Many years ago, when I was first starting my own business, I attended a workshop where the instructor told me to dream big.
We all gathered around a conference table, a stack of magazines nearby. It was my first exposure to vision boarding.
As I left the class, I knew I was hooked.
I’ve always been an idea-generator, a dreamer, a visionary. Vision boarding was a natural progression to push me towards achieving my goals.
I believe vision boarding and journaling helps you make your dreams come true. Why? Because the more you see your dreams, the more you visualize what they look like and how they fit into your life, the better chance they will come true.
Vision boarding shortens the curve. But in no way does it put an expiration date on your dreams. You can take a lifetime to achieve them if you need to.
Creating My First Book
Year after year, I dreamed of writing a novel. I’d add it to my resolution list, sit back, and wait for it to happen.
Long ago, I stopped building resolution lists because they’re finite. They begin on January 1st and end on December 31st. With only one year in mind, I believe resolution lists are limiting at best. You can’t dream big if you have a deadline. You can’t look at big dreams if you only have one year to complete your tasks.
Vision boards are different because they help you build a window to your life. They help you dream about the way you want to live, who you want to be, and what you want to offer the world.
When I first started writing books, and developed my first vision board, I added a cutout of the New York Times Best Seller List. I whited out the top listing, #1, and printed in my name instead.
While I might not have made the New York Times Best Seller List yet, but I have produced over two dozen nonfiction and seven romance novels. And I’m happy with that.
I “saw” it. I believed. I vision boarded it. And I wrote.
Vision Boarding Is For Young People
Hopefully, that headline grabbed your attention. Obviously, it isn’t true.
But I do find that with a lot of people, the older they get, the dimmer their dreams become.
- I’m too old.
- I’m retired.
- I’m too close to retirement.
- I’m a grandma.
- I’m 55 (or whatever age you currently have achieved.)
Just because you’ve reached a plateau in your life, doesn’t mean there isn’t another plateau waiting for you.
Dreams are dreams. Everyone is allowed to have them. And if you have a BIG dream, then by all means, dream. And start changing your life today to meet those dreams.
That’s what challenges are all about. That’s what benchmarking is for.
It doesn’t require a lot of change today. Instead, it requires a little bit of change each day.
One percent change each day adds up over time. Just imagine where you’ll be in a month, a year, or even ten years!
My Dream of Getting My Stories To The Screen
When I wrote my very first novel, I couldn’t see beyond that initial book. But as I started marketing it, started learning all about the fiction world, and how the romance industry works, my goals started to change.
It was no longer about writing one book, it became a quest to write new romance novels each year.
I attended a workshop a couple of years ago, one that brought writers from every genre together to dream big. The hosts had a very big dream: to get their stories on television and the big screen.
I’ve never thought that big before. Even as I flew to the meeting and spent several days attending classes, it wasn’t big on my list.
But the more I listened, the more I thought: Why not?
So when an opportunity came up last month for a chance to talk with a movie producer, instead of passing it up, I said: why not?
It didn’t happen. I didn’t get the chance to pitch my idea.
And that’s okay. Right now isn’t my time.
But it will be, very soon.
Are you building your dream life?
Or are you letting your dreams pass you by?
Dreams don’t have expiration dates. Maybe it’s time to dream.
