I have a question for you: do you think you need to readjust your vision for 2020?

As we approached this year, I remember thinking how cool the sound of 2020 was. I love the 20 + 20 look. Plus, 20/20 is perfect vision.

 

Visualize Your Success Through Vision Boards

Recently, I pulled out my 2020 vision board and realized that many of my aspirations for the year are happening. How about that?

For those of you not familiar with creating a vision board, here’s one way to approach it. Take a few magazines and look for words and images that represent what you would like to happen.

Cut out the words and images and paste on a poster board. Now you have a vision board. (You also search for photos and images online and print out what you like.)

According to a survey of over 1,600 people conducted by TD Bank, “those who create a vision board (or a less formally organized collection of images and photos) that relate to their goals are almost twice as confident they’ll achieve them than those who don’t visualize their goals in some way.”

 

Here are some words and phrases from my 2020 vision board that are manifesting in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Perhaps you can relate to one or more of them.

 

“Broaden Horizons”

I knew when I created the vision board that I wanted to expand my business beyond the Denver Metro area. Yet, I hadn’t quite figured out how that would happen.

Then by wonderful serendipity I connected with an international organization that was looking for a LinkedIn trainer.

After doing two large group trainings via Zoom in April, I provided personal tutoring for some of the members of the group. They were all from states other than Colorado.

In June, a Colorado business colleague asked me to present on LinkedIn to her team. All her team members who attended live in states other than Colorado.

The upshot is that in a few short months, my horizons have expanded dramatically.

What about you?

Have you been wanting to expand your horizons? In what ways have you used virtual tools like Zoom to help you serve people who live outside of your geographical area?

 

“Focus”

Ever notice on a Zoom meeting when people’s minds start to wander? You can feel their focus moving away from what’s going on in the meeting.

I’ve found that over these past few months of “Zooming” that I’ve disciplined myself to stay focused. When I attend a virtual gathering, I bring all of attention, my energy, my focus—everything—to the experience.

Further, when I facilitate any of these gatherings, I remind the attendees to do the same. We need to be present for each other, which involves being focused.

Admittedly, it’s not easy to stay focused during a virtual meeting. Need some help? Check out Sarah Gershman’s insightful article, “Can’t Stay Focused During Virtual Meetings: Here Are 5 Tips to Help.”

What about you?

How do you stay focused in virtual meetings? When you are the facilitator of one of these meetings, what practices do you follow to help attendees stay focused and engaged?

 

“Growth”

Ever find yourself feeling stagnant or complacent? Since our activities outside our homes are restricted, we may feel that we are stuck in a rut.

Growth is all about mindset. So, if you want to grow, you need to seek opportunities to challenge yourself.

One way I’ve grown this summer is by being a guest on some podcasts. Each one of these interviews was a growth experience for me. For example, after watching myself in the video of the first podcast, I learned to adjust my style of speaking in the next podcast. In the first one, my words trailed off at the end of many of my sentences. So, I made a point to end each sentence powerfully in the next podcast.

How about you?

Do you believe you have a growth mindset? Or is growing or changing a challenge for you? Psychologist Carol Dweck coined the phrases “fixed mindset” and “growth mindset” to describe underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence. Here’s a link to one of her many articles on this topic https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 45 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.