I am bringing you a little inspiration for the next year. With a few simple steps, you can make your first vision board full of new ideas for long term goals. Sixteen year old CEO Maya S. Penn who was featured on the Oprah Winfrey SuperSoul 100 List will show you how. She is founder and CEO of Maya’s Ideas, an eco-friendly accessories shop. She has also released a new book, “YOU GOT THIS!” It is a handbook for teens and young adults to discover their passions and maximize their full potential for a creative, successful life. Today, I have been given permission to share an excerpt from her book on how to make a dream board. I think you will find it really inspiring to learn how she uses her dream vision board and to get some great dream board ideas from such a successful, inspirational young woman.
Here is an inspirational quote from Maya Penn that I just love:
“I believe that all people have been blessed with their own power, their own place, and their own way to positively impact the world. Be creative, be curious, and watch as your awesomeness is unleashed.”
I love her message to be passionate and believe in yourself. I was familiar with the idea of a dream board working on the law of attraction to help you manifest your dreams but I especially loved learning how she actually used her dream board to help reveal her passions! Plus, she gives some really unique and useful tips on the best way to make a dream board. Whether you prefer magazine cutouts or an online vision board, it can be a powerful tool for letting the subconscious mind in on your goal setting. When it comes to a vision board template, be sure to include the different areas of your life so you reach for your best life in a well rounded way. Part of the power of vision boards is that they serve as a visual representation of your dreams, goals, and passions.
How To Make A Dream Board And Why!
Excerpt from YOU GOT THIS! by Maya S. Penn. Copyright © 2016 by Maya S. Penn. Reprinted by permission of North Star Way, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Dream boards (or vision boards or inspiration walls, whatever you want to call them) are great because they provide a visual source of inspiration. Whenever I feel down, discouraged, or creatively stuck, I literally stare at the wall in my studio for a boost of confidence or a shot of encouragement, or to lift my spirits. But dream boards are also great because they can help us zero in on what we’re truly passionate about. Making a dream board can help you tap into your raw creative energy.
Sometimes the hardest part about figuring out your future is just getting started. After all, saying to yourself, “I need to figure out what I want to do for the next fifty years of my life” can be a little daunting, so let’s take it down a notch. Just for a moment, forget about your future. Don’t worry about what you want to be doing five, twenty, or fifty years from now. This is about having fun. (Creative impulses, remember, are generally fun impulses.) Whether you have a vague idea of what you want to do or absolutely no idea—and I’m talking to you, Under- Thinkers!—this exercise will help you out.
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MAKE YOUR OWN DREAM BOARD
What you’ll need:
Stack of magazines, postcards, newspapers, or photographs (so long as you’ve got the okay to cut them up); scissors; glue or tape; and an open mind.
Making a dream board is a little different from starting a scrapbook or thumbtacking party pics and ticket stubs to your bulletin board. That’s not to say that your first-prize ribbon from the swim meet shouldn’t make the cut if it’s a source of encouragement. Ditto for that boarding pass from a recent plane trip or that program from a special performance or show. But the goal here is look-ing ahead, not back. A dream board should be less about what you have done and more about what you’re into. Here’s what to do:
Start Small.
You don’t have to dedicate an entire wall to your dreams (although if you want to, go for it). Just re-member that you can make a great dream board on a small piece of poster board. I started with a single sheet of construction paper.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
If the characters on the mac-and-cheese box make you smile, use ’em. Or, if mac and cheese doesn’t do it for you, try flipping through old magazines or your favorite books for inspiration. What brings you the most joy could be a simple snapshot with friends or a great vacation photo, a postcard of a place you’d like to visit one day, art from your favorite artist, a funny joke your brother told you, even a printout of the funniest (in your opinion) emojis. Do you love volleyball? Maybe paste up a picture of you with your volleyball teammates, or slap a sticker of a volleyball next to your favorite inspirational quotes. You’re going for anything that brings you positivity and light, but the point is to not overthink things. If it passes the happy test—even if you can’t really explain why—it goes on the board.
Leave It Unfinished.
Huh? Aren’t you always supposed to finish what you start? Well, in this case it’s okay— preferable, even—not to finish the project. After all, if your day-to-day life is still changing and taking shape, so, too, is your future. You may find that as you grow, so do your dreams (and, therefore, so does your board).
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Did you make a dream board yet?
Yes?
Okay, good.
How Your Dream Board Will Help You
You’re ready to continue on to the next part. I’ve already told you what’s on my wall, but if I were to stand back and analyze it—if I were to search it for themes—here’s what I’d see: lots of pictures of strong and powerful women, lots of pictures of animals and of nature (trees, flowers, lakes, and streams), and representations of art in all its forms. Which makes sense when you think about it, doesn’t it? Some of my primary interests and passions include women and girls’ rights (we’ll talk more about that in part III), the environment and sustainability (remember, I run an eco-friendly fashion company), and art, which, as I think I’ve made clear, is my primary love.
Analyzing your dream board for common themes—or clues, if you will—can be helpful when you’re trying to find your path, when you’re attempting to discern what matters to you most. So, I want you to take a step back and look at your dream board. What jumps out?
Maybe you posted lots of pictures of Paris and all things Parisian—the Eiffel Tower, a woman wearing a red beret, a postcard of a bridge spanning the Seine. Hmm . . . what is it about Paris that prompted you to cut out so many pictures? It could be that you love the sound of French, that you’re interested in learning to speak an-other language. Or, maybe your favorite restaurant is a French restaurant, and you’d like to know more about French food. Maybe you just want to travel the world someday.
Or, perhaps you pasted up lots of images from popular movies. But what is it about movies that sucks you in? Are those movies animated or live action? Do you like the performance aspect, or is it the stories themselves that move you? Perhaps they’re all science fiction films, and what you’re really interested in is technology, or robotics, or artificial intelligence. Keep exploring your dream board for clues and common themes, even if you don’t recognize any right away. What you love is probably staring you right in the face!
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this inspirational tutorial on how to make a dream board from YOU GOT THIS! by Maya S. Penn. Let her dream board ideas serve as a useful dream board template for getting you going on finding your own passion. I thought her vision board examples were great and I feel inspired to make my own vision board! If you want to read more of her book, YOU GOT THIS!, it is available at most major book sellers and I have included my affiliate amazon link below.
Feel free to be creative with your dream board. It is ok if you prefer a digital dream board instead or in addition to a physical vision board. The process of making a dream board is a great way to develop your personal goals which you can then refine on a regular basis. Good luck in creating specific goals for your ideal life. This makes a great visualization tool for your home office. I am a firm believer in clear intentions. Do you think these dream board ideas will inspire you to make a dream board?
Now for the fun part- I’d love to hear about your vision board ideas in the comments or share a picture on social media and tag @familyfocusblog
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