Last week we talked about how a vision board can impact your life by making your goals tangible and keeping them in front of you. If the notion of a vision board for your whole life strikes you as too challenging, break it down into smaller bites!  

There are a few basic types of vision boards you can create, and there are several methods you can use for creating them. Choose which type works best for you, depending on where you find yourself at this particular time in your life. 

The “I Know What I Want” Board 

Do this vision board if: 

  • You are already clear about your desires 
  • There is a specific thing you want to manifest in your life, such as a new home or starting a business 

To create this vision board: 

With your specific desire in mind, set out looking for the exact pictures, which portray your vision. If you want a home on a lake, begin with architectural magazines. If you’re looking to start a business, find images that capture that idea for you. 

The “Create an Opening” Board 

Do this vision board if: 

  • You’re not sure what you want 
  • You have a general vision of what you want, but are uncertain about it in some way 
  • You’ve been in a period of depression or despair 
  • You know you want change, but don’t know where to start 

To create this vision board: 

Go through magazines and tear out images that attract you. Don’t try to figure out why you selected the images; just keep going through the publications. If it’s a picture of a kitten that makes you smile, pull it out. If it’s a tent in a campground, add it to your pile. Just have fun and be open to whatever calls to you. Later, as you go through the visioning process, remain open, and ask yourself what meaning the picture might hold. 

The “Life Theme” Board 

Do this vision board if: 

  • A significant event such as a job change or divorce has started a chapter for you 
  • If you are working with one particular area of your life, such as relationships or career 
  • It’s a landmark day such as your birthday or New Year’s Eve 

To create this vision board: 

Compile images that reflect a theme you’d like to adopt for a particular period of time.  

Sometimes you’ll start out doing one kind of vision board, and then your intuition takes over and you shift into a whole different mode. No problem: Let it happen! 

 Why do a vision board? 

 Part of the power of a vision board comes from the simple act of taking the time to imagine, and then document, your dreams. A vision board is an articulation—an “out loud” utterance—of what you really want. The popularity of vision boards today correlates with the notoriety surrounding The Secret, a book released back in 2006 with an accompanying DVD that centers on the law of attraction. The law of attraction presupposes that your mode of thinking—whether positive or negative—directly affects what the universe provides for you.  

Remember that a vision board is but a step in the journey to fulfillment. According to The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vision Boards, “You need to act in order to make the most of your vision board; otherwise, it’s just a wish board—things you wish would happen, but for which you’re not willing to work.”