1. After a couple of years of hearing that you need to make a vision board, and a couple of very half-hearted attempts, not really understanding what this is for or how to make one or how to use it, finally get enough motivation to do it because people that you respect have shared how creating a vision board has helped them to really move forward.
2. Face-palm at the run-on sentence above that is grammatically horrifying. (Focus! Don't try to fix the sentence, just keep going).
3. Realize that a vision board seems different than goal-setting, in that once you run out of board space, you can't really put too many more things on it. Goal setting is harder because you can have 400 goals and never know where to start. (Focus! Don't go back to the list of goals, and add anything more to it, it's just a rabbit hole!)
4. Set a goal to create a vision board. (Focus! Just start creating it!)
5. Open the closet that contains pieces of foam board from the dollar store that you had picked up two years ago to make a lightbox with and didn't get that done because it didn't get tagged as a goal. Find a large piece of foamboard and get it out.
6. Add "Clean out the den closet" to the list of goals. (Focus.....) Close the closet door.
6 a. Add "Make a lightbox and do more macro" to the list of goals. Set the list of goals aside. For now.
7. Start a list of things to add to the vision board. Wait, how do you decide what goes on the vision board that isn't already on the bucket list, or the list of goals? Oh, ok, if it's on both the bucket list and the list of goals, it should probably also be on the vision board, this just makes it visible. And now you can probably cross off the goal to create a vision board because there's no point in adding "Create a vision board" to the vision board. It's also not really part of the vision. So remind me why you're doing this? (Focus! See #1). Goals, bucket list, vision board..... Be a visionary. Set a goal to be a visionary? Or add that to the bucket list? (Focus!)
8. This is a tough one. How do you get this list from your brain to your board? One word, one thought at a time. Start with what brings you joy: Health, Connections, Light and Colour, New Experiences and Adventure, A comfortable and welcoming home. Money. Almost forgot about money!
9. Add "Health" to the list. Remember that you were supposed to make a dentist appointment, so go online to do that. It's a Health thing, right? Online form doesn't work, so you have to call, but you left your phone in the other room. Go to the other room, and notice that there is still laundry to be folded and put away. Start folding... (Focus!) and then realize this can wait. Pick up the phone and make dentist appointment. Wasn't there something about a Naturopath too? And Physiotherapy. And a massage. VISION BOARD FIRST!!!!! Besides, don't know about you, but I'd rather get healthy hiking through the hills of New Zealand, or the streets of small medieval towns in the French Riviera, or climbing Machu Picchu. So this means travel - a lot of it! Add these to the list of things to add to the Vision Board. Oh ya, then there was that modeling thing. Somewhere along the line I discovered that I have fun in front of the camera as well as behind it, and I want to explore that - plus it will help me be a better portrait photographer. Which is why I need to work towards a healthier body.
10. Add Connections to the list of things to put on a Vision Board. What does this mean? Family, Friends, meeting new people... Family - having the time to spend with my parents, my daughter and her family, especially my grandchildren, make sure they know I love them beyond anything. Friends - with so many friends that live in so many faraway places, this means being able to visit them, photograph them, cherish them, make sure they know I love them. This means travel, a lot of it! How many air miles do I have? I wonder if I can go to..... (FOCUS!) Meeting new people - This means travel. A lot of it! And just getting out and spending time with friends that introduce me to new friends. Or inviting friends to my welcoming home and getting them to bring friends. Check Facebook to see if (FOCUS!!!!!), close Facebook.
11. Add Light and Colour to the list. (Which list is this again? Oh ya. Maybe I need a break. A snack perhaps. This thinking and focusing is very hard on the stomach. Wait - Health - no snack, but I can have water, right? The water cooler is empty! Better go to the grocery store.... Focus.....). What does Light and Colour translate to? Photography. Big time. So many things to put on the board for this one - exhibit or gallery, that coffee-table book, new business for portraits and commercial, travel. Yes, travel, a lot of it! This means flying too, because the best photos are from way up in the air, or on the way up or down, and aerial photography, and drones, and flying to places to spend time with friends from whom I can learn about flying drones and drone photography. And a new drone. Maybe a better camera. Definitely a new laptop to handle all these new photos! So really, Light and colour and air.
