Vision Boarding 101: Creating the Life You Want- PART 1

“Thoughts become things” – Mike Dooley

In addition to selecting a word of the year, I also create a vision board for each year. My vision boards over the years have included images of things/feelings/places/people I want to welcome into my life, such as dream travel destinations, visual representations of my ideal home and a dog. 

I’m excited to re-share an article I originally wrote, which was posted by my friend and fellow yoga teacher Chris Kelly. I’ll be sharing this article in two separate blog posts, so stay tuned for part 2 coming soon!

Manifest the Life You Want

Creating a vision board is a practice of mindfulness and visualization, and it’s an engaging way to flex your creativity muscles to bring about the life you desire. The process of creating a board directs your attention to focus on what you truly want in life. I first learned about making vision boards when I read Rhonda Byrnes’ book called The Secret (it’s also a movie- check it out on Netflix) back in 2013. At first, the concept of vision boarding was difficult to grasp. Having worked on plenty of business plans and professional goals for work, doing this for my personal life seemed silly. I figured that my goals could live in my head and didn’t need to be written down nor expressed. Utilizing my Aries sun sign traits, I would typically think about what I want, focus on it, and “work” to make it happen. I was using the same process of the law of attraction, just in a different way. There was something missing though, which I realized is a deliberate step of creation. Digesting Rhonda’s work was enough of a catalyst for me to play with creating my own vision board.

I have made many different vision boards over the years and always enjoy the process of making a new one. My dear friend and I have developed a ritual where we get together in December and create our vision boards for the upcoming year. I have also created a joint vision board with my current partner, which was a fun experience for a date night during quarantine.

Scientific studies have shown time and time again that the physical body responds to psychological stimuli. For example, when you think of biting into a lemon, your mouth may water or your lips may pucker. This same concept applies with a vision board;  when you think about something (like a lemon), your body and the environment reacts accordingly (like your mouth beginning to water). The more energy and attention you give a thought, the more frequently that thought is mirrored back to you through your 5 senses. Another example of this is when you buy a certain make, model and color of a car, and then see it EVERYWHERE on the road when you hadn’t noticed it often before. This is a reminder that whatever you want exists in the universe, but it requires the individual to be AWARE of it.

Sharing My Success Stories

Creating vision boards has truly enhanced all aspects of my life. I’ve successfully manifested more than I could have ever imaged from creating and working with each board. I created this 2020 vision board right before I moved to Boston in January 2020, and was starting a new job and ready to begin a “reNEWed” life, hence the image of the Monarch butterfly spreading her wings. After I moved, I was ready to start dating again, and I desired to call in “my person” to my life. Along with images that illustrated what my new relationship would look and feel like, on the back of this board was a list of all the characteristics, qualities and traits of what I wanted my partner to be and/or have. I envisioned and felt into what our relationship would be like and how I would feel around him. Turns out that 2 months later I went on a date with a man who LITERALLY FULFILLED all of those desired characteristics and feelings… with the exception of one. I desired a partner taller than me (I jokingly say I’m 5’12”, so that is a tall order… literally), and it turns out that he is an inch or two shorter than me. But everything else aligned and I am very happy in my relationship.

You can also see the “free car” checked off on my vision board. I sold my Jeep right before moving to Boston since I didn’t think I would need it while living in the city. Turns out that I did want a car, but didn’t want a car payment, so I added “free car” to my board. Sure enough, a few weeks later, my mom called and said that she was getting a new car and asked if I wanted her old (and paid off) one. I graciously accepted, while giving plenty of gratitude to my mom as well as the universe, and adopted the car. While it’s not exactly the pearl white Audi Q3 that I pasted on my board, it was a FREE car!

Stay tuned for part two with tips on creating your own vision board…