How and Why to Create a Vision Board
I started making vision boards a few years ago on a whim. I was newly single, living on my own after many years of married life and the kid was away at college. I had time on my hands. The idea isn’t that original—I had written down my goals before but I always ended up stuffing the paper in a drawer. By creating images of what you love, what you want, where you want to vacation, what you want to do, you are putting these thoughts out into the universe and your life adapts to match those desires. I admit I thought it was kind of silly, but then in mulling it over I realized two things about myself:
I’m a list maker—even when I was a kid I would make lists. 1. Wake up, 2. Brush teeth, etc., Yeah, it was pretty easy crossing things off that list! I still LOVE crossing things off a list when they are completed. What a sense of accomplishment!
I am a visual learner so why not a visual “goal” board?
Then I did what I used to do in grade school– I got out a pair scissors and some magazines and started cutting out things. The images can be anything you want–someplace you want to travel, a color or landscape you like, something you want to buy, or own like a house or car or something new you want to learn. Mine are usually made up of goals but also things to give me inspiration—be it a color I like, a quote or just a pretty picture. My last board had a pic of a bed in the middle of a beautiful forest-I chose it just because I liked the ethereal quality to it.
My first vision board had a pretty picture of the New York City Skyscape because I’ve always wanted to go there. I also cut out a picture of a lovely home because eventually I wanted to buy one. I also added pictures of Paris, a new car, some fitness activities and a few inspirational quotes. I hung it in my office (where I blog) and glanced up at it often, pretty much unthinking when I did, but little did I know the images were planted in my subconscious mind. Keep your vision board where you will see every day.
After only four short months of making my vision board, I was on my way to NYC courtesy of a brand I was working with. After two years, I am a new home owner! I can tell you I NEVER thought these goals would be accomplished, much less this soon! In fact, it took some time to even make the connection!
There is something very powerful in writing down and visualizing your goals. It somehow gives life to them and plants them in your brain. The act of writing down your goals and having images in front of you helps you achieve clarity and frees your mind to use your imagination. You decide what is important and you put away what is not.
My newest vision board still has a picture of Paris, pic of a new car, a piggy bank for encourage saving money, some beautiful backyard landscaping ideas, a bottle of water (cuz I need to drink waay more), the quote “bite the bullet” to give me strength and a few more pics of things I like or find inspiring.
Do take a little time to think about your board. Maybe you know exactly what you want, maybe you want to leave your goals “open.” Do you want to learn something new? Clip a picture of a recipe you want to try, or maybe you want to knit, find a picture of yarn. Maybe you want to start your own business—find a pic that says success to you.
What you’ll need:
- Poster board
- Glue stick
- Scissors
- Different types of magazines
- When I couldn’t find pictures of what I wanted to convey, I looked for clip art on my computer and printed those images. I also made my own words and quotes on the computer.
A fun idea is to get together some friends and do this as a group. Have everyone bring a few magazines and poster board, markers, glitter–be creative!
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