How you live each day is how you live your life. Your life isn’t an exotic vacation or a fancy event held once a year, it’s the beautiful, small moments that exist in everyday life. A life of purpose resides in finding joy and practicing gratitude in the day-to-day while always making incremental progress towards your bigger goals.
Want to know my secret to staying inspired and motivated all year? It lies in setting goals and crafting a vision board that actually works. Because this version and vision of your future self will encourage and inspire you every step of the way.
In this week’s episode, I share her secret sauce for crafting a vision board that actually works. Hint, it needs to be both attainable and aspirational. And it must follow these three simple rules.
- It must be reflective of your 1-year goals
- It must be visually pleasing
- And it must be placed where you’ll see it every single day
Intrigued yet? Then listen to this week’s episode, and while you’re at it snag my free Vision Board Guide & Supplies List, so you can get creating today. And if you’re ready to take things a step further, sign up for my Goal Setting and Vision Board Workshop which premiers in fall 2020!
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Let’s Chat Vision Boards – Do They Actually Work?
Every day of your life is a gift. And you can choose to make the most of that time.
What if you spend time leaning into your education, career, hobby, relationship, or friendships? How much closer would you be to attaining your goals if you were intentional now to set yourself up for success later?
Then it’s time to set your 10, 5, and 1 year goals and craft a vision board that’ll keep you motivated all year. Your vision board is the version of yourself that you want to see in one-year’s time, and it’s as if your future self can reach out to take your hand and encourage you along this path you’ve chosen.
So, who am I to teach you about vision boards? Well, I’ve spent the last decade honing my goal-setting skills (see Episode 4 of the LBD Podcast for more details!), and I’ve finally landed on an approach that yields both results long-term and joy in the day-to-day through practicing gratitude daily, purposefully cultivating joy in the present moment, and the satisfaction that’s found in pursuing your goals consistently and over time. Because consistency compounds, friends.
So, do vision boards actually work, or are they too “woo-woo?” Well, a little bit of both, I think!
Visualization is a simple technique that you can use to create a strong mental image of a future event. With good use of visualization, you can practice in advance for the event, so that you can prepare properly for it. And by visualizing success, you can build the self-confidence you need to perform well.
MindTools.com
The purpose of your vision board is to bring everything to life, because what you focus on expands! Your vision board is a sacred space, and it allows you to imagine your future. It’s a tangible representation of where you’re going. And because of that, it must be rooted in your goals and in how you want to feel not what you want to have or even look like.
Think of vision boards as goal writing turned into art. It’s a form of creative meditation! I always, always, always find a flow state when crafting my vision board!
To be successful, your vision board must be aspirational and attainable. Aspirational in that it’s the best version of yourself in one-year’s time, and attainable in that these goals can actually happen in one year if you’re dedicated and diligent in their pursuit.
So, what’s the secret sauce to crafting a vision board that actually works? It must follow these three simple rules.
- It must be reflective of your 1-year goals
- It must be visually pleasing
- And it must be placed where you’ll see it every single day
Why aim for something great? Because the enemy of the best is just fine.
In preparing for this episode, I was reminded of a story Dave Ramsey shared in his classic The Total Money Makeover. When I think about why I want to go through this exercise in the pursuit of excellence, here’s why.
“Years ago, in a motivational seminar by the master, Zig Ziglar, I heard a story about how mediocrity will sneak up on you. The story goes that if you drop a frog into boiling water, he will sense the pain and immediately jump out. However, if you put a frog in room-temperature water, he will swim around happily, and as you gradually turn the water up to boiling, the frog will not sense the change. The frog is lured to his death by gradual change. We can lose our health, our fitness, and our wealth gradually, one day at a time. It might be a cliché, but that’s because it is true: The enemy of “the best” is not “the worst.” The enemy of “the best” is “just fine.”
