We’re about a third of the way into the new year and what better time to reassess your goals for the new year. One of the best ways to refocus your goals is by creating a vision board or dream board! What is a vision board you might ask? It is a visualization representation for your goals, hopes, dreams, and thoughts you want to achieve or have for or about yourself. Boards can be made up of a collage of words, pictures, symbols, and phrases which have meaning or express the goals you want to achieve.
Vision Boards can help you figure out what’s really important to you by narrowing your focus down to a specific goal or goals you want to achieve in a specific time frame, such as by next year or 5 years from now. Vision Boards can help you to visualize and practice how to achieve your stated goals by remembering to look at them daily and imagine them as if they have already come true.
Here’s how to get started with your own vision board:
- Choose a poster board or large sheet of paper.
- Browse through magazines, online images, photos, or art that represents your life goals. If your goal is to finish high school or college, you might select an image that represents a graduation ceremony or a school you’d like to attend. If your goal is to have more joy or self-love, you might choose quotes and affirmations that are positive and can help you to have a more positive mindset.
- Glue your words, pictures, or images to your board to make a collage. It doesn’t have to be tidy. Add glitter or sparkles for extra eye-catching appeal.
- Place your completed vision board in a prominent area, such as your office, bathroom mirror, refrigerator, by your door going outside your home or even as a screen saver on your phone so you can have it readily available to review as often as you like. That way it serves as a daily reminder of your most important goals. Also, feel free to create multiple vision boards. Your life goals don’t have to be limited to just one!
And lastly, if you’re still feeling a bit stuck and need a little guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to a trained professional such as a behavioral health counselor at Community Health Center of Yavapai. CHCY accepts most private insurance, Medicare, AHCCCS, and offers a sliding fee discount program. Qualifying individuals pay no more than $5 for their first counseling appointment and no more than $25 for follow-up counseling appointments. In most cases, CHCY can schedule same-day or next day appointments.
Submitted by Penny Collins, LPC, NCC, CTP
Behavioral Health Counselor at CHCY