In December
(Dec.11, 2011) I promised that I would share with you the process of creating a new vision board. A vision board is a board on which you post images and sometimes words of the life that you are wishing to create for yourself. The basic concept is that by focusing your thoughts/attention on what you desire, you actually manifest those things/situations in your life. We can do this by focusing our
thoughts on our goals and desires (think of the book
The Secret), by using
positive affirmations and by
visualizing ourselves in the desired situations. Apparently our brains work well with thoughts and words, but they work
amazingly well when given an
image to focus on.
This is where the vision board comes in. By creating a collage or board of images of the things that you desire to manifest in your life and by posting this board in a location where you will see it daily (mine hangs over my desk in my home office) you will consciously and subconsciously be absorbing and focusing on the images that you have chosen. This focused attention sets in motion your thoughts which attract these things/situations into your life.
Maybe you're thinking this is some new age hocus pocus exercise. So did I in 2004 when I made my first board. I didn't even know what I wanted in life so I just chose images that were pleasing to me; a mother and her child, a woman doing yoga, some wool, photos of uncluttered interiors, and white fluffy towels along with a few words and quotations that were meaningful to me. The overall feeling of the board was serenity and simplicity.
A year or two later I felt that I needed to create another board, I still loved all of the images on the first one, they still "spoke" to me, yet I realized that everything posted on the board had come to pass, my life now reflected the board. Since then I have created three others, the most recent one having been done a few weeks ago.
This current board is much larger than my previous ones and the images reflect the situations and values that I am currently focusing on, relationships, spirituality, fitness and health, creativity etc.
Here are the basic steps to creating your own vision board:
1. I use a piece of bristol board 22"x26" and tape or glue my images on creating a permanent board (I put the date on the back).
1a. Alternatively you may use a cork board and push-pins which allow you to change and re-arrange your images as you wish.
2. Using magazines or the internet find a clip out images that represent things/situations/values that you want to create in your life. Feel free to include quotes, words etc.
3. I find it best if you don't over-think this image gathering activity. If you find any image "speaks" to you include it in your pile of images. You will evaluate and edit later.
3. Some people like to include bits of ribbon, or small objects that have meaning to them.
4. Once you have a good stack of images to work with (30-50 isn't too extreme), find a large area where you can spread out and where people and pets won't be stepping around and over you.
5. Gather your supplies, scissors, board, glue stick, tape, or push-pins.
6. Quickly go through your chosen images and make 3 piles according to how you are feeling about the pictures you have pulled. The no pile, maybe pile and yes pile.
7. Begin to cut or tear images to the size that you want and loosely arrange them on the board, moving and eliminating as you go. Don't rush yourself.
8. When you have a layout that is pleasing to your eye, step back and take another look. Then go through your maybe pile and yes pile and see if there are any images you just "have to have" on the board.
9. If you are using a cork board you can pin down your images/words.
10. If you are gluing you images, I suggest you leave the board in a safe place where it won't be disturbed and come back in a day or two. Take another look, if anything is bothering you or seems for whatever reason out of place remove it and rework the layout. You'll be looking at this board for a while; you don't want anything nagging at you drawing your focus away from the images.
11. When you are sure you like the feel and look of the board, glue down the images and put the date on the back of the board.
12. Hang your new vision board in a place that you will see it every day, take time to really soak up the images and imagine these things in your own life, picture yourself in those place, doing those activities, being the person whose life is filled with these positive experiences.
If you have any questions about the instructions listed above please e-mail me.
Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today,
May today be a vision of perfection,
Sandra
I usually make my own whole grain bread and on Monday realized that I'd forgotten to buy more yeast. There was enough to make one small loaf. I knew that loaf would last only a few days but decided to wait until next shopping day to buy more yeast. I have to say I miss the bread more than the kitchen sink. There really isn't a substitute for bread, I checked my muffin, loaf and pancake recipes and they have much more fat and sugar than bread does. So I'm waiting for grocery day. What a small thing, I'm not going hungry and my cupboards are full of food. I think the waiting is good for me, so much of the world goes without, and many people are forced to wait with no certainty of when or where the next meal is coming from. May my tiny practices serve to make me more mindful and generous. 
