You might be thinking spring cleaning, new furniture, maybe a splash of paint on the walls, but no! None of those things will directly improve your business revenue. Here is something that has that kind of potential—a vision board. Paired with business executive coaching for women, vision boards can help you significantly in transforming your work life.
A vision board is more than a wish list. It’s a powerful tool that maps out your goals and dreams like an online Pinterest board. The beauty of the vision board is that, it helps to keep everything focused. When you’re stuck or having trouble in making decisions, look at your board and ask yourself, “Does this decision align with my vision and goals?”
It also helps to get you out of your head and come into action. Having a tangible representation of the future you want right in front of you can help you to motivate yourself to work towards that goal. It’s like having a personal cheerleader which helps you to keep yourself on track and inspired.
I admit it. I’m in love with my vision boards. A collection of beautiful, colorful daydreams brought to life, and when I’m working on them, I get lost in my dreams, and time slips away. But never make the mistake of thinking whiling away an afternoon with my vision board is unproductive. On the contrary, spending a couple of hours on planning my future with a vision board leaves me feeling inspired and ready to take action. After all, the harder I will work, the closer I will get towards my dreams.
Here is my superpower secret, when my clients get business mentoring and create their vision boards, I can see their future. They reveal so much about their business that they aren’t consciously communicating. The choices you make for your vision board reach a part of you that you don’t realize is relevant. That is until you combine all those ideas into one place. And then what I see makes sense. That is when I see your business and what it truly means to you.
If you’ve heard about vision boards but haven’t tried your hand at creating one, what’s holding you back? Some people—especially those right-brained analytical types—find creative goal-setting so overwhelming that they don’t know from where to start. For others, it’s the thought of collecting all the pieces that turns them off.
But here’s something to keep in mind—having a vision board doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff. You can create an effective one from things you already own, like pictures, magazine clippings, postcards, or handwritten notes. It takes time and dedication to get the most out of it.
For both, though, the answer is simple. Begin with what you have on hand and get the help of a small business mentor as you go. There are no “rules” when creating a vision board.
Let’s start with the old-school style of a vision board, one you create with craft and office supplies.
These are some of the supplies you will find helpful to get you started.
Books & Magazines
We all have that stack of magazines we keep meaning to toss. Now you can put them to good use by building your vision board. Flip through them and clip pictures that inspire you, such as vacation spots you’d like to visit, homes you’d love to live in, and museums you want to explore. Don’t be picky or too selective. You don’t have to use all the images you clip, so for now, just cut out anything that captures your imagination.
The images you collect don’t have to be displayed at all. Inspiring words, beautiful typography, and even attention-grabbing ads can make for an inspiring vision board.
Colored Pens & Markers
As per online business mentors, you should not be afraid to show your creative side with some hand lettering or doodling on your vision board. Quotes you love, special dates you want to remember, and even the names of people you admire, all of them could be found on your vision board.
Stickers, Ribbons & Art Supplies
If you have kids, chances are, that you have plenty of craft supplies to make great embellishments for your board. I know you might be thinking this is just a bit frivolous, but trust me when I tell you that these additional elements bring your vision board to life.
Stickers are more than just quirky accessories. Use them to mark the most critical items on your board, the ones you want to work toward next. Ribbons keep related ideas together, and mementos such as ticket stubs or receipts can remind you of the life you want to live.
Remember, above all else, your vision board is your own. Our top business mentors recommends you to design a board that inspires you and lights you up every time you look at it, and it will work like a magic in your life.
Or you can create a digital version of your vision board.
My go-to place for creating anything visual online is Canva. You can create a beautiful digital vision board with their easy-to-use templates. Plus, it’s free. Canva is a simple and easy-to-use online designing platform. Its clean layout and intuitive tools make it perfect for beginners and professionals.
A vision board is a personal collage of images representing your goals and ambitions. It can include pictures, words, phrases, quotations, and affirmations. According to women business coaches, it is also a great way to stay motivated as you can often see what it is you’re working toward in your own space.
To create your own digital vision board, head to Canva.com and start by selecting “Create a Design” from the top menu. You can choose from many templates, including Pinterest Graphics, Instagram Posts, Social Media Banners, Flyers, Posters, and more.
Once you’ve chosen a template, you can create and customize your vision board using Canva’s vast library of photos, illustrations, shapes, and fonts. You can also upload your images or drag and drop them from the other sources such as Dropbox or Google Drive.
When you’ve finished creating it, save it as a PDF file so you can print it out and put it up wherever you want. You can also save it as an image file to share with friends and family or post it on social media for extra motivation!
Designing a plan for your business is not only about building on paper. It also has to be a visual one. That’s why Canva has created the perfect tool to do just that – their visualization options are endless, and there is always something that can be tweaked or changed without any coding knowledge.
A vision board doesn’t have to be the typical images of beautiful landscapes or peaceful scenery that often adorn these boards. Instead, it can be a whole mixture representing that how you’d like your life to look like in next five years.
You could also use an app like Pinterest or Evernote to capture and organize inspiring images, quotes, ideas, and all tips you’ve learned from business mentors for maintaining your vision board.
Canva has an extensive library of photos, elements, fonts, and colors available to use, plus you can upload any other images you want to use. You can also play around with the layout and design for hours, adding photos, quotes, text, or even virtual sticky notes. The possibilities are endless!
Once you’re happy with your digital vision board, you can save it as an image or PDF to access quickly anytime you need a boost of inspiration. You could store it on your desktop or laptop or even upload it to the cloud and access it anywhere.
Creating a digital vision board with tips from the best business mentors can be fun and creative to help you stay focused on your goals and motivate you for your journey. Give it a try, and share with me what you create! I’d love to see how your vision board turns out.
