The Power of Vision Boards

In the early days of the human potential movement, you would often hear the catchy acronym CBA used to summarize the process of conscious creation.  CBA – Conceive, Believe, Achieve – reflects the steps involved in reaching goals and making dreams come true.  Visualization has always been an important part of the process.   In recent years, especially since the immense popularity of the movie The Secret, visualization as a tool to achieving one’s desires has been brought to the attention of a wider audience, particularly through the use of vision boards. 

In the “old days,” vision boards used to be called collages.  They can be as simple as a single sheet of paper, or as elaborate as a giant posterboard.  The process is simple, all you need is scissors, glue, some free time, and a stack of magazines.  Start cutting out pictures that appeal to you and that represent what you want to manifest in your life.  This goes beyond just things, you can also use pictures to represent less tangible desires such as love, peace, fun, fulfillment, abundance, and happiness.

I constructed my first vision board more than fifteen years ago (and yes, it was called a collage back then) when my life was going through several major upheavals.  My marriage of thirteen years was falling apart, and my mother passed away, all within a four month period.  It’s the kind of confluence of events that makes you take a really good look at your life.  My vision board at the time focused on meaningful work, peace, and inner strength.

About a year ago, I attended a vision board workshop hosted by one of my mentors, Cheryl Harris of Conscious Creations.  In the days before the workshop, I remembered the fifteen-year-old board, long forgotten and shoved in the back of a closet.  When I pulled it out, I was stunned that almost everything I had represented on the board had manifested in my life:  I had changed careers twice since the creation of the board, coming ever closer to living my passion.  I had found inner peace.  I had become a strong and independent woman. 

The workshop made what would have been a fun experience all on its own a very powerful exercise in really reaching beyond just surface wants and desires to what we really wanted to  manifest in our lives.  The shared energy of the group enhanced the process.  I created a vision board that is hanging on my refrigerator to this day. 

I “see” the vision board every day, several times a day.  While I may not always consciously look at it, it’s always there, reminding me of my goals and desires.  It’s keeping them in my energy field. 

And the other day, it hit me that one of the really big things that I represented on the vision board is about to come true.  I had placed the photo above, of the Reston Barnes and Noble store, next to a photo of the cover of Buckley’s Story, symbolizing that I wanted to see my book in that store, and that I wanted to be invited to a book signing at the store.  It’s my hometown bookstore, I’ve been going to the store since it opened its doors, and the thought of my book being sold in the store some day was always part of the dream. 

The store has carried my book since before Christmas.   On March 4, the store will be hosting me for a discussion and signing.

I’ve always believed that vision boards are powerful tools to consciously create what you want in your life.   Do you use vision boards?  I’d love to hear your experiences with them.

And if you’re in the Washington, DC area, please come and join me for the discussion and signing on March 4, and help me celebrate making another part of the dream that is Buckley’s Story come true!