Going all the way back to the ancient days, they wrote on the walls of the caves, they inscribed things in stone. So for many, many, many years, visualization and images have helped in the process of setting goals for our students, reminding them that there are going to be roadblocks and that the imagery helps them overcome them.
During the COVID 19 pandemic. Many people have said they never pictured themselves being productive, working at home, or working under the current situation. But perhaps picturing a successful way of doing something is the first step to finding that success. This is random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College. I'm your host, Steve fast. Today, we're talking about setting goals and using visual cues to help you reach those goals. Today's guest says she's used vision boards to achieve her goals, and has even done so as our work lives have been turned upside down by the COVID 19 pandemic.
My name is Jennifer Caldwell outwards. I work at Heartland Community College and the Student Engagement Office as an administrative assistant. But I also love love love to facilitate workshops when I get that opportunity.
Well tell us a little bit about some of these workshops, including the ones that may be translate to your regular duties as an administrative assistant, teaching people to set goals. And one of the things in particular, I know that you've talked about is smart goals and vision boards. Do you use those in your everyday work in life?
Well, the workshops kind of open the door for the vision board workshops. So the workshops that I've previously done in terms of setting goals, including or project wise that I've done some workshops for every semester. And they're pretty much self improvement. Not all of them have been about setting goals. But they definitely have been about professional development and self improvement. So how I really got started with a vision board was I did a visualization, and a workshop that I had attended for professional development. So from that, there were things that I had on my vision board that began to manifest, there was a tour called faith over fear. And it's kind of faith based. But the door opened for that because that was one of the things on my vision board. I like to do things that inspire people. And so every the content on my vision board was about my faith. It was about identity. And it was about traveling to different places, and using the vision board. And that actually opened the opportunity itself for me to be able to do a workshop and facilitate workshops for for that tour. And they were actually with the vision board and setting goals.
You mentioned project rise. And for those that are outside of the Heartland Community College community, can you explain what project rise is?
So project wise, is a organization within heartland and they assist first generation college students. They have workshops, and all kinds of resources that are available to them. So every semester, they have a list of opportunities to go to workshops that help them develop and help them set goals on their journey throughout their college experience.
Tell me a little bit about how you in working with some project rise students implement things like vision boards. So for students that are setting goals for themselves as first generation college students, how can a vision board help?
A vision board helps in so many different ways. It's a tool to assist with setting goals. So going all the way back to the PLATO years back into Plato and the ancient days. They wrote on the walls of the caves, they inscribed things in stone. So for many, many, many years visualisation and images have helped in the process of setting goals and accomplishing those. And so for our students, reminding them that there are going to be roadblocks, and that the imagery, helps them overcome them. For vision boards, for example, finding images, that just things that attract your eyesight. I've always used things that helped me move forward with my workshops. So I would pick images that, that inspire me that remind me of where I want to go with it. And so that's how I encouraged the students with the vision boards to find images, that, that just kind of mesh with them, things that just kind of, oh, I would like that. I just love that image there. And so is there something in our psyche that we want to pull out? And so that's what the images do, we go in, we find those images, and we put them on a board, and they remind us they're a constant reminder of where we want to go, what we want to do, they can be inspiring, they can help us get to those.
So where do you put your vision board? Is it something where you put these images in places that you will see them every day? into a place that you particularly want to revisit? How do you implement it and use it on a day to day basis.
So part one of it is to complete the vision board, all the things that are the images that you're attracted to? Right, you put them on the board. And the second part to that is actually a follow through. So that's where the SMART goals come into play. Now, with smart goals, it's a system is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. So the second part is to actually go through those images, and then plan, are they specific? Are there are they things that you can measure? How will you know, once you've obtained those? And if they're attainable? That's when you would find your Why? Why are you actually going after this specific flow? And then Are they realistic? Can you reach them? Do you have the resources and all of those things? And then time? What's your timetable? When would you like to see those things happen? And so with both of those parts, you find you run into your roadblocks, you have a formula for getting through, though. So the vision board is something that you would put in your view, you want to look at it often you want to do another part, which is the visualization. And one of the exercises that I usually do. And if you've got a few minutes, I'd love to actually go through that with you.
