Ah, tradition — there’s nothing like the comfort of doing something ritually.
Based on The Secret’s philosophy, me and my mom create a vision board at least once a year to help bring the things we want to life. It’s one of my favorite things to do because it’s almost therapeutic and has been scientifically proven to benefit the mind and soul.
Usually, it’s a collage of things you want the New Year to bring (but you can do it anytime) — beginning with the materialistic things like a pair of designer shoes or a new car. It may be things you might want to experiences like places you’d like to travel to or a new pet you want to adopt in the future. But the absolute most important thing to include are words and images that you want to feel and radiate.
2017’s vision board
Visualizing is one of the strongest forms of mindfulness and has the power to attract the things we want to life while chasing away the things that you don’t want.
My 2017 vision board made most of my wishes come true. There are images of friends around a bonfire which I literally mirrored several times that year. There are images of cars which helped attract my lil’ blue Toyota, Billie Holiday. There is an image of a kitten which later attracted my kitten, Phoebe (aka Meekz). There are images of healthy foods like a pineapple and an acai bowl which helped me continue my weight loss journey. There are images of words and phrases I actually felt, like “stand out,” “boss lady” and “game-changing badass.” I even have an image of Pulp Fiction which grew into a huge movie poster behind my door that my mom gave me as a Christmas gift.
Also included are pictures of places I dream of going to, like New York and other places from Colorado and New Orleans to Paris and Istanbul. I still haven’t traveled there but I still keep this particular vision board above my monthly calendar in the room where I do most of my work and write these blog posts (aka somewhere I am everyday.) I have, however, planned trips to New York and New Orleans this year.
I keep this year’s poster above a framed piece of art hanging in my room and it includes the images I want to attract in 2018; another puppy, a fat closet, more pictures of travel and an advertisement for one of my dream schools (that I coincidentally came across while looking for cut-outs in magazines.)
I began first with larger images and “background” photos of things that honestly just look pretty. This is to avoid any white or blank areas. My only materials were Mod Podge, a thick paint brush, water to clean the brush, scissors and magazines to find your cut-outs
My 2018 vision board and all the things I hope the year brings
But my favorite part are the phrases I expect to feel; “answer the earth,” “born to dare” and “be all over the map,” among others.
Whatever you decide to glue to your vision board, it’s one of the simplest things you can do to feel like you’re actively driving your own life.
