Posted by Do you do a vision board or SMART goals? Big picture or small details? For me, this is not an either .. or question. The reality is, that I do both. It does not feel redundant at all, with both being an important step of the annual focus process and both freely taking different courses, even if united in their values.
A vision board… again?
Last month, I set out to do my second vision board workshop. Ok, I did my first one during Covid, but I am not calling it a workshop as it was done over Zoom with some friends and a glass of wine using Pinterest! So let’s stick with the last two. Originally, I did not plan to do it as it did not feel like an annual exercise for me. I felt it might be too soon, as my prior vision board was done a year before and a lot of it still held up. Did I really need to replace it? After all, a vision board is a long-term thing, it should last a good 5 years right?
I must admit I also did not want to deal with the more stressful part of people confirming and cancelling, natural in all events. But on Christmas Eve, one of last year’s participants asked me to do it and reinforced how valuable it had been to her, so I decided to go ahead. I had lots of different ideas to add to the workshop this year, I broadened the guest list and I was ready to go.
A process of discovery
After my word of the year for 2024 was Explore, I have easily concluded exploring is not easy for me. I am the type that goes straight to goals and metrics without any inspiration. But I have learnt the power of exploring and allowing the mind to wander.
A Vision Board is precisely a somewhat structured process of exploration.
The main concept behind it is to wander through pages of different random magazines and pick the ones that are appealing or that call your attention. For no reason. It is particularly important to not rationalize or justify why we are choosing an image. It does not have to mean anything at the start, because, eventually, it will make sense. It is also important not to be too directive in what you think you are looking for. After all, you are not looking for anything in particular other than images that appeal to your senses and bring you a sense of joy, fulfilment, excitement, and curiosity.
Don’t analyse too much right now, just feel. If something speaks to you, it belongs in your board,
I find this type of exploration hard but empowering. It is particularly important to do this in an environment where you don’t feel judged and where you are giving yourself permission to choose whatever comes to mind.
A process of reflection
In my workshop, I wanted to include moments of reflection, though arguably by lack of time, we did a bit less than originally planned. We started with a quick journalling practice but would probably have done another one at the end of the day to assimilate the process.
I find it particularly powerful to hear what others see in our board, so I included a moment where each of us “took a step to the right” and reflected back to the other what we saw in their board. Some of us knew each other, so there was no doubt some bias in what we described. It was even more interesting to stop to reflect without knowing the person and with no prior knowledge of what is going on. Through the eyes of others, we often realise things we may not have seen or been able to say to ourselves before. The realisation of what is really important and coming through in our picture selection. The realisation of how things are more connected than how we may see them. Or the other side of certain images.
Finally, the partner’s reflection leads to a self-reflection, where each person reflects on their new board, what they feel it means and where they may still be uncertain about it. It is a true live discovery
Example:
I chose a picture of a flower arrangement for my vision board. The flowers caught my attention. It was not until we were in our reflection stage that I linked the flowers to self-care. I like flowers and don’t receive them often, but I can buy them as much as I give myself permission to do so. Prioritizing self-care is important for me. Giving myself permission to do it even more. Expressing my needs and wants is also extremely important. That all came through as I tried to process my own board. Ultimately, my sister noted the flowers were part of my wedding bouquet, which I had not even realised at the first glimpse. So as a second derivative, this picture was also linked to my focus on the importance of my marriage, clearly in my subconscious mind, and accessible more through images than words.
From inspiration to practice
Some people may need an extra hand getting out of the details and the pragmatic to get more inspired and broad, less attached to single outcomes. It is tough to first identify a north without jumping immediately into what you are going to do right now. I am often in that group.
However, others may be more easily inspired but then not so strong at putting it into practice. This can lead to frustration because, at the end of the day, things don’t move on. In business, you can have a great vision for what you are trying to achieve, but without a plan or a defined track, you will make little progress. So how do you bridge the gap?
After I did my vision board, I also did my yearly goals. I had written them down already (I have 6 this year, all based on the word Strength, my word of the year), but I had not worked on them truly. So I picked up my vision of strength alongside the inspiration for my vision board and moved forward to work on making each of my goals SMART – I went through why, how, what, when and, importantly, I identified the key results that would mean success for me for each of these goals.
With this, I closed the circle. The goals brought the vision down to how I want my day to look like, and what it means to translate this vision into real life. The board brought me additional considerations that I needed to make sure they were reflected in my board – like visiting new places with family as part of my “strength in my family” goal or “teaching” as part of my “strength in my business” goal.
One way or another, I found alignment between exploration and structured pursuit.