What you will need:
1 board – it can be a firm foam board or poster board. I have even used a side of a card board box!
1 pair of scissors or exacto knife
Adhesive of your choice – double sided tape is my favorite, but you can use any kind of tape, push pins (on foam boards) or even glue! (be careful with using glue as it can warp your cut outs if you use too much)
Magazines, newspapers, post cards, etc.
What are Vision boards anyway?
A vision board is part Arts and Crafts, part Subconscious Goal Planning, and part Conscious Wishful Thinking. Put it all together and you get a very powerful tool to help you reach your goals.
How are they helpful?
A vision board is a fantastic way to get creative with getting your goals out of your head, and in to real life. If you are a visual person like me, seeing something over and over again can be a very helpful reminder of what you are wanting to bring in to your experience.
If your dreams are just floating around in your head like butterflies such as “Someday I would like to swim with dolphins” chances are kind of slim that dream will come to fruition. But if you cut out a picture of a person wearing a life vest and a huge smile while holding onto a dolphins fin in the lagoon, and place it somewhere that you will see it often, that dream stays in the forefront of your mind. You will start noticing opportunities. You may be inclined to look online to find places that offer this kind of experience. You may even choose your next vacation based on it. And before you know it, you made your dream a reality.
If you believe it you can achieve it.
Mental practice can get you closer to where you want to be in life, and it can prepare you for success! For instance, Natan Sharansky, a computer specialist who spent 9 years in prison in the USSR after being accused of spying for US has a lot of experience with mental practices. While in solitary confinement, he played himself in mental chess, saying: “I might as well use the opportunity to become the world champion!” Remarkably, in 1996, Sharansky beat world champion chess player Garry Kasparov!
Brain studies now reveal that thoughts produce the same mental instructions as actions. Mental imagery impacts many cognitive processes in the brain: motor control, attention, perception, planning, and memory. So the brain is getting trained for actual performance during visualization. It’s been found that mental practices can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy, improve motor performance, prime your brain for success, and increase states of flow – all relevant to achieving your best life!- read more in this article from PsychologyToday.
Believe me now? Ready to get started? Let’s go!
Step 1) Gather
You can create a board for a specific goal- such as relationship or career, or a life in general board. It can be about feelings, things, or experiences. There are no rules here! Collect magazines, newspapers, postcards, ads, photos, etc and start clipping anything that jumps out at you. It could be colors, words, buildings, clothes, faces, ANYTHING! Don’t question WHY you want to cut it out, just do it. This is where you let your subconscious do its thing. When you feel like you have enough, set that pile aside.
Step 2) Sort
With your foam, poster or card board in front of you, along with your adhesive of choice, Start sorting through your loot. Pick the ones that really jump out at you and start arranging them on the board. Here you will either “Create” your story, or let your story “Unfold”
*Note: Some people like to adhere the pictures right away and let the “story” unfold organically, while others arrange and rearrange until they are ready to commit and stick their images and words to the board. I can not tell you what to do here, it is totally up to your style, intention and intuition.
Step 3) Stick
As you would expect, this is where you take the board in front of you, along with your adhesive of choice, and adhere them to the board. If you are using glue, allow plenty of time to dry.
Note: Don’t worry if you have blank space on your board! That just gives you room for growth! Our dreams and goals are always evolving, so it would only make sense that you board does too!
Step 4) Placement
A vision board will not work if it is hidden in your closet, tucked away in a box. The key is to be able to SEE it on a regular basis. Your office, bedroom or bathroom are popular places. Every month or so, move it to a different location so it stays fresh. At least once or twice a year, look to see what is on the board that you are close to achieving. Some boards work right away. Others may take years depending on the goals. I have a couple of boards that are almost completely accomplished, and others that I am still working towards.
What’s that? You can have more than one?! Absolutely. Especially if you have lots of goals in different areas of your life. I have found Pinterest to be like a digital Vision Board. The only problem is when you have too many pins, you aren’t seeing them on the regular. In that case it is necessary to take time to review your pins to keep your ideas and goals front and center!
Have you made a vision board in the past? What will you put on this one? Are you wanting more of a general life board or specific area of your life goals? Share with me below! You can even share a picture if you want to!