So 2018 is almost round the corner and as we prepare to celebrate the new year it is the time that we usually create New Year's resolutions. I have made so many and have broken more.Two years ago I made my first Vision board that was primarily centered on my career. I had it as the wallpaper of my laptop and every time I booted up it was the first thing that I saw.

There have been times that I got frustrated. Plans get derailed and even goals change and don't be afraid to change your vision board as needed. Do not think you failed because you were not able to achieve it or that you changed it.

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So what is a Vision Board? Well it is a visual representation of your goals, hopes and dreams. It is your aspirations and what you want your life to be. It is the things that you want to achieve given enough time, patience and work.

It is usually compromised by nine quadrants with you or your main goal at the center and the rest would either be its enablers or other goals and dreams that you are after. The first quadrant is usually associated with Prosperty, next would be Fame, Love, Family or Physical Health, Creativity or Projects, Self-improvement, Business or Career and Travel. Yet feel free to move it around or if you don't have those aspirations then you are not forced to put them.

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Vision boards became the rage during 2009 when both the movie and the book "The Secret" came out. It tackled the idea of Law of Attraction wherein a person who focuses on either the positive or negative thoughts will attract the subsequent positive or negative experience or outcome.

It emphasis the idea that we are beings of energy and the kind of energy we give off will be returned to us. One of my boss before was fond of saying whatever you put out to the universe, the universe gives it back to you two folds. So when you visualize success and achieving it then your mind and body accepts it as the truth and your actions will strive to make it a reality. Negative thinking and limiters are to be eliminated as you bombard yourself with affirmations and a can and will do attitude.

It has been branded as a Pseudo-Science without any empirical basis because they believe that it is very subjective and cannot be adequately measured. It is like faith which cannot be explained or quantified as well but we often see its positive effect on people.

I used to bowl when I was in highschool and you were taught how to put a spin on a bowling ball so that it will hit the pins and maximize the effect of having all pins fall down. You are taught to plot out the trajectory of your ball. You visualize it, your mind pictures all the pins falling, your muscles flex and remembers the motion and you release the ball willing it to the trajectory in your head. Then crash! all pins are down for a strike!

Same when doing a free throw in basketball. A player would go to the free throw line, closes his eyes and go through his shooting motion. One fluid motion, he opens his eyes and receive the ball, dribbles once, twice and as the mind, body, energy and will synchronize the ball is released and swoosh it is in!

When we visualize something we give it power and will. We make it a construct of reality to us. This is why in DC comics The Green Lantern Corp is one of the most powerful because their Will power makes what they envision as the reality. When they are eaten up by fear then their belief in their will disappears and without will they will fail.

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So how do we get started? These are the steps I did when I created my vision board before and the vision board I created for 2018.

SIX STEP PROCESS:

A. Create a list of things you want to accomplish for 2018. It would be helpful if you can concentrate and really think on your goals. Meditating and silence works, some people need music or the TV blaring on the background so whatever works for you. The list is important to get you on track.

B. Once you have your list look for images, words, pictures, your own drawings or mementos that would invoke and signify these goals. It can be as literal as that car that you want or as abstract as two hands joined together to form a heart to represent love.

C. Put it all together with either your image or representation on the center or your main goal and the rest all around you can choose to follow the nine quadrant Vision board listed above or you can make your own. What's important is it is yours. I've had a vision board created before that was an audio file of the person talking about each quadrant and he would listen to it as he woke up and driving to work and before sleeping. Be a maverick and defy conventions!

D Add your affirmation words or a description of what you want to achieve. Positive words that will inspire you whenever you are feeling down or your goals whenever you feel lost.

E Look at it everyday. Be it a painting you did, an audio file, a jpeg image in your computer or phone what's important is everyday you remind yourself that this is what's going to happen and will be your reality for 2018!

F. Think of it, Believe in it and Work for it. These are fundamentally important to realize your Vision board. If you constant remind yourself this is your vision then you will have your goal. You need to believe in it and have the motivation and grit to push on no matter what. Lastly you need to work on it. You can't think and wish for it and expect it to be handed to you! You need to work for it!

A popular Filipino saying is "Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa Tao ang gawa." This is translated to God has the mercy and compassion for it to happen but Man needs to work for it become reality.

Contest Mechanics

*The first tag should be maverickboard so that it will easier for me to track and so I don't miss out on any entries.

*Resteem this competition is required so that we can get as many people to join in as much as possible

*If you are feeling generous upvote this post even with 1% if you don't want to its fine because this is a way for me to give back to the community who has been so good to me this month. If you are feeling really generous donate any amount haha.

*You can use whatever medium you want. If you are an artist you can draw your 2018 Vision board in oil, pencil, digital art in whatever format or style. If you are a photographer you can create a collage of photos and images, if you are singer you can create music or a song for it and yes it pushes the visual aspect but if that's what it works for you go ahead, I would recommend uploading it in dTube though. If you are a wordsmith you can create your list, put it on a corkboard, piece of paper, powerpoint presentation and be as inspiring as you can. What I care about is you making that 2018 Vision board.

*Competition will run for 7 days and deadline will be on January 6. The prizes it will be the following:

4 SBD for the 1st place
2.5 SBD for the 2nd place
1 SBD for the 3rd place
0.50 SBD to be split to any honorable mentions

So why 8 SBD well I like how 8 usually reminds me of an infinity symbol. Life should be always continuing in an endless journey improvement and accomplishments. When we stop aspiring to be a better version of ourselves then we are doomed.

So I wanted to share my own visionboard for 2018.

In the center of my aspirations is to reach by end of 2018 a reputation score of 60. Seems farfetch for now but as one ex girlfriend used to say "Aim for the stars and if you fail at least you still aimed high."

I want to do this in order to have more weight when curating new people that come into Steemit. Nothing depresses anyone when they put in such a great introduceyourself post and gets absolutely no upvotes. By having a higher voting power it is a huge boost to ego and they would be inspired to make better content.

It goes to follow that I would want more followers to spread the advocacy that I have. I belong to a non-government organization called Gift in Kind Foundation who has provided school supplies, books and medicine to a small indigenous tribe of Aetas in Zambales, Philippines. More of their story can he read here

I have battled depression for over a year now and this stemmed with a very unfortunate situation that made me hate several people. The therapist I have been seeing has in several instances tried to intervene in this self destructive behavior I have to no avail. The hurt and the anger was just too much and holding to that anger is unhealthy. I have lived far too long to have it on my back and this 2018 I want to be able to move forward and let it go. I want to love myself again and stop blaming myself and those people from what happened. I want to be say again that I matter.

For three years I have been writing a book of fiction. A meld of fantasy and philosophy that I have started on and off again. I want to be able to sit down and really aspire to finish it by end of 2018.

A few material stuff like house renovation, upgrade my rig, travel to Maldives which has been in my bucket list and enjoy good food and life. I have been dabbling in some cryptocurrency and I want to be more successful so that I can retire early and live in a beach and just writing. Does not necessarily mean I want to retire by 2018 but if I can why not.

So there I have shared my own 2018 Vision Board and I await the entries that will be submitted in seven days.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!