Today we’re talking about vision boards!
Since the year is winding down, it seems like the perfect time to share a few ways that you can make your vision board more effective. However, I want to point out that you can make a vision board at any time of year.
There’s no shortage of vision board articles dishing out advice about how to create a vision board. Most of them focus exclusively on how to create the actual board.
In this episode of Pimp Your Brilliance, I’m sharing my 2 cents on what makes a vision board powerful and 5 ways to make yours more effective.
The Power Of Vision Boards
A vision board is not magic!
A lot of the conversation around vision boards make them sound like woo-woo law of attraction magic. I don’t subscribe to that and I take a more practical approach to why I think vision boards work.
There are two key elements that give a vision board power, belief and clarity. You have to approach your vision board with clarity around what you want for your life and the belief that it’s possible. Without those two elements, your vision board is just a poster with pictures glued to it.
The true magic of vision boards is how they can help you shift your belief system.
It’s one thing to believe you’re capable of achieving a goal. It’s a total game changer when your belief is so strong in your desired outcome happening that you can actually form a mental picture of yourself. This is why athletes do visualization exercises before games.
Visualizing or forming a mental image not only helps your mind believe it, but it also helps your unconscious mind see it.
There is power in getting really clear on what you need, want, and value, even more so when you take aligned action towards those intentions. Combine that with a strong emotional connection and you have the recipe for a vision board that will make things happen.
How To Make Your Vision Board More Effective
Start with your goals
Pick 1 to 6 areas in your life that you’d like to focus on and set goals around them. Use those focus areas to plan out your board and choose your visuals.
Put with yourself on your board
I’ll never understand how people create vision boards and don’t put themselves on it. You are at the center of all of it. Add your picture to your board. You need to see yourself amongst the things that you are working towards. Other things that you can add include your word of the year, intentions, prayers, mantras, or mottos.
Draw from your own photos and experiences as much as possible
Before you pull out the magazines, grab your photo albums. Choose images that represent what you want and invoke a strong emotional response. Your emotions are the glue. You need to feel an actual emotional connection to the things on your board.
For example, if you want to take a dream trip to Paris you can add a picture of the Eiffel Tower. Next to the Eiffel Tower, there should be a picture of you on a previous trip that brings back a flood of good memories everytime you see it.
Put more of your own photos on you your vision board and use the magazine clippings as supplementary.
Insert yourself into your desired outcomes
This piggybacks off of the previous step. We all have things that we desire that we haven’t experienced yet. That doesn’t mean you should leave them off of your board. You just have to get a little creative and insert yourself into your desired outcome.
Envisioning yourself getting a new car? Go test drive it and have the salesman take a picture of you.
Want to make $10,000 a month in your business? Screenshot your online bank statement and photoshop in the desired amount.
Do you see yourself writing a book in your future? Design the cover art for a book and add your name as the author.
Treat your vision board as a living document versus a static one
Your vision board is not a one and done activity. As the year progresses, you should be updating your vision board. Cross things off or add new images as you get closer to your goals. Don’t be afraid to cover up things that no longer fit your vision.
Bonus Tip: Leave some whitespace
Leave room for unexpected opportunities or new desires. No matter how hard you try, you can’t plan for everything. So don’t try to cram everything on your vision board for the sake of completion.
Your vision can and will shift. It’s nice to leave space to add on new things when that happens.