It’s an old but good game, Vision Board exercise. Sometimes called college of vision, treasure map, vision map, etc. A great graphical way to identify and align what you really want.
In the hit underground movie The Secret (an introductory film on the principles of the Law of Attraction), there is a scene where a man unpacks and shows his vision board to his young son, only to realize that they now live in the same house that was filmed. On its board of directors (created several years ago). And during one of Oprah’s recent performances on The Secret, guest Lisa Nichols showed off her vision board — it read, “Lisa Reveals All on Oprah”… She sure showed it!
Vision boards help you define and clarify what you want. It helps make your dreams and goals more real and enduring. Through them you form an active bond with what you want. They act as guiding lights or the northern stars – helping you to realize and stick to your personal vision. Yes, it’s fun and creative; However, don’t let their simplicity fool you – they are also very strong visual and visual magnets. They act like little vortexes of energy if you will – telling your subconscious mind what to focus on and create.
How do you create a vision board? it is easy. Get together a stack of magazines, scissors, glue stick (or tape), and some pens. You’ll also need some kind of sturdy support (like poster board, a large sheet of parchment…even some paper bags cut and taped together will work).
Give yourself 30-45 minutes, in a quiet, relaxing place. With all your stuff gathered around you. Set your goal of creating a photo collage of yourself. You’ll quickly flip through journals and find the images and words that really jump out at you—the ones you’ll have an emotional connection to. You may or may not want to create a time frame for your vision (eg 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5-10 years… whatever works for you). Or, if it’s not a good idea to put a time frame in, just name your vision ASAP.
After setting your intention dive into the magazines. Use your intuition (you are your rational mind) to find images that resonate with you. Just toss whatever jumps at you, and stack them to the side. Don’t think – just rip! Do for 15 minutes or so, or whenever the energy type slows down. Once you have a nice set of pictures…then turn around to assemble them on your poster board (or whatever backing you’re using). There is no right or wrong way to create a vision board. Just do what feels right for you. You may want to arrange your photos and play around with them a bit…then finally tape or glue them all together.
After creating your vision board, debrief the experience and gather what you learned about your desired future. I call this “essence extraction”. Pull out your main topics. You can do it yourself, or offer your vision board to a trusted friend, colleague, or family member and ask them to help you decipher the essence of what you want. Great for understanding each other and seeing what the other wants in life.
Try a vision board for yourself. enjoy it. And be sure to write to me with stories of your appearances – these really work!
