A TO Z CHALLENGE - V FOR VISUALISE IT

#AtoZChallenge - 2018 and V for Visualise it and focus

MY A-Z CHALLENGE - V FOR VISUALISE IT 

The next letter of my A to Zen of Life (via the Dalai Lama) is V forVisualise it and focus. This one was a bit tricky for me - I'm not much of a visualiser. I'm big on planning and having my ducks in a row. I don't like surprises, and having a Plan A and Plan B lined up ready for any contingencies really appeals to me. Visualising on the other hand is more about knowing what you want and then narrowing it down to how you're going to get there.

MAKING A PLAN

The more I think about this concept, the more I actually like it. I have no idea what my year ahead looks like, or what my 5 year plan might be, I know I have 10 years left before I retire completely and have a change of pace, but how the next decade is going to pan out is something I haven't given a great deal of thought to. Maybe it's time I started to do something about living proactively and having a vision for where I want to go in the days ahead.

The next step in the process would be figuring out how to go about that and having something concrete to work with. One concept that has been hovering in the back of my mind for a while now is the idea of creating a board where I can stick any ideas that appeal to me - somewhere to have everything in one place so I can see what is important to me and be inspired by it to move forward and make definite plans.

You only have control over three things in your life-the thoughts you think, the images you visualise, & the actions you take.

CREATING A VISION BOARD

I've seen loads of images on Pinterest (one of my favourite places on the internet - feel free to check out my Pinterest profile if you're interested) where people have created Vision Boards - it tells you how to create them, it shows pictures of beautiful boards, it is inspirational.....but I've never made one. I love the idea, but I've never put it into practice. The Dalai Lama is inspiring me to get started with my own Vision Board and to begin the process of visualising how I want my life to look in the next few years.

There are places I'd like to travel to, hobbies I'd like to make a start on, projects I'd like to undertake, blogging goals I'd like to reach, and the list goes on. If I don't make a start then I'll still be dreaming about them in 2020 or 2025 - I have to begin somewhere and I think a Vision Board might be the answer.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Have you ever created a Vision Board? Do you get inspired by ideas on Pinterest but never get around to doing anything about them? Do you have plans for the future or are you still dreaming but not putting anything into action?

#AtoZChallenge - 2018 and V for Visualise it and focus


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#AtoZChallenge - 2018 and I'm tackling the A to Zen of Life (via the Dalai Lama)

20 comments

  1. Vision boards are a great idea for keeping your thoughts, dreams and plans front and centre, Leanne. I was introduced to them about 15 years ago. I find I am a visual person so I need to see something. I can't actually visualise it my mind,perhaps I need to work on that! What are we going to do without AtoZ- can you visualise it? :)

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  2. Hari OM
    this is something which is a bit second nature to me - only I didn't realise it for a long time! Whilst I am quite a visual person in many respects, when it comes to planning - or plotting a path - it all gets done in my head. I like the term 'visualisation' over the more corporate 'goal setting'; they are the same thing, but the latter is a bit hard and fast and sets one up for failure, whilst the former permits fluidity in process and the opportunity for the visualised to mutate. YAM xx

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  3. Every year I make a set of vision cards to identify areas I'd like to focus on for the year. I've written about my set for this year here https://asmile4ufromjanet.blogspot.com/2018/01/just-jot-january-vision-cards.html but I have been making them for about 4 years now. It is amazing how just by putting the cards together things start to happen in the right direction. I also follow the full moon and make full moon dreamboards which are kind of the same thing. I say try it and see!

    Janet’s Smiles

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  4. They say that seeing your future in your mind and aiming for what you want helps gets you there. I know that if I don't make a plan, the things I want will never happen. As for Pinterest, there are more Pinterest "fails" than anything... (You should have seen my Snowman cookies...lol)

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  5. Hi, Leanne - I've never created an actual Vision Board. But I did create something similar for a (bad) blogging course that I took last year. Despite that less than stellar experience, I agree that a Vision Board makes total sense. Once you've completed yours, I'm hoping that you will share the results and the process, on your blog.

