How to Crush Your 2017 Goals with Visualization
So you’ve done it. You’ve taken the first step to success by allowing yourself to believe you can do it. You’re taking your dreams seriously. You feel confident that big things are coming your way. Sometimes I think that’s the hardest part, because we might’ve spent years pushing aside our actual goals for the things that seemed more realistic or easier.
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Now that you are ready to go after your passions and get more out of life, it’s time to bring in a few key strategies that will actually help you get from point A to B and all of the letters that are sure to come after that!
It all comes down to visualization.
Ever heard the phrase, “I’d have to see it to believe it,” ? It usually takes on a skeptical vibe.
That’s where visualization comes in. The point of visualization is to harness the power of positive mental imagery, so that happy daydreams aren’t just a lack of focus, but a motivating factor and a roadmap to real, tangible success.
With these three visualization techniques, you’ll allow yourself to picture the outcome of your hard work and all of the progress you make along the way. It’s so incredibly inspiring and motivating for the initial push you need to get going, and will act as reassurance in times of doubt. As cliché as it sounds, the more you’re able to see yourself succeeding, the more you’ll believe in your own ability– with each one fueling the other.
A month of 2017 has already passed, but you can still crush all of the goals you have for this year by taking advantage of visualization from this moment forward!
1. Vision
The overall goal in all of this is to make our dreams a reality, and a vision board does that in the most basic sense. You start by printing, tearing out, and collecting all of the visual representations of what you want your life to be or include– a mix of things that haven’t happened yet and the happy moments we’d like to have more of in the future. Include images, words, quotes, and colors– anything that makes you feel inspired. This is for you and you only, so don’t worry about what others might think of your goals. Your vision board is a daily reminder of all the things you’re working so hard for, so holding back or censoring that is holding back the amount of motivation you’ll get out of the process.
If you’ve always dreamed of owning a red Mercedes convertible, stick one onto your board. If your dream is to travel as often as you did in your twenties, dig out a picture from one of your favorite adventures and use that to represent that specific goal. Life is made up of material items, emotions, and abstract ideas, so your vision board should as well.
And don’t be afraid to have some fun with the process of making the vision board! Turn on your favorite playlist and pour a glass of wine like the ultimate adult arts-n-crafts. Instead of flipping through magazines or Pinterest pages with envy, peruse like a serious shopper. Which parts of those photo shoots and inspo pages interest you the most? What would you be willing to work for? When it comes to your dream life, there is no wrong answer.
2. Meditation
There are so many wonderful effects that come from taking the time to meditate, and some of the best fall under the visualization umbrella. Meditation is a way for us to organize our thoughts, set our intentions, and gain some mental clarity, but we can also use that time to envision our goals being realized.
Have you ever spent hours playing out potential scenarios and conversations in your mind the night before a big event? It’s usually out of anxiety and prevents you from getting the restful sleep you need to perform the next day– not to mention, it hardly ever proves useful in terms of preparation. Mom life can be stressful, for sure! Meditation, on the other hand, is a way to walk yourself through a situation without stress to cloud your judgment. Because it’s a relaxing process, since it incorporates deep breathing and a designated time set aside, you can work through a solution with a clear head. You are essentially practicing for how you’ll handle the conflicts and interactions that may come up as you work on your goals, which is a crucial next step after the vision board. Whereas the vision board is an unfiltered look at the “why” – why you’re working so hard–, meditation is a technique for visualizing the “how” – how you’ll accomplish all of these goals. While you meditate, you can not only practice scenarios, but will these outcomes into being. You can become a self-fulfilling prophecy in the best way, by focusing so intensely on your goals that they have no choice but to come true.
My favorite meditation is this one! It's something you must listen to. It will lift you right and and ramp you up for the day1
3. Bullet Journaling
The feeling you get when you see your own progress is worth all of the stress, doubting, fear, and time that went into making that happen– which is probably a big part of why we keep going and refuse to give up. I love working with planners and making lists, but when it comes to visualization, there is a specific journaling method that really encapsulates the ideas behind visualization best.
It’s called bullet journaling.
Bullet journals are a slightly eccentric but highly visual combination of goal planners, to-do lists, diaries, and sketch pads. They can be made from any type of journal or notebook, lined or unlined, depending on your preference, and the contents are made as you go. The first few pages are where you’ll make an index over time. Just like the table of contents in a book, you can reference the index to find the page number of whatever you’re looking for, whether it be your long-term goals or books you’d like to read.
Bullet journals keep track of things you’ve done, things you want to do, and all of the ideas in between. The point is to keep your text concise and include plenty of visuals, whether that be a hand-drawn calendar, symbols to designate the status of a project’s components, or a page full of doodles. You can set aside a page for the sole purpose of listing your little daily “wins,” and another for the larger accomplishments. A bullet journal grows and evolves with you as a tangible representation of your progress, and a sneaky excuse to invest in some really, really great colorful pens!
Let's not forget that you have DO THE WORK required to "crush your goals". But that said these 3 tools can help you stay focused and on course!
Good luck!
