Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Khalilah Starks

Greetings from hot and sunny Phoenix! 🙂 I started this year with a few personal and professional goals – one of which is to travel more in 2016. I traveled very little in 2015. So, I’m looking forward to visiting several cities this year, nationally and internationally! A couple of months ago, I posted a collage on Facebook and Instagram that included pictures of all of the places that I wanted to visit in 2016. This marks my first trip since posting my collage! It feels great to check the first city off of my list! Oh, and it’s 90 degrees in Phoenix today – about 60 degrees warmer than Chicago! I’ll definitely be spending some time at the pool! Yes!! 🙂

Here’s my updated collage!

My Travel Goals Collage

I’ve got some exciting professional goals that I’m working on this year, which leads me to my topic of the day – the best ways to make your vision and goals stick. Whether you’re working on personal goals like increased travel or professional goals such as a promotion or greater business results, there are several things that you can do to make your goals a reality.

Below are 4 fun and super easy ideas to make your vision and goals stick:

1. Create a Vision Board. A vision board is simply a collage of pictures that represent your vision and goals. Have fun with it! Find some pictures of your goals that excite and motivate you. And, be specific about what you’re wanting to achieve. I’m visually motivated, so pictures work great for me. However, if you love quotes like I do, you can also add a few of your favorite quotes to your board or collage. I found beautiful pictures of the places that I wanted to visit by doing a Google search with the name of the city. I picked the pictures that I found most visually appealing and motivating. This easily applies to professional goals as well. For example, if your goal is to be promoted, pick a picture that represents that promotion (i.e. your desired title, a plush office, etc.).

2. Consider Using Technology. Some people like creating huge vision boards that you post on the wall in your home or office, which is perfectly fine. Personally, I haven’t done that yet. I’ve found that using technology is so much easier. You can find great pictures on the internet, save them to your mobile device and create inspiring vision boards and collages using a vision board or picture collage app. There are some great vision board apps like the Hay House Vision Board and collage apps such as InstaCollage that are free, easy to use, and can be easily downloaded to your mobile device! Just visit your mobile device’s app store to find an app that you love.

3. Keep Your Eyes On It. Look at your goals at least once a day. This keeps them mentally activated. Mental activation creates focus. And, focus creates results. I’ve created a habit of looking at my goals in the morning and at night. If you’re anything like me, your phone is probably your lifeline. It’s with me at all times. If you create a vision board or collage electronically, you can save it directly to your mobile device making it accessible to view at all times. If I’m having a really tough day, I may look at my collage during the day just to keep me focused on the big picture. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the twists and turns of life. Focusing on the big picture and the positive things to come takes some of the negative steam out of a chaotic day.

4. Talk About it Positively. Keep your vision alive by talking about it. Words are powerful, so be positive when talking about your goals. The more you talk about your vision and goal, the more they’ll become a focused priority. And, the more focus you give it, the more you’ll find yourself taking action to make it happen. You may also find opportunities knocking on your door. It never fails. When I talk and focus on something, opportunities seem to fall in my lap at the most opportune time. The universe really has a way of conspiring to help you achieve a goal once you’ve placed attention and focus on achieving it.

An added bonus of talking about your goals is the creating of personal accountability. When you tell someone about your goal, it creates accountability. The more people you tell, the greater the accountability. However, don’t feel pressured to tell the world. Some goals don’t need to be communicated to the world. Some goals are best to be shared with one or two trusted individuals who can serve as your accountability partner. It’s your personal decision. I plastered my travel goal all over social media because it’s a fun goal to share. I can’t wait to report the next few cities that I cross off of my list! 🙂