Positive visualisation has long been seen as a way to focus on our goals for the future and motivate ourselves to make things happen. Creating a vision board is something which can make that positive visualisation fun and creative at the same time, helping us to focus and to create a relaxed and mindful experience that is just for us.

Thinkinpossibilities.com describe a vision board as ‘a visual representation of your dreams, goals or your future.’

With the world changing now and many of us questioning the direction our lives are taking, it might be the ideal time to set aside some time to create your very own vision board. The process has been proven to help with our physical and mental wellbeing.

The Connective Chiropractor note that there are 10 benefits to our well being when creating a vision board.

1. –        It motivates us
2. –        It can destress us
3. –        It gets us to be creative and have fun
4. –        It helps us figure out our goals
5. –        It lets us reassess where we are in life
6. –        It reminds us of where we want to be
7. –        It helps us to build and grow as a person
8. –        It enables us to get over our limitations
9. –        It condenses our thoughts
10. –        It can save us money

With modern technology at our fingertips, we have the option to choose how we create a vision board and what we put onto it. Pinterest is a virtual way of collating images and quotes to create our positive vision of the future. By using colourful card and photos or magazine cuttings, we can create a positive mood board or even a memory vision board to keep us smiling through difficult times.

If we’re focusing on our goals, many people swear by vision boards as a way to motivate ourselves and achieve success, whatever that looks like for us.

Oprah Winfrey famously spoke about the power of turning dreams into a reality, or manifestation as many will know it. In fact, in a New York radio interview in 2018 as well as saying she has used vision boards to visualize her goals and harness the power of intention, she claimed she used the practice to imagine Obama’s inauguration into office after a comment from Michelle Obama. She now uses creative visualisation without the need for a vision board, to imagine her goals.

A vision board can prompt little changes in our lives which can lead to big differences.

Before launching online fashion giant Net-A-Porter, entrepreneur Natalie Massenet picked up a copy of Shakti Gawain’s Creative visualisation, a book she now credits for much of her success.

“Before setting up my company, I imagined everything right down to the tiniest detail every day, over and over again. An office bathed in light, full of people around tables working on a new business model with grins on their faces.”

She visualised it all and guess what? It came true!

These are just a few examples of how positive, creative visualisation can help focus your mind and motivate you to achieve your goals. It is also extremely beneficial for your over all well being.

According to Psychology Today, mental practices (like visualization) can increase motivation, confidence, and even motor performance. In fact, researchers found that in in one study, athletes’ visualization was almost as effective as physical practice.

So why not take some time to have a go at creating your very own vision board and see how it can change your life?

Creating your own vision board

Tips to get started:

1/ Choose a time and place. Ensure you have some peace and quiet and space to work if you are creating a non-virtual vision board.  You may also need some colourful card, paper, scissors and glue. Stickers can be fun too – you can get all different shapes and colours in craft or stationary shops that make great borders to vision boards or to individual images and quotes.

2/ Think about what is important to you. What are your goals, hopes and dreams? Why do you get up in the morning? What motivates you? What do you want to create with your vision board?

3/ Maybe set a heading in the middle of your vision board such as ‘career goals’, ‘well being’ or ‘positivity’.

4/ Find some images or quotes that speak to you in magazines or online and cut or print them out.

If you can’t find the words or phrases that you want you could try creating your own by typing them out and printing them in colour to add to your collection. Really enjoy the process of collecting these things and feel the texture, colours and emotions that you experience as you do this.

5/ Add the images and quotes to your vision board, building up ideas and thoughts until you are happy.

6/ Don’t be afraid to add to your vision board or change things around. Your vision is yours alone and it may change over time.

7/ Display your vision board somewhere that you can see it everyday so that it will constantly inspire and motivate you or simply make you smile.

Find out more about creating your own vision board for manifestation with Oprah Daily. Visit Pinterest Vision Boards for ideas to start a digital vision board or a collection of life focuses vision boards.