Creating your vision

Creating your vision for your career, your business, your life…

What is your vision?

Setting yourself the task to create the vision for your career/your business/your life can be daunting – if not overwhelming…!

Neuroscience says…

I enjoyed a course this last weekend on neuroscience for coaches – one of my aha moments was when we talked about the role of the pre-frontal cortex and why it is hard to envisage goals…

Every time the brain works on an idea consciously, it uses up a lot of energy.

Planning and imagining an unknown future takes lots of effort. It is hard to visualise goals (it depletes the pre-frontal cortex). Therefore, it is helpful to create visuals for complex ideas (i.e. to use pictures). Aha!

Vision Boards

I’ve written previously about having a long-term vision and setting goals but not about the value of creating your vision using a vision board…

…or how to create one – especially if we believe:

“I’m not creative!”

“I’m not visionary!”

“I can’t do big picture thinking!”

[As an aside, I caught myself saying “I can’t run!” last week, in answer a question about how far I can run. Of course I can run, I just haven’t in a very long time! – I prefer dancing…]

Having a vision board — a visual representation of your goals, what you are aiming for (in your business and/or your whole life), is extremely powerful in helping you achieve your vision.

Your vision becomes something compelling to aspire to, something to get you out of bed in the morning, going Woohoo!

To ‘be visionary’ we need to use our right (creative, intuitive, parallel processing) brain not just our left (logical, factual, detailed) brain.

We need to make it fun and interesting, and think about amazing possibilities – not just +1 from where we are today.

It’s therefore best to create your vision board away from the day-to-day distractions of your everyday work (- and in a positive frame of mind!)

Where to start?

A blank piece of paper (even if you have lovely coloured pens!) can be overwhelming!

[A bit like a blank Word (or Pages) document with the cursor ‘blinking’ at me(!) – impatiently waiting for me to produce an articulate, eloquent blog! Maybe next time! ;) ]

A way to get over that hurdle is to use some ready-made images.

Get stuck in!

I like to get ‘hands-on’ rather than just looking at pictures online, so I like to create a physical vision board with good old-fashioned scissors and glue sticks!

1. Gather a stack of old magazines, some card (I like A3 rather than being constrained by A4), scissors, glue sticks.

2. Flip through the magazines and rip out anything (pictures, words, colours, textures) that you are attracted to. Don’t think too much – just pick out anything appealing!

3. Get cutting and sticking!

My vision board for 2016

“Vision boards don’t work!”

Have you heard that before? They won’t if you just enjoy making and looking at the picture and stop there…

1. Find ways that suit you to keep your vision board ‘alive’ and in front of you.

2. Take action!

3. Keep asking: is this action taking me towards, or away from, my vision?

Creating your vision

What is your experience of creating your vision?

Please let me know your thoughts by adding your comments below…

Whether you are running your own business or employed in a larger organisation – I can help you to create your vision for your business/your career/your life…

If you are running your own business in the North West, join us on June 6th at the Bridge Hotel, Prestbury and create the vision for your business at our 1-day workshop: Building the Foundations.

Or please get in touch via the contact form or call me on +44 7526 740486.

[To get your free copy of my eBook ’10 questions to ask yourself about your business’, sign up for my fortnightly newsletter using the sign up box on the top right of this page, or at the foot of the page if you’re viewing on a mobile device.]

Best wishes!

Sian

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