How to Make a Vision Board: 7 Useful Guidelines

What is a Vision Board? A vision board, treasure map, or vision book is an actual physical picture of our desired reality. It forms a clear sharp image which can then attract and focus energy into our goals or Vision of Success. These tools can help organizations and individuals clarify and achieve their Vision, Mission, Purpose and goals. A vision book, which is geared more toward the individual is essentially a book in which each page is a mini-vision board. This article offers some frequently asked questions and answers about the purpose and how to behind vision boards. 1) How can a Vision Board help an organization or individual be more successful? Creating and using a vision board helps one be successful by activating the principles of Creative Visualization to include what Shakti Gawain, author of Creative Visualization, calls “the law of radiation & attraction” and what Deepak Chopra calls the “law of intention & desire.” These laws basically state that whatever energy we put out into the Universe will be reflected back to us. On a practical level this means we attract into our lives what we think about or imagine the most, expect and believe in most strongly. We can manifest our Visions and goals by visualizing things just as we want them to be. A vision board helps us to think about and visualize our success in a very concrete way. It provides a sort of blue print for our success. For example, if your vision is to produce an award winning show you might create a picture of yourself and your show ideas with a few Emmys. The vision board does not need to show the process by which you will win these awards but rather the goal in its fully realized state. 2) What should I put on my Vision Board? Put only that which you want to manifest. Put your Visions or goals on the board in their finished state, as if they already exist. Only positive images should populate your board. You can paint draw and collage using images and words from magazines, cards or pictures. Although there are no rules there are a few simple guidelines people may find helpful: 1. Do a Vision board for one goal or area or your life or organization at a time. This allows you to focus and keep it simple. 2. Size does not matter-make it any size that is convenient for you. You may wish to create a poster or a book using a 3 ring binder and plastic sleeves or make it small to carry around with you. 3. Put a picture of yourself in the scene. A photo is preferable but a drawing will suffice. 4. Show your vision in its ideal state as if it already exists. Don’t worry how your vision or goal is going to come to be, just make it look believable to you. 5. DON’T show anything negative or unwanted. 6. Use lots of color to increase the impact on your consciousness and to excite your imagination. 7. Put positive affirmations on your vision board such as “we are number one in customer service in our industry” 3) Why is it important to have something like a Vision Board? A Vision Board, treasure map, or vision book helps you to clarify exactly what your Vision, Mission, Purpose and goals are. When done as a group such as in a business organization it can help your team collectively determine and focus on what these things are. It can also help your organization get on the same page. It helps to affirm what you are about and where you are headed. For example vision boarding can be used strategic planning sessions or on a yearly basis to help organizations chart their course for the coming year. 4) How does creating a Vision Board help an organization or individual clarify their goals? You necessarily have to clarify your definition and Visions of success in order to create the Vision Board. The process of creating the Vision Board involves the act of clarification because you must decide exactly what it is you want to represent on your board. When done in a group it can also help you to examine your core values and that of your business. Once this is clarified you also need to ensure that the values and goals of the individuals in the organization are aligned to the larger organizational values and goals. I suggest that before you make a Vision Board or treasure map that you first write out your Ideal Scenario or Vision of Success. This is often useful if you need to clarify your goals a bit before you create the Vision Board. The act of writing out your Vision of Success employs and ignites many of the same principles as that of Vision Boarding or treasure mapping. Write this statement in the present tense as this affirms that it is actually already manifesting for you. I have used treasure mapping when working with a diverse range of organizations and success coaching clients and people report not only getting a lot out of it, but that it is enjoyable. People who have done this as a team usually find that other’s have visions very similar to their own. Teams are stronger when they start from a place of creating a collective vision. Creating vision boards together and sharing them with your team can act as a fun and helpful team building exercise, by allowing people to play and relax which is very important when doing Creative Visualization because we cannot force our Visions of Success. We have to put our Visions and goals out there and let them go. Of course we also need to do the work to manifest these goals but this work is done not in the spirit of striving and struggling but rather allowing and enjoying the process. This is related to what Deepak Chopra calls the “Law of Least Effort.” So give it a try! All you need is scissors, glue, magazines or cards to cut up and a picture of yourself to get started. Have fun with it! You might be surprised at the positive results. Drop me a line and let me know how it goes.