Vision Planning and Boarding

A few days ago I held an impromptu LIVE to discuss Vision Boards and Plans. I went over each step that I take in order to get to a fully developed plan for myself and even my business. I wanted to elaborate because I'm a way better writer than I am on video. This is Blog will have everything from How to apply this to business and in personal life.  

Before you pass up this blog thinking I'm some over zealous Vision Boarding addict who makes vision boards that don't mean anything from year to year, let me clarify. Every plan I've written-I've followed! Every board that I have up I've accomplished goals that have little stickers on! Even if some dates get shifted back I still have a goal that I can accomplish at any time I desire! And I've helped others make realistic goals as well that were "doable" as I always say. Not some board you drew up in your imagination and grieve over at the end of the year in disappointment.

This tool is POWERFUL because there is power in written and spoken words. Everyone uses the scripture Habbakkuk 2:2 in refence to vision boarding and it's popular. It says "And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it." That word there "run" is translated from a Hebrew word rus which means to "rush" or "bring hastily". It's a good scripture to use since we are trying to get results in a way that moves us along progressively. I'd say that's every reason to rush. Then there's Spoken Word. There are several scriptures where it talks about life and death being in the power of the tongue. In Job 22:28 it says "Thou shalt also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways." There are so many instances in the Bible where speaking is valued, and the power of words is spoken of to bring things forth into the earth as well as bring life to the spirit. 

The final purpose to create one of these Vision Plans and Boards is that it's a visual and mental checklist of accomplishments you created throughout the year. Most people would say this is insignificant but it's not. This is a great self motivation tool to have around when you want to keep track of the things you did already when you have the Blues. Instead of sulking about what you have or have not accomplished yet you have the beautiful reward of seeing what you've created already. It'll keep you focused on the days you're growing weary and remind you how far you've come along so you won't give up. While everyone was around screaming about how 2020 was a bad year I remained focused. I was able to take out that vision board and look at what I had completed already, as well as my written plan. Checking off every item made me feel great! I loved sticking my tie dye hearts on each one of my drawings that represented each milestone in my journey. I can help you to do that! So lets start!

Personal Vision Planning

In your personal Vision planning you may want to accomplish specific goals for the year. These are usually goals that are outside of others, and are focused specifically on your needs. Most people say make SMART Goals which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. I'd say those things are easily applied here in this vision plan without a question because this is a plan made for 1 year. I say only 1 year because I don't want you to reach that far into your imagination and come out with anything ridiculous! For example, If you have a minimum wage job and no savings plan there's no way you can get to the Bahamas, buy a car, and a house unless you pray for a serious miracle! 

When you think of your personal vision plan only think for the year and that's it. Think about the things you already have that you can use, as well as the things you may need to reach out for. Think about problems that may need to be fixed first in order to get to a specific goal. This way you can zero in on those obstacles rather than let them be a problem in the future. Remember to make those a priority during the year as you focus on getting other goals accomplished!

Here is the basic template:

Vision: This is your vision for yourself .Where do you see yourself in the span of a year?

Mission: What is your purpose for writing this plan and why is it important you fill this purpose?

Objectives: List the things must you do to be successful in completing your mission?

Strategies: What is your strategy for each objective? This part of the plan that shows how you will do each objective.

Action Plan: Write in detail what you must do to achieve each strategy for every objective, and put a date on it if you would like.

I know it doesn't seem elaborate but that's okay. There's depth in the simple things. You don't have to have anything more than a few sentences for your vision and mission. 

So let's begin! Start by asking yourself what you need. Let me give you a good example of a well written Vision statement...eh-hem! Okay..."Over the course of a year establish the things necessary to maintain stability." *applause here* Okay! Okay! I cheated, that's my previous Vision statement from 2019 modified, however it still worked because I had some rather basic needs to get the ball rolling. I needed a job, childcare, and transportation just to name a few of those things. I needed things that were fitting to my personal needs that I could actually do on my own.

My Mission was simple because it stated the purpose of why I wrote my plan in the first place. It was literally repetition. "to establish and maintain stability." Almost a no brainer, right? To avoid long paragraphs that would make my 1 page plan a ridiculous 5 pages of worthless rambling, I kept it simple and to the point. 

Your Objectives should be a simple bullet list of things that you need to do to get your mission accomplished. So for me As I listed before, get a job, have reliable transportation...all of those things were objectives I listed so that I could put them in a place where I could remember. It was like the ultimate to do list! You can have as many bullets as you want, but honestly it won't be one page any more. 

Strategies are simply the "How" of every objective. How will you carry out every objective? This isn't to rain on your parade, but to make you think critically about your strategies. In order to get a job you have to select a job to apply to, get an interview. These are strategies used to get a job, and there are ways for you to achieve every objective. If you want to save $5,000 you either have to calculate how many scratch off's you're going to buy, or how you're going to save money from the job you have and how much that will be every month or week. Like I said, this isn't to rain on anyone's parade but to think critically about how to achieve the goals. I've had my share of people who turned into a bull dog on me because I cued up the ol' thinking cap instead of tickling some desire to speak nonsense over their lives. 

