What I Learned from a Vision Board Party
Not too long ago I was asked to attend a Vision Board Party. Usually toward the end and beginning of the year you can see them popping up. Now, everyone has their own special twist, but to me it’s all the same – cutting out magazine pictures and posting them on a poster board. I’ve done one before several years ago, and it ended up shoved under my bed collecting dust until it ended up in the trash can. As invitations come in to join the ‘best ever’ vision casting party, I usually politely decline. It’s not that I’m opposed to doing arts and crafts, but the process has never felt actionable enough for me. And, with me being a ‘so what are you going to do about it’ kind of girl I struggle with ambiguity. But, this time was different. This invitation was extended to my family. I gave it a try, and was amazed at the outcome.
I watched my family go through the process. I could see the excitement on my daughters’ faces as they flipped through a stack of magazines looking for the perfect picture to convey their goals. My husband, who resists assisting with any school projects that requires cutting and gluing even found joy in the process. There is a familiar scripture that reads, “And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it,” (Habbakkuk 2:2, KJV). The light bulbs went off. It suddenly clicked!
Here is what I learned:
Achieving success in life is about seeing what you’re running toward. The reason why the process didn’t work before is I couldn’t make
it plain. I didn’t know what I was running toward, because it wasn’t my vision. It was the vision birthed out of the logical next steps for the person I was at that moment. Your vision is about the accomplishments the person you are becoming will do, not about what you can do today. Growth is inherent to the vision. Like a child ask yourself, “What do I want to do when I grow up?”
Where you are and what you have is irrelevant. I know this point sounds a bit crazy, but it’s true. Your vision is about who you are. Somewhat related to the first point, the vision for your life is about understanding what you were designed to do in this world. What’s your contribution? My children may not know exactly what they are designed to do at this point on their journey, but they know what activities excite them. This is where you start. For example, my youngest child loves to create things with her hands. She is drawn to baking, art, and science. My middle child loves physical activities. She is drawn to dancing, gymnastics, and karate. Whereas, my oldest is drawn to leadership, helping people, and world travel. Their boards reflected these differences with similar goals of college and family. I had to ask myself, “Who am I, and what am I uniquely designed to do?”
Casting your vision starts with discerning your intentions. In the book, “The Principles and Power of Vision,” Myles Munroe states, “When ideas are cultivated, they become imagination. Imagination, if it is watered and developed, becomes a plan. Finally, if a plan is followed, it becomes a reality. The vision board process provided me an opportunity to open my mental filing cabinet and think through my ideas. It forced me to ask, “What is my plan?”
It took me a few hours to flip through magazines, cut and paste things to my board. What I know now is I will spend a lifetime doing this process as I grow personally and in faith to accomplish the vision. Take the challenge, write your vision, and make it plain!
