Try this vision boarding exercise

I don’t mean the goals you announced to the world on new year’s eve.
I mean the ones that feel too audacious to even tell anyone.

I am not big on traditional goal setting. 

The main reason is because I beat myself up for not keeping my own self-established deadlines.

But I do constantly check If I am still going in the right direction.

What I do have is an audacious vision. 

Instead of setting myself up for failure by creating rigid goals (for example, publish one newsletter a week), I see it as this is the bet I am deciding to place (or not) to achieve my bigger vision. The more bets I am placing, the closer I get towards winning that future. 

Instead of feeling negative about not publishing a week, I feel accomplished when I do. That silly shift changed a lot for me.

Which brings me back on topic: what vision are you placing your current bets on? 

I recently tried a vision exercise that is playful, requires paper, scissors and glue and helped me regain excitement about the year ahead. Here is the protocol 👇

As seen from Deya

If you prefer the full video over this summary, Deya details the full process here.

You can do this vision boarding exercise either digitally or on paper. I chose against doing it digitally just because I know that it will be forgotten in a limbo and I probably would never look at it again. 

But whether you have a whiteboard on Canva or a blank piece of paper, the goal is to split your canvas in three parts:

Part 1: Vision

This is the part that is most similar to a traditional vision board. Imagine what success looks like for you in the future. Is it achieving a revenue goal? Write down the number. Is it stepping into a new role? Find a representative image or write down your dream role title. Photoshop the number of subscribers you are aiming for.

Twist: Deya recommends adding positive feedback from previous clients, and if not available, imagine what your dream client would say about you and write it down. This WILL be uncomfortable if you are an introverted people pleaser like me who’s only goal is not to do a good job but obsessing about how to do a better job.

One intersting part different from conventional vision boarding is to include a mock up of your dream calendar. I found this the most tricky part. I have an awkward hesitation to dream big, and constantly compromise between something audacious vs realistic. 

A big vision I can’t stop obsessing about: the Audacious Introverts book

Part 2: Actions

This is where we get more specific than traditional vision boarding, because this part focuses on execution. Look for images of the very actions that will bring you closer to your goal. For me that is sitting in front of my laptop and writing. I also dared to add a picture representing public speaking. And finally, an excessive amount of motivational quotes that keep me going like this epic one from Dan Nelken shared with his community (please don’t kick me out for sharing this 🫣)

Part 3: Foundation

The most overlooked part of the process: YOU. 

In this part, illustrate the things that bring you joy, keep you healthy, and recharge you after a busy day, week, month. My board hints towards reading more, investing in friendships and visiting my favourite place in the world more often (hint: it’s an island in the mediterranean I dream of moving back to one day).

Are you team goal setting or vision boarding? Let me know how it goes for you.