Create a Vision Board

Purpose – Activity: Create a Vision Board

There’s something about a picture that can bring purpose to life and inspire emotions to drive us to move forward and accomplish important goals. For a powerful vision board, AIM for a vision that is Active, Inspiring, and Meaningful.

Download the Vision Board template and begin thinking about what you want.

What you want to CREATE and DO – Goals

Download the Goal Chart at Choosing Goals and watch the video. List words for what you want to CREATE and actions you will DO to make it happen. Write the CREATE words on the coffee cup ring and the DO words on the crystal ball. Or you can make word clouds at wordclouds.com or worditout.com. Then choose one important goal in each life area (Mind, Body, Heart, and Soul) to write on the Vision Board template. Also consider including the following ideas.

• Mind – something you want to LEARN
• Body – a HABIT you want to create (or eliminate)
  • places you want to SEE: dreams for travel
• Soul – your why, an AIM for something that you want to change in the world
  • who you will BE (see more about these below)
• Heart – how you want to CONNECT with others

Who you will BE – Character Strengths

Identify your positive character strengths or personal qualities at Map Your Values. Under BE by the compass rose, write three that you have, and one that you want to develop. Find a quote for the one you want to develop and write it there too.

Your AIM – Purpose and your why

Setting personal goals is a great way to start, but taking it further to consider your AIM provides bigger motivation. This goes beyond knowing what you want for yourself to knowing what you want for the planet. Your why or purpose is a problem that you want to solve, a change you want to make. Look for a cause to have an AIM that is Active, Inspiring, and Meaningful.

What is Your “Just Cause?”

Simon Sinek describes vision as a “just cause,” one that is so important you are willing to sacrifice for it.

He says there are 3 Things That Make a Meaningful Vision: 1. It is resiliant, able to withstand change. 2. It is inclusive, an invitation to all to contribute to it. 3. It is service oriented, the primary benefit is to others.

Goals that align with values and purpose will focus your soul attention on what matters most to you. With the information you have gathered, you can begin to create a vision board.

A vision board is a collage of pictures, words, and quotes that brings goals and aspirations for the future to life and keeps them visual and visible. This is a great activity to do during an annual review.

Visualize – picture what the world looks like when you succeed in achieving your goals.
Inspire – a vision board will inspire you to action!
Set in future – a vision board shows where you are going.
Images & words – include pictures that illustrate your goals and quotes that motivate you!
Objectives & goals – describe the goals you choose in various life areas in a SMART way.
Needs of the world – have an AIM for the planet

• Images – look for pictures that capture the ideas, either in magazines or at an online site like Pixabay.
• Words – use words that are: positive, present tense, personal, and purposeful. Find quotes to use for your board.
  • Look at the Vision Board at Pinterest for ideas for both.

How to make a vision board

For a physical version, choose a board: posterboard, a whiteboard with magnetic clips, or whatever you like. Gather supplies like index cards, post-it notes, glue sticks, and markers. Look for pictures you can print and the quotes you want to include. Get inspired by The Important Stuff in Life from Frank Sonnenberg. Learn about how to how to make a collage of images that make your purpose visual from Christine Kane.

For a virtual version, there are online tools available at Canva and Picmonkey. Learn more about creating an online vision board at famleeoffour. Here’s a picture of the one that I made with Canva…you can use this design as a template, sign in is required.

However you make a vision board, it will provide inspiration and motivation! Be sure the goals you choose are important to you and align with your values and purpose. Learn more about how to set goals and check out the Brand and Purpose Toolkit. You might also like to try some visualization exercises to warm up creativity.

This is one of the weekly activities for a Year of Personal Development.

About dailyplanit

I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.