Setting goals, making plans and actualizing dreams are a large part of the magic of life. At the same time, this actualization can be overwhelming, so it’s important to make small steps towards those goals. One of those small steps can be comprised of creating a vision board. According to Life Path Coach Lori Friesen, there are two different types of vision boards.
“There is one where you are totally conscious of what you want to have on your vision board and one where you are coming from a less conscious place and are being guided more from your heart and higher self,” Friesen tells Lively. In the end, the main purpose is to create a tangible presentation of what you want more of in your life. Friesen says that this connection with the visual representation will bring clarity, excitement and confidence that you will find the experiences, people or places that you desire in your life.
Why Vision Boards Are Helpful
Vision boards are truly a simple way to boost your momentum from visualization to actualization. The images, colors and words that you choose will bring you back to your central purpose on a daily basis. This affects decisions that you make and, ultimately, those decisions can bring you closer to the dreams you aspire to attain. “They remain top of mind when you plan activities as you move towards your goals and may also appear in your life through ‘coincidental’ happenings like meeting the right person at just the right time,” shares Friesen. It comes back to the premise that you should connect with your goals daily in order to achieve them, and vision boards bring that to the next level with the visual element.
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How to Make a Vision Board
There are many ways to create a vision board. You can use an app, a white board or the classic poster board. The traditional way to create one is to sift through and cut out images and words from magazines and glue them on a poster board to create a collage. Fortunately, there isn’t one “right” way. It’s more about what would be most accessible to you and what you would truly use on a daily basis.
If you are creating your vision board using traditional poster board, find a quiet spot, eliminate distractions, play music that you enjoy and just relax in order to get yourself into a more creative state. Friesen recommends spending about an hour flipping through magazines and cutting out any words, phrases, colors, or images that captivate your attention and put them all in a pile. Next, go through the pile to choose what connects and resonates with you the most. It doesn’t necessarily need to make sense with your goals as it can still serve as purposeful inspiration. You can lay them out on your board in whatever way suits you (arrange by category, color or at random), but don’t glue anything on until you feel good about the arrangement.
You can also turn it into a fun hangout by creating vision boards with trusted friends who can provide you with feedback if you need it.
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Where Do You Put Your Vision Board?
Put simply, it’s best to place your vision board where you will interact with it daily. For some people, that means an app or a picture of a board on their phone. For others, that may mean placing a poster board on their bathroom wall or in their window. “If you live or work with others, you will want to guard your vision board against any criticism or belittling,” says Friesen. “It represents your dreams and should be treated with appreciation and respect.”
Friesen recommends looking at your board twice a day for two to three minutes. “As time goes by you will notice things on your vision board appearing in your life,” Friesen tells Lively. “Or you might notice people, places and things that align with your vision board in surprisingly delightful ways.”