You may ask: what is a vision board and why would you create it?

The Reason Vision Boards Work and How to Make One., an article published by Huffington Post January 12, 2015, provides a great overview that explains what it is and how to make one of your own. The author goes on to say: "Creating a sacred space that displays what you want actually does bring it to life. What we focus on expands. When you create a vision board and place it in a space where you see it often, you essentially end up doing short visualization exercises throughout the day."

Andrea Foster

I asked Andrea Foster the following questions about her experience in creating and completing tasks o the board:

Why do you create an annual Vision board? And, how long have you done this? What type of goals did you list? And how many did you complete? Briefly, explain why the remaining were not completed. And finally, do you plan to create a vision board for 2017? If so, how far in advance of the new year will you create and finalize?

"I create an annual vision board to make a conscious effort to be more aware of and grateful for what God has done for me. I have done one for the past several years. I listed everything from having a closer relationship with God to being able to be a blessing to others to a new home to having a daughter. Most years God answered or provided everything I had listed within an accuracy of 2 or 3. I am convinced that the things He decided to delay or decline were because He knew better than I what I really needed or I wasn't ready for it or He was working on something infinitely more than I could ask or think. Yes, I will definitely create a 2017 vision board because I have learned to trust Him and wait in anticipation to see what He will do and how He uses that to develop our relationship."

Katrice McGrew

Next, I asked Katrice McGrew, new to the concept, her thoughts about creating a vision board. Her responses are listed below.

Why do you want to create a Vision board? Is this your first attempt? How did you track annual goals in the past? What was that success rate? How do you think this will help you with your future goals? What type of goals will you list? Examples. And finally, how far in advance of the new year will you create and finalize? See her response below:

"I want to create a vision board, so that I can actually see my goals. Yea, you can just write them down, but when you have a picture it makes it more real. This will be my first real attempt at doing a vision board. My first vision board was done in college for an assignment, so I didn’t really take it that seriously. In the past I tracked my goals using an Excel spreadsheet. I was averaging about 40 percent of my goals. I always give myself 10 goals per year, the ones I accomplish I replace with new goals and the ones I don’t accomplish I move them over to the new year. I think the vision board will make me more motivated to accomplish my goals. Most of my goals will have to do with my house, others will be about improving my health, financial status, and learning how to enjoy life more. I want to buy new furniture, have some ceiling fans hung in the spare bedrooms, lose about 30lbs, and save at least $1,000.00. I would also like to take a beach vacation for my 30th birthday. By nature I’m a procrastinator, so I will probably work on it the last week of the year."

And finally, I answered similar questions previously posed to both Andrea and Katrice.

How long have you done this? What do you think about the process? What type of goals did you list? And how many did you complete? Did you find this process helpful? Briefly, explain why the remaining were not completed. And finally, do you plan to create a vision board for 2017? If so, how far in advance of the New Year will you create and finalize?

"This was my first year. And, I enjoyed it. I was constantly reminded of the goals that I set for myself which motivated me to strive towards the finish line. Some of my goals included tithing, becoming active in church, participating in more and actually running in at least one marathon, and paying off debt. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete a few of my goals. I realized the debt free goal requires more time to accomplish. Debt, along with running a marathon and passing the PMP certification test will remain on my 2017 vision board. I will create a new board by December 15th."

Final thoughts, I found that my vision board was instrumental in visualizing the steps I need to complete in order to accomplish personal and career goals. I would recommend this process to all who would like to see the end-of-the-year promises come to fruition.