It’s the last week of 2017
dun, dun, dunnnn…. so what does that mean? Stressful, a wash, a week of over indulging, travel & family, over planning, it can be a variety of things and feelings, that is for sure.
I know for me personally, the last week of the year tends to be a big week for reflection about the year we are closing in on and what I want to create in the New Year. Sometimes it’s a specific focus like relationship goals, fitness desires, family plans or career leaps, but more times than not it is a mash – up of sorts with a fresh outlook and approach to starting the new chapter of the new year.
The question is HOW do we keep it fresh & fun and not get overwhelmed with the closing out of a year? I have the PERFECT solution for you that I discovered through a little trial, failure & getting at it again until it legit felt GOOD! I share the good stuff below….
New Year’s Resolutions Are So Boring, Though…
The thought of writing out line after line of New Year’s Resolutions actually makes me crinkle my nose, a bit nauseous and grumpy all while creating this icky feeling of resistance in my gut. Sounds awful, right?? I know I am not alone here. I have always viewed it as a giant to do list that ends up being something I count the days until I BROKE the resolution that I had just declared only days before. Don’t get me wrong I whole – heartily tried the whole resolution thing for years – I would spend time writing it out all pretty with all those words in neat handwriting, even colored pens, read it, smile and then bury it somewhere I ended up never looking at it (although I had every intention to do so). Every single year. Talk about self – sabotage! To only come across it a few years later , sigh, have a little laugh and think about how I should have tried harder or just plain saved that time and done something more productive than writing out lines of neatly written rules I hated to even think about not let alone stick to. Straight up made me feel gross. Ugh, clearly not my thing.
A Fresh Approach….
Think back to when you were a kid in school and the art teacher’s project was to create a collage. She would ask everyone to bring in magazines and they’d be lumped right in the middle of the pod of desks, alongside with some glue sticks, construction paper and scissors. The task would be to cut out whatever appealed to your eye and stick it on the paper. Then, you’d be left with this beautiful creation of things that were all you, that appealed to you and made you feel good. The colors, places, words, textures, it was all you. No two kid’s collages looked alike.
This is the exact SAME process for the VISION BOARD! The actual word – vision board or dream board is just the grown up version of a kid’s art collage. Gahhh, the creative, visionary side of me gets all excited about this and it is SO fun to do! So much better than writing out line after line of New Year’s Resolutions, just saying!
The best part is that there are zero rules or boundaries, here. Pour yourself a glass of vino, put on some background music and just have fun!
Here’s a few ideas to help get those creative energies flowing….
Choose a cork board and pin up things that you want in 2018, your goals, desires and dreams so big they make you laugh, trust me, if they don’t make you laugh, they need to be bigger! Keep it super simple and go the poster board & glue stick route. Stickers & sharpies make great decorating besties! More of a digital girl – perfect! Canva is a great FREE app to use to upload images, photos, backgrounds to create a digital collage then you can easily use it as your desktop or phone background, print it out, hang it up. The idea is not to bury your dreams, goals & vision for 2018 (ahhem, like I did with all those words as mentioned above) it is to see it daily, all of the time — feel the excitement in your heart & mind every time you catch a glimpse of it. Get that daily dose of what YOU want in your best day, life, year & keep reminding yourself. Clip out words, a few favorite motivational phrases, travel destinations, your dream home, dream vacation, $$ you want in your bank account, charities you would love to donate to, the gorgeous gown you want to wear, that killer pair of heels that you’ve had your eye on, the toned arms you know you would rock in a tank top, the family vacation your family has talked about for years, the new car you want (NOT the one you think you can afford, but the one you REALLY want), the wedding of your dreams or man for that matter!
**Tip: Use a symbol or image that only you know what it represents if that makes you more comfortable putting it out there.
Get at it — truly, every desire is absolutely worth stating out loud that you want it., claim it, own it, it. is. yours. There is SO much power in putting out into the universe exactly what you want.
Then, you know what is the BEST feeling? The butterflies you feel when you look back at the year’s previous vision board and realize what has been accomplished, what was once a dream is now a reality. The only guideline for the vision board project is to just do it, without thinking about the “how” everything is possible, if it feels good and you’re having fun then you are winning!
Here’s a pic of one of mine from 2017. It is nothing fancy and mind you I travel in a suitcase 10 out of 12 months of the year and live in bus, so size does matter! 😉 I chose to make a digital copy and a poster version so I could tape it to the back of my bathroom door and see it every day ( I was “home”), or toss it in my suitcase for easy traveling.
Cheers to YOU, 2018 and to creating your best year yet all while having loads of fun along the way! Thank you for stopping by & reading.
XX
Much Love ~ Renee