5. CREATING A VISION
Like anything — setting a goal gives us a healthy target to hit. Creating a vision for your life or relationships is no different. It acts as a destination for us to focus our energy towards. Great goals are those that are somewhat achievable, so its healthy to apply the same framework to our vision boards.
Theres been so many times in I’ve come across vision setting without the right guidelines. I’m all for shooting for the moon and landing in the stars but it’s a lot more effective to set visuals that are *just* out of reach, so that it remains in our realm of possibility. Once we’ve reached that point, we can extend out again & again & again — soon arriving at our metaphorical moon.
Setting goals or a vision that feels totally beyond whats possible for us in life can be counter intuitive. What happens is our brain reinforces the impossibility of that reality, while we simultaneously hope for it to come to life. Choosing believable images or ones that are accessible give us the opportunity to bring them to life . It’s a much more manageable way to grow and evolve, while avoiding unnecessary self doubt or self sabotage along the way.
The intent of the vision board is to current a visual representation of photos that feel like how you would like to feel in your relationships. The details of photos are much less relevant than the feeling they provoke within you. You can focus on friendships, romantic relationships, or even things you want for yourself.
You can create a vision board for your relationships via pinterest or tumblr. I’ve included a reference below for you. Take a screenshot or print it out and keep it somewhere safe.
Simultaneously — I always like to match my spiritual practices with grounded proven tools. For that reason, I always set goals alongside the vision boarding process, which I’d like for you to do today also.
With goal setting, you can be as specific or ambitious as you like (remember — within reach!). Once you have a general idea, it’s helpful to add in details that make them actionable in the present. For example: ‘Connecting with my friends overseas’. vs. ’Scheduling a call once a week with a friend that lives overseas)
It may feel foreign to set goals for your relationships, so I have included a reflection below to guide you:
Dive your goals into two parts — Personal & interpersonal.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP GOALS
Great relationship with myself, I can trust my own word
Keeping regular promises to myself
Prioritising meditation and my self care time 5x a week (30mins)
Keep in mind = the things on this list should improve the relationship you have with yourself.
INTER-PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP GOALS
A few social events a week
Cooking for others and inviting them over in an intimate setting (hosting a dinner 1x per month)
Connecting with a wellness community (projects, events, socially)
Prioritising time with parents (once a week)
Relationship thriving, quality time together each week (date nights, less Netflix time)
Keep in mind = the things on this list should improve the relationship you have with others.