How A Vision Board Changed My Life
Before I break down the positive effects of my vision board, I’d like to first and foremost, explain why I created one. I must admit, I’ve been reluctant to try anything that had to do with manifestation in the past. Due to my lack of experience with visualization techniques, it all just felt a bit fake. Another way to promote self-empowerment rhetoric such as, “believe it, and it will come to fruition” — the typical mambo jumbo you see people re-posting on Instagram. As if we don’t already have enough of those on the internet (no shade).
However, I can say, creating a vision board has done wonders for me this year. A colleague of mine (let’s call him Larry for the sake of this story) had multiple vision boards placed in his workspace. It seemed a bit excessive for my taste; but, the results spoke for itself. Throughout the year, Larry had completed every goal on his board, so one day, I decided to ask him about it. His response? “Dude, I know it seems dumb, but the boards work on a subconscious level. It acts as a constant reminder of your goals for the year, and it never lets you forget it.” His response piqued my interest. Did I somehow overlook this secret tool that could potentially make me achieve my goals all this time?
I decided to give it a try and make my own vision board. Larry gave me a few tips on how to properly create a useful board.
Tip #1: Create five to ten main goals you want to achieve this year. Keep it simple, these goals can be either personal or professional.
Tip #2: Go full out 4th-grade arts & crafts on your board; and make it as pleasing as possible to YOUR eyes. Let it reflect your style and creative side (might as well, since it’s going to be in your face all year.)
Tip #3: Be strategic about placement! Make sure it’s placed somewhere you will see it every day. A couple of great places would be a wall next to your bed, your refrigerator door; you get the idea.
It was early January, and I felt I needed to kick up my productivity into high gear. I followed Larry’s advice and created my very own vision board. In my modest opinion, it was a pretty damn good looking vision board! I pulled out all the stops, stickers, pictures, and yes, even colored sharpies. And believe it or not, it worked wonders.
So here is how a vision board helped me achieve my goals:
It Kept Me Focused.
I placed my vision board on a wall, right next to the left side of the bed I wake up from every morning. It was the first thing I saw every morning. Day in and day out. As time progressed, life’s routine took over, but every once in a while, I’d remember my board and all I wanted to accomplish this year, resulting in gradually taking small steps towards those goals. At times, I’d tell myself my newfound focus and productive actions had nothing to do with my board. That was complete and utter baloney. The truth is my new level of concentration was due to the vision board working its magic in the deep shadows of my subconscious psyche.
It Got Me Motivated — Like REALLY Motivated.
One of my goals this year was to travel more, experience life abroad somehow. While creating my vision board, I used visuals of Big Ben to represent my goal of someday going to London (a long time personal dream of mine.) That picture of Big Ben served as a constant motivation to hone my skills as a writer. By late summer, I had been accepted to an internship initially located in New York but eventually became based in London. I never thought I’d get such an incredible opportunity, nor did I ever think I’d be able to afford it (but that’s a whole other story). Yet, here I am writing this article from a small coffee shop in London a short distance away from Big Ben. — talk about crazy coincidence, am I right?
It Made Me More Positive.
In danger of sounding overly cheesy, seeing a visual representation of everything I wanted in my life made me a bit happier. My vision board acted as a symbolic roadmap. It created an extra spring in my step, a little extra sense of urgency if you will. When I began to utilize my time efficiently towards the things I wanted to achieve, it made me feel better about myself and my life overall. [Insert annoyingly positive quote here]
During one whole year, I had completed almost everything on my vision board. I should probably thank Larry at some point for introducing me to it. Although it might not be for everybody, I do recommend everyone should create a vision board at least once in their life. Staying mindful of your goals is always a good thing.
