Better Than A Vision Board
Why I believe Debbie Millman’s 10 Year Plan is Better Than a Vision Board to Create a Remarkable Life
Vision boards are all the rage these days, way more popular than “creating a 10 year plan”. Plans just sounds so strategic, and well…boring. Joined with the fact that there are so many top actors, athletes and business people that swear by vision boards, it is easy to understand their mass appeal.
I have two boards myself; one that I created only a few months ago, and one from a “Vision Board Party” that I attended several years back that I have been grateful to see come into fruition.
You may be wondering, if I have seen these visions begin to manifest in my life why would I not continue on the Vision Board Train?
Vision boards are amazing…but if you don’t have a vision then where do you begin? Also, if you don’t see the vision you have for your life in the pages of the magazines you have acquired, then what can you paste on the board?
It is with this reasoning that I find vision boards to be limiting for the beginner looking to design their future.
With vision boards, a trip to a craft and/or bookstore is usually required, and these days physical magazines are a bit harder to come by as the world is digital and paperless. I was lucky with the last vision board I created, the issue of the beauty magazine that I found at my mom’s house was specifically on health and wellness – it matched perfectly with my goal of becoming diving certified and also of starting a vacation services for momma’s here in The Bahamas.
If I had not been so fortunate with finding my vision board pictures, I would have resorted to looking online for inspirational photos. The plus side of looking for your pictures online is that you can customize your images, the internet has an endless supply of images. If you have a Pinterest account, now is the perfect time to scroll through your boards. I bet you have all the inspiration you need right there!
The downside is that you then have to print everything yourself, and that can end up being another added expense as well as a hassle if you do not have a printer in your home. I personally prefer the look of the glossy magazine pages.
What I have found to be a great alternative (and a fantastic counterpart) to a vision board is a 10 year plan!
Now, before your eyes glaze over, let me explain the 10 year plan that I am talking about, this is not some dry plan or anything that resembles a financial break-down…although those are wise too.
The plan that I am referring to specifically is Debbie Millman’s “Your 10 Year Plan for a Remarkable Life”. I first became aware of Debbie Millman and her remarkable plan in 2017 while listening to a podcast episode of The Tim Ferriss Show.
In the episode she explains how this simple exercise has been used to transform her life as well as many of the students that she shared the exercise with during her time as a teacher.
The best part of the 10 year plan is that it requires no supplies, except for paper and a pen!
So grab a notebook and let’s get started answering Debbie Millman’s questions!
To start write down today’s date 10 years into the future. For example, I am writing this post on April 9th, 2019, so if I were doing the exercise today I would be envisioning what my day will be like on April 9th, 2029. Or if you want to be slightly more general, Spring 2029.
Hint: It’s beneficial to read through the questions in their entirety first so that you can start to get your imagination going rather than going at them 1-by-1.
You are not going through every question as if this was a questionnaire. Do I have pets? Yes or no. Do I have a car? Yes or no?
Take the time to let the questions sink in. If you know you do not care for pets then there is no need to include any mention of them in your 10 year plan. What you want to do is imagine in your dream world/ ideal future every aspect of your day from the moment you wake up until you go to bed that night.
Do not be too hard on yourself if you cannot answer a lot of the questions right now. When I first listened to the podcast episode in 2017 I did not have an answer to a single question other than knowing that I wanted to live by the water…and I was already living by the water.
It may take you several months or even a year or more and lots of soul searching to get your dream life plan in order. It will take you thinking outside of societal norms and really evaluating where you find joy.
I re-did this exercise a month ago and my dream day is so jam packed with goals that I have for my future that I view as achievable and as a part of my dream life. My personal legend even. It is really exciting to see how much more focus I have achieved in the last two years – especially since 2018 was a really tough one for me personally.
Ok, no more gabbing, it’s time to write.
Ready, set, GO! Start Your 10 Year Plan.
(If you want to hear it from Debbie herself via Tim’s podcast click here, from the 1:31:31 – 1:34:20 mark.)
What does your life look like?
What are you doing?
Where are you living?
Who are you living with?
Do you have pets?
What kind of house are you in?
Is it an apartment are you in the city are you in the country?
What does your furniture look like?
What is your bed like?
What are your sheets like?
What kind of clothes do you wear?
What kind of hair do you have?
Tell me about your pets, tell me about your significant other, do you have children?
Do you have a car?
Do you have a boat?
Talk about your career.
What do you want?
What are you reading?
What are you making?
What excites you?
What is your health like?
And write this day, this one day ten years from now. So one day in the winter of 2027, what does your whole day look like?
Start from the minute you wake up, brush your teeth, have your coffee or tea, all the way through until minute you tuck yourself in at night.
What is that day like for you?
Dream big, dreams without any fear. Write it all down. You don’t have to share it with anyone other than yourself. Put your whole heart into it. And write like there is no tomorrow; write like your life depends on it because it does.
And then read it, once a year, and see what happens.
It’s magic.
And, it really is magic!
To help you even further, I want to share the updated plan that I created this year in February. I created it with the Notes section in my phone which let it sync to my laptop. I also rewrote it in my journal – you know in case we have some weird wifi-mageddon and lose the use of our fancy gadgets.
My 10 Year Plan to a Remarkable Life
February 23rd, 2029
By 7 a.m., I am already back from my morning workout and have showered.
You make your way downstairs a little after 8. I’m enjoying my coffee and answering a few emails from persons inquiring about the next Eleuthera retreat.
I make a note to call our property manager in Eleuthera. As well as to check in with the director of The Island School as Judah has been offered a scholarship there for his continued interest in recycling and agriculture.
I stop working to sit and take in breakfast with you – I made it myself but our hired help will be in by 9 a.m. to help to tidy up. I listen attentively to your plans and tease you that you are too old to work so much. I’m only joking. You’re so lively. And we are both excited for yet another 3 month vacay in Costa Rica.
You know I’m serious about it if I’m posting my ‘mom bod’ on the interwebz!
I’ve kept my hair short and have gotten a little more tanned and muscular from all the days filled with dragging kayaks, paddle-boards and diving gear from my Jeep to the beach and back.
Before I leave the breakfast table we read our devotional. I head upstairs to get ready. I have a few meetings with schools informing me of the continued success of the “Art For All” after school therapy programs and a quick stop into The Bahamas Crisis Center before grabbing a late lunch with Nicki.
I tell her I’ll see her later. Gotta head home for a little “me time” before our jam session.
We have a relaxed gathering that night at our place. Seafood and veggie grill-out. We watch a beautiful sunset and enjoy views of the ocean. Then we just chill and make music. After a decade of practice, I am more than comfortable on my guitar and a damn fine hummer (inside joke) .
By 11 we are wrapped in each other’s arms in bed.
Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?
And, I’m sure you agree that this process is much more detailed than just mindlessly gluing some pictures on a board.
In the short amount of time since I created this outline, I have seen how having this dream written down and available to reflect on has changed the way I make decisions and how I plan.
One example of this is that a few weeks ago I saw a sponsored post for a preparatory boarding school in Florida that takes kids once they reach middle school. I had never thought about boarding school before for Judah, but a part of me immediately thought, would this school coincide with the 10 year plan?
Also recently, a friend asked me if I had ever thought about living in Canada. I considered it for a minute, but unless it’s only for a part of the year, it does not fit in with my 10 year plan.
Conclusion
Obviously, plans change and life happens. Debbie Millman’s 10 year plan won’t set your life in stone (if only it were that easy), but it does help you to create a detailed blue-print and discover your non-negotiables.
And that may friend is a step in the right direction.
I really hope that you give this affirmation exercise a try. If you do I’d love to hear your feedback!