I always look forward to creating my vision board – it’s a good mix of relaxation, creativity and accomplishment. Then you have the board to keep those ideas, thoughts, feelings and goals in front of you all year long!
And, who doesn’t love an activity that’s fun and life changing? Here are some simple instructions for creating your 2013 Vision Board.
Collect some magazines, either ones you have around, ones you can gather from the library or any other source, or go and buy some magazines that appeal to you from different areas – business, hobby, food and wine, travel, anything that grabs your interest.
Plan a session of uninterrupted time – give yourself at least 2 hours and 4 if you’re able. A nice weekend afternoon would be perfect. Get yourself a large piece of cardboard at an art supply or office supply store. Buy some roll on glue (easy to use and not too messy) and be sure you have a nice sharp pair of scissors.
Get comfy with your magazines – I like to actually have them in my lap or nearby and do a short meditation or ritual to get centered. Take a few deep breaths and allow your mind to wander to your hopes, dreams and goals for the coming year. What floats into your imagination? Just let it float by and take another deep breath.
You can spend just a few minutes in this exercise, or 15 or 20 minutes if you prefer – whatever feels right to you while you’re in it.
Next, leaf through your magazines and start cutting out pictures, words and phrases that appeal to you. Don’t think too much about them, just start gathering images that speak to you. After you’ve gone through all your magazines, take the pile of images you have and start to arrange them on your vision board. Again, don’t analyze or think too much about this. You’ll find that the picture has a way of creating itself. The more you just let the process unfold, the easier it is.
Once your board is full, step back and look at it. Does anything need rearranging? What does the picture tell you? Is it missing something? If you know what it is, look for it. If you don’t, start looking through your magazines again until it pops out at you. If you haven’t done this before, trust me – it’s fun and it gives you some very valuable information.
Once you feel you have all the images you need and the piece feels complete, glue your images to the board. You should feel a sense of excitement looking at your board. It’s a great compilation of things you care about, things you want to do, see and be.
Hang your board somewhere you can look at it every day. You condition your mind to see these things as real and the universe has a way of delivering what you’re most focused on. Have fun and see what unfolds for you.