Reach your goals with vision boards
I created another vision board when I decided to make a big career move, leave my job and study full-time. As much as I wanted to follow my passion, obtain a diploma in natural nutrition and become a wellness coach, I was finding it difficult to be a student again, get organized and stay focused.
I have been working with the theory of visualization for many years; to help support me in achieving my personal and professional goals.
My “back to school” vision board included photos of books, a woman receiving a diploma and a cozy, yet professional, office space. It also had pictures of healthy food and me on my yoga mat to remind me that good nourishment and exercise were key factors in helping me reach my goal. Diagrams of body systems, medical terminology and motivational slogans like “you’ve got this” and “you are doing it” were also part of my board.
A vision board is a very powerful tool that involves a collection of pictures and words that represent your dreams and goals. The idea behind it is that when you surround yourself with images of how you want to feel, who you want to become or what you want to achieve, your life changes to match those images and desires. Basically, you are setting an intention for what you want with the support of images that resonate with your goals.
As you read this, you might be saying that this sounds a bit far-fetched. Actually, research shows that vision boards are indeed, very effective.
Jim Carey, Kellan Lutz,
Ellen Degeneres, Katy Perry, John Assaraf, Oprah Winfrey, Lucinda Cross and many other famous and highly successful people have reported amazing success with this method. Olympic athletes are also known to create vision boards to help improve their performance.
Jack Canfield, the author of the Chicken Soup For The Soul book series, is a big believer in the power of vision boards. Canfield claims “creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you.” According to Canfield, using visualization techniques to focus on your goals and desires does four things. “One, It activates your creative subconscious, which will start generating creative ideas to achieve your goal. Two, It programs your brain to more readily perceive and recognize the resources you will need to achieve your dreams. Three, It activates the law of attraction, thereby drawing into your life the people, resources and circumstances you will need to achieve your goals. Four, It builds your internal motivation to take the necessary actions to achieve your dreams.” Very powerful,
I’d say!
Making a vision board is easy. First, you’ll need scissors, tape, tacks or glue, old magazines, printed images and a large sheet of paper, bristol board or a bulletin board. Start by writing down what you want to achieve. It could be improved health, weight loss, more time for you, a relationship, a new career, etc.
Search the internet and go through magazines. Choose words and pictures that correspond with your goals such as wellness, happiness, joy, laughter, peace, prosperity, love, wisdom and time.
If you can imagine it, it can be part of your vision board and it can become your reality. Collect a stack of images, phrases and words. Go through the images and begin to lay the favourite ones on the board. Some people prefer to create a theme to each corner of the board, such as health, job, spirituality, relationships or there might be only one theme for the entire board. It’s up to you; it’s your board, so design it whichever way you like.
There are no rules, so follow your intuition. A very powerful step is to place a favourite photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy in the centre of the board.
Once you’ve completed your board, it’s important to look at it several times throughout the day, so it should be placed where you’ll see it most often. It’s important to take note of changes that reflect progress toward the goals you have represented on your board. As things begin to materialise, one suggestion is to take the pictures/words off and save them in an envelope or box. This becomes your special collection of accomplishments that you can reflect upon later.
If you are working toward achieving a goal, perhaps a vision board will help you.