3 Reasons to Start Your 2016 Vision Board Now vs. Later (and 3 Easy Steps to Get You Started)

Last year I blocked off a whole week between Christmas and New Years to do my vision planning for 2015. I even rendezvoused away from home along the coast in our motorhome.

I packed all of my tools: my visioning processes, lots of blank paper, my calendar, and a bunch of creative tools including some colored pens and pencils and some canvas to get my creative juices going.

I thought I was being smart! I was getting out of my home environment and blocking time out on my calendar to take care of this most important process.

What happened?

Getting out my creative tools to do some drawing and painting was easy. But my planning tools on the other hand, stayed in the carrying bag I brought them in. For days.

Every day I’d tell myself “Okay, today’s the day. Today I’m going to do my planning.” I’d get out my tools, lay them out on the table and stare at them blankly, my mind a fog. Nothing. Nada.

So, I would return to my drawing and painting!

Then I’d feel guilty with thoughts running through my head. “I only have a couple of days left.”

“I really should be doing my planning.”

“I’m losing precious time. It’s almost the first of the year and I have nothing.”

Can you relate?! Come on, be honest. I promise not to tell!

Three reasons to start your 2016 planning now 

1) The holidays turn your brain to mush!

I’m serious! Maybe it’s all that food. If you’re like the Guttas Household, you’ve had your fair share of wine, as well. Or perhaps it’s all that turkey and pumpkin pie.

Whatever the case, the brain has a tendency to get a little foggy and it makes it hard to focus.

2) You’re most likely in slow-mo gear.

If you’re like most people, you’ve had a little bit of downtime. Let’s be honest here. It takes some time to get back up to speed again. Putting a date on the calendar to take care of this most precious of tasks during or after the holidays, and expecting to complete the process, is asking a lot of yourself.

3) This visioning stuff takes time!

This is your life we’re talking about! You’re most likely not going to get it all done in one sitting. By starting the process now, before the holidays, you get your subconscious rolling. Because the reality is, what you start out with is probably not where you’re going to end up. Some of the stuff that can show up initially might be more ego-based, or what you think you “should” be focusing on, versus more heart-centered stuff.

Starting the process and then setting it aside for awhile allows the deeper part of you, your spirit, to speak.

Here are three easy steps to get you started in creating your vision for 2016

1) Grab a pad of paper, perhaps even a journal or even just a sheet of paper and keep it someplace handy. Take it with you wherever you go. As you go throughout your day make notes. Make note of what have and what you haven’t liked about your life this year. As you go through your day, as things show up, make note of the keepers and the things you want to toss.

A week from now, before Thanksgiving arrives, you’ll already be well on your way to forming some ideas and intentions.

2) Set aside some time in the next 7-10 days, perhaps 30 minutes, and create an outline of what you’ve come up with so far. Don’t finalize it yet. This is just to summarize where you’re at.

You can create an outline, set some initial intentions and goals for yourself, and then set it aside to let it percolate in the background over the holidays.

What you’ll find is that things will start to pop for you out of nowhere; perhaps while you’re making the turkey or stuffing, or having a conversation with a family member or some other task.

As that happens, write them down!

3) Now the fun part – create a collage or Vision Board! Or better yet, if you’re in the San Diego area, sign up for my “Your Magical Vision Board” class this Saturday!

• Go to your stash of magazines, or pick up a few of your favorites, and start flipping through them for inspiration. Find images and words that are in alignment with some of the things you’ve started to write down and cut them out.
• Go through your photos you’ve taken from the year and find some photos of yourself, your friends and family to include on your vision board or college.
• Sign up for my Vision Board class on Saturday! I’m going to take you through a fun process of setting your theme for the year. This kind of creating is so much fun to do in a group environment, with other like-minded spirits. And you’ll walk away at the end of the workshop with something tangible that you can immediately hang on your wall or continue to add to as you’re inspired.

Follow the steps above and by the time New Years rolls around you will already be well on your way to creating what you want for yourself in 2016!

I’ll be sharing more tips on how to create 2016 with more clarity and intention, with ease. So check back for updates!

I hope to see you Saturday! For class information, and to register, click HERE.

 

 

Debra W. Guttas, Mid-Life Transition Doula™, HTP

“Are you in a mid-life transition? I provide emotional, mental and spiritual support in the ‘birthing’ of your new life path.”

Debra Guttas is Author of the forthcoming book “Personal & Business Success through the 7 Gateways – Spiritual & Practical Tools for Crafting Your Life from the Inside Out”