Behind my desk, I have this thing called a Vision and Dream board. I pin up something that represents what I want for me now and in the future. Each time I attain something, I take it off the board and place it into a book of accomplishments. The board acts as a daily reminder of what I’m working towards and what I already have.
I cleared the board when I wiped the slate clean. The board became cluttered and lost its way. The things on the board drowned each other out. The vision or dream the represented gone. Four items remained on the board.
The first item is a blank piece of paper. Great ideas begins with a blank piece of paper, a great novel, a painting, a building, etc. I have the ability to script my life. I make decisions and action that will be in my autobiography or screenplay. A bookmark hangs next to the blank sheet of paper. At one end of the bookmark hangs a leaf preserved in gold foil. Maple seeds rest at the other end. Together they represent the life I have and new life I try to breath into my life everyday. I attempt to write a page in my book of life.
A postcard I picked up in Ireland in on the upper left hand corner of the board. I want to go back to West Ireland and ride my bike. After Ireland, I want to travel across Europe and meet new people. Traveling abroad is one of many adventures I dream of. I imagine feeling the road as I drive down US route 66. My primal memory can smell the fresh air of nature and see nature’s beauty. My heart can feel strangers around me become friends in a new city.
Printed on a Coca-Cola ad are three letters, Y-E-S. Yes. I said no so many times and have regretted it. I need to start saying yes to new opportunities and possibilities. I can not continue to hide and cower from the something new and unknown. It makes it easier to say yes when a cute brunette in the ad is smiling at you. Yes.
Around these four symbols I add items that I want now, a year from now, and deep into the future. I want a small beautiful home on a large piece of land so I can host friends and family. A small fire pit burns brightly in the back. We sit around it making s’mores and telling stories. The flames illuminate the barn in the distance where I house my favorite cars and my workshop. The barn roof carries the weight of solar panels that offers more freedom and requires less dependency. A year from now, I find myself at UIC, one step closer to graduating. I finally work out my personal issues and move forward. I crawl slowly to living the live I want to live. Tomorrow brings another day to improve myself and develop a sound mind, body, and spirit.
The vision and dream board is an expression of who you are and what you want to be. It reminds you on difficult days your dreams and passions. What’s on your board?