Advanced apologies for the sarcasm in this post.
What is a Vision board?
A Vision board is a visual representation of your goals, aspirations and dreams. It can help you to focus on what you want to achieve and motivate you to take action towards achieving it. Apparently, all it takes is posting magazine cutout of a candy apple red Porsche and next thing you know it will show up in your driveway. Unfortunately, watching The Secret and shouting “I love you universe, and Michael Kors!” is not going to bring you a new pair of pumps.
Closing your eyes and wishing real hard is not going to make you successful. Becoming successful won’t make you happy. Besides, what does “being successful” actually mean to you? Is it the Porsche, or is it the wind in your hair? Pay attention to the difference.
How to make a Vision Board that doesn’t work
To make a vision board, follow these steps:
Gather a selection of magazines, pictures and other visual materials that represent your goals, aspirations and dreams. This could include pictures of places you want to visit, things you want to own, experiences you want to have, or anything else that inspires you.
Choose a poster board or other large, flat surface where you can arrange your visual materials.
Cut out the images and words that represent your goals and aspirations, and arrange them on your poster board.
Consider adding additional elements to your vision board, such as quotes, affirmations or other motivating words like “Go girl!” and “Boss babe” and “totes!”
Place your vision board in a prominent location where you will see it every day, such as on your bedroom wall or on your desk at work where your coworkers can wonder why you are decoupaging celebrity mansions from a Seventeen magazine.
Look at your vision board regularly and use it as a reminder of what you want to achieve and as a source of motivation to take action towards achieving your goals.
Trust me when I say, this is not as productive of an exercise as you may think. A Vision board without doing the actual Visioning part first, the real down and dirty internal inquiry, is not going to be anything other than a collection of random images. It won’t truly represent you or what success means to you, and it may actually confuse you.
Best alternative to a Vision Board
A written Vision is going to be the most powerful takeaway you can leave with after doing the hard part. The hard part, is going through the entire Visioning process and understanding your purpose, your core values and your nonnegotiables. Without that, you won’t be able to specifically define what success looks like to you. Only then can you create a visual representation that actually reflects your written clarification of your life roadmap.