7 Steps to Create Your Vision Map for 2016

 

What’s Your Vision for 2016? Follow these 7 steps to find out!

 

Step #1: Find a quiet place for 1-3 hours for this exercise.

 

Set aside about 1-3 hours for this exercise. Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for that duration, preferably in a space where you feel you can be as authentic as possible. Turn your phone to silent mode and put it away where you won’t be distracted by it. Let your family members or housemates know not to disturb you during this time.

 

You may also light a candle or some incense to create a more relaxing atmosphere.

 

 

Step #2: Visualise the 2016 you would like to have.

 

Give your imagination the permission to wander freely. Adopt either a sitting position or lying down, and let your eyes close (Ensure that you’re not too comfortable, or you may doze off during this exercise!). Focus on your breathing — inhale creativity and vitality, exhale any tension or worry. Allow your entire body to relax by imagining soothing waves spreading over your entire body from the top of your head, down your neck and over your torso, all the way through to your feet and out the tips of your toes.

 

When you feel completely relaxed, bring yourself some time into the future, 1, 2 or 5 years from now. See yourself in the various spaces of your life — your home, your workplace, your favourite spots, traveling, etc. For each of these places, notice what is around you: How large or small is the space? What colors, textures and smells do you sense? What is the energy of the space like? Are you alone or are others with you? Who are they and what are they doing? What impact do you have on them?

 

Allow yourself to connect with what brings you the most joy and fulfilment. What do you truly enjoy? What values do you honour in the various aspects of your life? How would you like to create your life in the coming years, months, or even weeks? Stay in this space for as long as you like (without falling asleep), and allow yourself to take in more details and fully experience the feelings and sensations of living this life. Know that it is a reflection of who you are, and your values, voice and vision.

 

When you’re ready, slowly come back to the present time. Remember that you can always re-visit your vision whenever you wish.

 

 

Step #3: Journal your experience.

 

Take a moment to journal about what you’ve experienced. Either in free flow writing or doodling or both, record in as much detail as you can remember, including the images, colors, sensations and emotions. If you’re working on this exercise with a partner, feel free to take turns to share your respective visualisation. Use these questions to deepen your exploration:

 

- What was the experience like?

- What did you notice at various aspects of your visualisation?

- How did you feel about the experience?

 

If you don’t like visualisations, here’s an alternative exercise (combination of Steps #2 — #3):

 

Set a timer for 10 minutes. During this time, allow yourself to journal freestyle where you see your life in the future. Keep writing or drawing nonstop, and if you get stuck, quickly shake your whole body and carry on journalling. When the timer rings, look over what you just recorded.

 

What surprises you? What excites you? Where can you further develop it?

 

 

Step #4: Bring your vision to life with a collage.

 

Materials need:

- Magazines, photographs, junk mail, catalogues, marketing materials that inspire you.

- Glue (a glue stick would do just fine, but you can also use tape)

- Scissors

- A surface to collage on - foam board, large piece of sturdy paper or cardboard, poster board

 

Set a time limit of 10 minutes and go through the magazines to find images or words that evoke what you experienced in your vision or journalling. Cut or tear out pictures and words that speak to you somehow, that resonate with you emotionally. Don’t edit yourself, just keep cutting. You can always keep any extras in an envelope for another time.

 

 

Step #5: Organise the images in a way that has meaning to you.

 

After the 10 minutes are up, sort through your collected images and start grouping them. Arrange them to tell the story of your future. Allow yourself to organise the clippings in any way that feel right to you. You may create categories of your own,  or let your images naturally organise themselves in an arrangement that has meaning to you.

 

Don’t worry if you had certain words in mind and couldn’t find clippings of them. You can always write them or doodle them with a sharpie later on.

 

 

Step #6: When you’re ready, glue the images down.

 

You can start to glue or tape the images onto the collage surface once you have a feel for the flow. Feel free to use a Sharpie to doodle and write on your collage, or to highlight certain key things, or even just to decorate any part of your visual map. As long as it feels right to you, go for it!

 

 

Step #7: Put your map in a place where you can see it every day.

 

Because this map is your guide for the year, put it up in a place where you will see it daily. Use it to hold yourself to the path you intended to walk on, especially during times you may take a wrong turn or get distracted from your vision.

 

Remember that nothing is set in stone, and that we are constantly changing. If there are parts of your vision map that no longer resonate with you as the year goes by, you can always edit the map where applicable. The wonderful thing about collages is that adding on to it is easy, and you can simply paste new clippings on top of the images that are no longer relevant to you.

 

 

 

Have fun creating your Vision Map for 2016! Share it with your friends, and encourage them to try creating one for themselves too!

 

 

My Vision Map for 2016: "Making Your Art Work with Love, Possibilities and Gratitude"