Vision boards have been around for a while, and most of us are familiar with them or have even created one at some point. They are invaluable tools that help remind us of our goals, motivate us to stay on track, and get excited about the future.
Sometimes as a busy mom, though, it can be easy to forget about your dreams, goals, and aspirations. For instance, you are so caught up in helping your family, husband, kids, and coworkers that you push yourself to the back burner. Fast forward a few years, and you start feeling lost, neglected, and sometimes depressed.
This was the case for me. Looking back, I realized I had been on a slow, progressive slide over the years into a state of dissatisfaction with my life and what I had accomplished.
One of the things that helped me start to come out of that funk was creating visual reminders of my goals and dreams. Enter the vision board!
First, let’s explore why vision boards are so useful.
The Science Behind Vision Boards
Did you know that there is some science behind why vision boards are so powerful and helpful in spurring you on to success?
Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart explains, “Looking at images on a vision board primes the brain to grasp opportunities that may otherwise go unnoticed. That’s because the brain has a process called ‘value-tagging,’ which imprints important things onto your subconscious and filters out unnecessary information.”
For a deeper explanation, check out these articles:
- From CNBC: “Top execs use this visualization trick to achieve success—here’s why it works, according to a neuroscientist”
- From HowStuffWorks.com: “Can a Vision Board Really Affect Your Future?”
Therefore, when you’re busy shuffling around work, kid activities, and family responsibilities, it’s good to have visual cues of your goals to help keep you on track.
Vision Boards and the Law of Attraction
Simply put, vision boards provide a visual reminder of your goals and dreams. Vision boards are physical items to look at (digital or physical) that can be used to focus your energy and mind on something specific.
When we focus on something we want, as if we already have it and are grateful for it, we’ll manifest it into our lives more quickly.
If you’ve read or researched anything regarding the Law of Attraction, this will sound familiar to you. If not, I encourage you to add some of the following resources to your reading list for later:
- The book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
- TheLawofAttraction.com
- Jack Canfield’s A Complete Guide to Using the Law of Attraction
Now that you have a foundation for creating a vision board let’s dive into getting prepped to make one. Use the tips in this article as inspiration if you’ve already created a vision board before.
Since a vision board will be a visual reminder for a set amount of time (month, year, project, specific goal, etc.), you want to go into making one with a plan. You don’t necessarily need a plan. However, I recommend one to get better results.
Define Your Purpose for Your Vision Board
Begin with deciding on the overall purpose of your vision board. The clearer you are on the purpose of your board, the better feeling you’ll have and the faster you’ll manifest the items on your board.
Here are some ideas to get you going:
- Is it a board for the year?
- One you make in January to manifest a certain feeling or goal(s) for that year.
- Is it a confidence builder board?
- A board with visual reminders of things you want to do for yourself, like working out more, losing weight, a type of style of clothes you want to wear, colors in a makeup palette, or a mentor or celebrity you want to emulate.
- Maybe it’s a project board?
- One with an outcome to a project you want to manifest, like getting promoted for that job you’ve been vying for, paying off debts to buy a house, or decluttering your house.
You can make multiple boards depending on your goal or one with pieces of different objectives. Either way, you want to be as clear as you can before starting.
Journaling or writing out thoughts beforehand has been super helpful for me when I have no clear objective, to begin with. I often do a “brain dump,” where I type out, in my Note App on my phone, all the feelings, thoughts, and ideas I have. Then I scale down the list to 1-3 main topics and choose from that. I also use this to create an overall theme, word, or phrase I want to associate with the board and its images.
Then, once you have the objective of your board nailed down, you can begin or plan for a day when you’ll create your vision board. Here are a few tips for that process.
Create a Vision Board Experience
Creating a vision board can and should be a fun experience. There are several things you can do to enhance this.
Enlist Some Help
Maybe you want to create a vision board for the new year or for a goal that your family has. Plan a day with your family or a few friends where you all create your boards together!
Hint: This is an excellent project to do with your kids.
Plan A Specific Time
Set aside some time or a day to focus on creating your vision board. For example, if you’re strapped for time, maybe plan to spread it across 3 of your lunch breaks at work during a week. Or, if you are stressed out with things at home or work, plan to create your vision board at night after the kids go to bed when nothing else will distract you.
Think of the time being used to create your vision board as YOU time! Time devoted to self-love, personal development, and confidence building. We busy moms can always use some time like that!
Set the Mood
Whenever you plan to create your board, set the mood first. You want the environment around you to be uplifted, calm, and happy to help inspire you.
Here are some ideas:
- Have some inspirational or relaxing music to play in the background.
- Prep a fresh cup of coffee or tea or whatever beverage suits you.
- Have some snacks ready!
- Maybe light some candles or turn a scent diffuser on.
Begin by Getting into the Right Frame of Mind
When you’re all prepped and ready to create your vision board, ensure your mindset is ready too.
You want to think about abundance, growth, and gratitude. Go into this project with the mindset that what you’re putting on your board you already have!
Focus on how you’re feeling, as feelings influence our thoughts. This is why I like to set the mood, as mentioned above when I create a vision board to invoke those feelings of calmness, happiness, and joy.
Gather Materials for Your Vision Board
Now that your environment and frame of mind are all set let’s gather those materials!
This next step greatly depends on whether you’re creating a physical or digital vision board. In the next post in this article series, I’ll share each option’s pros and cons, so look for that here.
Images For Your Board
For either option, you’ll need images to place on your board!
There are so many options out there, so here are a few ideas of where to find images:
- Google Images
- Tumblr
- Stock Photography websites
- Magazines
- Newspapers
If you are creating a physical vision board, you can print out any images you find online. For a digital vision board, save any images you find online into a folder on your computer. If you find images in a magazine or other physical resource, take pictures or scan with your phone and save them to your Photos App or transfer them to your computer.
You might change your mind about which images to use once you see them together. Therefore, I suggest having more images ready than you think you’ll need to have options when putting your vision board together.
Other Vision Board Materials
Next, aside from images, there are some other materials you’ll need to create your board. Again, your materials may differ depending on whether you create a physical or digital vision board.
If doing a physical board, here’s a basic list of supplies:
- Poster board or other paper to glue everything on
- Images that you’ve cut out or printed
- Photos you’ve collected
- Glue, thumbtacks, or pins
- Glitter, stickers, or other enhancements
If doing a digital board, you’ll need one of these resources:
- A digital vision board app on your phone or computer
- A photo collage template
- Or you can use design software like:
- Canva
- Photoshop
- Picmonkey
The Finished Product
With the background on why vision boards are useful in mind and now that you have come up with your own plan for creating one – you’re ready to go!
Have fun with this project and let your personality shine through. Use your imagination and add some creativity. Remember that the time used for this project is YOU time! It’s a small amount of time spent to focus on helping you reach your best self, which will, in turn, benefit everyone else around you.
I’d love to know how your vision board came out! Please share your results and comments below.
