As children, one of the many pastimes would be to lay on top of a rug of splayed magazines and cut-out pictures we found attractive- a model with a nice dress, an expensive toy, or a cute kitten. We’d paste them with our cheap glue sticks onto construction paper and write our names in scented markers on the corner. It was a mess, but it was fun. Today, we are encouraged to participate in a similar but a slightly sophisticated craft, and by that I am referring to creating a vision board.
Vision boards are the “X” on a treasure map of your life. They are encouraged by self-help gurus and life coaches alike. They work as a tool to help visualize your dreams and to motivate you to chase them. It gives color and life to an idea by transporting you into that picture. And if you’ve enjoyed making pointless collages as a kid, then this is just as fun except with a bigger purpose and an actual step forward towards reaching your awesome self.
1. Figure out the goals you want to focus on. Brainstorm your passions and goals. Think deeply about what you want to achieve in a given amount of time. Write a few points of what leads you to those goals. Close your eyes and picture how you want them to manifest. Picturing it in your mind’s eye will help you look for the pictures you want.
2. Search for the pictures. If you’re online, you’re going to have to search by using specific keywords. If you’re flipping through magazines or photographs, then you have to be more open minded. I prefer searching online just because I can get to the specifics of what I want. Point of view pictures are the most motivating because the invite you into the narrative of the vision. Instead of putting a picture of your dream car, find an angle of the steering wheel so it looks like you’re in the driver’s seat. Also, look for moments of the journey that will take you to your goal. There are plenty of milestone moments you want to look forward to.
3. Create the collage. Use your creativity to combine the pictures digitally or on a poster board in a way that is most appealing to you. There are plenty of apps that can stitch pictures together. You can organize them by goals or jumble everything together. Explore your aesthetic.
4. Give it a home. Place your finished masterpiece where you can see it daily such as your desk or as the background of your phone. Sometimes it’s hard to find a space to put up your personal and private dreams. So get creative! Maybe you can post it in the door of your closet, or keep it in a folder in your desk. The whole point of creating the vision board is that you see it daily.
5. Spend time admiring it. Now that you’ve created your vision board, spend time around it. Give yourself time to reflect in front of it. Is there anything you can do to get closer to the next milestone? How can you improve yourself to become more like the images? Pray, meditate, and be inspired.
6. The whole idea of a vision board is that it speaks to you, personally. It should create a pull and entice you to your goals on a regular basis. If you feel like interspersing strong meaningful quotes, go ahead. Perhaps only five pictures speak all the emotions for you, then that’s more than enough. Maybe you realize that you don’t feel too strongly about running a business anymore, so change the picture. Your vision board is as fluid and unique as you are.
And finally, rejoice when you see them actualized. It is amazing to see your cutouts come to life, sometimes to the exact color. Be grateful for them and continue crafting new vision boards for your journey of awesomeness.
What kind of pictures would your vision board entail?
