How To Make A Digital Vision Journal

It is time to put 2019 behind us and forge ahead to the New Year! 

Are you ready? Do you know what you would like to achieve in the new year? Are you feeling confident in where you are at? Could you use a little "helper"?. 

If you are looking to achieve something big or small this coming year, whether it be an audacious goal or just creating some new habits, a vision journal will help!

I am certain you have heard of a vision board. That is a collection of photos from magazines and Pinterest, inspirational quotes and affirmations, photographs of your dream house (or your dream horse), and so forth that you put on a bulletin board or presentation board.

It is a visual collection of your feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This vision is very personal, so each woman receives precisely what she needs through this process. Usually, you place this on a wall, always visible from your desk.

Experts reveal that the subconscious mind works like a hard drive. Even when goals appear out of reach, or you have had a rough stretch, the vision you create helps you stay focused on your dreams. 

As an exercise, try this with a little different approach. 

1. Set up a file in your favorite program—like, MS Word.
2. Label it with the month's name 90 days from where you are now. (For instance: When you were in January 2020, label it "April 2020").
3. Search the internet. Copy-paste into the file as many items as you can fit. But these items should all signify something you want to be habitually practicing or have achieved in 90 days. (Do not worry about copyright issues if this is just a personal visual aide for you. But, make sure to check image permissions if you share your file publicly.)
4. Reread your journal entries. Every month, duplicate the exercise, using different elements to represent new mini-goals and heftier goals. Every time you look at the journal you created, you reactivate your brain and dreams. 
5. Study the images. Every few months, go back over it and see how many of your visualized goals you achieved. Imagine one part of your dream and build to the full image.

What do you like? What makes you feel happy? What inspires you? How do you track your plans and goals? Purposefully seeking responses to these questions can help you create more peace and balance in your personal and professional life.

For instance, you want to be in much better shape ninety days from now, so you will have the energy to drive your business with more passion. You could include a photograph of the green smoothie you have just learned how to make, a photo of a fit woman on a treadmill, favorite food items that would be healthy, and a screenshot of your favorite Low Carb blog.

You can include an image of the ideal VA you want to hire (generic or specific, if you know the person you want to work with!)

And do write down the dollar figure you want to earn that month.

Make sure this becomes a fun exercise—not one you "have" to do.

There is a purpose for this visual, fluid monthly journal, expanding it as you go: You will realize after six months that many of the "I want to attain…" goals you illustrated in the first months are now a substantial part of your daily life.

Looking at and creating visuals can help organize and retain information. It turns into a visual record and cue card to keep on track with your optimized lifestyle. Repeating elements (like the treadmill photo) help reinforce that this is a substantial and vital part of who you are now. Planning the vision journal helps you optimize your time, encourage gratitude and positivity, and ultimately make things happen! 

Seeing a different type of visual can be pretty powerful. These visual cues can help you stick to your goals. And visual journaling is a fun exercise to do. You can even turn your visual journal pages into a vision board to prompt what you are working towards, or use it as your screen saver! By keeping your momentum going, you will not want to break your streak. This is a very powerful concept.