In these days I am engaged with the passionate task of drawing some detailed vision boards. Some subtle but very relevant effects have appeared already, so I thought it would be good idea to share some aspects of the process, and, mostly, the reasons why YOU should elaborate your own if you haven’t already.
Take advantage of your brain
Like the writer Adolfo Bioy Casares once said, “there is nothing as persuasive as sight”. Furthermore: visualization and remembrance are the same thing to our mind. And not metaphorically: if you look at someone’s face, certain brain areas will show activity. Now, if you close your eyes and just recall that face, EXACTLY THE SAME AREAS will show activity. Our brain cannot tell the difference. So watching frequently your goals is like starting to have them already, like creating within yourself the container for them to happen.
Modify your present by visualizing your future
When you have a persuasive image of what you want to achieve in a place where you look at it frequently, you are sending yourself messages from the future you want. You set yourself “in tune”, you get aligned with your goals. The most important thing about a vision board is not the future, but the present it creates.
Put yourself in motion… or someone else will do
The tricky part here is that, unless you have goals of your own, you’ll be drifting around, pushed and pulled by other people’s visions. That is the way we work, as dynamical, goal-oriented beings. When you do not choose goals of your own, it is as if you left some vacant space, which someone else will certainly use. If you do not put yourself in motion, someone else will do, and you might not like it.
Accountable, but flexible too
Many people feel intimidated by the creation of a vision board because it takes us out of our comfort zone (dealing with things that are unreachable by the moment) and due to the paradox of choice (are these REALLY the goals that I prefer above the others? There are so many I could choose… What if I get it wrong?). Well, don’t try to be that perfectionist (perfection is one of the masks of fear): just pick your choice and get going. Firstly, because any goal is better than none (see above). And, secondly, you can tweak, change, modify or suppress any of your goals along the way. The board is a tool for a purpose, not a purpose in itself. When you have it, you have an image of beloved and inspiring things always close to you. When you don’t, all you have is a vague bunch of mental slime that varies according to the weather, your mood, what you ate today, etc…
What system should I choose?
Life is short, so choose the format that makes you happier and enjoy the process. For example: I have made a lot of physical collages, because I like to hang around with scissors, the smell of glue… But I am making my current board digitally, because I am taking Photoshop lessons, and I appreciate such an “excuse” to toy around with the program. A funny thing is that I am not very good at it yet, but it has turned out to be an additional advantage, because I am getting a lot more of exposure to my favorite images (while I figure out how to do things). On the other hand, there is no better way for learning than doing. There is nothing theoretical here: a) I need to do X. b) I find out how to do it. Eclectic, but this is the learning system I always preferred.
Words, words, words…
The orthodoxy about vision boards says that, besides images, it is good to include sentences and words too. In my case, I have contradictory feelings about words and I don’t know if I will include them in the end. The problem is that, as a fiction writer, I have written tons and tons of words that are not truth. I also do a lot of journaling, this blog, etc, but I am afraid that my relation with words is a bit complicated and must be handled with particular care. Anyway, if you decide to use words, make sure that you use positive concepts (”Abundance”, “Luxury”), and sentences (”My financial situation is good” instead of “I have no debts”), and put them in present tense (because you are living your dream).
And now excuse me, I must leave you: I have a terrific idea for the treatment of a picture that could make it look particularly convincing. Gee, this is addictive! Do you use vision boards already? Where do you put them? What’s your favorite format?
Related posts:
How to become optimistic with very little effort
Use verbal icons for your projects
The longest term goal
GTD for writers
Every day is “the” day
Hey Nacho!
I’ve heard of these before. I never created one myself but mmmm… sounds pretty fun to do. Maybe I’ll give it a shot when I have some free time
Hey Vlad! Thanks for sharing. I strongly recommend you do so. Sometimes it is hard to detach ourselves from the operative day-to-day, but a practice like this really pays off. And yes, OMG, it is SO funny…