Good morning, lovely dreamers, and welcome to another crazy lifestyle “how to” blog post, and this time, it’s about something that might not seem so important, but we found out that it’s actually CRUCIAL for having the lifestyle you want.
Today’s blog post is inspired by a beautiful friend of mine, let’s call her Jo, who reminds me of who I used to be, way back in the day, when I was just a teenage girl, dreaming of a life of freedom - to live how I want, to love who I want and to have the professional journey in life that I want.
Jo’s a constant reminder of where it all began, and that I should keep on fighting until everything on that board comes true. And every time we speak, I always go back to reviewing the journey I’ve been on for the past decade.
Let’s be honest.
Some of the goals on my board are not as close to coming true as I wanted them to be by now, BUT they are something to fight for every single day. Some goals have already come true, and when that happens, let me tell you, it’s the best feeling in the world.
It’s all about the big picture, setting your goals and planning for the journey while being consistent with the steps you have to take.
Staying motivated can be hard, especially in the beginning, but it's knowing what you want to achieve. Be it losing weight, living in the home you want, having the relationship you deserve or even financial freedom.
The only way to advance in life is to have dreams, follow those dreams, and do what it takes to reach them. This has been on the back of my mind since I was a child, and that's why “Dream. Follow. Do.” is still my and the blog’s motto to this day.
Having a visual board with your deepest desires helps you understand your path in life better, and teaches you to want more and to challenge yourself. Not to comply with whatever situation you may be in when you start.
Related:
How to live NORMALLY with a rare genetic disorder
How to live your life, while paying debts in your 20s
Because we come from Eastern Europe and life is waaay different here, we weren't taught to think we can be more, that we can do more than just go to school, get a job, get married, have a couple of kids, work, work, work, work, work, work because we will never afford to do anything else, and die.
I know how hard it was (and still is) for my family because they were either too afraid, or lost, or couldn't find the resources to fight for what they wanted - and because they didn't know they were allowed to want more.
Communism didn’t help with that either, especially with the mentality of the people. And even now when it’s gone for more than 30 years, our parents’ and grandparents’ generations still think like in those times, unfortunately. And it’s sad.
As we grew older, my generation (the Eastern European millennials) found out that life is more than just work and sleep! Yes, you are allowed to dream, yes, you can do stuff, and yes, you can actually achieve even your deepest desires.
All you need to do is find out what you want to do with your life and go for it. One step at a time.
This is the true purpose of the Vision Board. To help you see your desires and help you imagine yourself already in the position of living your dream life.
But enough with the chit-chatting! Let’s get to it!
How to build the Perfect Vision Board that actually works
First, we want to walk you through what you need to do BEFORE you even begin to build your board. These steps are meant to help you focus on what’s really important and understand your journey.
I. Write down your Areas of Life you want to improve:
- Love life
- Relationships (family, friends)
- Home
- Car
- Health & fitness & beauty
- Professional area (career, entrepreneurship)
- Savings & money (don’t forget assets!)
- Fun & Leisure (travel, books to read, pets)
Think of little wins, as well as big, 5-10 year goals.
Do you want to spend more time with your loved one? A better sex life? (hey, we’re all adults here) Do you want big changes in your home, health, lifestyle? Want to change your profession or reach a higher level? Do you want 1M$?
Make sure to dig deep, and be honest with yourself. No dream is too big or small and no area should be omitted because of doubt or fear.
II. Answer these Important life questions:
• What is your dream career?
• What does your dream house look like?
• What characteristics does your ideal partner have?
• What kinds of vacations do you want to take?
• What part of the world do you want to live in?
• What kinds of friends do you want around you?
• What hobbies are in your life?
• What do you want to do for yourself every month? (this can be anything from beauty treatments to massages, or buying something that makes you happy)
• How do you want to spend your free time?
• At what level do you want your career to be?
Again, dig deep, think of the details. That’s where you’ll find yourself, your true self. And you’ll find out where you want to be, what’s lacking in your life now, and get a better idea of where you have to go to be truly happy.
Also, these questions may vary according to your wants and needs, so make sure to think about every aspect of your life that you think needs improving.
III. Start with your WHY
Why do you want whatever it is that you want for every area of your life that you wrote down?
Think with your heart, not ego. Think about how it will make you feel when you see yourself accomplished, not how others see you and what they say. It’s the perfect time to get in touch with your inner child as well.
