Learning to GROW

What are your ideas? What inspires you? How can you make your dreams a reality?

We need to GROW!

GROW is about setting GOALS, seeing if they are based in REALITY, exploring our OPTIONS to make them happen and finding the WILL to get it done.

Doesn’t that sound easy?

So, let’s start by seeing what your GOAL is. What would your goal look like if you achieved it? Describe it in as much detail as possible. How will you feel, look, think, talk and work once it’s a reality?

Visualise it. Live it.

Now let’s look at the REALITY of it. What do you need to help you make it happen? You have the idea and with grit and determination, you will find the resources. What are the obstacles? What have you done about it so far?

Rate the REALITY out of ten. If it’s eight or above, you’re on the right path. Anything less, you might need to look at that GOAL again.

Okay, time to brainstorm.

What are the different ways you could approach this? What resources do you need? What OPTIONS will give you the most satisfaction?

What else? What else? WHAT ELSE?

Push yourself. Drain every last drop of inspiration from your mind.

When we have an idea or dream, we might not want to share it. By sharing, you are creating awareness and taking responsibility. People will know. This can give you the WILL to succeed.

Look at the OPTIONS and choose the best one. (It will be an eight or more out of ten!) Break it down into small steps and spend 30 minutes a day on it.

Thirty minutes a day is thirty minutes to GROW an new reality.

This is something you have to give a bit of time and thought to. What do you respond to best: words, images or a mixture of both? In our digitised world, there is probably an app for that but an app is something you have to make the effort to open and can be ignored whereas a physical board is not so easy to avoid.

So here are my quick tips for creating a vision board. If you want more detail, keep scrolling:

Visual reminders or pokes in the eye of your map of future plans and goals.
Be realistic. Break big goals into smaller chunks.
Make your vision board make you happy.
Failure is learning. Learning is growing.
If you’ve learned something, you’ve already succeeded. We rarely make the same mistake twice.
Use words, people or slogans to motivate yourself. ‘just do it!’
Location, location, location. Don’t hide your vision board away.
Celebrate your success. It’s good for your brain.

A Vision board is about having something to look at to remind us of our goals. We are pretty much setting up a map for our future plans. When we look at photos of holidays we have taken, we feel a physical and emotional sensation brought up by the associated memory. We want to visualise our plans and goals and feel the emotions that will go with them. This could be crossing the finish line of a 10km, getting that promotion or learning a new skill.
It’s great to go big but try and be realistic. If your plan is to run a marathon having never run for a bus, start smaller. Decide on a 5km race and stick up your race number once you’re done. That will spur you on to the 10km which is next on your board and keep going and motivating yourself with your previous successes.
Make sure your Vision Board is bringing the joy. Are the ideas and plans working towards a happier you? Although quitting your job and starting your own business might seem amazing, be sure it is going to bring you joy in the long-term.
Be ready for failure. Failure just means you’ve learned something you didn’t know before. This could be that you need more time before running that 10km or that you’ve learned you enjoy spending money on things you enjoy than saving it all for a rainy day. Change your focus and set a new plan or goal with this new knowledge. We all fall but getting up is what helps us move on and be better at this game called life. Motivation is key. Just like Nike tell you to get out there and ‘Just Do It’, you need to find your own internal cheer squad. What inspires you? If it’s a person, put up there name or photo. If it’s an expression, quote or slogan, write or stick that up too. Then, when you need the motivation, read the words, look at the image or see the script.
Decide where you are going to put your vision board. It has to be somewhere you will see it on a daily basis such as your kitchen, bedroom or study. It could always go right beside the TV as that would definitely be seen. The size of your vision board and what it’s made of is up to you: corkboard, magnetic, whiteboard, chalkboard or heavy-duty cardboard all work.
How will you celebrate your successes? How will you use your goals achieved? It’s important to revel in the moment and enjoy the feeling that comes with doing what you set out to do. That way, when you look back on that goal you achieved, you can draw on that emotion to know that you’ve done it once and you can do it again. Yes, you can.