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  6. I love a vision board Leanne. But the last one I did was 8 years ago. It's probably no coincidence that I reached most of my goals that year. Time for another one. Thanks for the inspiration

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  7. That's where we are different. I am better at visualising than at setting goals on how to get there. I made an "online vision board" a while ago, just for the fun of it:

    https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/2017/03/top-ten-thursday-vision-board.html

    https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/2018/04/v-is-for-vienna.html

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  8. I'm better at visualizing short term. When I'm trying to break free of depression - if I'm conscious of it - I can sometimes visualize getting out of bed and leaving the house the next day. Or when I have a lot to accomplish, I visualize the order I'll do everything.

    I've done vision boards before, but I'm bad at follow through. e.g. I'd love to have a piano, but it's not practical right now. So the piano languished on my vision board until I got rid of that one. My vision just keeps changing.

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  9. I am struggling here with this notion leanne and wonder why when it seems to make perfect sense to everyone else and particularly women I admire and respect. I get what you are advocating but I dont get it either and I don't know how to make clear what I mean or even if I know. ... so food for thought . some years back on some course or another I did a board that was more images and captions of women that I felt would be good for me to emulate. perhaps there I was 'visioning' a future self but making plans is way out of my league. maybe I can learn ???

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  10. I love the idea of visualising things but I also love to be spontaneous, so I'm a bit each way on the topic :) Good luck with your planning things out, you've done a great job with the A-Z challenge posts!

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  11. I have always had a bulletin board where I would hang things that inspired me - photos, quotes, comics. I still keep one in my office, although I don't spend the time updating it as I did when I was a teenager - those sessions could last an entire weekend!
    Whether you create an actual Vision Board, or just keep those visions in you head, I feel it is most important to have a 'vision'. Ideas for your life, plans to make and either follow through or change. Especially as we get older. It becomes even more important to maintain those plans and hopes for yourself, and not just base those on the lives of your children. That is where so many get lost.

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  12. I'm so bad at actually doing something. I get inspired and then fizzle out. This might just work!

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  13. Yes, absolutely. I have a vision board I did 10 years ago and so much has come to pass!
    Carol Cassara

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  14. I was so good about this for decades. OK maybe just one decade :-) but somehow I’ve fallen away. I think most of that is due to the fact I’m just trying to figure out my day to day existence? But I will find myself stuck in the same place I am today five years from now if I don’t get back to visualizing

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  15. Hi Leanne, I use vision boards as another aspect of envisioning the future. (Story telling is another tool....write 5 brief scenarios of one aspect of your life in 5 years.)

    I've blogged about vision boards...including a "how to"...see below on my January 2018 board. Using magazines allows your subconscious mind to be an active player (picking pictures on-line is more conscious) and then using dream analysis can help you see what those subconscious thoughts are (I tell the story of my board after that analysis.... I just play with pictures and words before that - play first, analysis second). I know it sounds a bit woo-hoo, but I've seen it work. Including then the manifestation of the vision.

    https://retirementtransition.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/vision-board-2018/

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  16. Hi Leanne,
    I've been making vision boards for years. They were always fun to make and sometimes, when I looked back at them, some of the things I was hoping for had actually happened. But, like you, I'm not good at visualizing, so I wanted a vision board that would really help to keep my intentions in front of me. I finally came up with one this year and it's working beautifully. That inspired me to write a post about what I see as the three different forms of vision boards and their three different purposes. I hope it's helpful - https://profoundjourney.com/why-this-years-vision-board-game-changer/

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  17. I've never done a vision board although I used to collect pictures from magazines when I was younger!! I can see how it'd be quite helpful though...
    OXXO
    Jodie
    www.jtouchofstyle.com

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  18. Great post, Leanne. I've never run with a vision board, but I do think well ahead. I have a large whiteboard on my wall with months of work listed on it which I mark off as I complete the task . . . when I remember to. :-)

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  19. For a few years, I did an annual scrapbooking project called One Little Word where you pick a word to live by for the year. I created a vision board as part of the project. It was a lot of fun to put together. Weekends In Maine

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  20. I have tried making a vision board but never keep with it. I tend to change my plans and ideas fairly fast before I can get them on a board. lol

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