We’re officially in the last quarter of the year and what better time to reflect on some of the financial goals you set for yourself at the start the year? Life is busy; making it easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, and the financial goals you had set for yourself.
Creating a vision board forces you to get specific about what you want to achieve. One picture might not do it, but an amalgamation of several pictures will include all the elements you are working towards.
A vision board gives you the boost of constantly seeing the best possible result. Placing your vision board in a place where you see it will remind you of the outcome you’re working towards.
Katharine Liese, General manager of Marketing Financial Services at 1Life, offers guidelines on how to create a vision board to help achieve your financial goals:
· A vision board is usually made as a collage on cardboard, but if you want to be a little more private about your goals, you can create your board in a flip file.
· Spend some time thinking about your goals. Dream!
· Find the images that inspire you. If you have artistic talent, you can draw the images yourself, or you can search online and print them, or cut them out of magazines.
· Be specific. Give the house you want a patio or a rose garden, if that’s what you are after.
· Include positive words associated with the goal. You can cut them out or write them yourself.
· Think about emotion, not just objects. How will you feel when you reach your dream of being debt free?
· Now arrange and stick them onto your board or flip file. Have fun – pull out the shiny paper, glitter glue and tape to give your vision board a bit of flare.
· If you want, include specific facts and figures like the actual financial cost of the goal, blocks to shade as you approach their target, and even a due date. You don’t have to go into this sort of detail - hopefully you have a financial plan for that - the real magic of a vision board lies in focusing on a visual outcome rather than getting bogged down in the process.
So what are you waiting for? Grab some scissors and a stick of glue and get boarding!
