How to Use a Vision Board to Fulfill Your Dreams
by Pamela Moss PhD, Visioning Expert and Artist
What’s the big deal about vision boards? You may have heard of vision boards, which have been featured on Oprah, The Secret, and Larry King. A vision board is a collage of pictures and words; it’s a vivid, inspiring reminder of what you want in your life, and a tool for making it happen.
Many celebrities have used vision boards to fulfill their dreams — from Olympic gold-medal gymnast Nastia Liukin, who researched the medals to be awarded in Beijing and put photos of them on her board, to Walt Disney, who made a vision board of Disneyland years before anyone had heard of theme parks (or the term “vision board”!).
You can use a vision board to achieve your ideal weight, become more self-confident or peaceful, reconnect your family, find love, fulfill your career dreams — to achieve any goals that matter to you.
How does a vision board work? Images are the language of the unconscious: we dream in images, and when we’re awake images impact us on a gut level. That’s why advertisers use images to influence us… A vision board of powerful images can help you influence yourself:
* literally see and feel how you want your life to be. This makes your goals and dreams seem do-able, even if you don’t yet know how to achieve them.
* have a more empowered view of yourself, and shift negative beliefs that have been holding you back;
* stay focused on what’s most important to you — which can get lost in the busyness of daily life;
* stay inspired to keep taking action to fulfill your vision. (If you don’t keep doing what’s needed, you won’t achieve your goals.)
* notice new opportunities to fulfill your vision. Looking at your vision board every day opens your eyes and ears to opportunities you’d otherwise miss, and helps you find the support people and resources that will help you achieve your goals.
So how do you make a vision board? For your vision board to be more than just a bunch of pretty pictures, you have to first do some reflecting about what’s most important to you and what you really want. This process is called “visioning.” You can use journalling, image work, meditation or prayer, guided visualization, even movement and music — anything that helps you tap into your intuition and inner wisdom. The visioning process I teach uses many of these tools, and results in your personal “essence words” — the heart of what you’re after.
Then select 8-12 pictures (from magazines or the internet) that express what you’ve discovered in visioning, and assemble them into a collage. You may also want to write your essence words on the collage or add inspiring phrases from magazines.
You don’t have to be “artistic” to make a beautiful vision board — anyone can collage! Tips: don’t use too many images or words—you won’t be able to see them all and your vision board will seem cluttered; use larger pictures as background, cut out smaller images to go in front; don’t glue anything down until you like the arrangement; and don’t forget to add your own photo! After all, you want to be in your vision.
Finally, hang your vision board up where you’ll see it. Spend time every day looking at it, letting yourself feel and believe in what you see. Open your mind to receiving all the good that is available to you! Then do something aligned with your vision. Keep at it, and you can create miracles in your life.
Artist Pamela Moss of InnerVisionPortraits.com helps families and individuals see what they really want and who they really are — literally, with vision board workshops and hand-painted “Possibility Portraits.” Pamela will be leading a vision board workshop at The WonderGirls February 21st event, Life 101: Nurturing Your Best Self!
