What better way to start the new year than to purposefully think about and focus on what you want your life to be. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a vision board filled with images and words that are inspiring, and uplifting and that make you feel good. If you think this is not an effective tool to manifest dreams, think again! In essence, a vision board is a visual way of setting goals. And research has shown that setting goals increases the odds that you will actually achieve those goals.
Here are three reasons you should to create a vision board:
1) To Encourage You to Focus on the Positive
Whether you believe it or not, we attract in our lives that which we focus on most. Having a vision board forces you to focus on things that can make a positive change in your life. No one creates a vision board filled with negative images! Essentially what happens is that by merely looking at your vision board throughout the day, you end up doing short visualization exercises.
2) To Encourage Growth in your Life
A vision board provides a way for you to track progress. Imagine looking back at your board and noticing that things you envisioned actually manifested. It’s very satisfying! These accomplishments motivate you to want to do more. The beauty of having a vision board is that as you grow your vision board will change and grow with you.
3) To Make You Feel Good and Instills Hope
Ultimately, your vision board should focus on how you want to feel when things on your board are manifested. For example, do you want joy, openness, freedom, or pleasure? A collage of positive images, photographs, and phrases — all selected and organized by you — has a way of making you FEEL good. They help you to see what’s possible in your life. That, in turn, instills hope about the future.
A futurist and inventor Joel A. Barker says, “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” This quote is a reminder that merely looking and daydreaming at your vision board are not enough to effect change. You must take ACTION! Fusing action with faith is the secret to success. As so eloquently stated in James 2:17, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Creating a vision board can be a fun activity. I frequently use it to help my clients gain clarity. My hope is that you, too, will view it as a tool you can use to help manifest your dreams.