Two of the most powerful questions when you’re starting or growing a soulful business are these:
Why? and What?
Why are you on this journey? Why are you in business?
What do you want to create? Be? Have? Do?
Once you’ve got some solid answers, getting visuals on them and surrounding yourself with positive reminders of your dreams is one of the most valuable practical magics there is.
You’ve probably heard of a vision board, or dream board, by now.
In essence, you are creating a collage or group of images that relate to what you’re creating
Let’s say that you want to build a tiny home on 5 acres out in Montana, looking out at the mountains.
You’d search through magazines and online to print and cut out photos of what you want the house to look like, the view, the landscape, the construction process, everything. You could even photoshop yourself doing some building or enjoying some coffee on your tiny houses’ tiny front porch.
This way, whenever you look at your board you’re constantly reminded of why you’re on the phone with people who are selling lumber, and you’re infused with a sense of accomplishment and peace when you imagine yourself enjoying that coffee.
It’s about the feelings, the actual things, and the reason you’re doing it.
This is where a lot of soulful business owners make a vital mistake.
They only create a lifestyle board.
The beach photo with a laptop and surfboard. The photoshopped pic next to the Eiffel Tower. The fancy house and designer clothes. The first class plane tickets and front-cover magazine articles.
Okay, so you’re on the beach, you’re surfing, you’re in France, you’re in a fancy house with fancy clothes, and you’re on the cover of a magazine.
How are you serving the world, again?
What happened to that luxury linens business you were trying to create? Where are all of your fitness clients at? How are you doing group coaching calls from First Class?
It’s all well and good to want to create luxury.
You’re worth whatever your deepest desires are.
But I’m pretty sure you mentioned something about helping people and creating a better world along the way.
When you take out the soul work, the rest of the picture falls flat.
[bctt tweet=”When you take out the soul work, the rest of the picture falls flat” username=”lausprinkle”]
Because you’re here, reading my blog, I know that you’re a passionate, heart-centered person. So it amazes me when you leave out your gifts for helping your customers and clients from your vision.
Of course you want to create a combination board with lifestyle and business (unless you have a larger business with employees – then creating a company board would be AWESOME!).
You should include the surfing and the trips and the home you’re going to live in.
But make sure you’re including why you’re doing it in the first place.
I don’t coach clients and create programs for them so that I can live in a mansion or even to build a tiny house. That’s not my soul-reason for doing my work.
So if you want to create a vision board that actually works, include all of these:
- What do you want to have? What luxuries would you like to have, big or small?
Include all the gadgets and homes and clothing and luxuries to your soul’s content. Your desires are desiring you!
- Who do you want to be with? Who are the people in your life?
Don’t forget the people and relationships in your life. If you create a vision board with planes, mansions, and beaches… well, let’s just say you might end up enjoying those alone.
- What do you want to do? How do you want to serve?
Include your soul work in this as well as your play. Do you want to travel the world while writing a fashion blog? Do you want to be on every major news station for writing a best-selling novel? Include the work, include the play.
- Who are your customers and clients?
Who are the souls you’re serving? This is a fantastic place to dream about the qualities that your ideal clients have.
- How do you want to feel?
While you might want to include pictures of words, you can also come up with a list and make sure that the images you’re putting on your board evoke those feelings within you.
I recommend writing out a list of all your answers, then you can get to work creating your Vision Board (That Actually Works). If all of these questions at once feel really daunting, then start with the next 6 months. Once you get the hang of it, you can dream bigger and farther out.
Here’s to you + your big dreams.
In love and guts,
xo Laura
