i’m currently creating a collage (in an art therapy course i’m enrolled in) about my identity as a helping professional. as i proceed through the steps of this assignment . . . thinking about my particular strengths as a coach/counselor, the challenges i face in my practice, my approach and my style, the values i incorporate and the goals i work towards, the 25+ years of experience that have shaped my career . . . i am struck by how very much my working life is entwined with and integrated into my personal life. i cannot separate the two and, indeed, i wouldn’t want to. (this vital connection is all part of my untethered integration theory, which i’ll be sharing more about in an upcoming blog post).
so this “therapist identity” collage is magically and poetically and seamlessly blossoming into the next vision board of my life. and as we look ahead to 2020, this prompted me to glance back at previous words i’d written about vision boards >>
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i don’t set new year’s resolutions. oh, i always have goals in mind. but that added pressure at the beginning of january has never worked for me. so i create vision boards instead. any time of the year that feels right.
perusing magazines, cutting out words and images, arranging and designing. recognizing internal and external struggles, welcoming hopes and dreams for the future. paving the pathway and opening myself up to the new adventures that await me. manifestation-devising bliss.
i have always identified more strongly with words than with images, and (as you can see in the examples below) my vision boards reflect that fact. while others focus more on the use of vivid and colorful images when creating their vision boards, i see concepts in my mind in the form of words.
i also tend to have ideas in mind before i begin, what i would like to see happening in my life. so i intentionally search out ways to represent those aspirations. i call this the “what’s-burning-in-your-head” technique. others know it when they see it. they approach this project with a blank slate. i call that the “as-it-hits-me” technique.
2014
2015
2016
there is no right or wrong. we are each the composer of our own individual lives (and of our own vision boards). we must each decide how to arrange and display them, what they represent and mean to us.
whatever the exact path, i find that something truly incredible happens during the process of creating a vision board. when you clarify what it is you desire, it invigorates you. it helps you focus your attention on the crucial aspects of your life. it helps you align your goals with what actually brings you joy. it produces momentum and a feeling of excitement. you realize that you can prevent stagnation. you can generate possibilities. you can attract what you want.
you might discover all of the above, or you might uncover entirely different and new revelations. either way, it’s an eye-opening experience.
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have you ever created a vision board? what was the process like for you? was it difficult yet enlightening, bringing up unanswered questions and unexplored avenues? or was it easy and obvious, simply reinforcing existing beliefs and values? did it help to guide you?
if you were to begin creating a vision board today that illustrates and interprets who you are and where you are going, what do you think it might look like? how would you incorporate the dreams and goals that inspire and empower you? how would you utilize your energy, imagination, enthusiasm, and intuition to create this tangible reminder, to visualize your next step?
please share your thoughts in the comments. and if you make a vision board, please-oh-please share a photo!
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