When you think of a vision board, what comes to mind? Those collages you used to make as a child? Or, maybe you believe that they’re kind of silly and serve no purpose? But really, visualization is a mental exercise that’s been used by many. Everyone from professional athletes to CEOs has been known to use visualization, and you can use it to bring your goals into focus.

• The Power of Visualization: Visualization is a mental technique that says your subconscious mind can help you realize your goals or change your habits by repeatedly exposing your subconscious to thoughts and images. By changing your thoughts and the images in your mind, you can reshape the things that happen to you. 
  • While some may dismiss visualization as nonsense, it has been used for centuries as a means to engage the brain, change people’s mindset, activate the laws of attraction, and keep people motivated. And if you’re ready to give it a try, a vision board may be the way to go.
• No Hard and Fast Rules When It Comes to Creating a Vision Board: If you’re wondering what the rules are when it comes to making a vision board, the good news is that there really are none. There’s no set size your board needs to be. You get to choose how you want it to look. You can cut things out of magazines. Print images. Handwrite phrases. Your board is limitless. 

But if you’ve never created one before, here are a few things you can think about.

• Creating Your Board:
  • Ask Yourself What You Really Want?: There are two parts to this question: What do you want to visualize? And what do you want your board to look like? Once you’ve answered these two questions, you can move on and start creating. 
  • Grab Your Supplies: Now it’s time for the fun part – creating your vision board. Grab all of the supplies you think you may want to use. You might have magazines, markers, poster board, glue, tape – whatever you want to make your board a reflection of you and your goal.
  • Choose Your Images and Words: A vision board is usually a compilation of words and pictures that are meant to inspire you and remind you of the specific goal you have set. So start gathering whatever you want to be on your board. Magazines are excellent sources for words and pictures, but you can also print or even draw what you want.
  • Pare Down Your Images and Words: You’ll probably end up cutting out or creating more than you need for your vision board, so take some time to pick out the most important images and words for your goal.
  • Assemble Your Vision Board: Now it’s time to assemble your board. Take the time to lay out how you want it to look and then glue it all down. Make it visually appealing as you’ll be looking at it often to help you achieve your goal.
  • Display Your Vision Board: Pick a place to display your board. This might be someplace visual to everyone or, perhaps, a place that’s only available to you. It might be in your closet, so you see it every morning when you get dressed or on in your office, so you see it as your work.
  • Create a List of Actions You Can Start Immediately: And, while the power of visualization is strong, it’s always good to create a list of actions for your goal that you can start immediately. There’s no time like the present!
  • Revisit As Needed: As with all goals, you may need to revise your vision board. Don’t be afraid to adjust or create a new one as things change in your life.

If you’ve got some big plans this year and have set some new goals, why not try creating a vision board? It can help remind you of the things you want for yourself and act as a powerful tool to help you achieve success.