If you’ve never created a Vision Board before, it's easy to get very overwhelmed with the details.
What magazines should I get?
How large or small should my Vision Board be?
How do I create a Vision Board that will really make a difference in my life?
Vision Boards can be incredibly transformative in your life, but you have to put a little bit of effort on the front end before you start building it. Gathering all of your materials before you get started means that you’ll be able to dive deep into creating your vision with unlimited inspiration, and without having any interruptions.
It takes me about 5 days to create my Vision Board. That's because I start out by thinking about the goals that I want to accomplish. Once I have my goals set in mind, I get all of my magazines together. (I usually have a large stack ready to finger through because I collect magazines throughout the year.) After that, I start to build my Vision Board using all of the magazines that I collected. Even once I have all of the space filled up on my board I continue looking through magazines to take out the weaker images and quotes and replace them with better ones that really speak to my soul.
Related: Create A Vision Board That Actually Serves You (Not Just One That Looks Good)
Here's what you need to get started building your Vision Board:
A Canvas (of some sort)
Your Vision Board will need a background to hold all of your images. What you use for the background is completely up to you. Here are a few options that have worked well for me and my party guests:
Poster Board: Remember the white paper that you would use in elementary school or middle school if you wanted to present something? It's the cheapest route to go to create a Vision Board. One of my friends has been creating her vision on a poster board every year for the past 5 years. She collects them and writes the year on the back of each Vision Board. That way she can go back to her Vision Boards later and see what kind of things she was dreaming of and see how far she has come. (And who doesn't love a walk down memory lane?)
Cork board: I personally use a giant cork board. Every year I remove all the images and quotes that I put on my cork board and I create an entirely new vision. I have used the same board for about 4 years now and it is still intact. A cork board is great if you want to put a few nails in the wall and hang it. I've had my Vision Board right above my bed for the last three years.
Journal: A simple, plain white paper writing journal can be a great place for your vision. If you use a journal then your Vision Board can double as a space where you can write down all of your ideas and keep track of your progress. You can also take your Vision Board with you on the go because it’s small enough to take with you and refer to it anytime you want. If you choose to go this route, I would definitely use a large-sized journal so that you can put a lot of different ideas on it.
Related: 5 Unique Ways To Create A Vision Board That Fits Your Style
The Magazines
The magazine clippings that you choose make up your entire vision - and will be your inspiration for the entire year #nopressure. The magazines you choose are very important.
Get started with a good selection of magazines. Try to find magazines that will cater to every area of your life. While it's super fun to pick up all of the fashion magazines, you may want to also subscribe to family, health & wellness, money, parenting and home decor magazines.
Every year, I build my vision with about 20-30 magazines. The easy way to get 30 magazines (without losing hours in the magazines section at Walmart or trying to find gems in the free family magazines they have at the grocery store) is to get an magazine subscription. I have magazine subscriptions to Sunset Magazine, Women's Journal, Golf, Essence, Money and Women's Health. Every month (or bi-monthly depending on the magazine schedule) I receive a magazine in the mail and I just stack them up throughout the year. By the time I'm ready to create my next Vision Board they're just sitting there for me, ready to devour.
Related: What Magazines Should I Use For My Vision Board? Effective List of Do's and Don'ts
You are a dynamic person. That means you will likely be setting goals for several areas of your life. You'll want to have the right inspiration at hand when you create your Vision Board. An assortment of magazines that focus on different life areas will ensure that you don't have to stop building your vision because you don't have the right materials that you need to set a goal in that area for the year.
The Glue That Holds Your Vision Together (Literally)
Next, you need adhesive.
I highly recommend using a simple glue stick if you are using a poster board. I never ever use white glue because if you use too much it can make your magazine clippings look wrinkly and it takes longer to dry.
You could also use two sided tape. One sided tape is fine, but I prefer the two-sided tape so that you never have to worry about seeing the tape on the outside of your magazine clippings.
If you're working with a cork board then definitely go with pins. I like to use different colors and different shapes the current pins in my board right now are a pastel colored - super colorful and super fun. :)
Once you have those three items, you are nearly ready to build your vision board. You just need one more thing before you get started...
Create Your Vision Before You Create Your Vision Board
Before you start looking through any magazines for inspiration on where you want to take your life make sure that you already have a concrete idea of what you want to accomplish next.
Magazines are created to sell advertising space - that means they will have the most beautiful unrealistic-looking size 0 models, mocking you with their perfectly airbrushed skin. They will present you with every new trendy style and piece of jewelry that you must have to have to make your life better. Magazines will encourage you to get healthier, build better relationships, get every recommended product for more voluminous hair.
If you do not start your vision board with the vision that you want in mind, you will end up subscribing to someone else's agenda. (It's pretty much inevitable.)
Real Goal Setters are not interested in following anyone else is version of success.
WE DEFINE OUR SUCCESS.... and we don't care what anyone else thinks about it.
Before you start Vision Board building, take some time to block out everything that's going on in the rest of the world and focus on what's going on inside yourself. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and what kinds of things you would like to do with your life next.
Everything else is fluff.
Once you have your goals and all your materials ready to go, the only thing that's left is to build your Vision Board.
If you’ve already created a Vision Board, comment below with your favorite magazines to use or the coolest goal that you’ve accomplished.
Happy Creating!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win. Please join our Thrive Lounge community so you too can benefit!
