When you come to a crossroads in life, and you’re trying to decide what to do next, there’s a lot to consider. When midlife hits, we have a chance to hit the giant “Reset” button on our life and follow our curiosity or use our experience to create something new. When finding your purpose is on your radar; generally, there are two camps:
You can think of dozens of options for your new purpose - how do you narrow them down?
You Have no Idea What You Want Your New Purpose to be; you just know you want something different - how do you figure it out?
Vision boards, my friend!
Tap Into Your Subconscious With a Vision Board
The power of using vision boards is that you can get all of your ideas out onto something...visual! Being able to see your thoughts in image form helps solidify ideas and spark new ones.
Vision boards allow you to exercise your imagination; imagination will enable you to get unstuck, and finding purpose will be easier. The more variations of a situation you can imagine, the more clarity you’ll gain, and the easier you'll move through challenging phases in your life.
Practicing visualization will prime your brain to look for ways to turn your dreams into reality, and you'll be on your way to achieving what you visualize.
Plus - vision boards are fun!
When you look at your vision board every day, your subconscious mind works at bringing those things that you most desire into your life.
You may not have stopped to consider how easy it is for repetitive images and messages to seep into your subconscious, but it happens every day (hello advertisements!) It’s time to take the reigns and create a vision board that speaks to your soul, that lights you up, and that feeds your subconscious.
Incorporate looking at your vision board part of your daily routine. If you create a physical collage, put it somewhere prominent to see it throughout your day. If you create a digital board, view it when you wake up, and before you go to bed, the more often, the better.
Add Power Phrases & Affirmations to Increase The Impact
Take your vision board to the next level by adding power phrases such as:
You’ve got this!
This is your future
Yes, I Can!
Dream Big
When you look at your vision board and every image resonates with you, and then you add empowering words to the mix, you automatically elevate your energy - try it!
Pros and Cons of Physical Versus Digital
There are pros and cons to each method of vision board creation. I prefer digital boards for their convenience, but there is no one correct answer.
There are many vision board apps, and this article lists 11 for you to consider.
The one that I LOVE is Pinterest, which is free to use and very interactive. They’ve taken the vision board idea and run with it in a big way. I like using Pinterest because, as you collect images, you receive suggestions in your feed, which helps you fine-tune your ideas and create a robust board. You can also create more than one board, so if you want one for your family life and want a separate one for encore entrepreneurship ideas, you've got it.
Pinterest boards can also be hidden so you can have an account with public boards, and you can add private boards for your eyes only.
How to Create Your Vision Board
What to do When You Have Too Many Life Purpose Ideas
This was me!
It may sound like a good problem to have, but it’s maddening!
I suggest creating a board for each; this will help you separate the ideas and expand on them. As you explore each idea on a deeper level, you will begin to see that some aren’t as ideal as you first imagined. Don’t delete the board or your ideas, though! Discovering your purpose is a process, and you may identify similar aspects of each that point to a deeper truth for you. Everything you do while on your journey to finding purpose is valuable and may come in handy later on; consider it research.
What to do When You Have No Life Purpose Ideas
Vision boards are made for this scenario!
Let your imagination run wild and add anything to your vision board that piques your interest. Do this for at least a week, then try to identify any patterns. When you add images and power words to your board, you will feel specific energy with each; which images and words elicit the deepest and most exciting energy? Those are clues to what is pulling at your soul.
Don’t try to rush yourself!
As mentioned before, discovering your purpose is a process. You’re digging into your feelings and the energy that your vision board gives you. This might be new territory for you, and if it is, allow yourself to sit with it for as long as you need to before taking the next step.
When you're ready to dive in and discover the purpose of your life, I've got many resources to help you in your journey. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Discovering Your Life Purpose After 40, or head over to the Midlife to Best Life Resource Center for more information.