Creating a Vision for 2017

We’re into the second week of 2017, so I thought I’d check in and see how those resolutions are panning out for you?

Are you still hard on it? Or are you starting to feel sick of the sight of salad, ready to shove those scales where the sun don’t shine and wondering if your gym membership is still worth the money if you only use the spa?

If you read my recent post ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve‘ you’ll know that I have refused to make any resolutions this year, for the very reason that I don’t stick to them, it makes me feel rubbish about myself and quite simply, life is too damn short! However, that doesn’t mean that I want to drift through 2017 without any direction or without any positive goals to aim for, so the question is how can I do this without setting myself up for a fall?

Vision Board Workshop

Yep it’s time to scrap the resolutions, it’s all about creating visions this year and the only way to do it properly is to make your very own vision board.

Now I’m not going to lie, in theory you could do this yourself at home; all you need is a board right…? But, ask yourself this:

Would you…

Allow yourself the time to do it? Many of us may think it too self indulgent a task. Or it may slip to the bottom of our to do list as other, more immediate things need to be dealt with. Or, like me, would the lure of Gogglebox, PJs, sofa and a hot chocolate of an evening be enough to make it ‘accidentally’ slip your mind?
Think about it in as much detail? Having someone who knows their stuff asking you questions that you may not want to face up to yourself, definitely gives you the reality check you need – and that is what visions are made of. Yes, creating a vision is very much a future, forward thinking task, but knowing where, how and why something may not have worked for you in the past is tantamount to success
Talk it through with others? OK so you could host a vision board party at home, but let’s face it that’s going to turn into an evening of idle gossip, lots of wine and attempts at recreating the make up looks in the magazines you should be cutting inspiring pictures out of! The structure of a workshop means you have the opportunity to discuss your hopes and dreams with others whilst also remaining focused on the task at hand.

Visions visualised, dreams dreamt and magazine amassed I headed out to my first vision board workshop last Friday evening with high expectations of returning home with a board packed full of Pinterest style inspiration. Hosted by the lovely Sarah Turner who owns the coaching organisation Bloom People, the workshop consisted of a small group of people and was situated in a local hall that had been made to feel calm and welcoming through the use of oil burners and tranquil music. We’d all been set homework beforehand to ensure that we got as much out of the workshop as possible and hopefully wouldn’t arrive looking like frightened rabbits in front of headlights.

Surprisingly, I found the homework the hardest part of the process, as it forced me to think and question things I would perhaps not otherwise have done. Having to reflect on the highs and lows of 2016 may seem relatively easy, but believe you me it’s easier said than done. I know that 2016 for many has been an awful year, but for me it’s kind of been OK. I’ve had some pretty good things happen to me in terms of work, relationships and health so that part was fine, but low points…? I don’t mean to sound smug, and feel free to sneer at me when you next see me, but I can’t think of any.

And then moving on and thinking about the future with the question,

“If money, people’s opinions and judgements and fear were not a factor, what would I like to BE, DO, and/or HAVE in 2017?

Hmm also tricky, because I am genuinely content with my lot. I feel as though I’m at a good place in my life at the moment; I have no great ambitions to win the lottery, to live in a mansion or to holiday in the Caribbean every month.

I also had a slight niggle at the back of my mind that I didn’t want it to turn into a therapy session. I mean what if I asked myself so many questions, dug so deep into my soul that I was suddenly laying myself bare to the group and discovering deep rooted issues that had always been bubbling away beneath the surface?!

This was going to be interesting…!

Particularly as there was wine involved…*gulp*

The first activity was to pick a postcard from the table that either jumped out or resonated with us in some way. The postcards varied in style from striking motivational quotes, to images of nature, adventure, humour etc. I very much believe in going with your gut feeling and when I saw a card with a photo of a dandelion clock on it I quickly grabbed it before anyone else could. It reminded me of when I tried meditation for the first time last year, in which a field of dandelion clocks acted as a central image to help me control my breathing. And as corny as it sounds, that sense of release as the seeds are blown from the dandelion as well as the hope of renewal and regrowth really struck a chord with me.

As we gathered together as a group and shared the images we had chosen, we were then invited to write down on a blank postcard the question:

What do I assume about myself most of the time, which probably stops me from achieving what I want in life?

We then had to turn the postcard over and write our answer on the back. This was something we did privately, but I am willing to share my answer with you as I feel it’s important I face up to myself and perhaps by seeing it in black and white, putting it out there for the world to see, I might actually start to be a little less tough on myself.

“I assume that… I am mediocre, at best, in most things I set out to do and will therefore never fully reach the level of perfection that I expect and set for myself.”

Woah! Simply by typing it out, it makes me realise just how horrid I am to myself. I would never dream of saying that about any other person, so how dare I say it about myself! This negativity, this awful inner saboteur is what sometimes stops me from achieving great things and I need to put a stop to this right now.

It’s time to get positive and kick this gremlin where it hurts!

Anyone who knows me, knows I love getting all arts and crafty, so imagine my little face when I worked out what this vision board making was going to entail. Eek! Total pleasure overload!

Now THIS is what I was born to do – glass of wine, scissors, Prittstick and a stack of women’s mags – hello heaven! I wasted no time in grabbing a mag and getting scissor happy, cutting out lots of different shaped words and images that might, just might, make the final cut and star on my board.

May I present to you…

My Vision Board!

Unsurprisingly it contains a lot of words, each one holding something special to me and with more meaning than would first meet the eye. And ultimately that is what a vision board is about; it doesn’t matter what other people think of it, or whether they even understand it. It is your personal creation to help inspire, remind, motivate and make you smile about all the lovely things you already have in your life and the great things you are striving to achieve.

And that is exactly what my vision board makes me feel – I see hope, ideas, direction and happiness every time I look at it; which is a lot, because I’ve hung it on the wall over the fridge and I hang out there A LOT!

I am the master of my own destiny, the world certainly doesn’t owe me any favours and if I want to achieve any of the things I have set out for myself it is me alone who is in control of it.