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How to Create an Online Inspiration Board + Free Worksheet

by | Faith, Ideas | 14 comments

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

 

Is there a better time to create with the purpose of inspiring?

 

The inspiration board is personal, but when we’re inspired we can’t help but inspire others.

 

The beauty of an online inspiration board is that it’s easy, fun, free, and well…downright inspiring. Since we’re all homebound for a while, it’s the perfect time to give it a try. Children will enjoy it too!

So, let’s get to it…

Pick a subject. There’s no right or wrong answer. Here are some to get your juices flowing:

  • Goals for the next 30, 60, or 90 days. {Spiritually, physically, and emotionally}.
  • Things I’d like to learn.
  • Ways to use this season in life to serve others.
  • What I want to create space for {Spiritually, physically, and emotionally}.
  • Scripture verses I need to remember when anxiety clouds my mind.
  • Ways I can use my home for God’s glory.
  • New ministry ideas.
  • The why behind a book you’re writing or a ministry you’re considering.
  • Inspirational quotes.
  • A vision or calling that could use a little clarifying.
  • Why _____ is important to me {and specific reasons why they are for when we tend to forget.}

 

It’s the last suggestion that was the catalyst for my own board: Get and Stay Healthy. That, and my yearly physical. Although I’m healthy overall, my doctor made a couple of strong recommendations: cut down on sugar and exercise four times a week. I’ve known for a while I’ve needed to do both. But like a silly toddler, I stuck a finger in each ear and la-la-la’d all the way to the freezer to find comfort from the very thought of it.

 

I know what I need to do but I tend to forget the most important part: the why behind it.

 

So I made an Inspirational Board specifically aimed at my why for taking better care of my body.

I didn’t have cardboard lying around or any magazines I wanted to cut up, so I decided to go to Canva and create an online version. I might use it as my desktop screensaver or when society is up and running again, I may print it in color and slap it on my closet door. Or the freezer’s.

 

Just the simple act of creating a board helps to clarify what’s really important.

 

Here’s a quick overview on how to create your inspiration, mood, or vision board:

  • Go to Canva. (There are other online tools but this is my go-to for most projects. It’s easy and free.)
  • Click on “Create a Design” in the left sidebar and choose “Mood Boards Photo Collage”.
  • In seconds, you’ll see beautiful templates on the left. Focus on the layout, not the pictures, because you’ll be replacing theirs with your own.
  • Click on a template you like and depending on what type you choose, you can name your project and/or start loading images into your template by dragging them over. (Don’t worry about deleting the image to try a new one. Just move a new one over the existing one.) Click on the Elements or Photos in the left sidebar to use Canva’s images, or you can upload your own.
  • Once you’re finished, download it as a pdf to print it or as a png (image) if you want to display it on your computer.

For a more detailed version, click here to go to Canva’s instruction page.

 

Here’s my Inspiration Board.

The blocks below represent some of the whys behind my decision to make wiser choices. It’s my personal board but I don’t mind sharing it because if this virus has taught us anything it’s that we’re all in this together.

 

Inspiration Board

This is how the Inspiration Board helps me:

  • Temptation raises its ugly head more often while home 24/7. I read it to help keep me focused on the long-term goal when the short-term is begging for attention.
  • With WW meetings postponed, the accountability factor isn’t the same and where I am in the process, it’s a must. This board quietly but powerfully acts as a visual accountability partner.
  • The board inspires and encourages me of the possibilities ahead.
  • Last but not least, it also acts as a praise board. How could I not praise the One from whom all good gifts flow?

 

I chose a template that gave me several places to write down my whys, as well as places for images to match. But there are many templates to choose from, so:

  • Pick a subject.
  • Choose a template that matches how many blocks you’ll need.
  • Have fun!
  • Stay alert to what the Holy Spirit may want to show you through this process.
  • Need a little warm-up? I created a fun (and pretty) worksheet to help you get started.

Click here to download your FREE “My Inspiration Board” worksheet.

Free Inspiration Worksheet

So, what’s at least one subject you’d consider creating an Inspiration Board for? (There’s no right or wrong answer!)

 

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3

 

Subscribers, check your inbox tonight for your Monthly Letter! It includes in-home Easter celebration links, NEW hope-filled coloring pages, a download, “Giving God Glory From Our Spacious Place”, and more.

 

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30 Meaningful Things to Do If You’re Self-Quarantined

by | Faith, Ideas | 41 comments

Well, those are words I never expected to type, but here we are.

