Do you have a vision board for your life? Okay, do you know what a vision board is? If you have never heard about vision boards before, you are probably wondering what a vision board is. Or maybe you have heard about vision boards but you have never given it much thought. Well, in this post I will be breaking it down for you and hopefully by the time you are done reading you will be on your way to creating a vision board for your life.
According to the Oxford dictionary: a vision board is a collage of images and words representing a person’s wishes or goals, intended to serve as inspiration or motivation.
In other words, it is any kind of board or surface on which you display images or words that represent what you want to have or be in your life.
Why create a vision board?
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
A vision board is basically a tool that will help you to visualize your goals and give you a sense of clarity, focus, and direction. You are turning your visions into a reality on paper, making your goals feel tangible. It is easier to chase a goal if you can see what the end looks like, that is what a vision board does for you.
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Direction
“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar
If you do not know where you are headed, you will not know when you have arrived. We all know how important it is to have a sense of direction in life and more so in the goal you set for yourself. As you actively engage your mind in determining how the outcome of your goals will look like, you will inevitably engage your mind on how to get there.
As you take time to visualize your goals, you will be surprised that there are things that you thought you wanted but you don’t really want them. You may find out that though you have been thinking about finding a new job, what you would really find fulfilling is having your own business or vice versa. Take time to create mental pictures and maps of what you want to achieve, and how you want to get there.
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Clarity
Do you know exactly what you want? Has it occurred to you that the reason why you do not have what you want could be that you do not know what it is that you want?
A vision board helps you clarify your goals. By visualizing your goal, you have to picture clearly what you want to achieve, how it looks like and create images of the final product of your desires.
Take some time off, declutter your mind and think about what you really want to achieve or become in life. What does success mean to you? Think about what you want to achieve in every area of your life. Think about the goals you have for your relationships, career, finances, health, education, spirituality and any other area of your life that is important to you. These will vary from person to person and all you need to do is find out what that is for you.
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Focus
A vision board helps you to focus on your goals. There are so many distractions in life pulling in different directions and sometimes it is hard to stay focused on your goals. Having a vision board helps you to filter out distractions and maintain focus on what matters to you most.
Every time you glance at your vision board and see the images and messages that you have placed on it, your mind is steered back to your goals. Images are powerful. The more you see your visions and dreams on a tangible surface, the more real they become to you. We attract what we focus on, and what you focus on expands.
Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” It is important to realize that to achieve something, you first have to conceive it in your mind. If you have not visualized your goal in your mind, it is highly unlikely that you can achieve it in the physical.
What do you put on the vision board?
The most important thing to remember when creating your vision board is that there are no rules. There is no right or wrong vision board and one person’s vision board will not work for another. Anything that inspires you motivates you, and is in line with your goals can go on your board. Whether it is a picture, a motivational quote, a map or a painting it doesn’t matter so long as it inspires you.
You can find pictures from magazines, on the internet (Pinterest has plenty) or even family pictures of memories that you want to relive. You could use a picture from your last vacation if one of your goals is to go on vacation more. I have a picture of London on my vision board because one of my goals is to visit London. Every time I look at my vision board I am reminded of that goal and I get excited to work towards it. If you are an artist you can paint an image that inspires you or helps you to focus on a certain goal.
Feel free to use affirmations; words and phrases that express your desired goals and affirm your intentions. When your mind is fed with positive words, the subconscious is triggered to work towards making those statements come true. By all means include words, phrases, and statements that appeal to you on your vision board. These will help you counter the negativity and that inner voice that all so often discourages us from becoming all we can be. Every time you see your vision board, you will be exposing your mind to positive energy. This energy will work to turn those positive mental pictures into a reality and propel you into achieving your goals.
What you need:
- A board; this can be a pin/ cork board, poster board, a book or just a wall. (No right or wrong, choose what works for you)
- Scissors
- Magazines to clip out images from. Alternatively, use your printer to print out your favorite images and phrases.
- Glue sticks
- Markers
- Sticky notes (optional)
- Time – Set aside some time for this exercise. Make sure you give yourself a time limit so that you don’t get stuck.
The benefits of creating a vision board are definitely worth the effort it takes to create one. However, it is key to remember that the vision board in itself is just a board. The power of the vision board is not on the board; it is in YOU the vision bearer. It is in your ability to transform that motivation into action. You have to believe the affirmations and allow them to empower you to become the person you have envisioned.
Join me in the next post as delve into how to create a vision board and the different types of vision boards that you can use. Am sure you will find one that works for you.
Related article: How to set and accomplish your goals.
Have you used a vision board before? Did you achieve your goals? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about vision boards.
With love and light,
Debbie
I started a vision board not too long ago, after discovering that visualization is one of the most powerful mind exercises I can do in order to make my goals become a reality. I’ve already accomplished one of my goals – it was very exciting! Whatever we focus our attention on it expands. For example, if you begin to intensely think about a certain meal you’d like to have, you will soon find yourself in the car headed for the restaurant where you can purchase it. Our thoughts stir-up our emotions and then we make a decision to start taking action steps that lead to those thoughts becoming a real life experience.
Very well put Chandra. Thanks for reading
I don’t have a vision board, but you’ve convinced me that I need one!
I am sure you will love it. It makes a huge difference.
This is such a great idea. I’ve seen people talk about vision boards before and they’re usually accompanied by templates to download and use, but I like that you’re emphasizing how it needs to be specific to YOU – not anyone else. If I made a vision board it’d be full of sticky notes and pictures of the Scottish highlands! And that’s okay.
That’s totally fine. Mine is full of sticky notes too. (I should take a picture and add it on here :)) It is all about you and what works best for you.
A vision board is such a good visual reminder for me of where I am headed. It helps me celebrate when I am up, and focuses me when I am down. Very worth the time to make one.
I especially love that it focuses me when I am all over the place (which happens a lot to me). Thanks for your input, Jennifer.
Creating a vision board is something I’ve really been meaning to do. Especially with my anxiety and depression, it can be hard for me to remember how important everything I do is when working to achieve my goals in life!
A vision board will definitely help you in more ways than you could imagine. I tend to be easily distracted myself and a vision board has worked wonders. Even at my lowest, I look up and see all my dreams on the board and I have no choice but to get up and keep working on them.