Umm… what’s a vision board and why is it the next most powerful running tool?

The power of vision boards has been a topic of conversation lately in my social and family networks. “What exactly is a vision board?” you ask. Well, it’s a sort of collage of imagery that symbolizes your goals. A mere glance at the board will place emphasis on what you’re aiming to achieve. Essentially, it’s there to motivate. 

I’ve admired my sister-in-law’s vision board that graces her bedroom wall as the first thing she sees when she wakes up in the morning. A friend of mine is hosting a ladies’ night for friends to create their own individual vision boards over some wine and music. I’ve wanted to make one for some time now so I thought: What better way to spend some downtime on Family Day weekend than to create a vision board with my daughter?

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The power of visualization is well-documented as being a successful strategy, particularly in the psychology of athletes. In basic terms, visualizing your goals can help you achieve them. Vision boards can assist with focus, goal-setting, affirmations, intentions and to help clarify your purpose. Putting your vision board somewhere you can see it frequently will regularly reinforce your goals. This holds true for all kinds of life goals, including professional, scholastic, personal, family and fitness.

There aren’t any rules when creating a vision board. You can include motivational sayings and pictures, knick-knacks from the past, and anything else that would inspire you. When making our vision boards, not only did we make use of old scrapbook supplies, but I also enjoyed rediscovering items and articles in our collection of magazines. It was very cost-effective, only having to purchase a display board at the local dollar store and we used two-sided tape. With some scissors and music, we were ready to go.

I enjoyed the process of creating my vision board immensely. As I look at it, it’s like my soul and thoughts are being bared. The transference of goals that reside in my head into a tangible and visual spectacle has been revealing. The largest and most prominent items on my board are likely the items taking up the majority of my head-space right now. I enjoyed seeing what my daughter chose for her vision board and it sparked some great conversation with our family about the goals that we want to achieve for the year ahead.