A vision board is a creative tool that you can use to discover your desires as well as set your goals. Creating a personal vision board is a very rewarding and simple project to do. It’s a fun way to learn about your goals and desires and is a very rewarding and simple project to do. They are usually created on large pieces of poster board using images and words that are meaningful to you. Another technique that you can use is to apply those same steps using a big sketchbook that you can get at any art supplies store. This is really a fun way to approach this exercise. Get a large leather bound sketchbook or one covered with beautiful paper and keep an evolving vision journal that tells the story of your life.

This is really an effective tool to use while you’re wading through many unanswered questions in the river of life. A vision board can be made for many different reasons. Perhaps you desire a change of environment or a different job. How about the creating the business that you’ve always wanted to own or the relationship of your dreams? Maybe you need to let go of the past to be able to move powerfully forward into your new future. All of these things and more are wonderful goals to focus on when making a vision board.

The idea behind creating a vision board is that when you begin to surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have and where you want to live, or travel to, reflecting upon your vision board causes your life to become a magnet for your dreams. It never ceases to amaze me when those desires begin to manifest into realities as a result of this type of visualization work.

I’ve been creating boards like these for years and they have always brought me clear emotional access to the things that I have wanted to achieve. This process enables you to envision the life that you want. On your board you can put down ideas for work that you could do anywhere, travel to places you love or create a fashionable style that is really unique and personal. Doing this exercise creates a visual blueprint of exactly what you want to have happen in your life. When you’re done with it, frame it and display it on the wall. Having something like this to look at everyday really helps to keep you focused on what you really want to achieve going forward.

To create your first vision board you will need:

Poster board
Tons of your favorite magazines, copies of favorite photographs and old books filled with images and words that inspire you.
Scissors
Rubber cement or a good glue stick
Paint, colored pencils and magic markers

No matter what type of vision board you’re creating, be sure to take a moment to relax and focus on your desired outcome. You may be very surprised by what you see so just take a moment to sit quietly with whatever emotions come bubbling up for you when you begin. Notice what those emotions are and write them down or even make them a part of your board. Are you excited? Are you sad, tentative or worried? Allowing your emotions to be a part of this process is sometimes difficult, but always helpful in terms of creating a satisfying result.

Put on soft music that inspires you. It could be Sinatra or Springsteen but it should be whatever relaxes you and helps you get clear and creative. Set the intention for your vision board. Is it to get through a grieving process to let go of an important yet completed part of your life or do you know exactly what you want to create for yourself? Have fun with this step and don’t worry if it takes awhile.

When you’re through you can then begin by going through all of your magazines to cut or tear words that you love and images that speak to your intention. Enjoy this process and don’t worry about having too many. Be sure to have a photo of yourself that you like because you’ll definitely want to put it somewhere on your board.

When you've determined the intention for your vision board your next step will be to lay your favorite images out on the board in whatever way that you want. There is no right or wrong design for this, only the way that you like it. Use your intuition without judgment to do this part. You’ll begin to see a pattern you love. Really trust yourself because there’s no right or wrong way to do this.

Next you should begin to glue everything that you’ve chosen onto the board. Add paint or marker wherever and however you’d like. When you’re finished with it place your vision board somewhere that you’ll be able to be inspired by it often. The most important thing to remember? Have fun!

Editors Note: You can also visit Pinterest.com and create a wonderful online vision board. Pinterest is a fun way to do this project because you can make your boards public or private and share them easily.
What I like about Pinterest the most is that it’s a great way to collect images, thoughts and anything else that might strike your fancy.