I’m not in a panic over the Coronavirus, but it’s true that some, perhaps many of us, may end up self-quarantined or otherwise homebound. But here’s the thing:

 

Every opportunity holds the potential to become meaningful.

 

Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise — making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15,16

 

Below are thirty ideas to consider if staying inside for a while. I pray they’ll become the catalyst for spreading hope, encouragement, and truth, to others (germ-free!):

 

  • Set aside fifteen minutes to scroll through Facebook to collect prayer requests. Jot them down and set aside time to pray specifically for each person. Well-meaning “likes” don’t always result in prayer, but they can today! If the Lord brings to mind a certain scripture verse while praying, share it with the person. Our extra minute can encourage them for days.
  • Turn on praise music and sing to the Lord or better yet, sing acapella.
  • Create your own music list. Fill it with songs of hope and peace.
  • Start a new Bible study. If you don’t have one on hand, try an online study from Proverbs 31, LifeWay studies, and free studies from Jen Wilkin.
  • Complete the last study you didn’t finish.
  • Hibernate in prayer.
  • Turn everything off. Listen to the birds. Watch them. Study them. Let these tiny creatures serve as a reminder of God’s intimate care for you. (Luke 12:24)
  • Cook a vegetable meal. Before you pick up the fork, read Proverbs 15:17 aloud: “Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.” Invite conversation: How does this apply to our family? How can we “put feet” to this verse in helping others?
  • Take a James 1:17 stroll. “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” As you walk outside, intentionally search for God’s good gifts surrounding you⏤an unfurling blossom, a flower’s scent, the sun breaking through clouds, etc. Embrace the goodness of God and let it carry you heavenward throughout the day.
  • Take tea for two, you and God.
  • Finish the current book you’re reading. Then, go the extra mile and leave a review on Amazon. Bonus points if you do the same on Goodreads, and don’t forget to add it to your reading list while you’re there.
  • Start a new book. If you know the author, message her along the way sharing what encourages you or a phrase that stood out to you. If a quote stands out, consider posting it on Facebook and Instagram to encourage others (and the author).
  • Call a different person each day. Many of us prefer to text but let’s delight someone by laying aside our preferences and call instead.
  • Text two people each day with one purpose in mind: to encourage.
  • Pray for your children/grandchildren. Jon Bloom’s 7 Things to Pray for Your Children is a favorite.
  • Pray for your adult children.
  • Pray for the lost. Tim Challies’ 18 Prayers to Pray for the Lost is a great place to start.
  • Draw a line down the center of a page.
  • Plan for the future. Sometimes our immobility is simply a rest area on the highway of life. It gives us unexpected time to pray, think, and mull over ideas.
  • Create mini-love notes and place them in sock drawers, on mirrors, cereal boxes, or inside his/her Bible.
  • Is it raining? Engage those God-given senses!
  • If you’re up for it, work or play in your yard. Plant flowers, pull weeds, plunge seeds into the ground.
  • Create simply for the joy of creating.
  • Create a vision board. Go through magazines, clip inspiring quotes and pictures OR create an online version via Canva (free). (Watch for an upcoming post on this subject!)
  • Write morning pages. Not sure how? Click here for one of the best breakdowns I’ve read (other than Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.)
  • Start a gratitude journal. Is there a better time to focus on our blessings?
  • Do a prayer walk through your home.
  • Set up a prayer journal.
  • Read scripture verses on peace. Write them down. Memorize at least one and lean on God’s promises with the same warmth and confidence a child bends toward her mother.
  • If you’re a Creative Pauses subscriber (you are awesome!), enjoy your free resources (Scripture-Based Coloring Pages, Praying Throughout Your Home, 10 Ways to Show Up for Others This Summer, etc.). If not, then pull up a chair and join in the fun! Simply type your email in the top right-hand sidebar >>>> and start enjoying your free resources immediately.

* Click here for a downloadable PDF print of the list above.

 

The Coronavirus situation gives us, the hopers and believers of the world, opportunities to share Christ in ways we’ve never had before. Becoming more intentional in how we care for others — emotionally, physically, and spiritually — during a time when many are focused on themselves, might just make an eternal difference.

 

Yes, we plan and use our resources wisely, but above all, we love selflessly.

 

Is there one particular idea above that stands out to you, or do you have one to add to the list?

 

 

 

 

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