A Clear Vision of the Board

It’s the first Saturday in January and I’m already cramming to make up after procrastinating.  This time it’s more about jet lag after returning from Hong Kong than procrastination, but still leaves me trying to come up with my goals for the New Year almost a week after hanging up the new calendar.  Tomorrow I’m headed to my third Vision Board party hosted by my friend, Jen.  What’s a Vision Board you ask?  It’s like a resolution list on steroids, or at least sipping plenty of mimosas, which is what we’ll be doing while creating our boards.  Every year, Jen invites a group of friends to BYOB – Bring Your Own Board.  After nibbling on a few tasty treats that everyone brings and catching up on holiday adventures, Jen throws a year’s worth of magazines in the middle of the room and we have at them with our scissors and glue sticks.  The idea is to create visual goals so you can picture yourself achieving them.

In the past I’ve always cut out pretty pictures of organized desks, people I like who work in the media industry, vague ideas of balancing work and family and more only to never get what I really wanted.  Yet, come mid-year, the other vision boarders would gush about their boards coming true just as they had imagined.  Two years ago, for example, in January, Jen was determined to get married.  Not in a Kim Kardashian, I’m interviewing candidates kind of way.  She was actually dating someone at the time, but that’s not who she had in mind as her groom.  She had so many pictures of a similar looking person and wedding rings, we realized she had a clear vision of her groom-to-be, but this was her first expression of her desire.  Working on her Vision Board revealed to her that she wanted to rekindle a romance with an ex.  They were still friends, but hadn’t talked about giving their relationship another go at that point.  The idea of being with him again was obviously consuming her as she thought about the direction in which she wanted her life to head.  She didn’t know how to get out of her current relationship with a great guy and try again with someone with whom it didn’t work out before.  Seeing her Vision Board emboldened her to make a leap and have the conversation with her ex that they should be together again.  He, of course, was game and from there they picked up where they ended and their relationship went into hyper-drive.  By that Christmas, she had a beautiful antique ring on her finger and was furiously planning her glorious wedding.  I’m happy to report that they’ve now been married for almost six months and haven’t stopped glowing with love for each other.

On everyone’s board, there were goals of love, careers, travel and babies, all coming true to those who really wanted them to happen.  So what made their boards “work”?  Was my board just a clunker? These boards are a fun, creative way to think about your goals.  They can also easily be displayed somewhere you can check in daily to remind you and help you stay motivated.  Still, like all resolutions to make lasting change, I realized what I was missing were the specifics that require more than just glossy pictures and words.  After we create our boards we tell stories of how the pictures and words spell out our goals.  Here’s where I would talk about the board outside of myself as if these goals would be great for someone else, anyone, maybe even me.  So this year, I realize the importance of being specific when setting goals.  It’s not just about thinking it sure would be nice to have an organized desk, but what is my plan to get it organized, by when do I want to get it done and how will I keep it orderly throughout the year.  So by the end of this month, I will clean out my filing cabinets and desk and create a system with daily and weekly checks to keep it under control.  The more we can be clutter free, the more efficient and calm the whole family will feel.

Part of being specific with your goals, deciding what you really want, it’s important to also be able to measure them (I will do something daily, I’ll complete my task by the end of the month…)  I started this blog many years ago as part of a resolution.  It was going to be revolutionary for me!.  I kept it up a few times and then it went to the internet clutter bin.  So now it’s time to get it out of the virtual closet, dust it off and keep myself accountable on a regular basis.  So goal two – make updates to the blog on a weekly basis, if not more.  But I can’t say I don’t have time to make one blog entry a week so it’s a start for more.  Tuesdays are a good day for me to write specifically for the blog, plan out the rest of my week.  My posts may come later, but Tuesdays are a good day to write about my goals and what I’m doing that week to reach them.

Those are just two of my goals.  I have others that I will prioritize by importance and how much time they will take to accomplish.  So, now it’s time to start writing the rest of my resolution list to take to the Vision Board Party tomorrow.  Those mimosas sure are going to hit the spot!