I think we can all agree that an important goal to pursue this year is to hustle smarter instead of harder, am I right? Part of hustling smarter is knowing where you’re going and why you’re going there. There’s no better time than while diving into your annual planning, to reflect on your life and brand (and how they fit together).
One of our favorite tools to boost your clarity and motivation as you’re goal-setting, and to keep your mindset focused on freedom and fulfilment as you ride the crazy entrepreneurship wave this year, is a dreamboard.
What is a Dreamboard?
It’s exactly what it sounds like— it’s a board of your dreams. Your aspirations. Goals. Visions. Intentions. No matter what you like to call it, it is a foundational artefact, a tangible little tool for designing the life and brand of your, well, dreams!
Dreamboards or ‘vision boards’ are visual representations of the year, life, or goal you’re going to create. Filled with a collage of pictures and words, icons and graphics that showcase the essence of your vision, dreamboards serve as a reminder of where you’re going. Include tangible objects you’d like to own, places you’d like to be, words you’d like to represent and definitely images that capture represent your ‘why’. It may sound like an after school ‘arts and crafts’ activity – but really dreamboards are a tool to maintain focus, clarity and motivation as you face the obstacles between you and your goals.
It’s easy—too easy, really—to get bogged down in the demanding minutiae of building a trustworthy and profitable brand. Living and working in the present is important, no doubt, but sometimes we need to step back and look at the bigger picture, keeping our eyes on our long term goals and dreams of freedom and fulfilment.
Real Talk:
You’re might be wondering how a corkboard covered with cut-out photos and words is going to bring you more demand, more profit and more influence. True, sitting in front of your dreamboard each morning fervently wishing it would all come true isn’t going to cut it. But using it as a tool to prioritize daily tasks and giving you the permission to say no to stuff that pulls you away from your dream and yes to the tasks that bring your closer—that’s how the magic of a dreamboard works.
Want Some Inspiration?
I’ve compiled some examples of interesting vision boards for you over on Pinterest:
Creating Your Dreamboard
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- Schedule time to dream. Go CRAZY BIG. Scary big. Ginormous, even. By the end of 2018, or 2019 or 2020 – what does your life look like? Are you out of debt? Have you begun to build wealth? Have you gained 20 new clients a month? Have you finally implemented some systems that give you more autonomy? Have you photographed a dog each day? Do you have your mornings all to yourself? Has your instagram exploded? Are you facilitating a successful online community that educates pet parents?What is it? What is something just beyond your grasp now, teasing you at the edge of your comfort zone? THAT! What’s that? What would happen if you really went for it? What would happen if you went full throttle ALL IN? THAT is the life that goes on your Dreamboard
Photo Credit: http://theglitterguide.com/2017/05/09/theres-no-place-like-this-pretty-pink-accented-home/
- Pick a Base. The bigger the better. You want to SEE this thing every day! First you need to decide if you want to go digital or analog. personally, I’d suggest you go old school. This way you have something tactile that you can physically hang in your space, or keep in your notebook – it will be in front of you every day. That’s how a dreamboard can work its magic! So, you need to pick a base. Our favorites are:+ Poster board
+ Corkboard
+ Picture Frame (you can buy any sized frame, create your dreamboard on the glass itself or on posterboard or mat board which can go behind the glass)
+ Boards (magnet boards, chalkboards or whiteboards)
+ Wood (have some lying around? Awesome!)
+ A Wall (want to fully commit – use a whole wall!)
+ Paper (if you want your dreamboard to travel well, put it in a notebook, sketchbook or binder)
- Schedule time to dream. Go CRAZY BIG. Scary big. Ginormous, even. By the end of 2018, or 2019 or 2020 – what does your life look like? Are you out of debt? Have you begun to build wealth? Have you gained 20 new clients a month? Have you finally implemented some systems that give you more autonomy? Have you photographed a dog each day? Do you have your mornings all to yourself? Has your instagram exploded? Are you facilitating a successful online community that educates pet parents?What is it? What is something just beyond your grasp now, teasing you at the edge of your comfort zone? THAT! What’s that? What would happen if you really went for it? What would happen if you went full throttle ALL IN? THAT is the life that goes on your Dreamboard
- Become a hunter-gather. Find your scissors and Elmer’s glue (go on, coat your palm with glue and pull off the dried stuff—or not – I mean, I would never do that. Or sniff rubber cement. Nope, never.) Browse magazines. Pinterest. Insta. Google images. Find and print pictures and words that reflect the essence of your go-big-or-go-home dream. Find objects that you might want to incorporate—dog tag, cat mouse toy, photos from a shoot your particularly proud of, bits of fabric from your products, your business card—whatever focuses you on your brand’s delicious details as well as your bigger purpose.
There’s something primal, raw and truthful about getting your hands dirty. About laying out pictures on paper, posterboard or cork, or stringing them, pinning or clipping them up on the wall. There’s something incredibly gratifying about working with markers and colored pencils and construction paper. There is a lot to be said for freeing your inner child to explore your adult dreams! I mean, when was the last time you did any scrapbooking!? Now you have a work excuse!
There are no hard fast rules here. It’s your business. It’s your brand. It’s your life. It’s your dreamboard!
You’re an entrepreneur…
Chances are you’ve got some pent-up creativity! Put it to work. Have fun with it!
Don’t be afraid to be specific. Incorporating measurable markers is okay—it’s more than okay, I recommend it. Having concrete numbers (your revenue goal, perhaps?) on your dreamboard will both remind you of your business’ purpose as well as your freedom and fulfilment #lifegoals.
If you want to attract X amount of new clients, put it on your dreamboard. If you want to make X amount per month, put it on your dreamboard. If you want your online community to read X amount of members, put it on your dreamboard… You get the idea.
Make it a team effort. There is strength in numbers. Dreamboards are great for any size organization. Whether your toying with the idea of adding someone to your team or you all ready have a crew on staff, a dreamboard can be quite a fun, effective tool to create, share and get group buy-in to your brand culture. Consider getting together with your team and make an afternoon out of dreamboarding. Or, if it’s just you, gather some of your entrepreneur friends (even if they’re in a different industry) and do it together in a ‘dreamboard party’. Dreams like company.
When you’re done creating your masterpiece, hang it somewhere you will see it every day. In the office. In your bedroom. Wherever you’re most likely to see and take time to really absorb the vision. To feel it so fully that it is palpable and alive and here all ready. Embrace your vision fully. Every morning you step into your dream.
Then hustle smater instead of harder like it’s nobody’s business, because dreams only work when you do. Don’t worry, we’ll be here to help!
Your Challenge
Make a dreamboard! In whatever way or size or you choose!