Vision Board Template

What? You’re saying you have never created a vision board before?

Well, it’s okay :).

We all have different means we employ in order to remain motivated. For some people, the morning sun is enough to give them their daily energy boost. For others, they are zombies until they’ve had that morning cup of coffee.

Some of us need to visually track our progress with the help of goal maps and vision boards, while others don’t. The point I’m trying to make is that we are all different.

A lack of motivation is something that is not unique to anyone. We all experience it regularly. For me, this situation gets worse during the winter months. The late sunrise, the early sunsets and the ridiculous drops in temperature that come with it are more than enough to make me not want to be productive on any given day. The winter months can be very difficult for a lot of people. And can make depression even worse for people who already suffer from it mildly.

However, today I am looking to grow my freelance business into a successful business. That means I cannot allow my progress to be stopped by things I can control. I cannot control the weather, but I can control how I respond to it. All I need is a change of mindset.

Now. This is easier said than done, but that is exactly why I want to talk about Vision Boards.

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What is a Vision Board?

A vision board or dream board is a collage of images, quotes, and affirmations of one’s goals, desires and objectives. It is designed to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation.

I have a cheap board hanging in my apartment room.

At the start of each year, I cut out photos that represent the things I want to achieve in that year and glue them to the board. I only began doing this at the start of 2020.

This was thanks to a recommendation from a business partner, and the benefits to me since then have been incredible. Take a look at my board for 2021 on the right. I could not achieve my travel goals due to COVID visa restrictions, but I made huge strides in my other goals compared to 2020.

What Else do I need to Know ?

It is very important to know HOW to set your goals. And that is why I wanna share an interesting tip with you.

While studying a Business Analysis module in my college years, I learned a rather interesting guide on how a business should set its objectives. I have since used this sacred guide to help me decide my own personal objectives and design my vision board each year.

The SMART Method.

This right here is the tip.

The SMART method of setting goals requires that each goal should have 5 characteristics. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-bound.

If any of your goals do not have a combination of the above 5 characteristics, then you are very unlikely to achieve them. I would love to elaborate, but for the sake of a short blog post, I will simply include the below photo so you can use as your personal guide.

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3 Personal Benefits of a Vision Board.

I encourage you to also have a daily planner, as it allows you to break down yearly goals into bite-sized, daily bits. Remember, you can set weekly goals, monthly goals, or quarterly goals. They do not have to be yearly like mine.

The most important thing however, is that YOU WRITE THEM DOWN and place them someplace you can always see them.

1. Forces You to take Action.

Placing your vision board on a wall in your home or on your desk means the vision board is always visible. Just like with most things unimportant or trivial, out of sight becomes out of mind. My yearly vision board always hangs in my room. I hate looking at it sometimes, because on some days, I just want to give up on working on my year’s objectives. I just want to stay in bed unmotivated, lazy or depressed.

But then I look at my vision board and suddenly remember I have important things to do. And that no one else is going to do them for me.

2. Continuous Desire to Achieve & Increased Focus.

This is simply an extension of the above point. Because my vision board is constantly visible, my goals for the year are always on my mind. As a result, almost every action I take every day, is with my goals in mind.

3. Completion is its Own Reward.

This one is especially therapeutic for me. It feels damn good whenever I achieve a personal goal well ahead of my personal deadline. I look at my vision board or daily planner, point at it and say, ‘I fucking did it‘. I know I sound insane now, but it does feel good to acknowledge your own effort. Be your own biggest fan.

My time for leisure feels earned, and I enjoy every second of it even more because I am just as present in my leisure as I am in my work. This positivity spreads into every other aspect of my personal life. And this leads to even greater motivation for me.

SO why don’t you try to make a vision board for yourself, and see how that works out for you!

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