Visualizing what you really want in life can be one of the most powerful ways to manifest your dreams. A vision board can be a simple and yet truly powerful tool in visualizing what you want to create, do or have.
Here are the basic guidelines to create a vision board for yourself:
- A vision board begins with a foundation. This may be a poster board, foam board, tri-fold board, or my favorite, a large cardboard cake round. Use what works best for you. Choose a foundation that speaks to you, one that you feel you can easily and effectively build upon.
- A vision board includes imagery. You can clip pictures out of books, magazines, or print off the internet, just use caution in reproducing or sharing images that are copyrighted. If you prefer, you can draw the images yourself or use your own photos. What matters here is that images are present, because your vision board needs to be visual in nature. Seeing pictures of your priorities, dreams, and goals will help you focus on them.
- A vision board includes writing, but it should not include words! Huh? Writing isn’t mandatory, but it can play a role in identifying the key pieces of information. The way I like to begin is by spending some time journaling first about what I want for the coming year. Here are a few prompts to guide your writing:
- What do I want to do?
- What do I want to have or create?
- And who do I need to be in order to make it all happen?
Then I write the most important aspects of my journaling onto the foundation of my vision board. Ultimately the words become hidden by the images. This is very intentional. You want your vision to be expansive and unlimited. Words can create limits and beliefs about what’s possible.
Your vision is limited only by the extent of your personal creativity. It may be simple and strategic or it may be a highly detailed work of art. I recommend approaching this creative process from the perspectives of curiosity and play.
How do you know you got it “right”? Actually, you can’t get it wrong!
But here are three essential elements of an effective and motivating vision board:
- Visual. Your subconscious tends to work in terms of images and pictures, and so your vision board should be as visual as you can possibly make it. Avoid using phrases and words as much as possible or choose one word that captures your theme for the year.
- Emotional. Every image on your vision board should evoke some type of positive emotional response out of you. Seeing it should fuel your motivation to achieve your dreams.
- Strategic. Vision boards are practical! This tool should be placed strategically in a location where you receive maximum exposure to it. Seeing your vision board as often as possible will help you stay focused on your goals and dreams.
- Personal. Your vision board needs to emit positive energy. If you think that you’ll be criticized or forced to justify yourself for your vision board, then keep it in a private location so nobody else can bother it or you.
Beyond these basic guidelines, let this process be whatever you want to make of it. Ultimately, it’s yours to design, develop and utilize as you see fit. You can add to it and change it over time as your goals and focuses change.
Dr. Minette Riordan will be presenting the Association for Women in Communications January Know To Grow webinar on January 23, 2020. Learn more and register here.
About the Author
Dr. Minette Riordan is a modern day Renaissance woman: artist, writer, award-winning entrepreneur and advocate for creativity as essential to the well-being of all people and our planet. A popular speaker, Minette has appeared on television, radio and podcasts around the globe. She has built three successful businesses, worked with thousands of business owners and published 3 books including her best seller The Artful Marketer. Minette is the founder of the Confident Creative Framework, a simple and effective transformational process for helping others to own their artistry. She believes that when we are all working in our highest and best creative genius, we can solve all the world’s problems.
