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How to set and visualize goals for the New Year

If you want your business to succeed, you’ve likely started to set your goals for the new year. Maybe you want to increase your revenue, hire more staff, or renovate your shop or office. Maybe, on a more personal level, you want to have more days off or decrease the hours you’re working to improve your family life.

We focus on these goals most at the beginning of the year, when resolutions and plans are a hot topic. But an estimated 80% of people who make New Year’s resolutions will fail by the middle of February. When we get back to work after the holidays, we often fall back into the same hustle and bustle and forget about all our plans for improving ourselves and our businesses. That’s why being able to visualize your goals in a more tangible way can help you stay on track. Vision boards are one way to do that.

You may have heard vision boards mentioned before — they’re a popular goal-setting tool. Oprah is one of several celebrities to praise the method, and the research backs up their claim. Psychology Today researchers have found that visualization is a very powerful method for reaching your goals, and Forbes reported that business owners who used vision boards were more likely to achieve their goals.

Simply put, a vision board is a collage of images and text that helps you visualize what meeting your goals will look like. For example, a common goal you might set is to travel more. So, to visualize the success of that goal, your vision board may include pictures of the places you want to see.

How to make a vision board

Now that you know what a vision board is and how it can help you stay on track to meeting your goals, it’s time to get started building your own.

1. Set your goals

   The first and most important step to make a vision board for yourself or your business is to lay out your goals! Think about your short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. What do you want to achieve by the end of Q1? What do you want to have achieved by this time next year?

2. Imagine success

   Once you have your goals in mind, start thinking about what your life will look like if you succeed. If your goal is to work fewer hours and spend more time with family, maybe success looks like a family trip, or even just regular get-togethers. If your goal is to upgrade your workspace, maybe success looks like a new building or new equipment.

3. Gather materials

   Now that you have the image of success, gather your materials! For a paper vision board, you’ll want a corkboard, magnetic board, poster board, or another place for you to pin up your images and text. You can cut pictures out of magazines, print online pictures, or even take some yourself. You can write down words that are significant to your goals or find motivational quotes online. Hang the pictures in a way that makes sense to you and inspires you to think of your goals, then keep the board in a place you’ll see it often.

   If you’re tech-savvy, you may prefer a digital vision board. You can use sites like Canva or Pinterest to gather and save pictures and quotes that represent your goals and assemble them into a digital collage or board. If you choose the digital route, consider making your vision board your computer or phone background, so you’re sure to see it often and be reminded of your goals.

Using your vision board

For your vision board to be as useful as possible, make sure to refer to it often. Look at it every day or every time you need a little inspiration. Your vision board can help you remember what steps to take and why you want to make those steps. Let the pictures and words remind you what success means to you.

If you still find it difficult to stay on track with your goals or need help determining what goals you should set for your business, Padgett can help! You can find a mentor who understands you and your business and can offer personalized advice and assistance with your tax and accounting needs. Find a location near you today!