Vision Boards

I am writing this post response to a question that a reader asked me concerning how I made my vision board. I thought that other readers could benefit from the process I used in creating my vision board.

Let me start with the philosophy behind vision boards. I made my first one around the time I was introduced to The Secret. This film, documentary (I am not truly sure what to call it) outlines and explains the law of attraction. The basic premise behind the law of attraction is that what you spend mental and emotional energy on, you manifest into your life, whether it is positive or negative. So, I create my vision board with the intent of growing and changing personally.

Now, there are people who create vision boards and focus only on material possessions, which is totally fine. I knew, however that there were aspects and behaviors in my life that I wanted to amend beyond possessions. My vision board includes writing when I can and as well as I can, teaching to the best of my ability, being on time, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight (after baby of course), giving of my time and talents, spending quality time with members of my family, and finally, having an organized home.

I made my vision board by going crazy with images. I Googled. I found pictures of my family. And I went crazy with magazine cut outs. I also colored! It just felt right at the time, what can I say. After accruing around fifty pictures, I narrowed them down to the number that would fit on my 12X12 scrapbook pages and I started gluing. On my previous vision board, I left it at that, but with this one, I wanted to visualize very specific things. I wrote on each page a written statement of what I wanted to see in my life and I was very specific with the wording.
Let me give you an example. I wrote the statement "I am known for always being on time" under the clip art that read "On Time Guarantee." Notice what word I did NOT use: the "L" word. I framed it positively. I realized that I have been spending quite a bit of energy on not being the "L" word, thus throwing the "L" word out into the universe...often. Carl Jung said "What you resist persists," and so, instead of resisting what you do not want, focus your energy on what you DO want. Instead of writing, "I don't want to be disorganized anymore," I focused on the positive of becoming organized. Word choice matters.

Now, what you do with your vision board after you create it is up for debate. I've read that you should look at it every morning and almost meditate on what you envision in your life. I've read that you should put it away and not look at it ever again! I have found myself in the middle. When I need to make a decision about something, I look back at the vision board and see if the outcome of that decision will move me closer or farther away from my visions for my life.

What I do know is that two things are critical:

1. Believing things can be different. Just putting pictures on a board will do nothing for you if you do not believe that you and your life can be what you want them to be.
2. Patience. I did not wake up this morning with an organized home; but I'm finding myself willingly doing things to make my home more organized and over time, I do believe that will be the status quo.

I am certainly not the expert on vision boards, the law of attraction or the power of positive thinking, but I believe there is something to it. What you give, you get in return.

Peace.