A Creative Path to Goal Setting, Map Your Dreams for the Year Ahead!
Jan 11th is National Vision Board Day. Every second Saturday in January, millions of individuals spend time mapping out goals and aspirations for the year ahead.
A vision board is defined as an assorted collection of images pasted together on a flat surface, usually a poster board or a foam board. These images are arranged in no particular order and represent the hopes, dreams, goals, and aspirations of the one making the vision board.
Dr. Tchiki Davis, in her 2021 article for Psychology Today, “What Is a Vision Board and Why Make One?”, writes, “Vision boards may also help us imagine what a positive future could look like for us. Imagining a positive future is a helpful way to increase positive emotions and optimism. And positive emotions often create opportunities and increase the chances of success.”
Though research is limited in proving the effectiveness of vision boards, it is fair to say that it is what a vision board represents that makes it important enough to be recognized. Goal setting is certainly nothing new but it is largely seen as a tool for prioritizing one’s desired aspirations and the appropriate actions that are needed to accomplish said aspiration. And what better time to set new goals and create pathways to accomplishing the goals than at the beginning of a new year.
According to a recent survey conducted by Forbes Health, 60% of those surveyed mentioned they feel pressured to set a New Year’s resolution. The pressure could be for a myriad of reasons: 1) the majority of those around them have set New Year’s resolutions so they feel the need to follow suit 2) it could also come from the pressure of society in endorsing this as a way toward success or prosperity, or even a combination of both. Moreover, it could also be the pressure of having to follow through once goals have been set. No one likes to feel like or be seen as a failure so perhaps the insecurity of not being able to live up to set goals
Writer Sabine Gromer, in her 2022 article for Forbes, “The Vision Board: A Powerful Tool And How It Can Help You Achieve Your Goals”, writes, “the vision board is a perfect tool for defining one’s goals, manifesting dreams and desires, and providing inspiration and motivation…by capturing intentions in photos, text and images, you take an active first step toward turning abstract ideas into reality.”
Either through traditional tools such as poster boards and foam boards or virtual tools such as Canva and Pinterest, be sure to celebrate National Vision Board Day by engaging in activities that promote the importance of setting goals as well as planning out what actions are needed in achieving goals.
