How to Create a Vision Board
Whatever you fail to ask for in life, you will never receive. - Jill Birth
I created my very first vision board decades ago, only because my friend RaQuett was the one told me to. She instructed me to go home and put together a poster board with sayings that inspired me, photographs that represented my future goals, and affirmations about who I was—and who I would choose to become. “Just hand your dreams and your visions over to the Lord, and trust in Him,” she assured me.
When I put together my first vision board, I weighed 263 pounds and the idea sounded completely nuts to me. You know what? I did it, and it worked. One by one, my dreams have come true! Now, I swear by the process of creating a vision board while pursuing your goals, and today I’m going to explain to you exactly how you can create a vision board of your own.
Step One: Set Specific Dreams and Goals
For your vision board to work, you must allow yourself to dream big and cast aside any limitations. Too many people live every day the same way, getting up to go to work (if they’re fortunate enough to have jobs), then coming home to care for their children, put dinner on the table, and watch a little TV before bed. Is that what you want? If you’re here – I’m sure that’s not all you want!
Or, if you could have anything at all, would you choose to have bigger, more exciting goals for your life? What words come to mind? Come on, keep going! Write down the trips you want to take, the business experience you’ve always wanted to have, the relationships you seek with your friends and family, even the kind of place you’d like to live in during your retirement.
Use all of your five senses to visualize living the life you have placed on your vision board. Envision specific experiences you want to have. How does it look, feel, smell, sound, and taste to you? If it’s a new car, what does it look like? See yourself sitting in the seat with your hands on the steering wheel. What does it feel like? What does it smell like? Feel the leather seats beneath you. The more specific you can be about your dream, the closer to reality it will become.
Although your conscious mind will kick ideas out if they seem irrational, your subconscious brain will get excited about the possibilities of living a full, rich life where there are no barriers. You’ll be amazed by the visions you can create for a better life—and at how your dreams will start coming true in unexpected ways! Don’t forget what I said before. If you don’t ask for it you won’t receive it.
Step Two: Craft Your Vision Board
When you’re ready to create your vision board, set aside a block of time so you can devote your full focus to it – this isn’t something you want to rush through just to check it off a to-do list. Start by writing your visions on paper. Put your specific dreams and goals on it. Don’t hold back! Put down all that you want for yourself.
Then, search magazines, the Internet, and even Pinterest for images, words, and favorite quotes that represent your visions. Draw or write what you’re looking for if you can’t find it. Pin or glue your visions onto a poster board or a bulletin board. Take imperfect action. Don’t get hung up on perfection here, it doesn’t need to be perfect – you’re not trying to win any art prizes here. It just needs to create the feeling of desire within you.
Affirmations
Affirmations are a crucial thing to include on your vision board, they can also be something you integrate into your life in more ways than just on your vision board – create sticky notes and tape them to your bathroom mirror, create a graphic of your affirmations and save it as your phone and computer background, keep them in front of your eyes and mind constantly. Every time you see one of them, stop and read it aloud. Eventually, these affirmations will become part of you, and will give voice to the self-esteem and confidence you need to meet your goals for transforming your body and your life.
Always start each affirmation with positive, active phrases like “I am, I deserve, I have,” or “I choose” rather than “I can” or “I want.” I learned from reading The Success Principles by Jack Canfield to choose to act “as if”. Act “as if” you are already that positive, confident person. If you say something like “I want” or “I need” then you will always want and need because you are talking as if you haven’t realized your goal yet. Speak as though you are already successful in that area of your life.
Here are a few affirmations that I love to get you started (but be sure to create some of your own as well):
I am in the light and a powerful light. I stand in my truth and I am in love with
myself.
I always know when my kids need me, what they need at the time, and they
know that they are loved.
I am spiritual and intuitive.
I have all that I require to live the life of my dreams.
I am creating the body of my dreams.
I am on purpose.
I choose to see the good in others. In doing so, I see the beauty in myself.
I am the author of my own success story.
I take full responsibility for my life and my actions.
I choose to be happy every day.
Step Three: Visualize Your Dreams Daily
Your vision board won’t do anything to help you achieve your goals if you create it and never look at it again. Your vision board should be a constant reminder of your goals and aspirations. Place it somewhere you will see it every day, like your bedroom, bathroom or office.
Whenever you see it, spend a few minutes each morning and evening visualizing your dreams as if they have already come true. Engage all your senses to truly immerse yourself in the experience. You may also wish to add an anchoring ritual to this practice. An anchoring ritual is simply holding an object, applying a pressure point, or inhaling an essential oil that will associate your feelings of hope and faith toward the achievement of your goal with that item. The purpose is so that whenever you smell that essential oil, hold that object, or apply that pressure point - you can anchor into those feelings even if your vision board is nowhere near.
Write a Letter to Your Future Self
Go one step further to visualize how you will transform your life by writing a letter to yourself. See this as your vision board in letter format. Start by picturing your life five years from today. What will you want the you of the future to look like? Where will you live? Who are you with? What do you do for a living? What are your friends like? What do they say about you? How will you create this life? If money, logistics, and responsibilities were not an issue, who would you be? Write it all down in letter format to yourself. Make it special: maybe write it on beautiful stationery and frame it. As with your vision board, keep it in a place where you will remember to read it often - ideally once a week, if not more often.
Now What?
Creating a vision board is a powerful practice that can change the course of your life. Embrace self-reflection, set specific dreams, and use affirmations to align your thoughts with your desires. With your vision board as a guiding light, step into the future with courage and determination. Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination. Dream big, believe in yourself, and let your vision board pave the way to a brighter and more fulfilling future.
Other Helpful Resources
If you enjoyed these tips, this is just a fraction of what I cover in my book Finding the Voice Inside You. Download a free digital copy here for more.
In case this is the first time we’re connecting, I’m Jill, an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and leader inspiring other women to live out their God given purpose by helping them overcome physical, mental, and financial hardships. If you liked this blog post and want more where that came from, here are a few ways we can work together:
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