The Action Plan is my favorite part! Do you know why? This is where you hit the ground running. This is how you're going to do what you have to do! Because this is when your faith meets your works because it tells WHEN you will. That's right! No more procrastinating! Pin a Date and Follow Through! If exact dates intimidate you then maybe you should just give yourself a time frame. Start with a goal month then by the time you finish some of your strategies you can narrow down a date. Did you get the interview for that job? When was the day and time? Remember to put it in your calendar! Having a goal month takes away the intimidation of being perfect! If you have a goal month of December but you didn't get to accomplish your goal until January because of things that are out of control, don't panic! Just thank God that you got it done! Give yourself a sticker on your board and cross it off on your Vision Plan. Don't be hard on yourself about it, just take it in stride.

Here is Shakana's "Tree of Life"! It's the tree that started it all! The roots were characteristics I had at my foundation, and I forgot to put one more root. My Faith in God. The trunk had the mission, the branches were organizations or resources I had within my grasp, and the tree leaves were all objectives. I did everything on my tree, and it did take a while to do because this tree wasn't a years time or goal. I needed to be realistic about how easily this could come about! As you can see by my purple bushels I had a lot to worry about doing with no strategies listed exactly. To be quite honest, I made this in 2018 and got everything done in 2020. Now all that's left to do is bear fruit. 

Vision BOARDING

For the creative people this part is probably the most fun, and the most interesting part of this whole thing, but hold up because I know for sure you see some things on here I didn't talk about. 

As you can see this is an open tri-board. The first section I use for spiritual goals, the second and widest part of the board are more family and personal goals. The third part of the board is dedicated to my career goals. 

The idea of the vision board is that you take your objectives and make them the main visible pieces. You can fill it in with your strategies, and Action Plan if you'd like around every objective. The best vision boards are beautifully themed and have borders and all types of beautiful things. All of my drawings are drawn by me, except a few magazine clippings I did. The ultrasound picture is real. It's of my daughter Nerissa. At first I hoped she was a boy and had a beautifully hand drawn baby in that spot in a blue swaddling blanket. When I found out she was a girl I replaced it with her picture instead!

For Business

I briefly spoke on how to come up with a business plan on paper and on the board. In fact the templates I use are all business templates turned into life goals templates. Now instead of using it for your personal life you can come up with a years plan for your business.

Where do you see your business a year from now? What's the purpose for you writing the plan out? What goals are you trying to accomplish? How will you accomplish them, and when? Remember to be realistic and not to stretch your goals to a place of imagination that you can't really attain with critical thinking. I'm not saying miracles can't happen, I'm saying that to accomplish a goal you have to put forth effort, and when God wants to perform a miracle he will. Some lessons are worth learning, and some journeys are worth taking because growth is meant to happen!

I did a LIVE on the Kana Wear Facebook Page where I discussed how to draft up your plan and vision board. The video is now on Kana Wear's YouTube channel- The New Creature Fashion Channel. I try to post videos in order on facebook and soon I will be posting other events as well such as Product Parties and More Tutorials on How To. 

 

SMART GOALS

SMART Goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. There are many ways to create and I've created many of them over the years in different ways. I'm going to show you 2 ways to write a smart goal that I've learned over the years during the several Workshops I've went to through life skills trainings. 

The first way I learned to write a SMART Goal was by breaking it up by subject matter and time frame. I see this method is really only useful if you want to imagine and stretch your vision to a point. I do find it helpful but I must admit that you have to pick and choose when this would be appropriate. This tool is only useful with the visual aid of a calendar, at least this way you can pin down your dates perfectly. First, write down What the Type of Goal you are trying to reach. For an Example where do you see your  Business Tomorrow, 30 days, 90 days, 1year, and then 5 years from now.

The second way I learned to write a SMART Goal was a lot more elaborate. It took a lot of steps but I feel it can be applied if you want to go a little deeper. If you would like to make this method work for you I suggest that you only focus on one method of improvement at a time and only use it for a typical week.

First you state the place you want to improve, such as business, finances, or fitness. Then after you consider these questions:

• Why is this important to me?
• Who do I need support from?
• How will I achieve my goal?
• When will I achieve my goal?
• What will I do this week to start my goal?

After this you write an action goal statement that tells your goal in a way that's "doable". An example of an action goal statement is "I want to save $400 by saving $100/week from my weekly check." Here's how you construct it. 

By (Date), (Who) will (What) by (What will be done to start this day, week, month, or year).

Technically this can be used on a week by week basis if you really want to zero in on a specific place you'd like to improve. I learned how to write SMART Goals this way a few years ago when I drew the tree. I'd keep a journal of these goals by my side so I can keep up with all of them though. 

Wherever you are in your journey...it's never too late to start making plans for your future. Take charge of your life again by making a vision plan. Call me if you must! Inbox me if you must. I help others with things like this because I simply love to help. I've gotten through the roughest of times with these methods I'm giving you. Most People would try to charge you to do this but I simply can't because I did it all without paying a dime. I want you to get the results you've been desiring all these years from previous vision boards and I want you to take each day a step at a time instead of feeling the overwhelm of trying to keep up with others. Go at your own steady pace.

When you create your vision plan go to a quiet space where no one can interrupt you. Designate this space in your home or as a place of safety, then invite the Holy Spirit into it. This is a place where no one outside (not even you) can judge you. As you begin writing out your vision plan, take notice of your thoughts. These are the best times to do self checks, and pray over your plans. Ask the Lord questions, and see if what you're asking for is within his Will for your life, because sometimes we are asking the Lord for a settlement when he is really trying to protect us from settling for less and he wants to bless us with greater. I hope I was able to help you today. God bless you! And I pray prosperity over your future endeavors.