12. New experiences and adventure - every...single....day. This means travel lol! A lot of it! More!. Even if that's just driving half an hour in a different direction, taking a new road, stopping for five minutes and getting out instead of just driving past the same place every time... wait I think that's a bucket list, not vision board. OK, back to travel. I'm sensing a theme here..... List of places to visit - wayyyyy too many! Throws dart at map.... no paper map to be found. Um, Wheel Decide! Ok, now I need that list again. This should be fun! Add the top 28 countries or places to the list on the wheel, and spin. Eeeek!
Drum roll please......
And the first place is......
PERU!!!!! That's what I put on the last vision board I attempted to create! So, something tells me I'll be going to Peru. Ok, second one to add .......
SPAIN!!! YES!!! That's a friend one, and I was supposed to go there this spring, just had no money. Maybeee...... One more.
Southwest U.S. - Wahoo!!!! That sounds like CO, UT, AZ, NV and TAHOE!!!
13. A comfortable and welcoming home. Actually all this blog started as the intention to come home from lunch with my guy, and finish decorating this place, which is one of the things I had on the list of goals for the winter, then I got into the Feng Shui thing (found an online course) and putting my own art on my walls, cleaning out closets, (see point above), and remembering that I was supposed to work on a vision board to try and get focused. Hmmmm...... What I really need is a new kitchen and en suite. Added to the list.
And all of this brings me to:
15. Money. A lot of it. More than travel, because otherwise, I can't travel! And the kitchen and bathroom, and new gear, and being able to retire in a few years.
Wow. So, now I have a better plan to create the vision board. I know better what I want to put there. My whole life I've had way more things I wanted to do than time to do them in, and have not been able to decide what to do first, as may be obvious from the brain vomit above. Next, find real things like pictures that show the words.
Health: Start off looking for images of slender women modelling clothes I love and want to wear because I used to be able to wear them and love them but can't because I'm not a healthy weight. Start online shopping as a result. Vow to lose weight so I can go shopping and buy these clothes. Remember that's what the vision board is for. Look for images of a healthy body, no matter what clothes it's wearing, and find this: Printed.
Family: This is easy. My grandbabies.
etc etc etc etc..... four hours later and I'm still finding and making pictures and maps and words..... In between new episodes of SEAL Team and 9-1-1 and putting away the laundry and good grief.
Time to put it all together - the best part!
Pictures on, but still no words. Need words for clarity. And then a better picture of the board that I can put as a background on my computer, and my phone. But it will have to wait till tomorrow. Here's what I've got so far!
2. Face-palm at the run-on sentence above that is grammatically horrifying. (Focus! Don't try to fix the sentence, just keep going).
3. Realize that a vision board seems different than goal-setting, in that once you run out of board space, you can't really put too many more things on it. Goal setting is harder because you can have 400 goals and never know where to start. (Focus! Don't go back to the list of goals, and add anything more to it, it's just a rabbit hole!)
4. Set a goal to create a vision board. (Focus! Just start creating it!)
5. Open the closet that contains pieces of foam board from the dollar store that you had picked up two years ago to make a lightbox with and didn't get that done because it didn't get tagged as a goal. Find a large piece of foamboard and get it out.
6. Add "Clean out the den closet" to the list of goals. (Focus.....) Close the closet door.
6 a. Add "Make a lightbox and do more macro" to the list of goals. Set the list of goals aside. For now.
7. Start a list of things to add to the vision board. Wait, how do you decide what goes on the vision board that isn't already on the bucket list, or the list of goals? Oh, ok, if it's on both the bucket list and the list of goals, it should probably also be on the vision board, this just makes it visible. And now you can probably cross off the goal to create a vision board because there's no point in adding "Create a vision board" to the vision board. It's also not really part of the vision. So remind me why you're doing this? (Focus! See #1). Goals, bucket list, vision board..... Be a visionary. Set a goal to be a visionary? Or add that to the bucket list? (Focus!)
8. This is a tough one. How do you get this list from your brain to your board? One word, one thought at a time. Start with what brings you joy: Health, Connections, Light and Colour, New Experiences and Adventure, A comfortable and welcoming home. Money. Almost forgot about money!
