Create a Vision Board
The second of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” is titled ‘Begin with the End in Mind’. In this he asks us to visualise being a fly on a wall at our own funeral, listening to what people are saying about us. A rather morbid concept with a positive intention – he wants us to think about how we want to be remembered. Right now. So that we can take steps to be that person…
Rather than your funeral, I suggest you visualise yourself 10 years on from now:
- What sort of life are you leading?
- What do you look like?
- Who can you see in your life around you?
- What are you doing? What work, hobbies, community involvement?
- Where are you holidaying?
- What do you treasure in your life?
Remember that happiness is not necessarily about possessions – it’s about being the person that gives you satisfaction and fulfilment. So also think about
- What’s important to you?
- What sort of person do you want to be remembered for being?
Make sure the things you identify are what YOU want and not what you think you should want because it’s someone else’s dream.
Create a Vision Board
Now you’ve got a sense of these things, creating a visual collage that represents these elements of your life in 10 years time (or sooner) will help your brain begin to subconsciously latch on to your desires and help you notice opportunities to move you towards this.
All you need is a large sheet of card – or even a scrap book – and a pile of papers and magazines, glue and scissors.
Scan the publications looking for images or words that fit with what you want to be, do or have and cut them out. Build up your montage and supplement it with other material – perhaps photos or postcards or images sourced on the internet. Anything that helps you visualise your ideal.
Warning: a vision board is not enough on its own – couple this with goal setting and action planning to make sure you fulfil your potential.
