Planning for 2009

"If I can see it, then I can do it."

~R.Kelly[I Believe I Can Fly]

Hopefully you've had a moment to reflect on 2008 and are ready to plan for 2009. 22 Days left and counting.

There are many goal setting methods, but what I would like you to focus on is something you can see...literally. We are going to play with the right side of our brains (artistic, visual) for a minute. This is where my request last week to have a couple of your favorite magazines close by comes into play. What we are going to do is create a vision board for 2009. For those who are not familiar with vision boards; it's a sheet of paper (you decide the size) that is usually poster board size, used to paste pictures of what you want to: possess, be, and do. You can have as much fun as you want with this.

Here is a set of instructions to get you going:

Supplies needed: poster board, magazines, pictures, anything you can glue to a poster board, markers, glue stick or scotch tape.

1. Decide on your theme for 2009. It could be based on a song, a movie, a famous quote or anything else you feel represents your vision for 2009.
2. Look for pictures that represent what you want in your life in 2009. A couple of suggested areas of focus: Fun, Health, Money, Career/Business, Relationships, Spirituality.
3. Once your pictures are placed and arranged on the board, write: "I am" or "I have" next to each picture. example-- "I am the director of XYZ company."
4. Place your vision board in a place you can see it often.

A vision board from my vision board party in May

For the tech savvy reader:

E-Vision Board: You can also create an electronic vision board by using your digital photos and ones you find on the web. You can paste them into an application like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (I recommend PowerPoint. I find it easier to let your creative genius flow and move things around to create the look you want.) You can follow the same steps listed above as a guide. Once you have your pictures in place print it out and hang it in a location where you can see it and be reminded of your goals.

Example of an e-vision board:

The 2 unwritten rules:

1. Have fun
2. If you find yourself saying, "I don't know what to set as a goal," just make it up. Seriously, list a couple of easy things to get you going, but wherever you are stuck, make it up. I prefer that you get started then never start at all. Happy vision boarding.