Create a Vision Board: A Place For Your Dreams, Goals & Plans!

Last night, in a spontaneous kind of way, I made my very first vision board.

The idea didn’t come out of the blue. It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while now.

When my gorgeous and creative friend Jane shared her newly created vision board with me a few weeks back, I was inspired to start thinking again about mine.

But creating a vision board definitely wasn’t on my list of ‘Things to Do’ yesterday. (I think I’d been expecting to plan, imagine and procrastinate for at least a while longer!)

With the computer temporarily unavailable though, I thought I’d get a start on cutting words and images from the magazines I’ve collected… and didn’t stop until I was finished four hours later.

It was SO. MUCH. FUN!!!!!

I didn’t expect to enjoy the process as much as I did. But it was REALLY fun!

Now I want to make another one… and another…

So what’s a Vision Board?

A vision board, or ‘Dream Board’, is a way of visually representing the dreams and goals that you want to bring into reality in your life.

Vision boards became popular when the book “The Secret” came out – though they’d already been around for a long time before that!

For anyone wanting the Law of Attraction to work in their life, a vision board is the perfect place for that image of the car they one day intend to own, the holiday destination they’ll be travelling to, and their dream future home.

To be totally honest with you though, I still haven’t read The Secret, and haven’t given much more than a passing thought to the Law of Attraction. So there are no holiday destinations or dream homes on this vision board I’ve created!

(Which doesn’t mean I don’t believe it can work! It’s just not the way I’ve personally approached creating my vision board).

I definitely do believe that visualization is a powerful tool that – along with a good dose of action – can help you to reach your goals.

And as a highly visual person (too scared to put my piles of paper away because I need them to jolt my memory of all I’m meant to be doing!!), I have a fear that my ideas and dreams too may be ‘Out of sight, out of mind’.

For me, my vision board is where I’ve gathered my goals, dreams and plans in a colourful, attractive way that will be a constant reminder of all that I want to achieve and work on this year.

So what’s on my Vision Board?

A few days back I bought my ticket to this year’s Problogger Training Event. I was so disappointed when I missed out on most of last year’s event, and determined that this year I’ll be there.

This year, though, the event is in QLD!

And I have a thing (a not so positive thing!) about flying.

But it’s something that, despite my apprehension, I really want to do.

So it’s on my vision board. And so I’ll be there!!

I’ve also got my financial goal for this year on my vision board, along with some ideas on how I’m going to make it happen.

Although my goal of giving $10000 to charity (to the Hamlin Fistula Fund) didn’t make it onto my board, the $30000 figure is a reminder of that for me.

And this quote:

…is a reminder to me that in all the craziness, amidst the long to-do lists and never-ending housework… it’s OK to stop and slow down. It’s OK to take time for me!

What about you?

What are the dreams, goals and plans that you’d put on yours?

Would you like to know how to make your own Vision Board?

If you’d love to make a vision board yourself, it’s really easy to do.

Here’s the step-by-step instructions that you can follow to make yours:

(Just a tip, from my own experience: It’s a great idea to do this when you’re not distracted by other things. If you want to really enjoy the process, find a time when you can give it your full attention!)

1. First, gather the supplies you’ll need:

Old magazines (if you don’t have any around the house, you should be able to buy them very cheaply in your local op shop or thrift shop). My favourites: Oprah’s ‘O’ Magazine, old issues of Notebook, Success Magazine, Woman’s Weekly and Wellbeing. I know Jane also used old scrapbooking magazines, which are a great idea too!
Posterboard, cut to the size you prefer (mine is just a bit bigger than A4 size)
Paints & brushes if you want to add a bit of colour and texture
Glue or glu-stick
Scissors

2. Think of what you want your Vision Board to represent. Will it cover all aspects of your life: health, business, relationships, finance? Or is there one particular aspect that you want to focus on at the moment? What are the goals and dreams you have that you’d like to include on your board? My board is about what I want to achieve in 2013 personally and in business. As I was creating this board though, I was thinking about (and setting aside words for!) a future board solely for my blog and books goals.

3. Spend time going through your magazines, cutting or tearing out images, words and phrases that mean something to you. Focus on the positive and be aware of how the words and images make you feel. (See the girl on my board? I just love the surprised and happy expression on her face!)

4. Splash some paint on your poster board if you want to! I used some turquoise paint that I had lying around, and painted pink and white ‘flowers’ onto the background. When my son said to me this morning, “You’re a great painter, Mum”, I knew for certain that he needs his eyes checked!! But it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. I still love the texture and colour that a bit of paint has given to my vision board.

5. Start gluing those words and images on, any way you like. This is the fun part!! (Actually, it’s ALL the fun part!) You’ll probably find that you only use some of the cuttings you’ve gathered. You may find, like I did, that you’re all set to glue something on then realize it just doesn’t feel right. Put aside the pieces you don’t use. Maybe you can use them on another board later!

6. If possible, keep going until your vision board is completely finished. If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get excited and start on something, then put it aside… and not get back to finish it! Last night, I looked at the clock just after 11pm, and considered heading to bed. But with just a small amount of blank space left to fill on my board, I decided to keep going. I know that if I left my board incomplete, there’s a chance it would stay that way. Forever!

7. Admire, enjoy, appreciate… your gorgeous vision board!! Well done for doing the work, for creating a place for your dreams, goals and plans. That’s awesome!

8. Put your vision board in a place where you’ll see it often. I was a bit apprehensive about creating a vision board, because I thought it would be too personal and I wouldn’t want anyone to see it. Having now finished my own board, I love it so much and am excited to share it, so that’s not an issue at all. If it is for you though, find somewhere that you’ll see it often – even if no-one else will!

In case you need some more inspiration, I’ll add a few resources and links below that you can check out too.

Happy vision board making!! I hope you have as much fun making yours as I did!

Brigid xx

I look forward to hearing in the comments about your own vision board experience, if you’ve had a go at making one. Or maybe you have another special place, or special way, to remind yourself of your dreams and goals and plans that you’d love to share?