Meditate, if it helps.
Concentrate on making you happy, not anyone else around you.
Pro tip: The book Start With Why, by Simon Sinek, is a great helper on this point. You can find it as a paperback or audiobook as well, and believe me, it’s worth your time and attention.
IV. How are you going to get there?
Create a process, a plan for each area of your life. Set up long term goals, and short term goals that will help you achieve your dream.
Set up a timeline for your visions, with “checkpoints”. This will help you keep track of your successes and let you know where you are in the journey to achieving your Board goals.
Make actionable plans and be consistent in working towards your dreams. Having dreams is one thing, but achieving them takes hard work.
And most importantly, TAKE YOUR TIME while you do this.
Hey, I’m not saying to procrastinate (because then you’ll never see your board come to life), I’m saying to sit down with a pen and paper and really think it through.
It’s an important step, so don’t skip it!
Let’s say that you want a new car, a BMW iX3, first edition(it’s important to be specific in your board).
How are you going to get it? You can start a savings account specifically for your car and put 10% of your earnings on there every month, get more hours at work and everything that’s over your normal salary goes to that as well, start a side hustle, develop your asset list, sell some of your stuff, sell your old car as well.
Whatever it may be, as in math, there are at least 2 ways of solving this problem: a simple method, or a complicated one. You just have to take into consideration what you know about the problem and put down on paper your solution for it.
V. Step by step building process
To help you with the digital building of the board, we actually made a Vision Board Template that is perfect for you to personalise and adapt to your dreams and to help you create a plan to achieve them. Make sure to check it out!
And now, the how to build part:
1. Prepare for the change
Meditate daily, plan, make sure to constantly reassure yourself that you will get there, through hard work, time, and patience.
Fill yourself with hope and good vibes. And brace yourself for the journey!
Pro tip: If your life is as crazy as ours is, take a few minutes when you go to bed and meditate on your vision board when everyone else is ready to sleep. That way you won’t be interrupted.
Be thankful for what you achieved and what you have, tell yourself what you still want and (this is vital) how you plan on getting that.
2. Make time for creating the Vision Board
Make it a fun weekend activity. Plan some “me time” for a couple of days, because even if putting together the physical (or digital, in my case) dream board will not take 2 whole days, finding what you need and actually writing down a realistic plan will definitely take some time.
The props, the photos, the research for it will take time, but it’s so worth it. And so fun!
3. Gather everything you need
The photos, markers, the physical board, even glitter, if that's what you want!
If you’re going digital like me, make sure to use the power of Pinterest and search for the stuff you want and the magic of Canva to put it all together faster, and if you use our template, you’ll get there faster.
4. Make the process fun (only good vibes allowed!)
Laugh, imagine yourself as the happy, evolved person that has reached the goals you listed.
And even if it’s a very personal thing, if it involves someone else, like a life partner, bring them in for the journey! We even got Einstein (our cat) to join in and help! Sure, he wasn’t too excited when he learned we wanted to bring in the family a puppy as the second furry baby, but he’ll come around eventually.
5. Be open to receiving
Babe, you need to want it, really want it. Or the Universe won’t believe you. And you need to also be open to working towards it. Can’t just sit there and wait for it to happen.
Say “Yes” to new opportunities or experiences, even if they scare you. Take a left not a right once in a while (you don’t know who, or what you might bump into).
Talk about what you want with your loved ones and partner. It’s good to have a support system through this journey. This will definitely help with the good vibes, as people who love you will help boost you and your spirits!
But if you think that your loved ones don’t or can’t understand your goals and the journey you’re about to embark on, find your tribe someplace else! Facebook group boards, Discord servers, or even us, Maya and Andy!
Feel free to talk to us anytime, about anything you want, BUT if you want a 1-on-1 with undivided attention, make sure to check out our GIVE section on the blog on how to make that happen.
And one last thing: be patient with yourself and this journey.
Your dream life will happen as long as you are open to it, but all at the right time. We’re confident that it will work, and all your desires will come true. So you have to be as well!
Aaaaaaand that’s all for today, lovely dreamers! We hope you enjoyed today’s secrets about how to make your Vision Board work for you. We really, really hope you liked it, and if you did, make sure to share it, pin it, tweet it!