Dave Ramsey, The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
One quick note before we launch into the nuts and bolts of vision boarding. Your vision board is here to inspire you. It’s as if it’s the best version of yourself is reaching her hand out to you to encourage you along this intentional path. But I still want you to find joy and gratitude in your day-to-day life. So if you haven’t already yet, establish a daily gratitude practice, because these end goals aren’t worth pursuing if you’re not also enjoying yourself in the present moment. I love Rachel Hollis’ Start Today Journal practice if you’re looking for a place to start. The practice takes less than 10 minutes each day but keeps your goals in the forefront of your mind while also purposefully practicing gratitude.
Ten Steps to a Vision Board that Works!
The key? Complete this process once a year, and celebrate your wins along the way! Download your Vision Board Guide and Supplies list to get this party started.
Snag a Spot in Kate’s Workshop!
Want to be part of my How to Set Goals and Craft a Vision Board That Actually Works Workshop? Awesome! Sign up today to be the first to know when it launches this fall. And if you’re interested in being part of my small beta group, shoot me an email so we can connect and make that happen even sooner!
Challenge Corner
Download my Vision Board Guide & Supplies List, set your goals, and craft your vision board! Then view your vision board each day, allow it to be your tangible visualization of the life you’re working towards, and start or continue your Start Today Journal practice. Through this practice you’ll keep your goals top-of-mind while also practicing gratitude each day. So you’re enjoying the good in each day while working towards your big goals!
Join my Weekly Podcast Newsletter!
Did you know that I now offer a weekly newsletter? It’s true! All the love, encouragement, and joy from each new podcast episode gets delivered directly to you including links to that week’s full-length and mini meditation episodes, resources mentioned during the podcast, and even some extra inspiration to boot! Sign up here for your weekly dose of inspiration. See you in your inbox!
Joyful Corner
This week I found so much joy in spending some time on myself. I ordered some Madison Reed hair color, watched a YouTube video about how to cut your own hair (omg, I know!), and then went to town. A couple hours later I felt like a new woman! It had been months and months since my last cut and color pre-pandemic, and it was past time.
My personal hair color is Medium Cinnamon Brown, which turned out beautifully, but honestly the sound of it just makes me want to have a latte. Ha!
Want to give it a go yourself? Watch this hair cutting video and grab your own hair color. If you use my referral code for Madison Reed you’ll get $15 off your first purchase. Winning!
Listener Voicemail
A huge thank you to my sister, Anna, for this week’s Joyful Corner Listener Voicemail! Anna’s joy over schoolwork, running, and Harry Potter made us all smile…and ready to crack open our own copy about our favorite teenage wizard!
If you too feel led to share in a future Joyful Corner, then I’d love to hear from you! Record a voice memo on your phone and email it over to me at kate@mskatehouse.com so we can continue to spread gratitude and joy together.
Let’s connect!
And if you enjoyed the episode, take a screenshot and share it on social! Tag me @livebydesignpodcast and let me know what you enjoyed most. And once you complete this week’s challenge send me an update so I can personally cheer you on and celebrate your goals!
Next Week on The Live by Design Podcast
Thanks so much for joining me this week friends, and be sure to tune in this Thursday for our Mini Meditation Episode and for next week’s full length episode where we’ll dive into what it means to have Core Beliefs and Values for both yourself and your family. So until then friends, spread some joy, make someone smile.
PSA: Voting Reminder
Hey friends! One final thought for you today. In light of the public health emergency we find ourselves in, many of you like myself might be planning to vote by mail in order to ensure your health and safety. Because of this, you’ll need to pay close attention to deadlines and when your vote needs to be postmarked by in order to be counted. Please, choose to live by design, not default, this fall and take just ten minutes today to decide on if you’re voting in person or via an absentee ballot. Visit vote.org to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, or find your polling place. Use your democratic voice this fall. This election is too important to miss. Be intentional with your vote and how and when you cast it. Make a plan, and execute it.
episode notes | weekly podcast newsletter | vision board guide & supplies list | @livebydesignpodcast | vote.org
