A vision board is an inspiring way to get clear with your intentions and provides a powerful visual reference to bring those intentions to life. It’s possible to improve your life by making a vision board!
My friend’s vision board-in-progress
I have to admit, when I first heard about this project, I wasn’t sure what it would do for me. I am a left-brained, analytical person who thinks about most things based on efficiency and output. I wasn’t sure how productive this exercise would be. But as I’m making efforts to open my mind and get to know myself better, this was something I was committed to experience.
Guess what? I found it to be a great investment of time. Once I got into it, thoughts came forward I didn’t even realize I had. They were in my subconscious. I found making a vision board to be surprisingly therapeutic and relaxing.
Your vision board should focus on how you want to feel, not just on things you want. The belief is that what you focus on will expand and show up in your life.
Vision Board Workshop
Get a Manageable Group Together
I found a group of 7-10 to be a good number of people for this event. Make an agenda to create the mood to help everyone set their intentions. My friend and yoga instructor, Jodi Ryan, was the perfect leader for our group.
Before You Meet
Present a Few Points to Think About
• Things I am passionate about which bring me fulfillment, are…
• Things I’m grateful for include… (acknowledge the areas in life are going well for you)
• Things that need more of my attention are…(note: this is an opportunity to recognize our shadow side. If we don’t address it, it blocks us. So explore this honestly, then shine a light on it…Where is the void? What change could I make in my daily life to make it more fulfilling?)
Jodi asked us to write our reflections by hand in a journal (not on an electric device) prior to meeting and bring our journals to the vision board workshop.
Ask the Group to Bring Items That Provide Inspiration
We asked everyone to bring 4 magazines to share with the group and personal items to use for their own boards.
Examples are images, quotes, notes from friends and loved ones, art, poems, words, symbols, photos, small trinkets that represent good energy and motivation.
During the Event, Create the Mood
Jodi started the workshop with a 10 minute, guided meditation. Afterward, she asked us to continue writing our thoughts in our journals.
Delfina Ure, a local singer, songwriter and music teacher, sang while we journaled. This was so special. Delfina teaches music to kids and holds concerts with them at orphanages. Click to see more about her.
This led to an organic conversation about goal setting. Having one topic for all of us to think about at the moment was powerful! It allowed us to explore our feelings privately or with the group, write down or verbalize our intentions and talk through the topic of making our visions our reality.
Create
We started working on our boards. Flipping through magazines, seeing what each person was drawn to and continuing our conversations about what we want to focus on for the year was fun and inspiring.
Take Home and Finish
None of us finished our boards, but we got a good start. We were all motivated to finish at home and share. We agreed to set an accountability workshop in 3 months to see how far we’ve come with our goals.
What I Learned from Making My Vision Board
Starting the Project with a Group of Trusted Girlfriends Was Key
Being with people who inspire me aided in bringing my subconscious thoughts to the forefront of my mind. I felt empowered, and I drew on that energy to help me explore myself and my vision.
Clipping Magazines was Meditative and Therapeutic
I don’t think I’ve clipped magazines since high school. What seemed a bit like a chore when I started, became a relaxing exercise of my mind. I let it wander like hands on a Ouija board, letting my eyes roam the pages until they were drawn to something interesting. It became a rhythm and an almost meditative exercise.
Helped Me Calm Down, Center My Thoughts and “Plant” Visions In My Head.
Although I often think about my goals, the dedicated visualization brought my intentions to a new level. Creating this connection made me associate the process of creating my vision board as a fun use of time instead of labor intensive. Therefore, it was easy to make finishing it a priority.
Good Project for Everyone.
Cultivating your true self. Quieting your mind. Living your life to its full potential. These are things everyone needs. Improve your life by making a vision board. Even our partners and kids could use a vision board workshop! I challenge you to try it. You may be surprised by what you find.
Enjoy My 1 Minute Video of Our Vision Board Workshop!
“Flavor Your Life with an Ounce of Salt.” A lifestyle blog by Jen Oliak.
[…] Oliak shares how to improve your life by making a vision board. Her article also shows how to host a group vision board […]