Vision boards, or as I like to call them, Dream Boards, are effective because they are a visual reminder of your intentions and shape your thoughts and actions. Dream boards give you a clear direction for where you want to go in several areas of your life. They allow you to visualize what goals you want to achieve.
Link To Canva Template Here:)
ONE SIMPLE IDEA THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING…
I was sitting in the living room one morning talking to God and had a thought… What does the world truly need? I drew an image of the world on my notepad and then wrote this question above it then asked God that same question, grabbed my pen and notebook and prepared for a long and detailed answer. I was shocked at what happened next.
I felt the need to close my eyes and when I did I saw myself standing next to God with the world slowly turning Infront of us floating it its place in the universe. The earth was in shades of black, white, and grey completely void of all other colors. I then got this strong desire to reach out my hand and place it on the globe but looked up at God before doing so. He nodded and gestured for me to continue. As I placed my hand on the globe splashes of color came out from where I’d placed my hand until it covered the whole world in vibrant colors. I then heard this still soft voice say, “You.” Stunned, I mentally asked God for clarification. “What do you mean?” I thought.
He looked at me lovingly and smiled,
“The world needs you being you it’s really that simple.”
I opened my eyes and looked down at the image I’d drawn of the world then placed my hand on top and traced it then wrote the words, “The world just needs you.”
As you can probably guess. By now, that simple idea of filling the world with color by simply touching it was the inspiration behind the logo.
<-This is my hand print scanned and computer generated from a painting I’d done shortly after my initial drawing and conversation with God. I love it because it signifies this idea of spreading color and bringing the world around you to life wherever you go. And since as Christians we are called to be missionaries the idea of going out and being the best version of yourself fits perfectly. The same goes for the childlike joyfulness of the image. When we were children we’d paint our hands and make prints on blank pieces of paper and make all kinds of assorted arts and crafts, I even remember making a turkey out of my handprints one thanksgiving. Anyway, the point is that we, even as adults should always carry a sense of childlike joy and creativeness in our hearts just like Christ commanded us to.
STEP 1: THE DREAM BOARD
* THE DREAM BOARD is meant to be specific to you…it’s the desires of your heart expressed through images.
HOW TO MAKE A DREAM BOARD:
STEP 1: Start with ”Lifes 4 greatest questions”
Who am I? -who do you see when you wake up in the morning be brutally honest with yourself. Yes, you are a child of God but who do you see? Who should you see?
What am I here for? Yea ultimate goal is to get to heaven, but what about btw now and then? What are the desires he’s placed on your heart?
What matters most? Again be honest, what matters most to you, on a worldly level and a personal level
What matters least? Again be honest, what matters least to you, on a worldly level and a personal level
Life List Top 20 things based off of 5 categories
1. Faith
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Work/Vocation
5. Recreation/Hobbies
STEP 2:Put photos to them on a board
REMEMBER...DO NOT SETTLE!
This is my friend IAN.Now Ian wanted a picture of a successful businessman on his board, but didn’t want a picture of another man on his board, so I offered to set up my photo studio right in the dorm at our college and told him to go put on a suit and tie.
STEP 3:Ask yourself
Why does this matter? When you look at your board you need to see yourself doing and achieving these dreams. Ian could have easily found a photo online of a man wearing a suit and tie, but he knew that if he was going to be successful he needed to see himself as the man he wanted to become.
HW: Make your dream board,print out in color a minimum of 3 copies: one to put on your desk or closet, one for your mirror, and one to bring to next weeks and all meetings going forward. Also, for the next 3-6 months make your board your desktop background on your computer and lockscreen on your phone. In order for our dreams to become realities we have to “see them” this is important and will be explained further next week.
*If you already have a dream board, revisit it. Ask yourself…
Do I still feel the same way about these dreams?
If not then make a new board, if yes…
Which ones have I achieved?
*if so change the photo to you doing/achieving it
EX: My board went from this...
To this...in just 2 years :)
WEEK 2:PRACTICAL APPLICATION “SEE & BE”
Intro Discussion:
I’ve never been a fan of the saying “fake it till you make it,” because I believe just because you’re not there yet doesn’t mean your intention isn’t sincere and that you're pretending to be something you’re not.
When you’re faking something, your intent is to make someone whether it’s yourself or another person believe something false is true. Kids fake being sick to get out of school, adults fake like they know what they are doing to avoid embarrassment. There is nothing embarrassing or shameful about not being in a place where you want to be. We're always a work in progress, we can never know everything and all of the faking in the world won’t get us where we're going as quickly as we think it will.
SEE AND BE…See yourself as the person achieving the things on your dream board and you will start to see yourself becoming that person.
For example, I am in the process of getting my pilots license, now can I just hop in a plane and pretend I know what I’m doing? Sure. Will I be able to turn the plane on let alone take off without the proper knowledge and training? Not a chance. Now, when I look at my board do I see myself flying the plane confidently and calmly, unafraid of heights? You bet I do. And does that confidence transfer over even though I had no idea what anything was called or which buttons to press to turn on the engine before my first lesson? You betcha! I wasn’t faking confidence, I was manifesting it. I knew that I had everything within me to learn quickly how to operate and fly an aircraft even though I lacked the logistical knowhow.
But how do we get from just having a photo on our dreamboard to actually living it out? How can we go from just imagining ourselves “flying our own plane” to actually flying? The first step is reprogramming.
STEP 1: REPROGRAMMING
Human beings are creatures of habit. In fact 98% of the things you do on a daily basis are habitual.
For example:
How do you get dressed in the morning? Do you slip your right leg or the left into your pants first?
How do you brush your teeth? Do you brush from left to right or right to left or start in the back? I bet you that most of you brush your teeth the same way you did when you were little. I also bet that when you drive to work or walk to class or shop at the grocery store you have an internal pre-programed map that you follow on autopilot and rarely deviate from.
Whether its walking to class, getting dressed or brushing your teeth whether you like it or not you have been programed. The good news is that programs can be re-written and replaced. Start paying attention to these things this week and make note of them.
Most habits aren’t bad or good, they simply just help us function more efficiently. Could you imagine waking up every morning and having to learn how to walk all over again every day? THANK GOD WE DON'T HAVE TO! We are creatures of habit and that most of our choices in a day we don’t have to have a mini debate with ourselves whether to go left or right.
There are some habits however that need to change and we honestly know what they are. Do you want to get in shape, but hate working out and eating healthy? Make a goal and have an accountability buddy. Do you need to start thinking about a job this summer? Start narrowing down jobs that align with one of your goals and dreams. Do you have a hard time thinking positively about and to yourself? Work on giving yourself positive affirmations each day and make little rewards for yourself when you achieve small goals :)
#Did you know:that 90% of the thoughts you had today you had yesterday? And that of that 90, 80% were negative?
-AS A DREAM TEAM MEMBER WERE GONNA FLIP THAT STAT :)
REMEMBER!!!
STEP 2:SET PRACTICAL GOALS:
-Pick a goal on your board and write down two practical ways you can take steps to achieving it this next week.
ACTIVITY:
For this week's meeting actually take 5-10 minutes to write down 2 practical ways in which you can take tangible steps towards your dreams each and every day.
Then partner up and hold each other accountable each day check in with your partner to make sure they’re staying on track:)