Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and and this post about Seven reasons you should create a Vision Board.
First of all, I want to wish you and your family a HAPPY NEW YEAR ✨💫✨ and lots of good health, love, abundance and joy in 2023!!
I have just returned from a break in the Maldives, which I will be sharing with you shortly. But, during my stay I took some time off to disconnect from social media, profit from uninterrupted family time and be truly present in the moment.
I also spent some time reflecting on the year ahead as I love the idea of a fresh start, implied by the word “new” in the phrase “Happy New Year”, as this highlights an opportunity for change and a chance to reassess both your life goals and your style. So, with that in mind, I wanted to start the New Year on The Velvet Runway with a reminder of the power of Vision Boards and how you can set a vision for your future self to guide you through the coming months.
Why and How to Create a Vision Board
Also known as dream boards, Vision Boards are one of the most valuable visualisation tools you can use.
These inspirational collages serve as your image of the future – a tangible example, idea or representation of where you want to go. They should represent your dreams, your ideal life.
“Create a vision for the life you really want and then work relentlessly towards making it a reality”
Roy T Bennett
A vision board uses images, graphics, symbols and words to represent what you most want to achieve – your dreams and your ideal life.
How a Vision Board Works
The main idea of a vision board is, that it’s a place where you capture images of the goals that you have in your life, the things you want to experience, the things you want to own, and the things you want to do.
Looking at these images daily and imagining them as if they have already come true is one of the best ways to harness the power of your subconscious mind and activate the Law of Attraction.
“You create your thoughts,
Your thoughts create your intentions,
and your intentions create your reality“
Wayne Dwyer
This means that essentially you can change your reality simply by changing the thoughts and visions that you “experience” in your head. Whatever you see in your “mind’s eye” is your future reality!
A vision board is a great way to ensure that what you are “seeing” in your head is the vision of the life you want and not the life you don’t want!
Vision boards act as a “guiding star” to make sure you stay on track and keep moving in the direction of your dreams, no matter what life throws at you!
When you “visualise” your “dream board” daily it helps remind you of your overall destination and helps to ensure you take action in the direction of your dreams, rather than actions that take you further away.
But, now, let’s look in detail at my seven reasons to create a Vision Board.
Seven reasons to create a vision board
First of all, why seven reasons? Well, 7 is a powerful angel number that symbolises a person’s inner wisdom, self-awareness, intuition and mysticism, so it seems to me that this is the appropriate number of reasons for creating a vision of your dream life.
The number seven also has significance in many religions, thus strengthening its link to spirituality. For example, in the Old Testament the world was created in six days and God rested on the seventh, whereas in the New Testament the number seven symbolises the unity of the four corners of the Earth with the Holy Trinity.
The Koran speaks of seven heavens, in Hinduism there are seven higher worlds and seven underworlds, and in Buddhism the seven factors of awakening are mindfulness, investigation, effort, joy, tranquillity, focus and equanimity.
So, let’s look at the seven reasons to create a vision board :
1 It unleashes your creativity and encourages you to “dream big”
The very act of creating a vision board makes you search for ideas. When you allow yourself to think about what you truly “want” and to dream big, you give your brain permission to be open to all possibilities.
You therefore think of ideas that had never occurred to you before
2 It harnesses the power of your unconscious mind
When you create a Vision board you are activating the “RAS” (Reticular Activating System). This is the part of your brain that “filters” all the “noise”.
By creating a “vision” of your ideal life, you are telling the “RAS” what is important to you and so it will be “looking” for opportunities and people and resources that can help you achieve your dream life.
We are constantly bombarded by sensory input, and yet we don’t “short-circuit”, thanks to the RAS. The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem that filters out unnecessary information so the “important stuff” gets through.
You know, when you buy a new car and suddenly you see that brand everywhere! It’s not because there are magically more of those cars on the road, but because your brain thinks you are interested in them it “shows” you more of them.
Your RAS takes what you “focus” on and creates a filter for it. It then sifts through the data and presents only the pieces that are important to you, and this is how the Law of Attraction works.
3 It gives you Clarity and Focus
The act of creating a vision board requires you to reflect on the past and the future and think about where you are now and where you want to be.
Getting clarity about what you really want enables you to focus on what’s truly important to you, and “where focus goes, energy flows”
Where focus goes, energy flows
Tony Robbins, Life Coach
4 It ensures your goals are the first thing you think of every day
Images convey a huge amount of information to our brains in a single instant, whereas words take longer to process.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Fred R Barnard, Advertising Executive
Images also invoke our other senses more than words, as they trigger our emotions, and even other senses as we can imagine the smell and the touch.
As an example the image above conveys freedom, soaring high, a word of possibility, and also engages our senses by evoking the physical sensations one would experience flying free like a bird.
5 It encourages you to take action towards your goals
A “pretty” vision board won’t work unless you do! By creating and affirming a “vision” of your ideal life, you are creating “structural tension” in your brain and your brain will want to close the gap between what you are saying and seeing in your mind and your current reality.
Your brain wants to get back to “equilibrium” so it will look for creative solutions to close the gap.
But, none of this has any power if you don’t do the work! Your brain can “give” you 50 ways to create your ideal life but if you don’t ACT, then nothing will change!
