Getting Started with Vision Boards
Setting Intentions, Daily Visualization, and Daydreaming are part of most success strategies, and Vision Boards/Dream Boards/Intention Boards are the visual tools that will help to ensure you get to your Life Goal Destinations.
For some reason, I cannot even fathom why now, my existing Vision Boards did not make it to my present life and destination. Therefore, I am in the process of putting together a new Vision Board and thought it a good time to share the Who, What, Why, When, and How of making a Vision Board.
Vision Boards Are What You Make It
I have taught Vision Boards for over 20 years and before I left my last known place of corporate employment I gave a class to my co-workers on how to do Vision Boards.
Everyone used a different backdrop for their board. Some used the 3-panel presentation boards, one used a poster that had a beautiful photo and saying already on it, one used a notebook with dividers for every aspect of her life she had goals for. (She was the Queen of organization!)
One gentleman used a pocket folder. He opened the folder and laid it out flat and used the colorful side for his visual guides, by gluing and taping photos and sticky notes on it. Then for the inside, he used the pockets for articles that supported his goals, travel schedules, and advertised events that also supported his visions and dreams that he had pasted on the front. Everyone got really clever with the backdrops they used for putting their Dreams, Life Intentions, Wants, and Needs into the Universe.
It is best to put your Vision Board where you can see it every day but it still works if packed away and not looked at for a while.
In fact, I had a recent conversation with a former co-worker who just found her Vision board while clearing out her existing office. Looking it over, she realized she had accomplished everything she had put on it…. Big Win for what she hoped to have, to do, to be.
The Who …
Everyone!!!…. Literally Everyone!!!…. can benefit from putting together a Vision Board. From the time a child understands they want things, they can begin to have a Vision Board/Dream Board.
Those who have retired and think a Vision Board no longer is viable, especially if they are on a fixed income, Think again…. We should never stop having Dreams and Visions of how we would like our life to be and it is important to keep striving for the things we want to do, there should there never be an age limit on having Dreams, Visions, and Intentions. Think of it as a visual “Bucket List” if you will.
The What….
• Tri-fold presentation boards…… these come in 3 or more sizes. I am putting together a small one and a large one to support the direction I want to go towards.
• Pocket Folders
• Notebooks
• Posters…with or without sayings on them
• Photo Albums
• Picture Frames
• Photo display boxes
• Cork Boards
• Mural paper strung across a wall, Kids really like this one. If you have a Family Vision Board this is easy to give each family member their own section to work on and keep the collective vision in its own section for everyone to work on and add to; such as a Trip to Disney, Disney World, Harry Potter, Universal Studios, the Grand Canyon, Redwood Forest and so on.
• Doors
• Mirrors
• Refrigerators
• Hang up a colorful piece of fabric and staple and pin your pictures, sticky notes, and sayings to it.
• All of these boxes we are receiving from Amazon, cut the sides off, and use them.
More Supplies…..
• Magic markers, color markers, colored high-liters
• Tape, double sided tape, decorative tape, scrapbooking tape
• Scissors
• Stapler
• Push pins
• Sticky notes
• Pens
• Pencils
• Magazines
• Glue, glue stick
• Any Scrapbooking supplies are fun to add in as well…(for example, I went to one of the craft stores and purchased an embellishment that looked like a real Diploma and wrote in the degree I wanted of which I have obtained)
Be Creative… Make it fun….. Have a Vision Board Party …
Yes, it is a “Thing” LOL If we are still social distancing do a Vision Board party online and invite all your family and friends from everywhere.
The Why…
We all have Visions/Dreams/Intentions/Perceptions of how we would like our life to be, what direction we want to go, and how we want to get there. The more of our “5 senses” we get involved the more successful we are. Vision/Dream and Intention Boards keep us on a positive path for moving forward and not waking up one day saying I wish I would have, I should have and wish I could have.
Kids do well with a Vision Board of goals …. for example, …. School… put each subject down and put an A+ next to them. Have fun writing some of their hardest math formulas down and put an A+ over them. List all of their subjects and put an A+ over them…. Just seeing these will give them the encouragement of striving for their best work in school.
One of the most fun things for kids is to do is cut out and paste pictures of things they want for Birthdays, Christmas, and Vacations. This also works well for parents to know what to buy their children for those gift-giving occasions.
The When…
Anytime!!!!….. Right Now!!!!…. No better time than right now while we have more time at home than ever before. Our Life has been somewhat simplified for us so take advantage of it while you can. Learn to really Play and Plan.
The How….
• You can start with sticky notes
• Bucket lists
• Photos from advertising mailers
• Product books like Costco, Bed Bath and Beyond, Jewelry advertisements
• Travel Advertisements and brochures
• Home building, remodeling and furniture magazines
• Car advertisements and magazines
• Golf Magazines
• No matter where you are you can start.
• Go to the Internet, research and print out what you know you want in your life, and are determined to obtain.
• If losing weight is one goal, then print out a photo of you at the weight you most liked and put it on your board.
• Pinterest has hundreds of examples and prompts to wet your creative appetite.
• If you are not one for cutting out pictures then just write out all of your wants, dreams, goals, and plans.
My Proof it Works……. I did a large 3 panel Vision Board and as I look back, I have accomplished everything I put on my board including writing and publishing a book.
I made copies of pictures of books and made a copy of a Kindle reader. I then pasted my working book titles on the books and pasted an excerpt of one of my proposed books onto the kindle so it looked like it had been downloaded…. I put that I won an award for my published book and I have.
I also added pictures of relationship examples of happy couples doing all sorts of fun activities, such as hiking, traveling, biking, dancing, dinners out, and so on.
I pasted pictures of all kinds of stacks of money and wrote the amount I thought would be wonderful to have in my bank account all over my Vision Board (I can say I should not have put a limit on it as I received the exact amount I wrote down )
I pasted positive sayings, things I was grateful for and mantras to keep me moving forward, and
I put the degree I wanted and the date I wanted it by, as well as my Certifications for Life Coaching and Angel Card Reading.
Before my husband passed away he saw my board…. He was sold on the effects of my board and said he had no doubt my book would be published….. And it has been.
My husband and I started a collective board….. It was divided into thirds… “My” part, “His” part, and “Our” part down the middle. Of course, his part had way more power tools on it than I thought possible to want.. And so much Indoor Golf equipment that we would need a mansion to put it in…LOL Before he passed away he did turn our garage into a small scale indoor golf gaming place and I think he had more power tools than the local hardware store.
The point is that Vision Boards work and this kind of positive project can be part of a Family thing, A Couple thing or Individual.
I have listed below a couple of websites that may help you get started. The 51 Vision Board Ideas are terrific for ideas.
The Reason Visions Work And How To Make One
51 Vision Board Ideas For Your Important Goals