Making a Vision Board
Making a Vision Board
There comes a point when you decide you can’t keep dwelling on the past…. On the “what might have beens” or the “what ifs”. When you hit that moment, when you realise that you can’t do anything about the past but that you can do something to make your future brighter, it’s time to make a Vision Board.
What’s a Vision Board?
It’s a board that brings together images, quotes and visual prompts about what you want your future to look like and just as importantly, how you want to feel on your way to achieving that vision.
I first came across vision boards a few years ago and the first time I did it, it gave me such a buzz. It got me excited about life, about what there was out there for me to do and achieve. It got me out of my head and into taking some action.
My own Vision Board experience
I decided after years of wallowing in the “Why me?” that enough was enough. I was putting on more and more weight, becoming more and more lonely and being less and less purposeful in my life. It’s not like I did a Vision Board and life suddenly made sense… But after a series of different “mind hacks”, this one has had the most impact on me so I felt the urge to share. I suddenly felt more compelled to take action in different aspects of my life
and I started to see results which galvanized me to look at my board more and more intently every day. A vision board is something I have up on my bedroom wall, so I look at it every morning and every night. It gives me a shot of positivity to start and end my day. It helps me focus my mind on what matters to me most, so I move towards action rather being stuck in procrastination.
Among many other things on this board, I now walk 20 minutes every day and I do feel the benefits of that, I have taken up yoga twice a week to calm my mind and connect better with my body (which I had neglected). The result is I’ve lost 11 kilos (1.8 Stone) since I did the board. I had neglected how I looked and how I felt about myself. I’d basically let myself go and the vision board helped me think again about what good could look like for me…it helped me be my best friend again.
It doesn’t mean that the sadness and despair feelings go away completely but it definitely feels like it rewires your brain somehow.
Before starting, a few tips:
1. There are no rules. No right or wrong-looking Vision Board. It’s YOUR
Vision Board, so create one you feel comfortable with.
2. Put the date in your diary when you can realistically spend a few hours
making your Vision Board.
3. From now until that date, let ideas go round your head, write things down,
collect magazines and google images and quotes online. You can choose
to make a board that focuses on one aspect of your life or on a
combination of any different aspects of life. It’s your call: (Mine revolved
around all aspects of my life because I felt stuck in a rut and needed to be
let loose on lots of fronts). Examples of aspects you could cover include:
mind, body, soul, money/wealth, work, sleep, family, friendship, fun,
spirituality, down time.
4. Once the board is made, put it somewhere you can see it every day.
5. Most of all – Have fun!
What should go into your Vision Board?
Some people prefer not to over think it and just launch into flicking through
magazines and finding what jumps out at them. Others prefer to decide on what areas they most want to focus on and then find images that come at them while flicking through magazines. The choice is yours.
The first time I was told how to create a Vision Board I was told to focus on 4 key areas of my life and to write down a one liner to summarize the vision. This is how that Vision Board looked:
I had followed instructions, but the result left me a little colde and as I didn’t connect with it at an emotional level, it was meaningless and ended up in the drawer.
I then attempted to embellish it with online images and this was Vision Board 2:
Again, I had fun making it and felt a little more emotionally connected but it still didn’t worok for me at a motivational level. I just wasn’t “feeling it”. It was only when I was given some magazines by my hairdresser oone afternoon at the line “Sensitivity is your super power” jumped out at me from the page and I asked if I could tear it out. When I got home I found an urge to sit and flick through magazines. I did this for a few days and then one rainy Sunday afternoon I made my first board. I found an old canvas board and started painting it pink on one side and orange the other. I realized that my previous versions had lacked colour and that was important to me. I realized that by being so stuck in my head for so long, I’d stopped being creative and just painting the canvas lifted my spirit. I then started playing around with where to put things and it took several hours before I had an arrangement I was happy with:
I should point out that when my son made his Vision Board, he felt more connection with version one…he found my version 3 too cluttered and chaotic. So perfectly normal to look at mine and think wow – there’s a lot of stuff in that lady’s head. You’d be right. There is but it means something to me. What works for you will be different so make it your own. It’s all down to personal choice. One size fits no one.
To achieve long term success, wealth and happiness, there needs to be balance. Someone who focuses solely on money might be outwardly happy and successful when they achieve that goal but it’s important they don’t forget to focus on what’s important to them in terms of friendship and fun for example.
Frequently asked questions:
- When you say “make it your own” what exactly do you mean?
You can choose to ram it full of images (like mine) or limit it to just a small selection. Having more or less images doesn’t make a Vision Board better or worse than another. Just different and uniquely YOURS.
- What time line should I use going forwards? Looking to the next 10 years feels too scary?
You can decide to look forwards 6 months, a year, 5 years or even 10 years. It’s whatever time frame feels comfortable to you. (I chose a year as any longer just felt unrealistic to me – others may feel 5 years ahead might feel more of an achievable time frame – it’s personal choice).
- How do I get going?
Once you decide to make a Vision Board, start by gathering lots of newspapers and magazines. Also go on line and print out quotes or images that sing out to you. Then mark out on a calendar when you are going to actually sit down and make the Vision Board as experience has shown that without an actual date you could be picking out content for ages but then procrastinate about actually getting it down on a board. Fixing a date is like a call to action. It will make it happen.
- Why should I put the board somewhere I can see it every day?
Once you’ve made the board, it’s important to have it placed somewhere where you can see it every day. It’s no good in a drawer where you’ll only see it when you remember to take it out!
When we visualize enough, things start to shift. It makes something we dream about move more to our conscious mind and through coincidences, positive energy, vibes however you want to explain it…things start happening and people start to see the changes they want in their lives.
I can’t recommend it enough. Enjoy!