Are you in the middle of the year and still haven’t created your vision board? I’m here to tell you there’s nothing to worry about. It’s a common misconception that vision boards are exclusively a New Year’s thing. The truth is, they’re tools to help you reach your dream life, regardless of the timeline you’re on. Take it from some of the most successful people, like Oprah, Steve Harvey, Tim Carrey, and Beyonce, who also create vision boards. Whether you’re having trouble envisioning your dream life or unsure about how to create a vision board, this article is here to help.
What’s A Vision Board?
A vision board is a manifestation tool that can help you achieve your dream life, letting you visualize your goals through images and snippets of text. There really is no right or wrong when it comes to vision boards and that’s the beauty of them. As mentioned earlier, there’s no specific time of the year to create a vision board, you can do it anytime you want and still see results. Additionally, you have the freedom to set your own deadlines for achieving your goals, be it a year or just a month from now. See what I mean? Very simple. Seeing your goals in a visual form in front of you makes you more prone to take action making that dream life a constant priority. I know it sounds voodoo, and trust me, I was hesitant too. Bare with me and I’ll change your mind.
Why Vision Boards Work
I will not give you the reasons in theory yet, instead, I will give you actual scientific facts that have been concluded by actual studies. Okay, here we go. It takes your brain 13 milliseconds to process visual images. To put it into perspective, you take about 300-400 milliseconds to blink your eye. 90% of the information processed by the brain is visual. Further research indicates that when you consistently envision accomplishing a goal on your vision board, such as making $10,000, your brain interprets it as already in progress. That’s because your brain is unable to distinguish between reality and imagination, leading it to create new neural pathways that can create the actual behaviors needed to achieve that goal.
Now let’s put some things into theory. Our brain filters out unnecessary stimuli that it deems unimportant and safe. What does that mean? Imagine walking down the street with your dad and he spots a specific architectural detail of a building – something you hadn’t even noticed. Why? Because, to you, it simply wasn’t important, and your brain filtered it out. Let’s shift the scenario. Suppose you’re looking to renovate your house; suddenly, you find yourself looking and taking inspiration from the architecture of every building. Why? That’s because your brain has now tagged this information as important and filtered it back into your awareness. The point is, it was always there, but it wasn’t until you started looking at house renovations that you became aware of them.
Imagine how life-changing it will be when you decide to create a vision board and consistently look at the same images representing your dream life. This way your brain is always on the lookout for any opportunities that may arise and you will unconsciously seize them.
Exercise: Visualize the moment you make your first $10,000. Who’s around you? How are you feeling? Who’s the first person you tell? What’s their reaction? Feel all the emotions that come with it. This visualization will give you a genuine desire to turn this vision into reality.
“Looking at images on a vision board primes the brain to grasp opportunities that may otherwise have gone unnoticed. That’s because the brain has a process called ‘value-tagging’ which imprints important things onto your subconscious and filters out unnecessary information. The brain assigns a higher ‘value’ to images than written words on a ‘to-do’ list, and the more you look at those images, the more those images move up in importance.”
~Dr. Tara Swart, a neuroscientist, medical doctor, executive advisor
How To Create A Vision Board
Now, we’re getting into the real deal. Creating the board of your dreams! I’m just gonna get right into it. Let’s go!
Get Clear On Your Goals
- Emotional Reactions/ Healing
- Physical Health
- Financial Independence
- Personal Growth
- Relationships and Social Connections
- Career Advancement
- Values
The key here is to be as clear as possible and oh, one thing to keep in mind: GO ALL OUT! Don’t hold back from writing down a goal just because you may feel you’re not capable enough. Write it down anyway.
Hunt For Images
Alright, moving on. Now, take all those goals you’ve jotted down and find images that truly resonate with them. Personally, I prefer to go on Pinterest because it has my kind of aesthetics, but feel free to get images from wherever you find suitable. Choose the ones that really reflect your goals and give you a sense of excitement. For example, you can have a picture of your dream kitchen, or your dream body and add it onto that vision board. That feeling of seeing the exact dream goal in mind can work wonders. Now, a quick note to all you perfectionists out there: You might find yourself getting indecisive when it comes to choosing the “perfect picture” or “perfect goal” but don’t you worry. You can always go back and update those images. You’re in no way limited.
Here’s another thing that you can add to your vision board: Some people, myself included, like to throw in short texts or motivational quotes that will tie everything together and keep the motivation flowing. Phrases such as “2024 is my year” or “Financial Independence” can add a meaningful touch to your vision board.
Create Your Vision
Ready to create a vision board? The next step is to add the images you chose to your vision board. This can be done in one of two ways: digitally or physically. If you choose to create an online digital board, platforms like Canva make it incredibly easy. You can upload the pictures, customize the poster size, and color scheme, and even use their image storage. Once done, download the image and set it as your laptop or phone wallpaper—ensuring you see it every day.
Alternatively, if you’re going the physical route (which is my preference), print out the images and stick them to a poster. Hang it on a wall in your room where you can see it every day. The key is to have these visual reminders consistently in your line of sight.
Take Action
Yes, once you make the decision to create a vision board, it can be transformational. However, it’s important to note that it won’t magically accomplish your goals for you. The work is on you. Resist the temptation to just sit and stare at the board every day, expecting a windfall of money from the sky. You’ve got to step up and take the necessary actions to turn those visions into reality. It’s about actively building your dream life with your own hands. The vision board serves as a reminder of the beautiful life you aspire to live, keeping you alert to the opportunities that knock on your door.
Heart-To-Heart Conversation
So, I’ve just wrapped up creating my vision board, and let me be real—it was a blast. Notice, though, it’s the middle of January, and I’m just getting it done. No judgment here, right? Because, again, there’s no specific time to create a vision board! I faced a bit of a challenge, though. You know, the struggle was real with finding the right picture sizes to fit my big board (and I’m not exactly a wizard with mathematical measurements—just one of the downsides of physical vision boards). And let’s not even talk about the aesthetic struggle; I was trying so hard to keep it aesthetically pleasing and it turned out great, actually! I’m curious, did anyone else face the same challenges, especially with the sizing and keeping it all aesthetically pleasing? Let me know!
There’s one more thing I think is worth mentioning. While I was writing my goals, my mind was overthinking and throwing in a, “Are you crazy? Can we really pull this off?” But I jotted them down anyway. Point is, it’s totally normal to have your doubts but don’t listen to them.
Conclusion
Let’s do a quick recap! In today’s article, we talked about vision boards, a topic gaining a lot of attention lately. We explored scientific and practical evidence supporting why they work and discussed various methods to create a vision board. While in the process, you might hear internal voices telling you why you can’t achieve those goals. The key? Shut down those voices and do it anyway. And remember, for this to work you have to take action!
So, how was that? It really was fun writing this article. Are you going to create a vision board or does it still sound mystical to you? I suggest you do the exercise I mentioned above and experience how good it feels. Please let me know how it went in the comments. I’m so excited to hear your stories! I’ll always be here cheering you on!