When I first heard of my friends deciding to make a vision board, I thought it was a hippy-dippy idea based on them reading the popular book The Secret one too many times.
I had previously researched the Law of Attraction, the idea on which The Secret is based, that supposes “like always attracts like”; that positive thoughts will attract positive outcomes, and the same for negativity. It assumes that if you focus on an idea for long enough, it will manifest.
This is an idea that has garnered a lot of love from some, and a lot of criticism from others. A popular counter argument is one from Psychology Today contributor Neil Farber. An aptly fitting example he uses to refute the Law of Attraction comes from the article Throw Away Your Vision Board, in which he says that a student preparing for an exam won’t do well on the exam just by visualizing doing well, but by better using their time studying. He argues that it is all about action boards, not vision boards.
To me, working hard to get what you want seems like an obvious idea, and i’m not convinced a vision board and action are mutually exclusive. Call your board whatever you want, you will still have to work hard to reach your goals.
A vision board is simply a tool which helps you create, focus on, strategize, and materialize specific goals in your life. They are created to help you figure out what you want, how you want to feel, and how you can get those desires.
Why vision boards work
Vision boards work because they keep your desires in the forefront of your mind. The idea is that once you create your vision board, you will put in a place where you can see it everyday, and thus be consistently inspired.
A vision board is essentially a collage of images and quotes that speak to you in some way, and make you feel energized and motivated. Because your vision board will be tailored to you specifically, every time you look at it, it should invoke a pleasurable emotional response.
How to make a vision board
Write down what you want in your life. Be specific.
Think of the different areas of your life that you want to build and work on, and write down exactly how you want these areas to look. For example, say you have your dream house in your minds eye. Write down how the house looks, how living in this house will make you feel, and even what color the trim will be. Write down these specifics as if this house will be yours.
The better you can visualize what it is you want, the better you can focus on how you are going to get those things. Once you decide on the house you want, write down ways you can manifest it; whether it be to further work on your financial situation or to physically re-locate. Then, decide how you are going to do those things. If you are looking to put yourself in a better place financially, think about how you can get a second job, or look into picking up more freelance work.
A vision board can be a collage of your long-term goals or short-term goals. It can be dedicated to one specific goal, or it can represent moving forward in all areas of life. How you design your vision board (or boards) is completely up to you.
Remember, nobody needs to know what is on your vision board except for you. Write down your most personal desires.
Find pictures and quotes that correlate to your desires.
Print out photos from the internet, cut up some magazines, or simply write down your favorite inspirational quotes.
Make sure that everything you put on your vision board makes you feel happy and energized.
Arrange your vision board in a way that inspires you.
Everyone is different when it comes to aesthetics and how they should organize their board. Maybe you want your short-term goals and long-term goals all on one board, maybe you want to overlap all of your images so they create one giant larger image, maybe you want to space all your desires out and put them into neat lines, maybe you’re only inspired in black and white, or maybe you want your vision board to be digitized as your computer desktop background.
Whatever format moves you is how you should organize your board.
I’ve made my vision board, now what?
Once you’ve created your vision board, put it in a place where you will see it every day. You can put it in your bedroom so that it is the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning, or put it in your office so it can motivate you while you work.
And know that just because you’ve made your first vision board, doesn’t mean it has to sit stagnant. Update your board when you think of new desires or new ways to strategize. Perhaps you can even create a separate board of ‘goals achieved’, to further motivate you.
Happy manifesting!
