“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you face setbacks, your vision board will be there to motivate you all over again
If you want the world to conspire with you, you need to create clarity on what you want.
A Vision Board is a powerful tool for creating clarity, inspiration, and insight.
Simply put, a Vision Board is a collage of images that reflect your dreams, your habits, your goals, and your ideal life.
The Power is in the Process
It’s not the Vision Board. It’s the process. The power is in the process of creating your Vision Board (even if you throw it away.)
Through the process you will create more clarity by hacking through to your essence. Along the way, you will create more clarity around your hopes, your dreams, and your bold ambitions as you synthesize a mosaic of what matters to you.
The simple act of assembling little images and ideas of your future self is a powerful way to learn more about who you are, who you want to become, and what experiences you want to create.
By creating a vision of your future self, you etch in your mind sketches of possibility as you bring to life your potential. And it’s this vision of a version of of you that will inspire you to jump out bed in the morning to slay your day with skill.
Vision Page vs. Vision Board
After reviewing some options, I figured my best bet would be instead to create a Vision Page, rather than a Vision Board. I wanted a Vision Page that I could take with me, wherever I go.
That way when I need some instant inspiration, I have my Vision Board at my fingertips. I can also use my Vision Board for ongoing insight and to prime my mind for growth and greatness.
The Big Picture – Steps to Creating an Inspiring Vision Page
To create my Vision Page, I decided to give PInterest a chance.
Here is the Vision Page I created:
As you can see, I started with some basic themes, like “Strong like a Navy Seal,” “Bold like Richard Branson,” “Health like Dr. Furhman,” Beautiful mind like Edward de Bono,” “Hack away at the unessential,” etc.
I looked for inspirational role models and image to visualize the big ideas. I also looked for images based on habits I want to build, thoughts I want to think,feelings I want to feel, and experiences I want to create.
Here are some steps you can use to create your own Vision Page.
1. Choose Habits, Thoughts, Feelings, and Experiences for Your Vision Page
Have fun with the process of creating your Vision Page. Find images that inspire your mind and help you see what a compelling future could look like.
Explore the art of the possible and don’t let limiting beliefs get in your way.
Use the question, “Who do you want to be, and what experiences do you want to create?” to help create clarity around your future life and your future self.
I find it helpful to focus on the following categories:
- Mind
- Body
- Emotions
- Career
- Finance
- Relationships
- Fun
Those are just example categories, but they can help you walk through different areas of your life and explore what you want for your life.
I find it especially helpful to also look for people you admire that really personify some of the attributes and characteristics that you want to demonstrate more of in your life. For example, what if you could innovate like Edison or think like Da Vinci, or solve problems like Tony Robbins, etc.
They don’t have to be famous people. They just need to be meaningful for you.
2. Choose Quotes that Inspire You for Your Vision Page
Quotes are a great source of inspiration and insight. There is so much great wisdom from the ages and modern sages.
Choose quotes that exemplify who you want to be and what experiences you want to create.
Here is a sampling of some great quotes that can help you live a little better each day:
- “The power of imagination makes us infinite.” – John Muir
- “Light tomorrow with today.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Your limitation-it’s only your imagination.” – Anonymous
- “Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.” – Brian Tracy
- “All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” -– Walt Disney
- “Be present – it is the only moment that matters.” — Peaceful Warrior
- “Beginnings are always messy.” — John Galsworth
- “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.” — Mary Anne Radmacher
- “Dance lightly with life.” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie
- “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who are alive.” –- Howard Thurman
- “Don’t let the past steal your present.” –- Cherralea Morgen
- “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
- “I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece.” — Tony Robbins
- “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” –- Henry David Thoreau
- “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
- “It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.” — Zig Ziglar
- “Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.” — Niccolo Machiavelli
- “My life is my message.” –- Gandhi
- “Never let your memories be greater than your dreams.” –- Doug Ivester
- “No feeling is final.” — Rainer Marie Rlike
- “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” — Jim Rohn
- “The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work.” –- Richard Bach
- “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Ultimately love is everything.” — M. Scott Peck
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “What’s done is done.” — William Shakespeare
- “You are your choices.” – Seneca
- “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” — Albert Einstein
- “Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.” –- Buddha
Those are just some example quotes that might inspire you.
I have several quote collections you can draw from in the Great Quotes Collection, including Confidence Quotes, Happiness Quotes, Inspirational Quotes, Motivational Quotes, Personal Development Quotes, and Productivity Quotes.
3. Create Affirmations for Your Vision Page
You are what you think. You can use affirmations to shape your thoughts, both your conscious and subconscious mind.
Create some affirmations that are meaningful for you.
Here are some examples of some affirmations that inspire me:
- All my actions support my dreams.
- I abandon my old habits and take up new, more positive ones.
- I act right now like the person I dream of becoming.
- I am bigger than my challenges.
- I am enough.
- I am feeling exhilarated, agile and alive.
- I am learning.
- I am my message.
- I am resourceful.
- I am the author of my life.
- I am the change I want to see in the world.
- I am worth it.
- I focus on what I control and let the rest go.
- I have the willpower and perseverance to overcome all obstacles.
- I inspire myself and those around me.
- I know that actions always speak louder than words.
- I learn what I need when I need it.
- I let go of my anger so I can see clearly.
- I let go of worries that drain my energy.
- I live each day with unlimited determination.
- I live life on my terms.
- I live life to the fullest.
- I never stop learning.
- I persevere with optimism and enthusiasm.
- I push myself a little further.
- I put first things first.
- I quietly listen to my inner voice.
- I radiate and attract love.
- I see my challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
- I seek first to understand, then to be understood.
- I sharpen the saw.
- I sleep soundly and deeply and beautifully into this night.
- I stand strong when tested.
- I surround myself with people who treat me well.
- I talk less and do more.
- I think win win.
- If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.
- My words and actions determine who I become.
- The more I exercise my resolve, the stronger it becomes.
Those are just some example affirmations. For affirmations to be effective, it helps to choose words that resonate with you. Simple and sticky wins over complex or convoluted.
When you use affirmations, remember Dandapani’s 3 keys to success:
- Concise positive words
- Visualization (see them in your mind’s eye)
- Feeling (feel the affirmations in your body, as if already true)
Trade your thoughts up for the ideas that put fire in your belly and where you feel the excitement to be alive race through your veins.
Test Your Vision Page
Make your Vision Page a living, breathing thing. Adapt it and update it as you gain more clarity on what you really want.
If it’s not working, change it.
Keep it fun. Enjoy the process. Inspire yourself.
Remember, this is YOUR Vision Page.
See it. Feel it. Do it.
Dream big.
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