Vision Board Day is recognized on the second Saturday of January yearly. On this day, you are encouraged to spend some time, creating a Vision Board to give your goals an ‘image‘ that you can manifest. A Vision Board, is a Visualization tool, that help give life to your goals.
Manifest? Goals? Some times, the idea of visualization, can seem a little unrealistic (Picture running in slow motion in the ocean, with a smile on your face and butterflies fluttering by).
While the way the concept is presented, is at times ‘rainbows and butterflies’, Visualization has been shown to help with achieving goals and desires. But, how do you go about implementing the use of Vision Boards in a practical way?
What is a vision board?
A vision board is a collection of images which represent what a person wants to do and have in their life.
Coach Leonie Dawson of Shining Academy fame calls them “Dreamboards”, summarizing them as: “Creating a collage map of your dreams; all of the beautiful things you’d like to call into your life”, while psychologist Neil Farber, takes issue with the modern term “Vision Board”, instead preferring to recommend people create “Action Boards”.
And that is what the best and most effective vision boards do: Take your ideas from the “Dreamtime” and bring them into reality through helping you stay on course with a focused plan of action.
Vision Boards can focus on one area of your life like family, finances, personal development, where you include images that represent how you would desire to have these areas of your life be in the future. However, you could have one vision board with images for all aspects of your life. The key, is that the board should show your vision of your future, not your current mindset or situation.
It’s important to note, that the term Vision Board can refer to any kind of base that you choose; for example it may be wall in your house, on a card placed inside a journal or picture frame. For now, we focus on the traditional use of boards; attaching your images and other decorations to cork board, hard paper , card board.
It starts with goals?
If Vision Boards are visual images or words that represent the life you want to live, then you first need to know what it is you want. Do you?
“Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” –
Les Brown
Setting goals and intentions is an important part of creating a map of where you want to be. Not only should you write them down but putting them into visual form such as a vision board helps you see what you want to accomplish.
It’s important to set goals for what ever it is you wish to accomplish. We’ve all done it in some form. Maybe it was a small goal, like when we were trying to lose 5 pounds before summer vacation – show of hands!
Most people write their goals down to be finished with them. Then, they either lose them, or tuck them away and don’t look at them again. If they do run across them, they read the goals infrequently.
Putting your goals into a visual platform like a Vision Board, reminds you why you’re doing certain things and what you will have once you achieve your goal. It’s a visual snapshot of your future.
But first, what are your goals?
Before you jump into cutting out pictures and pasting them, you want to have a clear idea of what your goals and intentions are. You might find pictures of puppies and cut those out. However, is it your goal to have six dogs? If not, better leave the image in the magazine.
Be intentional with setting time aside to write down what it is your want. If you can schedule time for a work meetingand doctor’s visit for your child, you CAN schedule time for a goal setting session with yourself.
If you’re having trouble actually using the time to come up with your desires, consider the following to help structure your session and get a clear idea of what intentions and purposes you have for your vision boards;
- Give yourself permission to dream big.
- Don’t worry about how you will make it happen at this point. Just identify your current dreams and needs.
- Then, revisit older dreams that you gave up.
- Decide if you’re still interested in them. If so, add them to the list.
- Choose 1-5 major areas of your life where you want or need to make improvements and positive changes.
- Personal and business/career might be the top two areas to consider in the beginning.
- Use an outline format to help you sort the different areas and related topics.
- Add major areas and/or sub-topics as you think of them to streamline the process.
What does your life look like once you’ve achieved your goal? Really feel into your sense – what colors, mood, feelings, emotions, sights, sounds, touch or taste does it have? Who is with you?
Once you have a vivid and true image in your head, it is easier to find those images to represent those in real life.
Where to place your vision board?
Some people, who have created boards in the past, may say that it did not ‘work’ for them. However, if you asked them whether they implemented their vision boards, they answer would most likely be ‘no’.
Identifying your goals and creating a beautiful vision board is not the end. Create the environment and way of life, for your visual representations to take effect.
The effect of intentional visualization, was highlighted by a study done by Dr. Biasiotto, using a group of basketball players over a period of 30 days. By spending 30 mins daily for 30 days simply visualizing their free throws, players improved their scoring by 23%. Students who practiced their shots for 30 days without visualization, improved their scoring 24%. Can you guess what happened with players who neither practiced or visualized? Yep, nothing. There was no improvement.
Create a visual representation of your goals and give them life everyday!
Make some time to look at your Vision Board daily. Take a moment to imagine how you can achieve all the goals you have set on the board.
If you see your Vision Board every day, you will find that you think about your goals regularly.
Put your Vision Board in a place where you can’t miss it.
One of the advantages of having your Vision Board in such a prominent place is that you think about it every day. It’s a constant reminder of where you want to be, no matter what happens during the day.
It is recommended to spend some time with your vision board right after you wake up and before you go to bed daily. If you can, make an effort to look at your vision board throughout the day as well. A wall-mounted display helps with this or place an image of that Vision Board in a picture frame on your desk or bathroom mirror.
Go for it!
As said before, there are many new forms of Vision Boards aside from the traditional format we have focused on:
- Consider a digital board which you can keep on your mobile devices,
- Vision journals that allow you also incorporate journaling as part of your daily implementation,
- Objects like your laptop cover sticker, key rings, mugs, globes, mobiles are some objects you can have your vision board images printed on!
- If you’re up for a DIY consider a vision wall (this one may be more costly)
There is no right or wrong format to use for executing your Vision Board. What is most important, is that you have clear goals identified; YOUR GOALS, NOT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WANT YOUR GOALS TO BE. Secondly, the images must truly evoke the feelings you most desire from achieving your goals. If an image makes you sad or doubtful, it doesn’t belong on your board. Thirdly, it must be a part of your life everyday. In the back of your room out of sight, your board will be of no use to you. Take practical steps to implement your board; try setting an alarm to spend time with your board, reviewing at the end of every week what actions you took towards your goals to start.
Allow yourself to get creative and choose what works for you. You are allowed and deserve to set goals for yourself. Your are allowed and deserve to see your goals move from your head and heart, to your life. Choose to start now.
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