Some days ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shelley Chapman of NaturiBeauty. She has a wonderful energy about her and shared many great things. During our conversation, she made mention of her Vision Board. I was definitely intrigued and asked her about it. Some days later, I saw that there was an article on CrazySexyLife about the very same thing—Vision Boards.
This was more than enough confirmation that I needed to dust off my put-away “dream book” and focus on creating my very own vision board. And how perfect is it the week of the New Year for all you folks who are into making New Year’s Resolution. How about we try something a little different this year and commit to our vision boards.
WHAT IS A VISION BOARD?
A vision board (also known as a Treasure Map, Manifestation Poster, Visual Explorer, Dream Board or Creativity Collage) is typically a poster board on which you paste or collage images that you’ve torn out from various magazines. It is simply a tool to help you manifest your desires.
The idea behind having a board is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.
My-Success-Guru had this to say about Vision Boards:
Most people think that just by looking at pictures it's going to manifest their dreams but it doesn't work that way. Instead the whole idea is to recondition your brain to believe those pictures are already reality. Anytime you focus on exactly what you want you are actually sending out a signal to the quantum field or intelligence as it's known. And your thoughts are the most powerful form of energy in the universe. So when we focus on something we are sending out that signal and when we apply one of the other great laws called Goya which stands for (get off your a_ _!) we have another law to move us towards what we want while the universe and our brain figure out how to accomplish our dreams. A great deal of research in the United states especially at the Heart Math Institute has demonstrated" when we get emotionally involved in an idea our heart emits a frequency that can be measured and actually seen that is 60 to 80 times more powerful than the frequency that your brain emits by having thoughts. So when you match up the brain frequency with the heart frequency it's a much more duplicatible process that anybody can apply in order to really start achieving their dreams and goals.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN
Poster board (or another similar type of canvas)
All types of magazines to get pictures out of
Rubber cement
Some type easel, music stand or something to rest your board on where you can see it
HOW TO BEGIN MAKING YOUR VISION BOARD
A suggested method is to sit quietly and set your intent before beginning your board. Ask yourself what you want. Take a moment and be with the images that come into your head. This can give way to opportunity for the ego to step aside which can make it clearer to create your vision. Shelly (NaturiBeauty) recommended not thinking too hard about it and allowing it flow.
Here are some recommendations from Christine Kane on how to make your vision board.
FIVE STEPS TO CREATING YOUR VISION BOARD:
Step 1: Go through your magazines and tear the images from them. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines and pulling out pictures or words or headlines that strike your fancy. Have fun with it. Make a big pile of images and phrases and words.
Step 2: Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you’ll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme to each corner of the board. Health, Job, Spirituality, Relationships, for instance. Or it may just be that the images want to go all over the place. Or you might want to fold the board into a book that tells a story. At my retreats, I’ve seen women come up with wildly creative ways to present a vision board.
Step 3: Glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers.
Step 4: (optional, but powerful) Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a fantastic photo of yourself where you look radiant and happy. Paste yourself in the center of your board.
Step 5: Hang your vision board in a place where you will see it often.
According to Christine, there are three types of vision boards you can make.
1 - The “I Know Exactly What I Want” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re very clear about your desires.
- You want to change your environment or surroundings.
- There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life. (i.e. a new home, or starting a business.)
How to create this vision board:
With your clear desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures which portray your vision. If you want a house by the water, then get out the Dwell magazine and start there. If you want to start your own business, find images that capture that idea for you. If you want to learn guitar, then find that picture. I remember at the last retreat, one woman yelled out, “If anyone finds a picture of a little girl with red hair who looks happy, give it to me!” And someone else yelled out, “I’m looking for a Cadillac!” Pretty soon, a lively trading session began. Following the five steps above, create your vision board out of these images.
2 – The “Opening and Allowing” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- You’re not sure what exactly you want
- You’ve been in a period of depression or grief
- You have a vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way.
- You know you want change but don’t know how it’s possible.
How to create this vision board:
Go through each magazine. Tear out images that delight you. Don’t ask why. Just keep going through the magazines. If it’s a picture of a teddy bear that makes you smile, then pull it out. If it’s a cottage in a misty countryside, then rip it out. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Then, as you go through Step 2 above, hold that same openness, but ask yourself what this picture might mean. What is it telling you about you? Does it mean you need to take more naps? Does it mean you want to get a dog, or stop hanging out with a particular person who drains you? Most likely you’ll know the answer. If you don’t, but you still love the image, then put it on your vision board anyway. It will have an answer for you soon enough. Some women at my retreats had NO idea what their board was about, and it wasn’t until two months later that they understood. The Opening and Allowing Vision Board can be a powerful guide for you. I like it better than the first model because sometimes our egos think they know what we want, and lots of times those desires aren’t in alignment with who we really are. This goes deeper than just getting what you want. It can speak to you and teach you a little bit about yourself and your passion.
3 – The “Theme” Vision Board
Do this vision board if:
- It’s your birthday or New Years Eve or some significant event that starts a new cycle.
- If you are working with one particular area of your life. For instance, Work & Career.
How to create this vision board:
The only difference between this vision board and the others is that this one has clear parameters and intent. Before you begin the vision board, take a moment to hold the intent and the theme in mind. When you choose pictures, they will be in alignment with the theme. You can do the Theme Vision Board on smaller pages, like a page in your journal.
WHERE TO PLACE YOUR VISION BOARD
Put it somewhere that you often look at like above your waste basket, behind your telephone or monitor, next to your mirror, etc. You get the point. It should be in a place where you will look at it daily. Or set it on a stand/easel in a place that you will always look or damn near stumble over.
Some things to remember about vision boards:
- You can use a combination of all three types of vision boards as you create. Sometimes you might start out doing one kind, and then your intuition takes over and shifts into a whole different mode. That’s called creativity. Just roll with it.
- Your vision board might change as you are making it. I was just talking with a friend of mine who said that she had been making a vision board for the new year. The theme was all about what she wanted in this year. Then, as she pulled pictures and began to lay them out, the theme changed into a simpler one about her everyday life and the moments in each day. It surprised and delighted her to experience that evolution. You might find that you have little epiphanies from making a vision board.
Who is Christine Kane?
Outside of her musical career, Christine Kane is also a sought-after public speaker and creativity consultant. Christine is contracted by the Federal Government to teach creativity as part of its bi-monthly Leadership Assessment Program, an intensive retreat for government leaders. She has taught her unique method of building creativity to groups such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the CIA – and on the campuses of many colleges and universities, including University of Tennessee, Drury University and Boston College.
Christine also facilitates three-day retreats for women at a resort in the mountains of Western North Carolina four times a year. These events sell out months in advance.
You can check out her blog at ChristineKane.com.
I don't know about you but I've got to get back to work on my board. Let me know if you decide to do one. =)
Peace,
CO
Post Title → WHY YOU NEED A VISION BOARD IN YOUR LIFE
