Redo Your New Year’s Resolutions with A Vision Board

How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up? Have you already forgotten what you promised yourself to change on New Year’s Eve?

Well, no wonder! The articles and stats published everywhere this time of year practically prove that New Year’s resolutions are a lost cause.

So, if the resolutions you made are already nothing more than memories, don’t worry – it’s not you.

As an executive coach, I work with high-achieving, experienced professionals from all around the world. My clients have made it where they are today by consciously setting professional goals and then achieving them. Yet even this group of high-achievers finds it hard to keep their New Year’s resolutions.

Why?

Because like most people, they didn’t dig deep enough. They didn’t dream big enough. They didn’t look past the surface to their truest aspirations. They couldn’t see beyond their self-imposed limits to imagine what is really possible.

What about you? When you set your resolutions this year, did you push yourself to envision a bigger version of what’s possible? Did you allow yourself to dream big?

If not, try again. It’s never too late for a do-over!

I encourage my private clients to use Vision Boards to come up with resolutions for the new year.

Vision Boards help you to visualize your deepest desires and to accelerate the power of achieving your goals. They are a visual representation of what’s inside your mind: your dreams, your hopes and your highest potential.

Some people shy away from this tool because it takes a while to complete.

That’s why I created a short and sweet Vision Board practice designed for professionals like you who feel they truly don’t have the time to dedicate to daydreaming.

For this practice you will need:

• a piece of paper or journal
• a pen
• scissors or some kind of paper-cutting tool
• stick glue
• poster board or cardboard
• magazines, newspapers and any other source of images

Step 1: Create Your Desire List

Find a quiet place where you can focus without distraction. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Ask yourself: “What do I want and desire most?”

Then, open your mind and be honest with yourself.

Write down thoughts, feelings or ideas as they flow. There is nothing too small or too big, nothing outrageous or silly.

Don’t worry about your thoughts being realistic or not.

Don’t worry about the timeline.

Allow your heart to guide you to what you really want.

Then, write down 10 of your wants and desires. (If you have more, that’s fine, too.)

Below is a list of guiding questions to help your process. After you read each sentence, write down the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t over think or over analyze.

• How do you want to feel?
• What do you most want and desire to be now?
• What do you most want and desire to do now?
• What do you most want and desire to have now?
• What do you most want and desire to experience now?
• What do you most want and desire to accomplish now?
• What do you most want and desire to change now?

Step 2: Own Your Desire List

After you have created your Desire List, read it out loud to yourself a few times. It might feel uncomfortable in the beginning; that is natural. By reading your list aloud, you use the power of your voice to declare your desires. This might seem a little out there, but I believe that words have energy behind them, and energy is the fuel of transformation. If nothing else, this will get you used to hearing your highest desires.

Next, go through magazines, newspapers and Web sites, and start clipping the images and words that speak to you. Trust your instincts. Even if you have no clue why you are drawn to an image, just cut it out.

Step 3: Paste Your Vision Together

Cut your poster board or cardboard into a large circle. This represents your universe. In the center, put an image or word that represents a higher source to you. The center of your circle should represent your personal belief system – that which you feel connects you to the higher place beyond us. It might be an image of a cross, sky, trees, mountain, fire, water or light. Each person’s center will be different. What is right for you is exactly what is the best for you.

Now, start pasting images and words that speak to you onto the poster board. Make sure you cover the surface so that there is no white space left. Let it all come from your heart, not your head.

Step 4: Start Living Your Vision

After you have completed your Vision Board, put it somewhere where you can see it every day. My favorite place is on the nightstand next to my bed. Some of my clients have taken pictures of their Vision Boards with their smartphones and made them their screensavers. Be creative and find the best way for you.

The most important thing is to trust your inner wisdom throughout the process. Believe in yourself, and let the Vision Board experience accelerate the power of achieving your goals.

Nozomi Morgan is an executive coach working with experienced, high-achieving professionals to elevate their careers and lives by encouraging them to live the Leadership Lifestyle. If you enjoyed this post, download the free “Your Definition of Success Discovery Tool” here.