When we look at ways to improve our lives, we tend to get overwhelmed with all of the changes we want to make, and then that overwhelm stifles the motivation.  So, nothing changes, and we continue to live the same life, always wishing things could be different.

Sound familiar?

Believe me, I’ve been there so many times!

But it isn’t really the changes that overwhelm us, it’s often the lack of clarity, or too many changes without a clear vision.

One of the exercises we do in my Whole Life Vision coaching program is creating vision boards.  Whether you believe they work on a subconscious level or not, they are an excellent clarifying tool.  Let me explain how.

When we try to make changes in our lives, we focus on the things we already have but don’t want.  We will use an example of our job, our workplace.

Let’s say you’re in a job that’s making you miserable.  You don’t like how things are being managed, or you have a very toxic group of colleagues.  Maybe the communication style isn’t working, or there is no communication at all.  You want to find new employment, maybe even a new career.  So, you’re looking, but not really sure what you’re looking for.  You only know that you want a place that’s different then where you are now.

You’re shooting in the dark, blindly looking for anything.  You’re not actually improving your life; you may be just changing one bad situation for another.

But if you get clear on what you do want, then you’ve got a target to aim for.  How do you do this?  With pictures.

Whether you want to create a vision board the original way by cutting out and pasting pictures on a sheet of Bristol board, or create one digitally, the process is the same.  Find pictures that represent what you want, not what you don’t want.

Using the same example from above, find pictures that represent your ideal work place and work situations.  For me, that would include small groups of people collaborating around a table; pictures of people in deep discussions, people at their desks writing; people in small group workshops; people smiling.  All the things that represent my type of work and my work goals.

This is how vision boards are a good clarifying tool.  Not only are you discovering what you do actually want, the process of searching and identifying pictures that represent these, help you to really focus on them.  Then as you search for another job or career, you’ve got something to aim for.

You can use this exercise for every area of your life that you want to improve.

So, go ahead and create a vision board for one thing you want to improve.  Once done, determine what steps you would need to take to make that vision a reality.  Then every day take action of some type on those steps.

One change at a time.  You’ve got this!  I believe in you.

Feature photo courtesy of Unsplash/Matt Reiter