How to Create a Vision Board on Pinterest
I don’t know about you, but I have some plans for the future. However, sometimes simply writing down goals isn’t enough. I want to see more than the words. I want to see the future.
Vision boards can be a good way to do that. They are a tool used to help clarify, concentrate, and maintain focus on a specific life goal. Literally, a vision board is any sort of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do, or have in your life. I’m thinking a perfect place to keep a vision board is Pinterest.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a 5-day plan for learning Pinterest. Since then, I continue to see activity and engagement on the platform. My experience with Pinterest is that it’s less of a dialogue or conversation platform and more of an inspiration, utilization platform.
If you’re looking for a way to stay focused on a goal, consider creating a vision board to help make that happen. Here are five things to note:
- You can make it secret. Not ready to share your vision board with the whole world? No problem. Pinterest has a feature that allows you to make a board “secret” so only you can see it.
- Section it to fit your needs. Pinterest recently added a nice feature where a “board” can have “sections”. So, your vision board could have a personal AND a professional section. Or it could have wellbeing sections like in the Gallup-Healthways’ model: purpose, financial, social, community, physical.
- Pin images, articles, and quotes that help you achieve your goals. One of the things I like about Pinterest is that I can pin a variety of things – images, articles, quotes. I can pin stuff from the internet and photos I’ve taken or articles I’ve written. Bottom-line: it’s flexible.
- Change it when you want to. After pinning something, you can move it to another board, or delete it completely. Let’s say you pin a list of the top leadership traits. Couple months later, you see a better list. Delete the old one and replace it with the new one.
- Delete what doesn’t work. One of the downsides to vision boards can be a feeling that you look at it and say, “I’m not getting to my vision fast enough.” Or “I’ll never achieve the goal.” It’s important to remember that our goals change regularly, and we have to be willing to let go of some goals in order to make other ones happen. Vision boards must be flexible to be effective.
- Your vision board can be portable. I’m not against the bulletin board type vision project, but there’s something nice to me about having my vision board with me all the time. If I’m at a conference, and I hear something, I can immediately post it. Versus going home, then finding/printing/posting it.
- When you’re ready, you can share it. There might be components of your vision board that involve coworkers, family or friends. Maybe you want to start a business. Or move to a different city. Pinterest allows you to share boards with others.
Vision boards can help us with our career goals, life goals, and maybe even retirement goals. We have the flexibility to create something that fits our needs. Because the goal with a vision board is to make it happen. So, if it works, take advantage of what Pinterest can offer.
Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby after speaking at the Flora Icelandic HR Management Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland
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