Using Your Vision Board as a Tool for Reflection

Sometimes in life we start out on a path with a particular set of goals and ideals for our lives and we think we know exactly where we want to end up. However, as many of us are finding out things can happen that you least expect that makes you reconsider not only what you thought you wanted but also who you thought you were.

COVID-19 had everyone thrown for a loop these days. Many of us are finding that we are most grateful that we are alive in the face of a pandemic that has taken so many. We are also realizing that how we have been spending that life might not be the way we want to continue spending it.

Being hit in the face with the reality that there is an invisible killer out there that could hit us unexpectedly really has a way of making us look deeper. Also, many of us have realized the careers and businesses that we had been trying so hard to build have come to a screeching halt. We are home more than ever and the escapes from ourselves no longer exists to distract us from who we are.

It has been a time of tremendous depression for some and a period of renewal and rebirth for others, and for most a bit of both. In the beginning I was definitely in the depressed camp but learning to appreciate the extra time to create and reflect on my life and my journey has given me new life.

One of the tools that I’ve been using for reflection are my old vision boards. It’s been a few years since I made this last vision board so I guess another one is long overdue. When I made it I tried to encapsulate the things that mattered to me most and how I wanted to live my life.

Empowering black women in Africa, South America, and here in the US is my passion and nothing gives me a greater sense of fulfillment than knowing that I made a difference in someone’s life. That’s why I started the Mercedes Parra Foundation.

Travel is also another passion of mine. I want to grow old happily living life to the fullest as a digital nomad, blogging all the way! LOL

Tracee Ellis Ross is my muse. I just love her fierceness so she definitely had to get a spot on the board. Her persona encapsulates so much of how I want to live my life and how I want to be perceived. I asked myself, have I been living up to this example and if not where have I fallen short. Yes. I can say I’ve definitely made some strides to bring out my inner Tracee. However, through this reflection, I also see where there are gaps that need to be filled in. I made a list of the personal development goals that I want to work on in my planner and mapped out steps that I’m going to take reach them.

Also, when I made this vision board I was all about my mac cosmetics and I was constantly taking selfies. I’ve calmed down a bit with both. I’m still a bit of a selfie junkie but it’s not as bad as it used to be. LOL

These days, I focus a lot more on natural beauty. Not that I don’t still love makeup but it’s extremely important to me that I look my best with or without it. I’m in the house all day most days and the only time people see me is when I go out for a walk or jump on a Zoom. I’m definitely not trying to pile on a bunch of makeup for either. Plus, I’m looking at myself in the mirror several times a day when I go in the bathroom. I want to like the reflection looking back at me. In essence, I’m more concerned with how I see myself than how others see me.

I combed over every element of the board like this, asking questions, making notes, and writing out my successes and failures, as well as developing action plans to improve my being and my life.

Many of us have more time than ever on our hands. How we use that time can completely change the trajectory of our lives. I’m primarily using the time to develop health routines so that I can reinvent my body, improving my fitness and overall wellness, learning new skills, and focusing on growing my business. What are you doing with this time?

Looking back on my vision board like this was both a cathartic and fun way to reflect. It helped me see clearly see where I was, where I am, and where I want to go. It also helped me think through how I plant to get there by sparking questions within my mind that I don’t think would have been there without the visual representation the board provided.

There are definitely things I’d change about this vision board if I did it now so creating another one is going to be one of my COVID-19 wellness exercises for the coming month.