Vision Boarding: 12 Aspects of Activation
The concept of the vision board has been around for generations. It has also been known as a goal board, goal map, or treasure map. In definition, it’s a simple yet powerful visualization tool that activates the universal law of attraction, beginning to manifest your dreams into reality.
The LAW OF ATTRACTION states that we “attract into our lives anything that we give attention to, regardless whether it is positive or negative.”
This law has been around since the beginning of time and works 100% of the time! Which means, once the process of using the vision board properly to activate the mighty law of attraction is fully understood and implemented…. your power is limitless and will work every time!
However, if the process is not understood and followed….. a vision board is just a collage.
So just imagine for a moment, how we all, if we are not aware and yet continue to activate LOA, also have the ability to sabotage our success, happiness and well-being on a daily basis, in many little ways. Just by saying, or even thinking something as seemingly innocent as, “I always get stuck in the slow line at the grocery store.” You essentially are putting a stamp on your path in this way, creating your reality of finding the slow line at the store each time.
Yes, you are that powerful.
Or how about, “I am always late.”
How about lying awake for hours at a time at night, obsessing about the debt that is piling up in your life, or the lost love you are focusing on, always missing, always just out of your reach in your mind and heart?
Paying attention to your thoughts, feelings and what you say is absolutely vital. Are you creating a positive reality for yourself? Or are you creating roadblocks and obstacles on a daily basis? This could be one of the meanings behind the statement, “You are your own worst enemy.”
The process of “vision boarding”, for me, is composed of 12 factors – 12 things to consider and work with – in combination with the simple act of cutting out or printing out pictures and words, and pasting or pinning them on some type of board. Being aware of these 12 points always, and consciously using them in a way that focuses you towards your goals – what you want to do, be and have in your life – can really turn your life into a magical experience.
1. Our Reticular Activating System
It is not all mystical, spiritual and energetic. In my vision boarding classes, I often use this point to help the more left-brained, or logical people buy into this process. There is actually a physiological factor involved. We have, in our magnificent brains, something called a Reticular Activating System (RAS). It sorts and evaluates incoming data and is responsible for filtering all the incoming information and acts as a receiver for information that is tagged as important for us. It’s like a radio. There is an excess of sound waves out there, coming at us. As we tune a radio to a certain station, that radio can filter all the other streams and bring in only the station you want to listen to. Another example is, you can be in a crowded room with everyone talking. It may seem like white noise, all voices blending together. But if someone in that crowd says your name, it is likely to stand out for you.
The human brain can handle up to 100 trillion bits of information at any given time. Your RAS is naturally programmed to prioritize information that is necessary for survival. However, and here’s the cool thing, it can’t distinguish between a real event and a contrived reality, and we can exploit this weakness to program it to seek out stimuli in our environment that resonates with our goals.
We can use this part of our bodies when working with our vision boards through focusing on, and visualizing, a chosen image, word or phrase that represents something that we want. For example, if we focus on a certain colour and make of a car, if in fact we are wanting a new car, suddenly when we go out, it will seem like so many people are driving that particular car. It’s not that suddenly that kind of car is so popular, but suddenly we are picking up on them all.
2. Visualization
When you visualize, then you materialize. (The Secret)
When visualizing, ONLY focus on the end result. This might be challenging, as we often will want to include how we will get to that end result. We want to be in control. This is a human habit. However, this is not our part of our partnership with the universe. Furthermore, focus on having what you want, not wanting what you want, as if you already have it.
You will need to put yourself into the feeling of having what you want — as if you have it in the present — feel as if you currently have it.
Right now, what is it you want to be, do, or have? Now imagine having it, right this moment – not wanting it, but actually having it. Pretend you have it. Now imagine, how would that feel?
The Universe says “Your wish is my command.”
3. Paying Attention
The universe will actually conspire to bring you opportunities. But it is up to you to find ways to live your life in the present so that you can recognize these opportunities; to notice signs and messages along your daily path, to notice your inner reactions to seemingly ordinary occurrences that are meant for you to receive. This is where many say “vision boards don’t work”, they simply weren’t paying attention.
