Have A Vision For Where You Want To Go: #Blog4Biz

#Blog4biz Day 4: BRAVE Communication LLC Vision Board 

Today's challenge was to create a vision board based on my business goals. I have never heard of a vision board before so I had to look it up. The concept of a vision board came out of the Law of Attraction principle. Basically, like attracts like.

A vision board is a compilation of pictures. According the tutorial I found, you are supposed to browse images online, in magazines, and newspapers. Choose pictures that speak to you about a subject--in this case business goals--and then compile them on a board. Success driven people have used vision boards as a way of visualizing the future they want to have.

As a business, BRAVE Communication exists to provide relevant affordable communications skills training, coaching, and strategies to individuals and small to mid-size organizations.

To make it simple, I used ClipArt for all of my images. As I began to browse I discovered a couple of things.

1. I could have spent  ALL day choosing images for my board.

2. When your vision is clear in your own head, finding images is easy.

3. This was FUN!

My OVERALL business goals are simple

• to ignite BRAVE action in my clients
• to speak, educate/train, and coach others on and about communication skill tools
• to grow my business to accommodate the millions of ideas in my head
• to travel the world doing what I love

Of course I have small goals like launch the blog on August 1, 2013, develop my video based content , network to build my community presence. But I chose to use the general business goals for my board.

I also choose to sprinkle my board with words that matter to me and my business. You will notice that the 4 largest words on my board are BRAVE, RESPECT, LISTEN, and BALANCE.

BRAVE

We can all learn good communication skills but it takes someone being BRAVE to implement the skills you learn. Without implementation it is like being an overweight personal trainer. The trainer has studied and  knows what to do to be in good health, but knowing it does him/her no good if that knowledge isn't applied. I have found the difference between knowing and doing is BRAVERY. You just have to be BRAVE enough to do what you know.

RESPECT

Respect is the foundational for all communication. I don't teach these skills to aid you in manipulating others or giving them the impression that you respect them when you really don't. BRAVE communicators use respect as the launch pad for their interactions.

"I respect you because you are a human being. Therefore I will learn ways  respectful ways to interact with other human beings" has to be the attitude.

LISTEN

Listening is almost a lost art. We think we listen but we don't. We are usually just on pause until it is our turn to talk again. Listening opens the door to understanding. Understanding opens the door for clarity. With clarity you can make choices. With choices you can make decisions.

BALANCE

All communication skills aren't appropriate in all situations. Sometimes you need to mix and mingle your skills. This takes strategy and practice. Balance also refers to balancing bravery, respect, and listening into the smooth beverage of connectedness.

What do you think about some of the points I made here as I explained my visions board?

Word count:594

The Living BRAVE blog re-launches on Aug 1, 2013. During July, however, I accepted the #Blog4Biz daily business blogging challenge. The challenge is designed to help business owners focus on certain aspects of blogging that will expand their skill, boost creativity, and focus their message. Initially, I wasn't going to publicly share my posts, but as I started writing these posts, I saw the value in sharing...and some of this stuff is really good!  If you want to join the challenge, click here.