In The Secret, they talk about the concept of a Vision Board. The basic premise of a vision board is that you place pictures of things that you would like to have or achieve on the board. They may include things like a new car, a promotion or losing weight. If you visualize it then you are more likely to achieve it.
In the book, John Assaraf tells the story about the vision board that he created. He had put a picture of a house that he had the vision that he wanted to live in. During a move, he had packed this board in a box. Three moves and five years later, this vision board had still been packed in a box. His five-year-old son asked him what was in the box. He opened up the box and on the board was a picture of his house. Not just a house like it, but his actual house.
John had a vision of what he wanted his house to look like. He kept this vision in front of him long enough that even though it was three moves and five years later, he was still able to make that vision a reality.
What the vision board will do for you is help keep your vision in the forefront of your mind. If you take the board and hang it somewhere where you see it everyday, then you will think about your vision every day when you wake up and every day when you go to bed. That vision will be in your thoughts as you go through your daily routine.
If you vision is just a thought that you think about occasionally, then you are less likely to accomplish that vision. You are less likely to be thinking about that vision and focus on what you need to do to achieve that vision.
You don't have to have an actual board. As long as your vision is visible and in front of you each and every day, it has the same effect, but a board is an easy and compact way to see your visions.
After I graduated from college, I began my pursuit in an actuarial career. To become an actuary, I had to pass many actuarial exams. Many of these exams required over 300 hours of study time to pass. My "vision board" was my many study materials. I took them everywhere I went. I took them with me back and forth from work to home. I had a constant vision of passing the exam in my mind every single day.
For the past year, I have gotten much busier at work and I have really been struggling to keep up. I have felt very overwhelmed at times. I had not felt a clear direction of where I am going in my professional career for a while.
After reading The Secret, I decided that I was going to set a goal for myself. My goal is to get a promotion by the end of 2008. I didn't put a promotion up on a board. I am not sure what a promotion looks like. However, what I did do was visualize myself as being more organized. I went to the office supply store and spent about 30 minutes searching for a daily planner that would help me get more orgainzed. Since I have done this, I have been able to remain much more focused and feel like I have a more clear direction. My "vision board" is the daily planner. It is sitting in front of me every day reminding me of my goal.
Yesterday, I met with my boss, and we talked about my focus on getting more organized, my focus on having a more positive attitute and even about me keeping a daily journal about my journey. Today, I got a call from HR. I was told that my boss had recommended me as a future high potential acheiver, and they wanted to talk to me about my career aspirations. I am excited to see where my vision takes me.
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