achieve it. 

Then you can refer to it to remind yourself of what you need to do on a daily basis.

Here’s an example:

TOP-LEVEL GOAL: LOSE WEIGHT

• Lose 15 lbs by June 1, 2019
• Go to the gym 3 times/week
• Eat smaller portions

By planning out the details using actions and steps, you are better prepared.

Be Specific

So you say you want to be a millionaire…

• What are going to do to get your first million?
• What steps can you take?
• Are there mentors you can reach out to?  

You want to lose weight…

• What is your weight goal for the year?
• How many pounds are you expecting to lose monthly?
• Are you going to eat healthier? Cook more meals? Calorie count?
• Are you going exercise? At the gym? Using workout videos? Outdoor activity?

You want to travel more…

• Are you going to save a certain amount every month?
• What is your budget for your travels?
• Where are you planning to go?
• When are you going?

Goals should include actions that are specific enough to help you create your plan. With more specific steps, you get a clearer picture of what you will need to do “this week” or “this month”.

Take the example of losing weight…if I add a specific action like exercising 3 times per week, I can then focus on this smaller task to take me to the ultimate goal of losing weight.

It is more concrete and I can easily take it week by week rather than having to look a the bigger picture.

Saying, “I want to lose weight”, doesn’t give you a direction to start in.

So be your own leader and give yourself tasks.

Now, listing these smaller actions and steps will also reveal how much time a particular goal may demand of you.

It can then help tame a vision board with too many goals to focus on <— The rough draft of my vision board was a bit much so taking a closer look helped me narrow down what I should put on my board.

Once I started including my actions, I realized I needed to remove some of my goals and focus on the more important ones.

Use Categories

There are so many ways to create your board.

My first board was sort of all over the place. I just found some magazine cut outs and wrote words on card-stock, threw it on the board and that was that.

But as they say, it is better to start. Once you start, it gives you opportunities to find ways to improve.

I learned about setting up categories by reading “How to Make a Vision Board That Works in 10 Simple Steps” on The Artful Parent blog.

Categories were a great find for me because they helped me focus on the different areas in my life to focus on.

When I started, I used all 9 categories:

• Prosperity
• Aspirations
• Relationships
• Family
• Health
• Children/Creativity
• Skills/Knowledge
• Career/Life Path
• Helpful/People/Travel

But, I later decided to simplify it to 6 categories for one of my vision boards. I decided to focus on:

• Family & Friends
• Health
• Children
• Aspirations
• Career/Skills
• Travel/Volunteer

Include Affirmations

As a bonus to your vision board you can include affirmations. You can decide to add them to your vision board or make a separate board with affirmations.

Another option is to use sticky notes on your wall or mirror.

On the draft of my second board, I intermingled my goals and affirmations but then it became too cluttered. Possibly way too many affirmations. Kinda got out of hand at first but I’ve learned since then. Now, I prefer to keep affirmations separate.

Positive affirmations are great for the mind.

We usually get distracted and lose focus easily. That’s why these visual reminders are so helpful.

Saying and hearing these positives remind us to be optimistic and to stay focused.

My Experience with Vision Boards

Vision boards have truly been a great tool in my toolbox. I have been able to accomplish many more of my goals.

My vision board reminds me of the daily decisions I must make for my dreams to come true!

The first board I created was definitely a vision board. It was unorganized and didn’t include any actions.

I added images and words like “Life Skills” and “Passive income” that were vague.

Creating a vision board this way is not bad. I did accomplished some things on my first board like building up my “6 Month Fund”.

It’s just that tasks and clear directions tend to work out better. For my first board, I realized I was not really accomplishing as much as I set out to do.

So, I decided to adjust.

Getting Started

Here are some items you will need to get started:

• Markers
• Tape
• Glue and/or glue sticks
  • A trick I use with regular Elmer’s glue, is to use tiny dots instead of a line. That way it doesn’t wrinkle as much
  • Also, when done, stack the magazines on top of the parts that are wrinkling or lifting. Just make sure that the magazines aren’t going to stick to the board
• Scissors
• Magazines for cut outs of images or words
• Card Stock
• Scrapbook paper
• Printed photos from somewhere like Walgreen’s
• Printed photos from printer or the instant photo printers

You can also create digital versions and print them out. You can either print them or get them printed bigger somewhere like Staples.

• Digital versions created on graphics or image software
• Digital versions on Word or Google Docs or anything you have that allows images and text

I like to keep digital versions of my board on my phone and on google drive so I can look at them from anywhere.

See It Everyday

It definitely helps to put your vision board up as soon as you can.

Why do all of that work just to put it behind a dresser or something, right?

I put my vision board up in my bedroom where I can see it daily. Many people like to display it in their home offices.

Wherever you decide to place it, the most important part is that it is up where you can see it every day.

The more you read and repeat what is on your vision board, the more you will remember to focus on what you need to do.

For me, it’s easier to look over my board in sections. Then I can choose to focus on one or a few categories for that day.

Take Action

Each year my vision boards have improved.

It is a great way to visually see what you have accomplished at the end of the year. Far better than a New Year’s Resolution.

As a plus to doing this you learn more about yourself. And I think that is just absolutely awesome!!!

Well it’s time to kick off the year with a clear vision and action plan!