How to Create A Vision Board

Last night I got together with friends and finished my personal Vision Board for 2010. A Vision Board is a collage of images that represent what you truly desire, like a big poster of your New Year’s resolutions. I usually do this every year on New Year’s Day. This year I opted to do it over a three week span of time, and for a very powerful reason: Each process allows me to go deep within and discover what is authentic to me. To start your vision board you’ll need the following items:

• A 20” X 30” foam poster board
• A lot of magazines, newspapers or any pictures that mean something to you
• A note pad
• A pen
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Snacks
• Supportive friends

Week I: Get Started!
Set a timer for three minutes and make a list of all the things you accomplished in the previous year. Then go around the room and read your accomplishments aloud. Having a group is helpful because your friends are familiar with your life. Perhaps you’ve done something worth celebrating but forgot to put it on your list. As we shared, it was interesting to see what we remembered. One woman put her move to California on the top of her accomplishments, but forgot to put her new job on the list.

Next, repeat the process, only this time, list all of your regrets from the year. As you read your lists aloud to each other, it will become clear that even the mistakes and poor choices were necessary because they brought you to where you are now. Hind-sight is 20/20 but 20/20 isn’t always necessary along the way.

On the back of this list write a letter to 2009, bidding it farewell. Revel in your triumphs and acknowledge mistakes, Say goodbye to it all and declare it complete, to make room for the New Year ahead. Then burn your letters. Don’t be surprised if you’re met with unexpected emotion during this part of the ritual. It’s bitter-sweet to put the past to rest, but it is a necessary part of preparing for what is to come.

With the old behind you, it’s time to make way for the new! The New Year needs to be prioritized into the BE, DO and HAVE for 2010. This can be a state of mind, or an emotional intention of who you will be this year. Write a few sentences or just list words that describe what you would like to BE. Share this list with the group.

Next, skip to what seems like the end and make a list of the things you would like to HAVE in 2010. What do you really want? A new home? Financial security? A stronger career? Share this list with the group and be open to feedback. When giving feedback yourself, be sensitive to what you know about your friends’ feelings. Share only what is constructive to each persons journey. Stay away from general criticism or personal opinions. Try giving positive suggestions as opposed to negative comments.

Wait! I’m sure making a list of things to DO to get what you would like to HAVE makes sense next. This is because you don’t know what those actions are yet. When you change what you are BEing, what you DO will automatically change and create different results. At this point we know who we need to BE and what we would like to HAVE, but it is up to Spirit to make the connection and build the road that will connect the BE and HAVE with the DO. Have faith in this process.

With your group, take a couple minutes to quietly center and visualize your coming year with your BE and HAVE in mind the things you have been contemplating. Allow Spirit to guide your meditation into being and having the things you desire. One of our group members mentioned as she left that night that she was going to get a jump on the process and start cutting things out at home. I suggested she wait. There is magic in sitting with BE and HAVE for a week as an extension of this step.

Week II: Cut Em’ Up!
Now you are conscious of what you want and the feelings that should come with these desires. Spread out the magazines and have at it! Cut out any images that call to you or resonate with your goals and set them aside to later glue on your board. While you look, be mindful of what the other members of your group are looking for and if you find something that might fit for someone else, offer it to them. Support your group as they support you. Keep in mind that while words are powerful, images are better. Pay special attention to what is in the center of your board as this will tend to be your focal point.

Week III: Putting it Together!
Once you’ve finished collecting images and words for your board, arranged them on your poster board and glue them down in a way that makes sense to you. Finally, share your board with the group. Remember Show and Tell from elementary school? Enjoy that feeling of pride in sharing your resolutions to the group. Enjoy the positive energy from encouraging others as they present their work.

Because of time restraints I chose three separate Sunday evenings for this, using the first Sunday to list and meditate, the second Sunday to collect words and images and the third Sunday to glue and share our Vision Boards. If you have the luxury of starting early in the morning and working through the entire day, go for it!

I find every year that I look at my board as an unfamiliar relative, and slowly I realize that my true subconscious needs are right there in front of me.

Wherever you place your board to view it, move it every few weeks, your subconscious will pay attention each time as it will register the newness of it. Remember there is no right way to do this! Follow these steps as it feels right to you and enjoy the results!