How To Create A Vision Board

Wondering how to create a vision board? What method to use to create the vision board and how best to use it for motivation. Let’s dive in and see how a vision board can make a difference in our life.

2020 has been a difficult year for many of us; the Coronavirus pandemic has wrecked our modern world as we know it, and so many of our visions and plans for this year (and indeed, this new decade) have been laid to waste by it.

Many of us have suffered tremendous personal loss because of this unprecedented pandemic – the loss of a friend or a family member, or the loss of income. Whole industries, such as travel and aviation, are hanging by a thread. This dire situation, combined with social unrest in many parts of the world, makes 2020 a year most of us wish to forget.

However gloomy external situations may be, it is important that we find the courage within us to keep moving forward and work towards achieving our dreams, even if they may seem further out of reach than before.

A vision board is a great way to get you in the frame of mind for success. It is a collage of words and pictures that inspires you, put together by yourself. It is wonderfully powerful in helping you stay focused on what you want out of life, and not the external things that are going wrong.

Let’s take a look at why creating a vision board is so important, and how we can create one that delivers the impact that we desire.

Life Needs Vision

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”  Jonathan Swift

Stop and spend a few moments to think about your life as it is right now. Clear your head, and really do some deep reflection – Are you happy? Do you feel successful? Are you making the most of your life?

There is a good chance that the answer isn’t a resounding “yes” in any of those areas. As we look around our world today, we truly have much to be gloomy about. Besides the pandemic, we also see issues like climate change, the rising cost of living, and ineffectual leadership everywhere. On top of that, you might be going through personal crises that no one else knows about – a health issue, or a turbulent relationship.

It is worth giving yourself space to recognize that is perfectly okay to feel overwhelmed at times. Life can be hard, and the endless daily slog can leave one feeling powerless and hopeless.

It is important, in the exercise of deeply reflecting on your life, to be able to clearly label which problem is within your ability to influence and change, and which is simply not. Separate the negative issues in your life into two categories: things you can change and things you cannot. Certain things are simply outside your power to change, such as having an overbearing boss (unless, of course, you quit your job). Other things, however, are within your sphere of control, such as your happiness levels, for example.

An often-quoted prayer used in self-improvement circles addresses the importance of understanding this difference head-on:

 “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

For things in your life that you simply cannot change, inner serenity is the answer. However, for things that are within your power to influence and make better, courage is what you need.

Courage. Such an antiquated word; rarely used today in casual conversation. However, in it lies the difference between continuing on with the life that you’re living now and achieving the life that you dream of living.

If you completed this self-reflection exercise with genuine conviction, you will probably notice that there are many things in your life that are within your sphere of influence to change and transform – things like the personal qualities you want to develop, the job that you want, the places you want to visit, and the legacy you want to leave behind in this world.

These are things that, if you’re honest with yourself, you have the power to achieve. But will you have the courage to take the bull by the horns and confront these challenges in the unforgiving arena called life?

What Is A Vision Board?

If you’re ready to put in the effort to turn your life around, you need all the right tools you can lay your hands on. A vision board is a proven tool that has the power to focus your energy and talent towards achieving the goals in your life.

A vision board is a board that you use to put pictures or words that depict your ultimate goals in life. It is meant to be a visual representation of what you want out of life. It is meant to be proudly displayed at a prominent location in your home or office so that you can look at it every day, and indeed, many times a day if possible.

The objective of a vision board is so that you can clearly articulate your goals so that they transform from being just purely abstract ideas into something concrete. It is not enough to say, “I want to make more money.” That’s true for nearly everybody. How much specifically do you want to make, and by what stage of your career? Do you see yourself as the next Sara Blakely or Bill Gates? If so, perhaps putting their faces on your vision board will help to clarify that goal.

Creating a vision board is not about putting onto a board every scattered and half-baked idea that you might have. To create a vision board that has profound personal meaning, you need to first make a promise with yourself that you will do everything in your power to make those dreams become a reality. You don’t want to be building castles in the air; you want to put down realistic goals that you can then commit to achieving.

It is, fundamentally, about courage – the courage to confront where you’re at, the courage to dream of a better life, and the courage to then develop a plan for success. A vision board is merely a vehicle for you to turn courage into action.

How to Create a Vision Board

There is no standard way of creating a vision board, as vision boards are meant to be as unique as the person creating them. The traditional way is to take a cork pin board or frame and feature pictures and words that inspire you. However, if you prefer going the digital route, you can use websites like Pinterest and Milanote to create a vision board on your screen.

Traditionally, people cut up images from magazines and newsletters and stick them onto their vision board. Hence, creating a vision board can be considered a classic DIY project in which scissors, glue, and pins are involved. When you see someone in a magazine that you aspire to become, for example, you can cut out the figure using a pair of scissors and adding the figure onto your vision board.

However, it doesn’t have to stop with just inspirational people. A vision board can also include words that deeply motivate you to take action. For example, the quote from Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is a popular saying to include onto a vision board. However, you should choose what resonates with you. Everyone will be different and everyone will want to manifest different things.

If you find some words to be inspirational in a magazine, you can simply cut it out and paste it onto your board. If you prefer the font to be stylized according to your liking, you can pen it down in your own handwriting or type it on a computer and print it out.

A vision board is sometimes called an affirmation board because it should also feature words of self-affirmation that reinforce self-belief. It can feature really simple phrases like, “I can do this”, or “I have what it takes to succeed.”

The crucial point here is that these words must resonate with you at a deeply personal level. Ask yourself, what words move you to see the best version of yourself in the mirror? What words give you the confidence to put your best foot forward every single day? It could be personal words spoken by a loved one or something powerful you heard someone say on television. If it moves you to shake off inaction, then it should be on your vision board.

Another thing that people love to include on their vision boards is their dream travel destination. Understandably, any form of flight travel is tricky at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, let’s look beyond that for a moment.

If money was not an issue, where would you love to see yourself holidaying? Do you picture your feet dipped into the cool sea waters of Bali or walking along a wintry beach in Cornwall. Or perhaps you’re more of a city lover and imagine yourself experiencing the cherry blossom season in Tokyo.

Regardless of where your dream destination is, it is worth including on your vision board. This is because we are motivated to work harder when there is a dream holiday in mind – it is part of the rewards system that our brains are hard-wired to respond to. Nothing is quite like the joy of getting away to a place of your dreams –near or far, once you have worked hard to earn it.

Final Thoughts

When you know how to create a vision board and it is finally there in front of you, the next step is to actually use it. Here is the interesting part – a vision board can’t be used in the traditional sense as it isn’t a physical tool; instead, it functions more like a mental tool. In other words, each time you look at your vision board, you’re reminded of your reason for being alive, and that stimulates your heart and mind to get to work.

Ultimately, life is meant to be lived to the full, with goals in tow and family and friends on board. Creating a life of vision and working to achieve it may sound like a selfish act, but at a broader level, you need to remember that you being able to live your best life is a gift in itself to the people around you.

When you succeed, you can then help others around you succeed as well; this then turns into a virtuous circle, allowing you to positively touch the lives of people you may never meet. Stay true to yourself and be diligent towards your goals – you’ll soon see your world, and the world of others you love, blossom because of it.

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