***How to Make a Vision Board - THAT WORKS!

I was 23 years old and living at home with my parents in Missouri when I became inspired to create my first vision board.

I was in between seasonal work and had a deep burning desire to move out west to Montana. I didn’t have much money and I had no idea how I could afford the move or where I would find work when I got there.

Because I struggled with so much doubt as to how I could transform my vision into a reality, I decided to create a vision board for my “Go West Dream” - even though I really didn’t have a clue as how to make one.  I cut out photos of myself and glued them on top of images of a cabin in the mountains.

I also cut out images of me doing my ideal work as well as images of me surrounded by new friends.  I remember looking at my vision board daily and yearning for my dream to come true.
And much to my excitement and surprise every one of my dreams on that vision board did come to pass.

With just a few hundred dollars in savings I decided that there never would be a perfect time for my move - so I rented a U-haul and went west.  Miraculously, everything fell into place.  I got a job that had only become available one week prior to my moving to Montana and was hired on the spot.
I found a place to live in a town that had very limited rental housing at the time.  Not only that but I found my “dream cabin” in the mountains surrounded by thousands of acres of hills, forests, streams and wildlife.  I never in my wildest dreams could have orchestrated these events so perfectly.

I can whole-heartedly attest to the power of vision boards.  Put quite simply, a vision board contains images of you achieving the things you want to achieve, doing the things you want to do and living the life you yearn to live.

Here’s 4 simple steps you can take to  make a vision board…

1. Indulge in daydreaming. Before you begin collecting images for your vision board spend some time imagining the kind of dreams that you want to achieve in the next 12 months (I like to create vision boards for a year at time, but you can create a vision board for any desired time frame).

And you can create vision boards anytime throughout the year – not just at the beginning of the year.
I’ll also create smaller vision boards throughout the year for a specific goal that I’m working on (for example, if I’m training for a half marathon or leading a live two-day event).

Create an inspiring atmosphere for your initial daydreaming/visioning session.  You might want to light a candle or play some soft music.  Give yourself full permission to be a kid again and to daydream about everything you’d love to achieve in the next 12 months.

If physical activity stimulates your creativity you might also consider going for a hike, walk or run.  If you have animals that you are attached to and that inspire you like horses or dogs you might want to spend some time with them.
The bottom line is to go some place that makes you feel inspired and supports you in tapping into your creativity.

2. Capture your inspirational insights in a journal.   After you’ve spent some time dreaming, capture your ideas in your journal.

A great way to stimulate additional ideas and dreams is to ask yourself, “If I could achieve anything in the next 12 months what would I love to achieve?” Or, “What would I love to achieve – if only I believed it were possible for me to achieve it?”

You can also challenge yourself to list out 30 dreams that you’d love to accomplish in the next 12 months and see what ideas come to mind for you.

After you’ve finished journaling review your dreams and decide which ones resonate the strongest for you.  Hint: Make sure you only choose dreams that truly resonate – not ones that you feel like you should accomplish.

3. Gather supplies and collect images. To create your vision board you’ll need to get some foam core board, scissors, glue stick, tape and lots of magazines with inspiring images. You can often find used magazines at your local library or Good Will store

Another alternative for finding images to include on your vision board is to use the internet.  Simply type in the name for the kinds of images you are searching for and make sure you include the word “image”.  For example, if you’re looking for images of houses you would type in the word “house images.”

You’ll get search results for hundreds of free images.  Once you find something you like simply cut and paste it into a Word document and then print them out (this way you can include 4 or 5 images on a page).
I personally like to fill my entire vision board so that there is very little white space remaining.  I also make sure to include images of both my business and personal goals.

4. Create an inspiring atmosphere while working on your vision board.

I’ll often play soft music or light a candle. I make sure to work on my vision board when I have at least an hour or two of uninterrupted time so that I can completely immerse myself in the process.

Do you have any great stories about vision board dreams that became a reality?  I’d love to hear about them!  Please post a comment on my blog here

Stay tuned for part 2 on “How to Make a Vision Board – That Works!”  where I’ll share the 7 essential components that you’ll want to make sure you include in your vision board!