If we want to achieve what we want in life, we have to have absolute focus on what we want and create a vision of where we want to go.
A way to do this is to create a vision board. A sacred space to hold what you want can bring it to life. What you focus on can expand and when you create a vision board and put it in a place that you see often, you actually create short visualization sessions throughout each day each time you see it.
The Secret is a documentary movie about the Law of Attraction. In it John Ashraf, a successful author and entrepreneur of several multi-million dollar companies, talked about a vision board that he had created but had been stored in a box for a few years during several moves to different houses. When he finally opened the box, he realized that the photo of a house on his vision board, that he had placed there years before, was the same house that he was living in. This is a testament to the power of visualization.
The process of visualization has had many studies conducted on its efficacy. One of these studies involved basketball players.
Australian Psychologist Alan Richardson made a little experiment. He took a group of basketball players, divided them in 3 groups and tested each player’s ability to make free throws.
The first group would practice 20 minutes every day.
The second would only visualize themselves making free throws, but no real practice was allowed.
The third one would not practice or visualize.
The results were astounding. There was significant improvement on the group that only visualized; they were almost as good as they guys who actually practiced.
Another example is by monitoring brain waves. A study looking at brain patterns in weightlifters found that the patterns activated when a weightlifter lifted hundreds of pounds were similarly activated when they only imagined lifting.
A Vision Board should be a reflection of your thoughts and feelings.
The more the information on your vision board focuses on how you want to feel the more it will come to life.
A vision board should have images of how we want to feel, not just what we want. – Jon Gabriel
If you have reviewed the first night’s call recording you may have noticed that, when I was using EFT with the participant, I focused on how she was feeling. The tapping script for Module 1 also focuses on feelings. Those of fear, overwhelm, weakness, and even how good you will feel when you accomplish your goal.
Your thoughts and feelings are powerful.
One example of the power of your mind is illustrated in the Placebo Effect. Most of you probably know what that is. In a scientific study of a new drug a group of participants gets the actual drug and another group gets a sugar pill. Different people have different reactions to the actual drug. But many times, a percentage of those getting the sugar pill get the same results as those taking the actual drug. The reason is that they believe, in their mind, that they are getting the drug and their body reacts accordingly. This is the mind/body connection.
The power of your feelings is reflected in your body. Just think of how differently your body feels when you feel love versus fear.
When you feel fear, cortisol and adrenaline are released in your body. When you feel joy or love, hormones related to them like serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin are released into your body.
Hormones, and the frequency that they are released into your body, have the ability to change your health and genetics. The field of study of this is called epigenetics.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, a cellular biologist, has done extensive research on epigenetics and is the author of “The Biology of Belief”. His research revealed that our health is not controlled by genetics but by our body environment. When you feel an emotion, certain chemicals and hormones are released into your body. Each cell of your body has dozens of receptors that are constantly monitoring the body’s chemical environment. Certain receptors are triggered by certain chemicals or hormones and transmit a signal into the cell. The cell then responds to the signal in whatever way it is programmed. This is exactly what Dr. Lipton is talking about. Our body’s chemical environment has a tremendous and direct effect on our cells and on our health.
So, if you want to lose weight and get healthy, use the power of your thoughts and think of a time in your life that you were happy and at your ideal weight. That shifts your thoughts and feelings away from the potential struggle of weight loss to thoughts and feelings of being happy with who you are. Shifting the way you think about anything will alter the way you feel about it.
Creating your vision.
Before you create your vision board, you need to understand exactly what it is that you want in your life. You need to create your vision.
There is no wrong way to do this as each person’s needs and desires are different. Each vision board is as individual as you are. There are no limits – this is a “no limiting beliefs” zone. Reach beyond what could be considered “realistic”. This is your vision and it can be anything you’ve ever wanted in your entire life from the time you were a child to the present.
What is your passion – the thing that you have always wanted to do but circumstances of life made you feel like you could never achieve it. Passion is what drives us. It is the manifestation of desire.
Consider all of the things you wanted to accomplish that you were told were “unrealistic” which may have made you take the “safer” route. It could have been a career, a traveling lifestyle, the way you wanted to handle your own or a loved one’s health. When you shared these kinds of dreams and expectations did you alter course when someone told you that they were unrealistic? Well here is your chance to get back on course. If you still have those desires: If you still regret not taking some kind of action – list it. Write every one of them down. Remember, reach for the stars.
