Vision boards are not a new concept. They’re amazing at mapping out your goals, including your financial goals, and a great tool for visual learners like me. Creating a vision board are also a great self-care practice for dog moms because it allows us to visualize ourselves achieving our dreams. However, here’s the real secret to vision boards.
Creating a vision board is only step one. It only works if you put the work into it. So, this blog post is dedicated to helping you creating a vision board to achieve your financial goals and taking the next to making that vision a reality.
VISION BOARDS FOR FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Visualizing your financial goals help them become more attainable. In other words, “seeing is believing.” There are several benefits to visualization.
Gives Clarity – Vision boards help you define clear and specific financial goals. When establishing your goal, it’s important to be as specific as possible. It helps you build a framework and target what you want to achieve.
Keeps Focus – Vision boards can keep you focused on your objectives and reduce distractions. It keeps you headed in the right direction and follow the plan (and adjust when needed).
Keeps You Motivated – Visualization can keep you motivated and reaffirm you as you work towards your goals. It helps you develop your money story and identify the the “why” behind what you’re doing. The vision boards can serve as a visual tool to keep you moving forward even during those times when self-doubt or rejection may come your way.
Creates A Positive Mindset – It encourages you to thin positive by reinforcing your belief in yourself to achieve your financial aspirations. Even when plans must change, it keeps you positive to give you the will to keep going.
CREATING YOUR VISION BOARD FOR FINANCIAL GOALS
Now, here’s the fun part. Creating your vision board gives you a chance to use your imagination and see yourself already achieving your goal. It gives you the road map to get you started. Here’s how to get started.
Identify Your Goal – For this blog post, we’ll keep it simple. Identify one financial goal you’d like to achieve. Some examples include, saving for a home, paying off debt, building an emergency fund, investing, or starting a business. Your financial goal should have a “why” behind it as it will help make the vision board more meaningful during the creation process. Write down your financial goals on a piece of paper. Be specific about what you want to achieve and by when.
Set A Time Frame – All goals should have a time frame attached to them. This will give you the structure you need to build an action plan to achieve your goal after you create your vision board. Identifying a time frame will also help you select images for vision board.
Find Images, Words, & Affirmations – Here’s where you get to use your imaginations. Find images that work for your goal. Look for images that fit the result of your goal. You can look at magazines, newspaper, printed images, Google, social media, and any other outlet you can find images. Look for images, words, and phrases that resonate with your goals. For example, if you’re saving for a home, find pictures of houses that inspire you.
Create Your Vision Board – Find a quiet, comfortable space where you can focus on creating your vision board. You can create a physical vision board or digital one. Arrange your images and words on the board in a way that feels right to you. Once you’re satisfied with the layout, glue everything in place on your board. If you’re creating a digital vision board, arrange the images and words on your digital board so that it works for you. Include personal photos, quotes, and affirmations that inspire and motivate you.
Display Your Board – Place your vision board somewhere you’ll see it daily, such as your workspace or bedroom. Take a picture of it and store it on your phone, tablet, or computer. You want to make sure it’s in a place where you see it every day.
EXECUTING YOUR VISION
Now that the vision has been established. It’s time to go to work. Remember, creating a vision board is only step one in achieving your goal. You must put a system in place to achieve it.
Breakdown Your Goals into Actionable Steps – Break down your main goal into smaller milestones. For example, if your goal is to save $1,000 for your dog mom emergency fund, set milestones in $200 increments. Assign a deadline to each smaller milestone to create a sense of urgency and keep you on track. Then write down a plan with specific action steps to achieve each milestone.
Create A Financial Plan – A financial plan is essential for guiding your actions and ensuring you stay on track. Some basic components include, budgeting, savings, investing, and debt management. Each of these components should align with your financial goal in your vision board.
Track Your Progress – Tracking your progress keeps you motivated and allows you to adjust as needed while you’re working towards your goal. Utilize financial apps to track your spending, savings, and investments. Review your progress regularly, such as monthly or quarterly, to ensure you’re on track.
Celebrate Your Milestones – Celebrate when you achieve a milestone. This could be as simple as treating yourself to something small or enjoying a special outing with your dog. So many times, we get so focused on achieving the goal that we forget to embrace the journey. Celebrating your milestones helps you celebrate the journey as you work towards your goal.
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
A vision board is an opportunity to start from scratch, just like baking pupcakes. Every time you make one, you can start fresh, achieve a dream, and create a new experience. However, I’ve learned that starting from scratch takes dough. And so does having a dog. That’s why my content focuses on helping dog moms get their dough together while spending quality time with their dogs.
Sign up for the Pupcake Sugar mailing list to get Sugar’s favorite birthday pupcake recipe to try at home with your dog. It’s great for dog moms who are new to baking dog treats. We offer dog mom money tips to help you with your dough.
Now, we’d also love to hear from you. How do you execute on your vision board? Share your stories and connect with us @pupcakesugar.
Also, check out our pupcake recipe eBook, Sugar’s Dish: My Start from Scratch Story & 10 “Easy As Pupcake” Recipes to Try at Home. This eBook includes 10 beginner pupcake recipes for you to try at home with your dog.
You’ll also get a chance to step into Sugar’s world. I love my dog, Sugar, and her daily shenanigans make me laugh. So, I created an illustrated character inspired by her and her love of pupcakes. Sugar’s character is a “pupcakepreneur” that owns and operates her own pupcakery called Pupcake Sugar. It’s a tongue twister, but it’s amazing what you can create when you let your imagination lead the way.