4. Be Prepared
The universe, your guides, your higher self and all that is wants to you heal, learn and grow. This is the ultimate. As the journey to what we want is a partnership, we need to understand that reaching our goals requires us to make changes, think outside the box, face our fears, take leaps of faith and get creative. This journey will not look like a straight line and will often go beyond the logic.
5. Our Emotional Guidance System
“Whatever you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming.” (The Secret)
Thoughts cause feelings. It’s as simple as that. Not anything in our outside worlds can cause us to feel. This is what I believe is one of the greatest illusions we have all been taught as children and now live with on a daily basis. The reality is we ourselves are in charge of our feelings. A statement that begins with “You made me feel…..” Or a question asked, “How does that make you feel?” are very false statements. I cannot say this enough.
There is a multitude of emotions we are capable of feeling but for this topic, there are only two types of feelings, positive and negative. Positive feelings are our guidance. They are saying our thinking is positive, our needs are being met, we are vibrating at a higher frequency and we are “in line” with what we want. When we feel emotions such as hopeful, excited, curious, happiness, love, we are in alignment with our needs and goals. When we experience negative emotions such as guilt, fear, anger for whatever reason, you are not in alignment, and something in our lives needs to change.
What gets you into a good mood? Many people say music can bring them up. How about reaching out and chatting with a positive friend? Appreciating the beauty in nature often does the trick for me. There are many other ways, some personal so universal. For instance, the attitude of gratitude is another essential part of this process. In order to get what you want, you have to be happy for what you already have. This may take some getting used to. After all, we are conditioned to think in terms of “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”.
6. Our Intuition
Our intuition is our initial experience to something going on in our lives. It can hit us like a smoke alarm as a warning that something is wrong. Or it can be like hearing children laughing in the distance. It makes us curious, wondering what it is, knowing that whatever it is, it must be something good.
It’s quite essential to be in touch with your intuition if you want the vision board process to truly work. You will have to rely on your inner guide to light the way down the path the universe creates for you because it is not a straight and logical path. It will have twists and turns along the way that won’t seem right. However, when looking inside for the answer, your intuition will be clear. The hard part is to trust it.
7. “Vision Boarding”
For this process to really work for you, it needs to be a regular, daily ritual. Each morning (at least), look at your board, either scan the entire collective image or focus in on one or two pictures / words. Allow the impressions to seep into your psyche. Close your eyes for several minutes, imagining already having what you want and feel the feelings attached to having it. Come out of that and focus on what you already have, being grateful for having it. Go into your day and release this energy into the universe and trust that this universe will figure out how to align and bring to you, your request.
8. Make it Visual
It should be easy to understand. Your subconscious mind works in pictures and images, so make your vision board as visual as possible with as many pictures as you can. You can supplement you pictures with words and phrases to increase the emotional response you get from it. Since I am a writer, I am personally drawn to many words and phrases and include them in all my boards.
9. Symbolic
A picture or word/phrase can be taken at face value or it can mean something very subjective and personal to one person as there can be an association to a past experience, or even a chain or associations. The picture or word/phrase becomes a representation.
10. Emotional and Personal
Each picture on your vision board should evoke a positive emotional response within you. The mere sight of your vision board should make you happy and fuel your passion to achieve every time you look at it. It should make sense to you (even if it doesn’t to everyone else) and really fit your true goals.
11. Strategically Placed
Your vision board should be strategically placed in a location that gives you maximum exposure to it. You need to constantly bathe your subconscious mind in order to manifest your desires quicker.
12. Being Aware of Our Barriers
Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen; doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. Just because you don’t understand electricity, doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy the benefits or you are not open to using it. (The Secret)
What might be your personal barriers to working a successful vision board? Being aware of your potential barriers gives you the opportunity to defuse them.
We all have the power to create our own realities. The first step is to believe in the process of the law of attraction. The second is to figure out what you really want in this lifetime. The third is to believe that you truly deserve whatever it is you desire. And finally, you must believe you have this power.
Christine Whelan 