The Power of Vision Boards
Happy New Year!
New Year, New You, right? Well, not if you don’t make any changes. Resolutions are outdated, and people tend to give them up by February. So maybe it’s time to take a new approach to crush New Years’ goals!
What is a Vision Board?
Have you ever heard of a vision board party? They’re events where people get together to create vision boards. A vision board is a collage that includes photos, texts, phrases, and other images or items that can help one visualize or affirm a dream or specific goal that they want to accomplish. A vision board party can be held at any time of the year but a lot of times they are held during the end of year/beginning of the year season as it seems to be the modern way of making a resolution. For example, instead of saying, “My resolution for 2022 is to lose 20 pounds!” you would take a different approach. First, you’d find a photo of what you feel represents your ideal body type or activity that will help you achieve this goal. This representation may be an image of prepped meals and a person working out or flaunting a fit body, and then you’d simply add it to your vision board. A vision board is a visual representation of your goal or ideal life direction that will help you manifest your dreams into fruition.
Do People Actually Believe That This Works?
Celebrities and life coaches such as Oprah and Deepak Chopra are proponents of manifestation, turning your dreams into reality. Manifestation is more than affirmations, it requires hard work. You start by setting your intention. What is it that you want to achieve? Then you take active steps toward making that goal a reality. Mental practices such as visualization can help you increase your motivation, confidence, and motor performance and are almost as effective as physical exercise according to Psychology today. Studies reveal that your brain is actually training for performance when you use visualization techniques!
My Vision Board
My primary goal for 2021 was to pay off all of my consumer debt. I was a new mom, making over six figures in DC and I wanted to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor as well as save and invest for my daughter. I created a vision board with images that represented my goals to lose baby weight, pay off credit card debt, and book more acting work. I didn’t do a traditional hard copy vision board where you cut photos out of magazines and paste them onto cardboard. I did mine digitally in Microsoft PowerPoint, (you can also create them in Canva). I placed my vision board in various places where I would regularly see it, my desk at work, my perfume display at home, and I kept a copy in my image gallery on my phone. As I sat at work, I had a constant visual reminder of my goals, which kept me motivated to make good decisions regarding my finances. I automated my budget, dove into more financial education by reading and joining various wealth groups, became more active in my investing and saving, and inspired those in my friend circle to do the same. After consistent efforts, I was able to take out a personal payoff loan from Happy Money with a low interest rate that I used to consolidate my credit card debt. With discipline and persistence, I was able to make the final payment on that loan in October of 2021 and become consumer debt free.
Everyone is different, but saying “I’m going to pay off my consumer debt” was far less effective for me than taking the time to curate a vision board and looking at it daily to keep my goal at the forefront of my mind. As a result of my perseverance and of my vision board, I paid off at least 20k in consumer debt by the end of 2021 and I also got approved for an AMEX Platinum card which allowed me to earn rewards for my purchases. I accomplished other goals on my vision board as well but this one was the heaviest weight on my shoulder.
Works Cited
Brigitt Early, Here's How to Make a Vision Board for Manifestation
Malorie Mackey, Vision Boards, a Powerful Tool for Manifestation