Why I Have a Vision Board and You Should Too
I absolutely believe in the power of a vision board.
The concept is this:
If you visualize what you really want in life – who you want to become, where you want to go, what you want to have and do – and surround yourself with that visualization, as long as you put in the work, the law of attraction will help you get there.
Visualization is powerful. It helps you to clarify, reinforce, and reach your goals. For example, you may say “I want to be successful,” but how do you visualize success? What does it look like for you, and how do you know when you have reached it? Maybe it looks like a brand new Mercedes Benz, a yacht, a sprawling mansion on the coast of Palm Beach, or a million dollars in your bank account. Or maybe it looks like a small apartment in your favorite city, a promotion at work, your own business, or the freedom to travel.
Jim Carrey, Oprah, Steve Harvey… there are countless wildly successful people who have referenced visualization as something that has helped them attain their goals. Jim Carrey’s story is my favorite: Around the time of 1987, before making it in the entertainment industry and while virtually broke, Jim Carrey wrote himself a check for $10 million. He dated the check for “Thanksgiving 1995” and in the memo section, wrote “for acting services rendered.” He stuck that check in his wallet and carried it with him for years. Just before Thanksgiving 1995, Jim Carrey learned that he would be making $10 million for his role in the movie Dumb and Dumber. He spoke of this on the Oprah Winfrey show back in 1997. Click here to view the clip.
My vision board is inspired by health and wellness, travel, and entrepreneurship. I have magazine clippings representing fitness and wellbeing, and clippings of places I want to travel to, including Mexico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Africa, London, Germany, and France.
The very first clipping I put on my vision board was an image of Beacon Hill in Boston – kind of a random clipping, but I put it on my board to represent more frequent visits to Boston because I love the place. Well we decided to make the four hour drive and have our engagement pictures done in Boston one weekend, and as it turns out, they were taken on the exact street, at the exact lamp pole, under the exact American flag as the image on my board. I had no idea until we received our pictures back on a disk that this was put on my vision board years earlier. Coincidence? Maybe…. but I think it’s pretty cool!
Whether it’s on a bulletin board, a poster board, or a digital printout, you should make a vision board! Pinterest has made it easy to “pin” content on virtual boards, and there are some vision board apps, but I still prefer a tangible board to keep somewhere in the home. They’re fun to create and you’ll learn things about yourself in the process. By creating a vision board, you’ll clarify your goals and what you want your life to look like. Get crafting!
Ready to make a vision board? Here’s what you’ll need:
A board of some sort. I used a poster board purchased from the dollar store, but you can even use cork board, or pin board.
Magazines. If you have magazines laying around, great. If not, you can of course purchase some (just make sure to scan them quickly before buying to make sure they’ll be relevant for your board), but there are plenty of ways to get some for free. I went into my local travel agency office for some free honeymoon magazines (needed them anyway), and took some free publications from the YMCA and grocery stores.
Scissors
Tape, glue, or push pins
Have fun with it and be sure to keep your vision board in a place where you’ll see it every day for reinforcement!