By looking at your vision board daily, you will feel more inspired to take action towards creating your ideal life.
6 It can be a fun, bonding activity
There is no point in doing a vision board when you are feeling tired, de-motivated or uninspired as it needs to be all about your greatest dreams!
Once you are ready to create your vision board it is important that you get into the “zone” and feel inspired and that your energy levels are high.
So, you can either choose to put on some music, and do your vision board on your own, but make sure it’s fun! Or, you can make it a fun, family activity or invite some friends over, and make it a fun process!
7 It helps you track your progress and holds you accountable
Checking in with your vision board every day helps you track your progress towards your goals and holds you accountable to achieving them.
If you want to be really sure of being held accountable on achieving your vision of your ideal life, then I invite you to share your vision board with a coach or with a friend.
At the same time, whilst keeping you on track towards your big goals, a Vision Board is also a great reminder not to sweat the small stuff (and sometimes we all need to be reminded of this!)
Finally, remember to review and refine your Vision Board.
As we move through life, we have different priorities at different stages in our lives and our dreams evolve.
Your vision board needs to evolve with you! In every moment you are creating your future; either by choice or default, and by keeping your vision board up to date and aligned with your dreams, and taking intentional action, you are creating your future by choice
Most importantly, remember that you are the author of your own destiny and you get to choose the life you want to create, so dream big and let’s create some magic !
Tips to Set Your Goals for 2023
Start with a review of 2022. But instead of beating yourself up about what you didn’t achieve, focus on the positives.
Make a list of :
- everything that went right
- all your achievements, however small
- everything that you learned about yourself
- everything that you learned generally – new skills
It is much better to tackle your goals from a positive springboard than a mindset of failure.
I hope you enjoyed this post about seven reasons to create a Vision Board and I will be back soon with more style, lifestyle and travel inspiration and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog below to make sure you never miss a post,
Look good, feel good, live your best life 🙂
With love,
I created one at the start of January and set it as my screensaver, but I’d love to have a physical one in my office too! I think they’re great.
Kathleen / http://www.madeinthe1990s.com
Thanks Kathleen! I think it’s a great idea setting one as a screensaver! You are always reminded if your goals then 🙂
Ah, the vision board, life’s grown-up collage; love it! Can you tell that I dig collages? 😁
Collages are so fun! And a Vision Board is a useful tool 🙂
Very inspiring! I need to do this!
Gemma x
http://www.jacquardflower.uk
Thanks Gemma! It’s a good practice as it really makes you think about what you want to achieve and how you want to live x
I love these quotes !
Thanks Kinga x
Vision boards are really great when it comes to keeping yourself focused…thanks for sharing this amazing post 🙂
Beauty and Fashion/Glamansion/Rampdiary
Thanks Rashmi! Glad you liked the post 🙂
Love Tony Robbins for life inspiration!!!
Hope you have an amazing new year!!!
http://www.fashionradi.com
Thanks Radi! I love Tony Robbins for life inspiration too, as well as Jack Canfield. Happy New Year 🙂
Good luck on your one on one coaching this year! And, I have been hearing so much about mood boards lately. I have never done one, but it looks so fun and a great way to stay on track!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Thank you Carrie! Yes, it’s a great way to stay on track and it can be a really fun activity too 🙂
Yes Vision Boards are great way to get inspired, stay focused and move forward putting thoughts and ideas into motion. Just as long as one don’t believe they are magic and that there are unseen beings in universe controlling your life like the umm Law of Attraction theory. Sooooo many people buy into that lol. Excited to hear about your vacation!
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Thanks Allie! I think Vision Boards are a great way to stay focused and keep you inspired! I also believe in the Law of Attraction, but in the scientific sense, not in the “woo-woo” sense. It’s because of the RAS (the Reticular Activating System) which “filters” information, so when you put a thought in your brain, it will look for solutions – sort of like you “find what you’re looking for”. For example, when you buy a new car, you often start seeing them everywhere and it’s not because there’s more of them on the road, but you brain thinks you’re interested in these cars and “shows” you more of them, so you notice them whereas you might not have done before.
Would you believe I’ve never really made a vision board? I think I have it in my head, but it would be better to have it on paper.
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Having it in your head is a good start, but it’s great to have it on paper too, or even as a screensaver on your computer so that it’s constantly at the front of your mind x
Love this so much! Huge fan of vision boards myself too. Happy New Year! XO
Shauna
http://www.lipglossandlace.net
Thanks Shauna! Happy New Year to you too 🙂
I’ve never done a vision board before but it is such a good idea!
Thanks Laura! I do one at the start of each year, but I should revisit it more often 🙂
Great idea to do a vision board.
Thanks Christine! I’m glad you think so
Vision boards are the best! I love how they add focus on our lives. I have made several and enjoy every moment. Great post Julia and happy new year!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks Kathrine! Happy New Year to you too x
I so enjoyed this post, Julia! I have created several vision boards over the years and can absolutely agree with all of your reasons for having one. They really do put your goals/ideal lifestyle right in front of you, and that alone is so helpful!
Happy New Year to you friend, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week! 🙂
Make Life Marvelous
Thank you Ashley. I think we share similar views on goals and planning! Happy New Year to you too 🙂