Forget Resolutions – Try a Vision Board

I’m not against New Year’s Resolutions; I like the idea of them. They’re about reflecting on your life and intentionally thinking of areas where you can improve, do better, or be better. I love that! But, if you’ve never made a vision board, you may want to try it.

Why is a vision board better? I’ll give you three reasons, (and tell you what happened when I created one in preparation for 2018).

1)    Resolutions don’t always stick

We’ve all been there: resolving with grand plans to live differently, but as soon as we’ve “fallen off the wagon” or “blown it,” the resolution goes by the wayside. If it wasn’t sustainable, or it only lasted a few weeks – or even just a few days – into January, it wasn’t very helpful.

Before December, 2017, I had only created a vision board once. It was at a financial seminar about retirement planning. During the seminar, all the attendees, me included, created our own vision boards illustrating our ideal retirement. We were asked to think about how we’d spend our time, where we’d be, who would be with us, and how much money we’d need to achieve those goals or live that way.

I enjoyed the exercise. It forced all of us to think about what we really wanted, digging deep into our personal desires and dreams. It also forced us to articulate in words or pictures what those dreams looked like, which was helpful. We could then begin working towards them – through additional savings and investments, by making more money, or spending less. Further, we could discuss the articulated goals with our significant others or spouses. This helped to ensure we were on the same page and working towards the same vision for our future.

After doing it once and seeing the value in it, I decided to give it another try to articulate my goals as the new year (2018) approached. 

2)     Vision boards help you focus on what you want all year long

There’s a ton of research out there that points to the fact that writing things down and keeping them in front of you as visual reminders help you achieve your goals. Vision boards allow you to do both! Just like in the financial seminar, creating a vision board forces reflection on your part – asking you to determine what you really want and then requiring you to articulate it in some form or fashion.

In December, 2017, when I decided I wanted to create one for the upcoming year, I involved my daughter in the process as well. My (then) seven-year-old and I got out two huge pieces of paper and a set of markers. (BTW: you can also use magazines and clip images to paste on your board, if you’d like.) I explained the project and told her to write with words, or draw pictures, of what she wanted to have happen in 2018. Together, we created our visions.

Hers included things like “win my basketball games” and “do gymnastics,” which she achieved in 2018! (Technically, it said, “be on the Ellen Show to do gymnastics” and that didn’t 

happen, but still.) It also included “get a phone,” which intentionally hasn’t happened. (BTW: We both had Disney World on our boards for 2018, but we decided as a family to wait one more year, so that’s now going on the 2019 vision boards.)

My vision board

Mine included things like losing weight, publishing my book (which I had started in September, 2017), and starting a blog. While some of 

the things we put down didn’t come to fruition (for example, I wasn’t successful with the weight loss,) I was amazed by what did.

By early Spring, I had completed my book – 159-typed, 8 ½ x 11 pages! I gave it to my husband, Tom, to read, and he liked it. The problem – that he and I both recognized – was it was too personal and might have divulged information about others in my life who may not have been comfortable with me sharing. Not knowing how to fix that, I put the book aside.  

Then, my Facebook newsfeed changed everything. In late September, 2018, my newsfeed contained information about starting a blog, which was still there on my vision board, and was something I said I wanted to create. One of these days, I’ll write another post about how I got started with my blog, but suffice it to say: it was on the vision board, and it ended up becoming a reality!

I decided if I couldn’t publish the book I wrote, maybe I could still share many of my documented stories via a blog! And here I am! In November, 2018, I launched yoursintentionally.com — my very own lifestyle blog! 

Resolutions often leave us feeling that once we’ve messed up, we might as well revert to our old ways. But vision boards serve as tangible reminders all year long of what we’re working towards. Each day is a new day to continue working to achieve those dreams and goals.

Each day is a new day to begin again!

3)    Vision boards use the power of the Law of Attraction

When I was seeing a counselor in 2017, she recommended, in addition to other things, that I start listening to meditations at night to help me relax my mind and body in order to drift off to sleep. (Lack of sleep was a contributing factor to my irritability.) So, I turned to YouTube and found lots of excellent, free, guided meditations I would listen to as I laid in bed. Many of them mentioned the Law of Attraction, which I found fascinating.

Wikipedia defines the Law of Attraction as “the belief that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, people can bring positive or negative experiences into their lives. The belief is based on the idea that people and their thoughts are both made from pure energy, and that through the process of like energy attracting like energy, a person can improve their own health, wealth, and personal relationships.”

The Law of Attraction: the belief that focusing on positive thoughts can bring positive experiences! 

It’s associated with cognitive reframing techniques – similar to positive affirmations and creative visualizations – to replace negative thinking patterns with positive ones. The belief has its critics, but Oprah Winfrey and Jim Carey swear by it, which should tell you something!

As I went through the year, my vision board served as a visual reminder of what I wanted to accomplish. Keeping that reminder front of mind put the Law of Attraction to work. Repeatedly thinking about what I wanted and seeing what I wanted on the board, assisted with it being realized!

Don’t get me wrong, I first and foremost put my faith and trust in God. However, I think there may be something to this Law of Attraction as well. It worked for me, and it could work for you, too!

What about you?

Do you have experience with vision boards? Are you intentionally using Law of Attraction principles in your life? Or, are you planning to start the new year with traditional resolutions? I’d love to hear from you!

Yours intentionally, Amanda