Your First Step to a Successful 2014: Create A Dream Board

Happy New Year! It is such a blessing to have the first day of a new year. A time to start over, to reflect, to get energized, motivated and inspired! Honesty check: 2013 was "ok so-so" for me. Whether your 2013 was great, not so great, somewhere in between or your best year ever, there is always room for improvement. New things to learn, skills to improve on, ways to better ourselves. So I challenge you to do just that, starting with this uplifting technique: create a DREAM BOARD.

Take a look at the example above. Very simple, yet straight to the point. Let's reflect on what this person's goals are. To me, their goals are: more money, to have a child (or more time with their child / family), to get married (or find love), to buy a fancy home, and to buy a beautiful new expensive car.

A Dream Board is something you create that visually shows off your dreams and goals for the coming year. It is a visual reminder of what you want to accomplish. By having it in a place you will see constantly (like, daily!), it will motivate you to keep going when times are hard, or when you are feeling lazy, or you have a lax sense of mild accomplishment and your mind wants to be content with just that. Imagine the car yelling out, "HEY! I WANT YOU DRIVING AROUND TOWN IN ME IN 6 MONTHS! BACK TO WORK!" A visual reminder of your goals is VERY POWERFUL.

So, here are 6 steps to creating your very own DREAM BOARD.

Items you need: 
-Large piece of flimsy cardboard. Think what kids get for their science fair project or presentation. 
-Magazines, brochures, pictures of things that will be motivating or inspiring to you, or things / the lifestyle you want.
-Scissors
-Large Marker
-Tape or a gluestick
-A pad of paper and a pen

Step 1: Take your pad of paper and divide it into 6 sections, either on one piece of paper or a separate page for each section. Title the sections as follows: Personal, Physical, Spiritual, Recreational, Professional and Relational. Next, write down at least 5 goals for each section. However it relates to you. If a car you want to buy applies more to you personally, write it in that category. If it applies more to you recreationally, put it there. This is to get the ideas out, from mind to paper. Let it flow- this isn't your final draft. Be specific. Instead of "I want to buy a car," write out the car you want, or at least the style. "I want to buy a BMW 300 series," or "I want to buy a full size truck." You want to lose 25 pounds, you want to go on a missions or charitable short term trip, you want to go on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, you want to meet new friends, you want to read so many business books, you want to run your first 5k race, you want to buy a new home, you want to buy a new suit, you want to be the top producer in your office, you want to visit the new 49ers Football Stadium, you want to go to your company's business retreat in Las Vegas, whatever it is that inspires, challenges and motivates you, write them down.

Step 2: Go through the magazines and cut out words and pictures that relate to the goals you wrote down. Find a picture of that car you want. Heck, go down to the dealership, find a specific brochure about the car you want, take it out on a test drive, then tell the car salesman you will see them again in less than 12 months to pick up your car! ADDED BONUS: BUY A KEYCHAIN AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT HAS THE CAR MAKER'S LOGO ON IT AND ATTACH IT TO YOUR SET OF KEYS! Cut out a picture of a nice house, vacation pics, people having fun at a restaurant, clothes, money, words like SUCCESS, TOP PRODUCER, MONEY, HAPPINESS. The pictures don't have to be anything exotic, just visual examples of your goals- maybe a picture of a family reading a book together (representing more time with family), a picture of a man resting (relaxation, less stress), etc.

Step 3: Layout the clippings over your blank board. Put them in an arrangement that is clean, orderly, a collage format, and in a way that looks good and inspiring. Not too cramped, but don't leave lots of empty space. Leave room for a title!

Step 4: Using your big marker (or printed or cut-out words) give your Dream Board a title. Something exciting. "(First Name)'s Dream Board" or "What I Am Going To Accomplish in 2014!" Use the gluestick or tape to attach your clippings to the board. Take your time and make it look nice.

Step 5: HANG IT UP. Somewhere. Don't think to yourself, "wow, that was an inspiring activity. I think the process itself was motivating enough. I'll just put this in a closet somewhere." NO. HANG IT UP. Someplace prominent. Where you walk by every day. Where you (and others maybe) will see it. Your bathroom, your bedroom, your home office, your work office. If you do put it in your work office, put it somewhere that people visiting your office will see it (ie- NOT behind your door). That way, people will ask you, "hey, what is that for?" TALK ABOUT MOTIVATION!

Step 6: ACT ON IT. Take action. INSPIRATION WITHOUT ACTION IS DELUSION. If one of your goals is to lose 25 pounds, you won't get there unless you change your eating habits, join a gym (and GO to the gym!), and exercise.

Bonus Tip: Challenge your co-workers or friends to participate with you. Make a night of it. Be in a big room with a big tables (or numerous ones) with room to spread out. Everyone bring a couple magazines- more for everyone to get inspiration from. Get ideas from others on how to make your Dream Board better. Order pizza and have fun.

ACHIEVE. You can do it.

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