9. Add "Health" to the list. Remember that you were supposed to make a dentist appointment, so go online to do that. It's a Health thing, right? Online form doesn't work, so you have to call, but you left your phone in the other room. Go to the other room, and notice that there is still laundry to be folded and put away. Start folding... (Focus!) and then realize this can wait. Pick up the phone and make dentist appointment. Wasn't there something about a Naturopath too? And Physiotherapy. And a massage. VISION BOARD FIRST!!!!! Besides, don't know about you, but I'd rather get healthy hiking through the hills of New Zealand, or the streets of small medieval towns in the French Riviera, or climbing Machu Picchu. So this means travel - a lot of it! Add these to the list of things to add to the Vision Board. Oh ya, then there was that modeling thing. Somewhere along the line I discovered that I have fun in front of the camera as well as behind it, and I want to explore that - plus it will help me be a better portrait photographer. Which is why I need to work towards a healthier body.
10. Add Connections to the list of things to put on a Vision Board. What does this mean? Family, Friends, meeting new people... Family - having the time to spend with my parents, my daughter and her family, especially my grandchildren, make sure they know I love them beyond anything. Friends - with so many friends that live in so many faraway places, this means being able to visit them, photograph them, cherish them, make sure they know I love them. This means travel, a lot of it! How many air miles do I have? I wonder if I can go to..... (FOCUS!) Meeting new people - This means travel. A lot of it! And just getting out and spending time with friends that introduce me to new friends. Or inviting friends to my welcoming home and getting them to bring friends. Check Facebook to see if (FOCUS!!!!!), close Facebook.
11. Add Light and Colour to the list. (Which list is this again? Oh ya. Maybe I need a break. A snack perhaps. This thinking and focusing is very hard on the stomach. Wait - Health - no snack, but I can have water, right? The water cooler is empty! Better go to the grocery store.... Focus.....). What does Light and Colour translate to? Photography. Big time. So many things to put on the board for this one - exhibit or gallery, that coffee-table book, new business for portraits and commercial, travel. Yes, travel, a lot of it! This means flying too, because the best photos are from way up in the air, or on the way up or down, and aerial photography, and drones, and flying to places to spend time with friends from whom I can learn about flying drones and drone photography. And a new drone. Maybe a better camera. Definitely a new laptop to handle all these new photos! So really, Light and colour and air.
12. New experiences and adventure - every...single....day. This means travel lol! A lot of it! More!. Even if that's just driving half an hour in a different direction, taking a new road, stopping for five minutes and getting out instead of just driving past the same place every time... wait I think that's a bucket list, not vision board. OK, back to travel. I'm sensing a theme here..... List of places to visit - wayyyyy too many! Throws dart at map.... no paper map to be found. Um, Wheel Decide! Ok, now I need that list again. This should be fun! Add the top 28 countries or places to the list on the wheel, and spin. Eeeek!
Drum roll please......
And the first place is......
PERU!!!!! That's what I put on the last vision board I attempted to create! So, something tells me I'll be going to Peru. Ok, second one to add .......
SPAIN!!! YES!!! That's a friend one, and I was supposed to go there this spring, just had no money. Maybeee...... One more.
Southwest U.S. - Wahoo!!!! That sounds like CO, UT, AZ, NV and TAHOE!!!
13. A comfortable and welcoming home. Actually all this blog started as the intention to come home from lunch with my guy, and finish decorating this place, which is one of the things I had on the list of goals for the winter, then I got into the Feng Shui thing (found an online course) and putting my own art on my walls, cleaning out closets, (see point above), and remembering that I was supposed to work on a vision board to try and get focused. Hmmmm...... What I really need is a new kitchen and en suite. Added to the list.
And all of this brings me to:
15. Money. A lot of it. More than travel, because otherwise, I can't travel! And the kitchen and bathroom, and new gear, and being able to retire in a few years.
Wow. So, now I have a better plan to create the vision board. I know better what I want to put there. My whole life I've had way more things I wanted to do than time to do them in, and have not been able to decide what to do first, as may be obvious from the brain vomit above. Next, find real things like pictures that show the words.
Health: Start off looking for images of slender women modelling clothes I love and want to wear because I used to be able to wear them and love them but can't because I'm not a healthy weight. Start online shopping as a result. Vow to lose weight so I can go shopping and buy these clothes. Remember that's what the vision board is for. Look for images of a healthy body, no matter what clothes it's wearing, and find this: Printed.
Family: This is easy. My grandbabies.
etc etc etc etc..... four hours later and I'm still finding and making pictures and maps and words..... In between new episodes of SEAL Team and 9-1-1 and putting away the laundry and good grief.
Time to put it all together - the best part!
Pictures on, but still no words. Need words for clarity. And then a better picture of the board that I can put as a background on my computer, and my phone. But it will have to wait till tomorrow. Here's what I've got so far!
