The New Year is usually the time that we are setting intentions, new goals, and even the infamous resolutions. Often, we set our goals and intentions and do not see them through to fruition. A vision board is a tool that can help you stay on track and keep your desires in front of you throughout the year.
According to Wikipedia, a vision board is a collage of images, pictures, and affirmations, of one’s dreams and desires, designed to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation.
A vision board is a tool that can help you to clarify and maintain focus on a specific life goal. In essence, a vision board inspires you to do short visualization exercises throughout the day which help to support you in achieving your goals.
Let us first chat about the law of attraction. There is a quote by Esther Jno-Charles that I love, which is:
The basic idea behind the law of attraction is that we attract things to us by focusing on them or giving them our attention. This holds true for ALL thoughts and things. If we focus on negative, we bring more negative into our life, which could be lack of money, lack of friendships, worries, etc. If we focus on the things that bring us joy and abundance, we can then attract even more of that joy and abundance into our life. Sounds easy, right????
There is an especially important word we need to focus on, which is the word ACTION. Yes, there is proof of the law of attraction and what we put out to the universe will expand and grow for us, however, we need to take action to make our dreams happen.
A vision board can help create action to achieve your goals and intentions. That is how I use mine. It is the springboard for me to stay focused on my goals and reach for ‘something bigger’ each year.
The first step in creating your vision board is to take some time to plan out what you want on your vision board; what is it that you really want! Do you even really know what you want? Like many of us, you have been so busy with everyday activities that you have not taken the time to set clear goals, dreams, and intentions. This is a time to dream and imagine what you REALLY want. I strongly recommend taking 15-20 minutes per day for a week in quiet time journaling and focusing on what you want. During the first class, I will share ideas and tools that will help you get started in determining what your dreams and goals are, which will ultimately go on your vision board.
Your vision board can cover many areas or just a few areas of your life that you want to manifest. I like to think of my vision board like a pie (or a square with many internal squares) in which I have a desire or intention around, including finance/money, health/wellness, personal growth, travel, family/relationships, spirituality, nature, business, & community. Yours may have all of these, or something different. It is up to you how you want your vision board to look and what you want it to help you manifest.
Use only the words and images that best represent your dreams and goals and words that will inspire you. Keep it simple and clean. Too many images are distracting and harder to focus on. You may even have a word of the year, which can be the focus of your vision board. Pinterest is a great place to look for images and ideas, too. Create a board in Pinterest for Visioning which will be useful each year.
Start by laying out a white poster or construction paper. The size you create may be dependent on where you will be displaying your vision board, which should be visible to you upon rising in the morning and going to bed at night to help you with your manifestation. I like to use a size of roughly 20”x28” or something close to that, although an 8 ½” x 11” piece of paper will work too and is great to attach to your bathroom mirror.
Arrange your images and words on the board in a collage manner that is pleasing to you. Many others like to have a photo of themselves in the middle, this is totally up to you and what feels best. Once you feel it is set, glue, or tape the images and words into place. You can also write words or goals on your board as well. Your written hand is more powerful than a printout from your computer.
I also like to add affirmation words to my board. Over the years I have used ‘Grateful’, ‘Joy’, ‘Acceptance’, ‘Foundation’, ‘Boundaries’, ‘Love’, ‘Abundance’, ‘Tenacious’, ‘Loving’, ‘Powerful’, ‘Strong’, ‘Confident’, ‘Community’, and yes, ‘Queen’, and ‘Girl Boss’! During your journaling, find words that strike a tone with you and circle them. Think about why that word means so much to you and write it down.
The best time to create and start using your vision board is during the first four days of the lunar cycle, which is the day of the new moon and the three following days. The energy of the new moon will help you in the creation of your vision and dreams and brings about a more positive frame of mind.
YOU DID IT! First, congratulations on taking the time and steps to create your board. Start by placing your board somewhere in your home where you will see it every day. Spend a few minutes each day in front of your vision board and imagine all these amazing things manifesting in your life. Feel the feelings associated with them. Repeat the affirmations out loud in the morning and at night that are associated with your board.
If you are using your board daily and feel like something needs to change on it or be removed, that is OK! Remove or change it. Your board can be fluid, just like we are.
By naturally adding visualization to your daily routine, you will notice a change that you become naturally more motivated and driven to achieve your goals.