What do you want? What do you really, really want?

Can you answer that question, or is it one you don’t dare to even think about? Maybe you think you can’t have what you want. Or you don’t deserve more than you have. Or maybe, just maybe, your religious upbringing tells you that you are selfish to want things when others are suffering. Or is there another reason?

I remember daydreaming a lot when I was a child. I would go into a rarely-used room in my home, lie across the bed and look out the window, and daydream. Or I would climb upon the roof of the chicken house and look at the clouds and daydream. I thought about what my life would be like as an adult, who I would marry, what my children would be like, and the kind of house I would own. I even picked out names for my children!

Did you daydream as a child?

But what about as an adult? Do you still daydream? Or do you dare?

I admit that dreaming about what I want is something that I would not allow myself to do for most of my adult life. I thought it would be selfish or that it would be wrong to ask God for things I merely wanted and didn’t need.

But why not have dreams and expect them to materialize? And how can you do that?

Visualization

First, you need to practice visualization.

Connie Ragen Green wrote this in “Morning Routines and Visualization”.

“Visualization is the technique of picturing a goal in your mind in detail so that you can manifest this change in your life. Sound hard? Really, it’s not.”

Visualizing what you want is a major first step in getting what you want. See yourself in the future and how you would feel having achieved your dreams.

The Visualization Process

The Visualization Process is this simple:

  • Start with a goal
  • Imagine the goal
  • Revisit the goal
  • Accept the reality of the goal already completed
  • Experiment with different techniques (meditation, vision board, etc.)

A great way to implement the visualization process is to create a Vision Board. Vision boards are how you can use your creativity to let your dreams grow.

What Exactly is a Vision Board?

The most basic definition of a vision board is just this: It’s a collection of images, quotes and symbols that have meaning to you and which bring out feelings of joy, peace, love and happiness. They represent your dream life.

Vision boards come in many different formats, both digital and physical.

Images. By far the most common item to find on vision boards, images can be photos, drawings, mind maps, sketches or anything else that has some meaning for you.

For example, if world travel is one of your goals, you might include photos of historic landmarks you want to visit, or airplanes or ships (imagine the feeling of freedom associated with those). If you dream of retiring young, then a photo of you and your family relaxing on the beach will serve as a happy reminder of what life will be like when you no longer have to work.

Motivational messages. You’ve seen those motivation posters that say things such as, “Challenge: Always blaze the trail; never follow the path.” For some people, these messages can be extremely powerful. When you face a rough patch, simply remembering that phrase can be enough to get you fighting again.

Inspiring quotes. Inspiration is different for everyone. For some, the greatest source of inspiration is the Bible. For others, words of encouragement from industry leaders or historical figures is uplifting. You can have fun with these, too. Maybe your best inspiration comes from the notes inside a Dove candy bar or a fortune cookie. Whatever makes you smile or brightens your day is a good fit for your vision board.

Everything else. What else inspires or motivates you? The blue ribbon your grandmother’s quilt won at the state fair? A small vial of sand from that secluded beach you’ll retire to someday? Your daughter’s baby shoes? Vision boards can include these treasures as well, you just might have to be a little creative when it comes to adding them.

The Power of a Vision Board

That which we focus on we attract more of. We’ve known for decades that daydreams have power, and that purposeful visualization is the key to greater success in every area of life.

If you spend all your time worrying about money, it seems to slip right through your fingers. If you obsess over your weight, the pounds stubbornly hold on. And if you daydream about relaxing in the Caribbean sun, well, you’re a lot more likely to find yourself on a beach chair in the near future.

Like anything though, effective visualization takes practice. A vision board can help kick start those creative visualization skills.

When you create your vision board, regardless of which of life’s aspects you’re focusing on, be sure to look for images and words that make you feel the way you imagine you’ll feel when you achieve your goal. It’s not about what you want to have. It’s about how you want to feel.

Creating a Vision Board

Creating a vision board can be as simple as cutting photos out of a magazine and tacking them up on your office bulletin board, or it can be as complex as a hand-made frame with personal photos and trinkets.

  • Digital: Created with software designed for the task. Ease of use is the obvious benefit with this kind of vision board, because you can quickly add and edit your board.
  • Physical: Paper, bulletin boards, whiteboards, or even a wall in your home with hanging pictures. Your creative options are endless here, but your vision board will obviously be less portable.
  • Mobile: Created on an app made for tablets and phones. The advantage here is that you’ll have your vision board with you everywhere you go.

Before you begin though, here are the most important things to remember about your vision board.

  1. It’s yours. There is no right or wrong way to create your dreams.
  2. Dream big! Your vision board should not be filled with things that you could easily attain next week. A new cell phone has no place on your vision board.
  3. You have to spend time with it. A vision board is a living document, and it will work better when it has your attention for at least a few minutes every single day.

Whether you choose to create a stunning collage of individually framed images you carefully collect over the course of a year, or you build it on your iPad from stock photos, give vision boards a try. You might just be pleasantly surprised at the power they can wield in your life and your business.

Here's a beautiful printable journal to get you started: “My Life – My Vision”. Click on the title or Image below to get your FREE copy!

my life my vision cover

 

 

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I’m Vicki Peel, former home economics teacher and educational administrator. If you are not receiving my emails, coupons, and freebies, look for the Subscribe block (below right) and submit your contact information. I will not share your information with anyone, and all the content you will receive as part of our community is free. I may occasionally promote someone else’s paid content, offer a product for your consideration or share an item that I think might be of use to you. However, you are under no obligation to purchase anything – ever. So, sign up now so you won’t miss anything during our July through September focus on LIFESTYLE! 

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