You don’t just throw things on your vision board, you actually leverage the vision board to define, focus, and deliver your vision. By thinking again, every day, of what you want and then setting things into motion, if done properly, it can derail you. But how can a vision board work?
Step 1: Clarify Your Goals
The moment you start accumulating, ask yourself what you really want. You need your goals to be clear, realistic and meaningful. Ask yourself:
- What are my goals for the future? (e.g., career, health, relationships)
- What are my short- and long-term goals?
- What will it feel like to achieve these goals?
- Write down your answers. That will shape your vision board and it will shape the message.
Step 2: Choose Your Medium
You can print or create a vision board, depending on your style:
- Physical Vision Board: Cork board, poster board, or canvas. You’ll need magazines, cutting boards, glue and crayons.
- Vision Board: Organize your vision online using Canva, Pinterest, or even a Word document.
The two are different, but sometimes a paper board is more tactile and hands-on, whereas a digital board can be more lightweight and mobile.
Step 3: Gather Inspirational Materials
When you know what you’re doing, start collecting images of it. These could include:
- Photo: Take photos that reflect your intent. For example, a photograph of a tropical island can be your paradise.
- Quotes: Use quotes that inspire you.
- Signs: Create symbols that represent yourself, like a sun to show joy or a heart to show love.
- Photos: Post pictures of yourself or your family to personalize the board.
- Clip-n-paste: Newspaper headlines or phrases that match your mood.
- Don’t rush this step. Everything you’re exposed to needs to make you happy and energized.
Step 4: Design Your Board Carefully
It’s all about how you lay out your vision board. You want it to look good and easy to read. Here are some tips:
- Prioritize: Divide your board by areas of life (job, health, relationships).
- Bottom Point: Write a large image or sentence at the top of the point that represent your main interest.
- Position pictures and sentences to prevent the page from wasting space.
- Layers: Experiment with textures and colors to customize your board.
Step 5: Write Affirmations
Putting affirmations on your vision board will keep you accountable. For example:
- I can follow my passions in the workforce.
- ‘I build healthy and productive relationships.
- ‘I’m healthy, strong, very active.
Step 6: Keep Your Vision Board Well Out of Reach
Place your vision board in front of you every day. You can find it on your bedroom wall, your office desk, or the wallpaper on your phone or computer. Just avoid getting distracted by the result.
Step 7: Talk to Your Vision Board Each Day
You can’t just have a vision board, and you have to come face-to-face with it. How to tap into it:
- Imagery: Take a few minutes a day to visualize yourself accomplishing the things on your board.
- Retrospective: Look over your board from time to time and measure your accomplishments.
- Updates: Revise your board when your objectives change or as you reach goals.
- By working with your vision board on a daily basis, it continually reinforces your plan and helps you stay on track.
Step 8: Take Action
A vision board works best with action. Compress your goals into manageable mini steps and complete them on a regular basis. For instance, if you want to save for your dream home, establish a budget and monitor your savings.
Remember, manifestation isn’t magic, it’s the outcome of putting your thoughts and behaviors in alignment with your desired outcomes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
While the process of creating a vision board is relatively straightforward, a few errors can make it less effective:
- Lack of Specificity: Non-specific aspirations such as “be happy” will never guide you.
- Overload: Keeping a constant flow of objects can overwhelm and reduce attention.
- Missing It: A vision board you never revisit is cosmetic.
- Failure to Take Action: Imagination without doing nothing.
- So do not fall into these traps and let your vision board make a difference.
The Science Behind Vision Boards
Vision boards are psychological in nature. By targeting objectives, you stimulate the brain’s RAS, which cuts out irrelevant data and warns you of potential opportunities for your targets. This is why visualizing your achievement is useful on a daily basis — it trains your brain to look for and recognize paths towards your destination.
Final Thoughts
It’s not as simple as cramming images onto a board to create a successful vision board. It’s about translating your dreams into realities and holding on to your goals. Follow these steps to develop a vision board that will not only feel good, but drive you toward a better, happier future.
