I cracked open another moving box. As with the other ones, it was jam packed with office odds and ends. I took out a few folders and found a place for them within my desk. A couple books went up on a shelf. And then a poster board. Although it was clearly worn and creased, I opened it up carefully. My vision board.
A Vision Board: Visualizing What You Want in Your Life
I had made this particular poster board at least five years prior, shortly after my husband and I had gotten married, when life looked very very different than it did now. (Affiliate links included).
Looking at all the images and words, I smiled and butterflies flittered around my stomach — but not out of nervousness. Out of delight. Nearly everything on my vision board from so many years ago had become a reality.
New baby? One in 2014 and then another in 2017.
A library full of books and a magazine clipping of the word “contributors”? Yup. I continued to get my nonfiction work published, including one story in Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Swimming with the dolphins? Yup — on a trip paid for by a company I work with.
A picture of a new house? To confirm that new goal, I had even written “Our own home” in blocky letters. Now, here I was, in our new-to-us home, unpacking boxes and in awe of the power a vision board.
Visualization is a powerful tool, and creating a vision board helps us figure out what we want more of in our lives. There isn’t one single right way to put one together — after all, we all have different hopes and dreams — but these tips can help you get started.
Brain dump in a journal
First, ask yourself: what do you want more of in life?
Give yourself permission to dream big. Write it all down, even if it feels crazy or impossible to you, and even if you have that little negative voice in your head telling you it won’t happen. (More on these self-limiting beliefs later). After all, if you don’t know what your dreams are, how are you supposed to go after them?
Put your vision board together
Do you prefer something digital? Or something more hands-on?
You’ll want to have your vision board in a place that you can easily see it to remind you of your goals and dreams. If you prefer digital, use Pinterest, create a board, and store all your images there. If you prefer something more hands on, grab a bunch of magazines and other things — like postcards — and start clipping images that fit your goals and dreams. (No surprise here, collecting the images is my favorite part of this process!) Bonus: you don’t have to be crafty to do this. In sorting through magazines and such, you may even find more inspiration in the images you see.
If you can’t find just the right image, you can always find it online and print it, do a drawing, or hand write it.
Once you’ve collected all your images, start assembling them onto a board, whether it be posterboard or a thumbtack board. The goal here is to have them all in one place so that when you look at it, wherever you may choose to display it, you feel inspired and motivated. Because, after all, isn’t that what a vision board is all about?
Picture your dreams and goals… and then go after them.
Do you have a vision board? What do you enjoy about the process of creating one? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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