Today, we are going to rabbit trail off the New Years Resolutions track and talk about vision boards. There is known power in visualization. And I am not talking Eastern religion spiritism power. I am talking brain power. Psychology Today posted a great blog about the effect that visualization has on your actual brain. See The Power of Visualization. Here’s the big idea behind all the crazy fascinating neurology: What you focus on is what you get. So many analogies come to mind. Have you ever walked into a room full of people and said to yourself, “This is gonna suck.”? What happened? It sucked, right? Why? Because you were focused on all the sucky things about the encounter. And what happens when you walk into the same room full of people and think, “This is gonna be fantastic!”? It may not be magical, but I guarantee you that you had a better time in that room than when your entire expectation was negative. You get what you focus on. Here’s an even more down to earth physical analogy that my father-in-law likes to use. You’re riding a bike and you look to the side. Guess what? The bike begins to orient itself the direction you are looking. Why? Not because of some mystical connection between your mind and the bike, no. But because when you are focused on something, your body and thus the bike orient to your focus and begin to head that direction. This can be a scary reality, but it can also be a really powerful tool. So there’s the rationale for vision boards, for all you nay-sayers out there who think that vision boards are hipster nonsense.
So how do you make a vision board? Yes! There is really no correct way to make a vision board. Seriously, you can search vision board ideas on Pinterest for like 20 seconds and see 20 different ideas. Some use pictures. Some use words. Some use a printable format. Others plaster magazine pictures on a piece of poster board like when you were in Kindergarten. You do you. Find one that looks cute and go with it. However, I think for a vision board to be as effective as possible, it should have a few elements, however you end up incorporating those.
Element #1: Meditate on it.
This is a vision board, not an Amazon wishlist. Before you just start cutting and pasting cute things you think you want, sit back and close your eyes. Is this a vision board for this year, the decade, or your life? Imagine your life at the end of whatever time frame that is, in all its glory. Where do you live? What do you value? What do you look like? Who is in that phase of life with you? Where do you work? What have you accomplished? Do this visualization meditation for 4-5 minutes. Spare no details. Do not judge your thoughts as silly or irrational or unachievable. Just imagine. When your 5 minutes is up, write down everything you just imagined in as much detail as you can as fast as you can, still with no judgment. Now you actually have an idea for the vision board.
Element #2: It needs to be appealing to you.
This is yours, not anyone else’s. It needs to appeal to YOU, not to the other moms at your kids’ school or to your spouse or to your friends. YOU. If you like color and pictures, then use colored paper and clip art (or some other variation of that). If you prefer a monochromatic page covered in scripty words, go for it. The idea is that you look at it every single day, so it needs to be something you actually care to look at. I imagine that mine would be very organized and probably be mostly words with a few pictures. It would also have inspiring quotes to keep me motivated. You do you.
Element #3: Find some way to incorporate affirmations about your vision board every day.
Some people hang theirs on their closet doors to look at while they get dressed in the morning. Others may hang it by their desk or keep a copy by the toilet for their daily restroom run. Just put it somewhere you know you will encounter it and make a habit of encountering it every single day. A vision board does you know good folded up and buried at the bottom of your sock drawer. If it helps, close your eyes and use the vision board to assist in step 1 again.
Element #4: Create a roadmap.
Visualizing is powerful, but it isn’t enough. You have to take the steps to make those dreams and goals happen. And you can’t do that without knowing the steps to take to get there. So, pick one at a time and make that goal happen. First, you can only work on one thing at a time. Multitasking is a myth. Spend some time writing out all the steps it will take to get to that goal. For example, if you want to lose weight, you need a goal weight. Then you need some sort of visual that represents that goal (this is why people buy goal jeans). Then you need to figure out what it takes for you to lose weight. (Btw- eat fewer calories than you burn). So all that means is figure out your basal metabolic rate, which is the base number of calories your body needs to consume to continue to operate. (Disclaimer: I am not a PT or a dietician. This is not medical advice.) Talk to a nutritionist and a physical trainer to figure out a workout that works for you and what foods you need to eat. The point is, there are steps on the weight loss journey. You can’t just visualize that you are a size 2 or 4 or 6 or whatever your goal weight is and keep eating McDonalds and expect to lose the weight. Set milemarkers with rewards that compliment your goal. Example: Lose 10 pounds and get a new pair of workout pants. Non-example: Lose ten pounds and get a 1000-calorie burger for dinner. Always compliment your goals with your rewards. Otherwise your rewards will become setbacks.
There are so many different ideas for vision boards that it can be overwhelming. But I think as long as you have the above 4 elements, any vision board you choose will be just fine. Now let’s challenge ourselves to get back up and go again in the second week of 2020.
Until Next Week,
Ashley
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