Sure. Yeah. Let's go through the whole exercise. Okay, so
this is, this is the exercise that I usually do in my workshop, if you would stand up, okay. I know that
you're on a microphone, a microphone, but I'll stand up and people know I'm standing because I'm farther from the mic. Okay.
Okay, can you still hear me though? I can. Okay. So what I'd like for you to do is take your your right hand and push it all the way out. And I want you to go clockwise, behind you take that you're going to move it as far as you can, behind your back, moving it clockwise behind your back as far as you can. Okay, I think that's okay. Very good. So, this time, you can you can sit back down if you wish, because this next part you got your stretch exercise, right. Okay, the next part of this would be for you to close your eyes this time. Okay. So I'd like for you to visualize this time exercise, visualize yourself with your eyes closed, taking that arm, clockwise, straight, the arm is remaining straight and you're taking it behind your back as far as you can, in your mind thinking about it.
Okay. Okay.
So the next part of that would be to do the exact same standing position.
All right, and then do it again. And then do it again. Okay, I'm gonna do it again.
All right.
I'm doing it faster this time since I know what I'm doing.
Okay. Okay, so can you tell me if you were able to go farther?
Maybe a little Yeah. But okay,
a little is still fine. The point of this whole exercise is, when we visualize things, when we have an image of what we are trying to accomplish, we go Can we can go further than we can, it takes us further, it gives us the courage, it shows us that, yes, we can accomplish those things. And, and we can fulfill it to the fruition of that, of that actual goal.
So yeah, I think that that probably helps with the A and the SMART goals with attainable, because when, once you kind of figure out what you visualized, and then implement it, it gives you some sort of way to gauge that and
measure it. And why is so important, why comes into it? Why do you want that whatever the images that you have, that you've chosen, as you explore why you want that? Why do you want to attain that? And do you have the resources, because sometimes we have the pie in the sky. And it might just be something that we want to obtain for monetary reasons where we just want to be famous. And it's always best to have a go and set your goals on things that that are near and dear to your heart, and that you are passionate about. And you can be passionate about having this, you know, a big house, and a nice car and things, how the SMART goals help you line up? How are you going to get these vision boards honestly have been the most amazing thing to me, they have manifest things, because it keeps me motivated. It has driven me it has created opportunities, just like this one, this podcast. Currently, it has drawn those opportunities to me, just because I've ventured out and put it on a board and visualized it and looked at it and said those would be really, really nice things to do. I would love to do that. It's gonna help people. I love to inspire and empower people to press past those roadblocks.
When you're doing these workshops, and when you're dealing with folks, do they have difficulties coming up with those Smart Actions, you know, about getting specific about figuring out how to measure? Do you find that that even though they might have their vision board that is helping them get there that they still are having problems defining those actions? And if that's the case, what do you suggest people do to help them drill down and define those goals?
Yes, when we actually put the pen to the paper, and we are actually hashing out a plan of how to accomplish those things, you do run into those things. And that's one of the roadblocks that are there. Some of them are mental blocks, you know, when you're, when you're writing that putting the pen to the paper, and you're hashing out if it's specific enough, it does get challenged, there is a challenge there. And so what I usually do, when we are actually doing the pen to the paper, we filled out the ones that we know. And then we go back. And we just do some brainstorming activities. And in that you'll find out if it's attainable, if it's something that you just want or is something that you really don't want to pursue. So in that it's really just a brainstorming session that helps you determine if this is something that we really want to go after.
