Get inspired and stay motivated by creating a vision board for your career. Ever been stumped by the “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” question. This could be the answer.
Why it works
A vision board is a great tool to visually describe your hopes, dreams and aspirations and helps you feel positive and empowered to accomplish your goals.
It’s an easy way to remind yourself of where you want to be and helps keep you focused.
What is it?
A vision board is a collection of words and images that create your ideal career move or next steps to get there. It could be to start a blog, earn your degree, go freelance or pivot to a new career. It’s a visual roadmap to achieving your career aspirations.
It can also be an affirmation of past successes such as getting a promotion or a treasured card or thank you note from someone you admire. Your vision board can be a cork board you post on the wall or could be a page in your journal. You can also use your computer to create a digital collage and then set it as your desktop wallpaper or screensaver.
Getting started
There’s no need to fill your board all at once. Be intentional about images you add, consider how it fits in with any other images you already have. Vision boards are meant to be a bit dream-like so don’t worry if all your images show the best you in ten years time vs two years.
What to use
You can use images from just about anywhere; magazines, brochures, your pinterest board or photos. Your board does not need to be organized or ordered into a visual timeline. Feel free to replace images from time to time or move images around as your goals change.
How to use it to advance your career
Visualization is a very powerful tool. Athletes frequently use it in their training to visualize crossing the finish line or winning against a competitor.
Set your intentions. You can use it to imagine yourself in a role or position of greater responsibility and chart the steps you are taking to get there. Ask yourself some key questions such as “what do I value”, “what do I want to do more of” and “if I had 3 wishes what would I wish for”
Use your vision board to help you make a list of goals and steps you can take to live into your intentions. Reward yourself when you accomplish a goal or check something off your list.
This article is part of our Career Moves series; advice and guidance to help you achieve your career aspirations.
Arche helps people architect, navigate and advance their career path with expert advice and tools to support your job search, interview preparation, professional branding, salary negotiations, and career advancement.
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