Okay, let me start by saying that making a vision board is a bit like a craft project with a sprinkle of magic that makes you an energetic match for your dreams. Not to say every single thing you put on the board will come to fruition or will happen this year, but your future reality is only as big as your dreams and mindset will take you. Mind over matter, right?

What you think you become.

What you feel you attract.

What you imagine you create.

BUDDHA

If you want to make your dreams come true, it’s not enough to occasionally think, “Someday I hope to live on the lake.” Granted, that can mean a lot of different things. It could be a lake view 1970’s model single-wide trailer or it could be a new, 5000 square foot luxurious, lakefront mansion.

You have to be specific. You have to be intentional. And you have to believe it, feel it, visualize it, and do the work if the lakefront mansion is what you truly want. Otherwise, it’s only a fleeting dream that most likely will never come to fruition.

That’s where a vision board comes into play. In order to believe it, feel it, and visualize it, you need a picture or quote or mantra in your face every single day as a reminder to focus on that dream or goal and not lose sight of your end game.

That doesn’t just mean glance at your vision board occasionally to see if any of your dreams or goals have materialized yet. You place it somewhere visible and study it daily.

Take the time to look at each picture or quote. Close your eyes and imagine how it will feel when you are able to drink your coffee each morning on the huge, multi-tiered deck of your lakefront home. Picture how the lake will look with the fog rolling off of the water. How the cranes will sound when they start making their calls. How the air and water smell first thing in the morning. How the fall air feels crisp on your face while you are wrapped in your blanket.

Get super specific. Get in that frame of mind and hold it there for a few minutes with the belief that it’s already happened, and you are already there. That level of focus sends out a signal to the universe that makes you a vibrational magnet for attracting that house into your life. That doesn’t mean you can sit on your butt all day watching Netflix and eating chips. You have to be willing to do the work; but through the daily visualization exercise, it gives you motivation and a positive mindset to do what you need to do to make your dreams a reality.

It applies to relationships too. If you hate your spouse and are at odds with him or her 24/7, nothing will change as long as you harbor those feelings. You can’t expect a happy home or romance in that state of mind. By placing a picture of a couple in love on your board or quotes about love or the word “romance,” you can shift your mindset and draw more of that into your life, if you focus on it and believe it to be true. You’ll find yourself speaking to your spouse differently, spending more quality time with him or her, complementing more, and having more respect for your spouse.

The funny thing is, once you start to do that, your significant other will notice the change and start emulating your behavior back to you more. It causes a whole shift in the vibe of the home and helps diminish the negativity that used to harbor the environment. It may not be easy, of course, but you can make your dream a reality by taking the time to reflect on your desire and mindset to start cracking open and melting the icy feelings between you and your significant other.

It may not be easy at first, and he or she may look at you like you have two heads the first time you go out of your way to be nice, but it works. Think about when you meet someone on the street and they smile and say hello. Hopefully you smile and say hello back. We often emulate others’ behaviors so try the switch and see what happens. Make that a focus on your board, as well, if that’s an area of your life that could use any work. Let’s face it, most relationships could use at least of bit in some area.

Now to the nitty gritty of making of a vision board. You can either do one online or make one on a bulletin board or foam board, which is the method I went with. The thing is, you want to have it somewhere visible that you’ll look at it daily. Mine is hanging in my office where I can’t miss it.

For supplies, you don’t need much. A bulletin or foam board, Mod Podge or some type of glue or tacks, scissors, a paint brush, and magazines or Pinterest print outs. I recommend using a small foam board, 15″ x 20″. I’ve done a large poster board in the past, and it was way too large for me and didn’t hold up well. Some people even add lights, stickers, tickets, or postcards to theirs. Totally up to you! You can even draw or write on yours, if you choose.

I took about five old InStyle magazines and ripped out pages that contained pictures, phrases, or words that spoke to me. You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to find phrases or words in magazine ads that are a perfect addition to your vision board! What I couldn’t find in magazines, I found on Pinterest and printed them out.

Next, clip away! Now unless you want your board to look like a stalker or serial killer, I probably wouldn’t clip just letters to paste together in making words or phrases. It has a definite creep factor to it, and your loved ones may start locking their doors to their rooms at night while they’re sleeping under the same roof as you! LOL

I try to make sure I clip at least one item to cover the following categories.

1. Physical Health
2. Home
3. Family
4. Relationships–Friends & Significant Other
5. Spiritual
6. Bucket List
7. Travel
8. Hobbies or Skills
9. Career/Money
10. Habits/Self-Care

You can add quotes, mantras, affirmations, and so much more! One thing I added this year was a dollar bill with extra zeros added to it. Jack Canfield, the famous author of the book series Chicken Soup for the Soul, wrote six extra zeros on a dollar bill once when he started writing the book series. He was an unknown author at that time, but made the habit of visualizing his transformed dollar bill daily and how it would feel to be a millionaire. I’m sure it’s no surprise that he did become a millionaire after writing his first book in the series. Jim Carrey did the same thing with a check he made out to himself for a million dollars. Obviously, he’s made much more than that, but it’s the power of the mind. Good stuff!

After I clip things, I like to arrange them by category to make sure all my bases are covered. Then I place them on my board first before gluing them, to get the layout I want. I then glue away by using Mod-Podge underneath. It’s good to also buy the Mod Podge adhesive spray to go on top of the pictures to keep the ends from curling up and give them extra security.

After it dries, hang it up and ta-da! Now study, study, and study it some more daily and see what type of reality you can create for yourself. Here’s an example for ideas.

I hope you found this helpful and that you will take the time to make a vision board for yourself. There’s no time like the present; and with the turn of the decade, you can start fresh and turn those dreams into a reality!

Thanks so much for stopping in! Dream big! Until next time. xo, Christy