You mentioned earlier working with Project rise students who are of all ages, but it seems as if for the vast majority of students nowadays, social media has a big influence on their lives. And a lot of that is extremely visual. People often are checking Instagram several times a day, which is very image based and Tech Talk video based. All these things that maybe position people as to how they envision other people's lives. And I wonder, have you talked with students or anyone and how digital tools might affect a vision board or how they can incorporate that into their vision board in a positive manner?
Well, I am quickly learning because of the pandemic that's going on. Now. You have to be more creative with the ways that you present it information. And because of the tic tac, like you said, and the YouTube videos and all of those things, it is it's a challenge for me because I've loved being in the classroom. So, it gives us a pandemic now gives it gives me an opportunity to step up and find some creative ways to match those. And I could see myself on Tik Tok, you know, doing some creative, you know, dressing up, and you know, actually possibly doing a role. And one of the forms or images that on my vision board,
lots of people seem to be learning how to dance through Tik Tok over this period of time. So,
I have definitely seen a lot of deaths on tic tac, that's a new format, I've not ventured out there. But yes, that is definitely a new and creative way to reach them.
So one of the things that I've found that people are struggling with during this period where we are dealing with the pandemic, not going outside, not going to classes in person not going to work in person, is there are some people that are encountering barriers and having to adjust the way they do things. Do you have any suggestions about how maybe a vision board could help in that transition period? How it can, in other ways, maybe make things more comfortable for people who are uncomfortable, or encountering frustrations, working or studying in this different way?
Okay, I'm glad you asked that. I've always been a person who thinks when everything seems to be falling apart, there's a new way, there's a new path. And I've been thinking a lot lately about small businesses and entrepreneurship and the fact that there's plenty of time for you to think about the things that you're passionate about. If you have something that you are super passionate about, get those images on a board, get them on a board. And think about how you can get those out to people to encourage others with those things that you're passionate about, that you're having a struggle with, get them out of your head and onto a board and start hashing them out. What would this look like if I was to encourage someone else who's in the exact same position as I am, and you can get it out into the world and all those things that you have always wanted to do and you're at home and you you're frustrated? And you want to go out and you can't start your dream process? start visualizing what if I was going to be an entrepreneur with this thing that I'm so passionate about? What would that look like? And then grab all the images that you can out of your, your magazines, and get them on a board and just start dreaming? I? For me, that makes me happy. Looking at things and images of things that make me happy that I am passionate about they take me to a new place. And then I'm imagining myself with those things. How will it make me feel? How will I impact other people because that's my why is to impact other people. And for some reason, doing things for other people makes us feel good. We might not even realize it. But being a humanitarian, doing things for other people makes makes us happy. And so those are the things that I would encourage everyone that home now just grab some magazines, if you've got a printer, find some on Google, print them off, get them on a board, you can use embellishments, if you've got glue and tape and colored pencils, and markers and stickers. I do them all. I do them all. And I just dream again, it's very, very, very therapeutic. Because when you're doing it, you're like, Oh, you get to be creative. You get to go back to your childhood and when you get to color and do crafts and all those wonderful things. And it really, really is therapeutic. That's one of the statements that are on the evaluations all the time or well that was a therapeutic. I feel. I feel better. I've got I've got some new new direction. So now's the time to be innovative and creative as you want.
Well, I think we could all use little of that right now during this period. So Jennifer, thank you so much for taking some time to talk to us today about vision boards and setting SMART goals. And my goal is to hope that we can do this in person again someday, instead of having to do it remotely. Like we've had to do. Yeah,
yes, because I've got some vision boards that I'd really love to share once and I can tell you about what they mean and represent. So yes, yes, Steve. I would love to do that.
Thanks, Jennifer. I appreciate it.
Thank you see.
Jennifer Caldwell is an executive assistant and also teaches workshops at Heartland Community College. She spoke to us today about vision boards, and smart goals. If you're interested in other interviews about professional development, personal enrichment or many other topics, subscribe to this podcast through Apple podcasts, Spotify, audio boom, or wherever you found this one. Thanks for listening
