Creating a Vision Board For Your Life

Today I have a special guest, Erica, who is going to tell us all about creating a vision board.  I am a true believer in positive thinking.  If you believe positive things are going to happen, then they usually do.  Creating vision boards can help you truly bring the things you wish for in to your life in the most amazing way...sounds wonky, but it really does work...just lean in a little ;)

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With the freshness of the new year, the concept of a vision board popped into my head and I almost instantly wrote down five words that I want to draw into my life.

Coincidentally (or not so coincidentally?), I also happened to be thumbing through some old journals, and I came across the first vision board I ever made—exactly six years ago.

At the time, I had just heard about the concept on Oprah (I miss her), and I was in the middle of the darkest winter of my life. Literally, because the sun forgot about Indiana for at least six months that year, and figuratively, because I was taking my first whirl on the emotional roller coaster I have since become familiar with: pregnancy.

The board couldn't have been simpler. Just a few symbols in my journal, sketched as if by a 10-year-old.

Six years later, I can see that I found sunshine where I could that winter. Usually through the small window in our bathroom if I could catch it at just the right time of day. I can see that my inbox filled up with manuscripts from clients, and my life has been filled with friendships I value. Our baby was born healthy and strong (with a set of lungs to be reckoned with) a few months later, and since then, two more babies have followed.

In The Habits of Supremely Happy People, one of the most influential pieces I read last year, the simplest habit the writer listed was the effort of trying to be happy. She cited a study in which two groups of people were given a range of positive music to listen to. One group was told to focus on improving their happiness, while the other was told only to focus on the music. I'm sure you can guess which group reported higher moods at the end of the two weeks. :)

As a mom, I sometimes feel like my days are stuck on instant replay (and not necessarily of my highlights!). A vision board is a perfect way to try to be happy, to refocus my attitude.

It is a visual representation of your desire to welcome good things into your life.

Two approaches:

1. Pull images (either online or from magazines) that speak to you even if you don't know why, even if they don't necessarily make sense. Go with your gut. You may make some interpretations from the images, or you may just paste them onto a poster board and leave it at that. (Some people say they forget about it until years later when they find themselves standing on top of a waterfall holding a plaid umbrella—just like an image they selected for their board.)
2. Inversely, start with concepts that you want to draw into your life and find images that represent them. Although this is the more straightforward approach, the images should still grab you on a gut level.

A Few Pointers:

• Don't overthink it. This is an exercise based on intuition.
• Keep the material desires to a minimum. (We ALL want money and tropical vacations.)
• Don't hesitate to add things that seem insignificant. (Like sunshine.)
• Don't hesitate to add things that seem out of reach. After all, dreaming big is kind of the point. :)

I'd love to hear—Have you ever made a vision board? 

 

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