Getting unstuck with vision boarding

Over the past couple years I have been feeling stuck on my job. We do not see these statements on LinkedIn very often. We see promotions, progressions, new accolades and we wonder what the heck is wrong with us… Well, I certainly did.

I felt like I had reached the peak of productivity thanks to my on-the-job training, taking every learning and development opportunity out there and simply by doing the work, day in and day out. I got great at it and got stellar performance reviews. Yet I felt like I wasn’t progressing at the pace that I thought was commensurate to my effort, drive and yes… ambition. I felt stuck!

The thing about feeling stuck is that it spills over onto other stuff and permeates every aspect of one’s life. You get fixated on that one thing and feel deflated and unmotivated to look elsewhere.?

Through one of my coaching conversations, I committed to making my own vision board. Why not? I have done this exercise for multiple organizations, my direct reports and others, so why not for me?

I picked up the first random magazine that I would have otherwise recycled, and started flipping through the pages, I started spotting words, phrases, pictures that resonated with me, even if the context was different.?

Clip, clip, clip ?? and there was my “I am here now” that I pinned to the center of my vision board. What do I appreciate about my present self? It’s easy to say “nothing” when you are feeling stuck. Think again. Have you had any lessons learnt? Proud moments? Cool lived experiences? Solid relationships? Personal story ?? that makes you unique? Own it - you worked hard to get there!?

Next, zoom out. Where do you want to go from here? Are there any other places to channel your creativity, productivity, critical thinking [fill in the blanks], other than your immediate job? What are you going to do about it? And How? What are the values you’d like to stay intact as you venture out? How would they guide you? Would your kids be proud (hence, “Model your behavior” cut out, I added “for your kids” as it was important to me)? Your parents? Your friends? Does it make you feel authentic to who you are?

For me, the result of vision boarding was getting unstuck, decoupling my identity from my job, and looking elsewhere. And reaffirming what was important to me. Note that you may not need to change things drastically, you can start seeing them in a different light ?? and with renewed energy.?

If this resonated, please reach out, comment, share. And do not hesitate to contact me if you need coaching help or vision board facilitation for your team or organization, I love helping people to get unstuck ??!