Here’s how to create a vision board to take you one step closer to your dreams

Dream boards or vision boards are essentially a way of visualising your goals and dreams for an upcoming period of time. It can either be in the form of a bulletin board with associated pictures clipped on them or through journals or post-it notes that carry the essence of your ambition in them.

What is the significance of vision boards?

Vision boards are not magic; they are simply a method of visualisation of your goals. They create a mental image of your desired outcome that then helps us reach closer to said goals through constant reminders.

We, as people, sometimes struggle to quantify or qualify our goals. When asked what we want out of life, we might say things like, ‘be more successful’, ‘be financially independent’, ‘start a company’, etc. While these are all worthy goals, the problem with them is that they are too vague. Everybody wants to be successful; what concrete, actionable steps are you taking in order to achieve that goal? What precautions are you taking to ensure that you don’t forget about your goal halfway through the year because other things have taken precedence in your life? A vision board could be your answer.

How to create the perfect vision board?

Select your goals and intentions

The goals that you choose don’t always have to do with professional or financial success. There could be resolutions associated with improving self-esteem, or strengthening personal relationships – even something as small as eating healthy could be a worthwhile goal. Select a few actionable goals for a period of time, like 6 months or 1 year, and then list them down. Make sure to select not more than a handful, but they must be simple and easy to work towards.

Gather your materials

Once you've identified your goals, it's time to collect visual materials that represent them. Here, you can go nuts with creativity. Sit down with a pair of scissors and cut out quotes, magazine clippings, images, affirmations and even personal drawings and sketches. Include pictures of things and people that inspire you towards your goals, be it those in your own circle or public figures. Be open-minded and creative in your approach and don’t hold yourself back!

Assemble your vision board

Get yourself a medium – either physical like a bulletin board, cardboard, or corkboard or digital like Pinterest, and start assembling your visual material. Stick the images and quotes that most resonate with you and make you feel inspired. Don’t be afraid to incorporate your own artwork and creativity onto the board to make it feel truly personal. Make it vibrant and eye-catching and include meaningful words, affirmations, and quotes that reinforce your goals and intentions

Visualise and engage with it daily

Make sure that you place your vision board in some place that you see every day. This could mean placing your vision board directly in front of your bed so that it’s the first thing you see before and after bed, pasting post-it notes with your favourite affirmations on the washroom mirror, or even one as your desktop wallpaper! Take a minute or two out of your day to read the quotes and allow yourself to be inspired by them. Every few weeks/months, update your vision board by including new visions or removing old or fulfilled goals.

While a vision board might not necessarily make you successful overnight, it’s still a great way to sit with your ambitions and goals and break them down into simple targets that will help you reach closer to your desires. You will realise that just the exercise of attaining pictures and quotes that inspire you will bring you closer to constantly interacting with your internal goals and giving them some shape. It also makes you open, active, and more positive about the future.

Again, your vision board is not witchcraft. Let it serve as a constant reminder of what you're working towards, igniting your motivation and propelling you forward on your journey to success. Embrace the power of visualisation, and strive to convert your dreams to reality.

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