Begin by opening a document on your computer or use a list app on your phone or tablet. You may also use the notebook that was talked about in Module 1 if you choose to use a paper and pen.
Answer the questions below and write them down in your media of choice.
Don’t put down too many details yet – just answer the questions in general.
1. What “unrealistic dream” do I want to achieve this year?
2. What will my motto or phrase be to keep encouraging me this year?
It can be a quote that personifies what you want like: “Go big” or “Positive anything is better than negative anything” or “I believe in the beauty of my dreams” or “Forget all the reasons it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will” or “to achieve something you’ve never had before, you must do something you’ve never done before”.
There are lots of websites that you can go to that have lists of motivational quotes. Do a quick search and find one that resonates with you.
You could also decide on a word that will personify how you want your life to be. Something like happy, playful, accomplished, positivity, shine or anything that describes your life’s desires.
Whatever your quote or word, write it out on a post card to put on your vision board.
After you read each question below, you may close your eyes and focus on the thoughts and feelings that surface. Read through them all of the way first. Then, if you want to return to these questions and answer them in more of a journaling format, you may do so.
Before answering this next question, take a moment and take three deep breaths. The questions below are to assist you in connecting with the thoughts, feelings and things that will be in your life’s vision.
Now observe yourself in this past year, going through your daily activities.
What do you notice about yourself?
On a scale of 0-10, how do you rate your stress levels?
How do you treat/talk to your spouse, friends, children?
How do you eat, shop, drink?
How do you talk about yourself?
Are you self-deprecating and talk down to yourself?
Do you feel like you are not good enough?
Are you filled with fear, dread, guilt, lack of hope?
Do you put everyone else first and feel cheated or discouraged?
Consider if your behavior stayed the same this year.
What effect would that have on you, your family and your health?
Would your relationships and health improve or get worse?
Would your stress levels increase or decline?
Now double the intensity of these feelings and project yourself five years into the future along this same path of self-destruction.
How is this lifestyle taking its toll on your health, relationships, career and dreams?
Now think about why you are doing this to yourself and others.
Do you need approval? If so, from whom?
Is it from your boss, colleagues, kids, spouse, parents?
Are you really looking for love that you may have never received?
Take a deep breath and let it out.
Ask yourself, “What if I just approve of myself, just as I am, right now”?
What comes to mind?
Is there resistance, hesitation or doubts?
What would change?
Would your life be different?
Then ask “What if I approved of the other people in my life that I have some conflict or friction with?” How would that affect or change my life?
What if I started treating myself the way I would treat a sweet, small child?
Would I tell the child how beautiful and amazing she is and that she can do or be anything she wants in this world?
That she just has to believe in herself and love herself?
Take a deep breath and let it out.
You get to wake up every day and choose what you want to focus on.
What is in your heart when you wake up every day?
What does your soul want you to do?
What do you feel the most excited about?
Do those things because all that matters is your happiness. Just be happy.
Only do the things that make you happy and give you joy.
This is how you put yourself first and take care of yourself first.
This is how you love yourself enough and know that you are important enough to put yourself first.
That is not being selfish, but being good to yourself the way you would be good to others.
Take a deep breath and anchor these feelings.
Now think about how that new you would be.
What would you do in your day?
How would you talk to your partner and family when you wake up?
What would you have for breakfast?
How would you treat and talk to yourself?
Would you say kind things or be critical?
Would you stretch and exercise your body?
Would you let comments of others affect you at work?
Would you be tempted to eat unhealthy sugary foods?
How would you finish your day?
Would you stay up late or turn in early to maximize your sleep?
Would you think back on the day and be grateful for what you have?
Take a deep breath and write down the answers to the following questions.
3. What are your biggest goals for this year for your health? Why is this a must for you?
4. What are your biggest goals this year for your career or business? Why should you make this a must?
5. What are your biggest travel or adventure goals this year? Why is this a must in your life?
6. What are your biggest goals this year for your relationships, family and social life? Why should you make this a must?
7. What are your biggest goals this year for your health and wellness? The health of your body. The wellness of your mind and spirit? Why is this a must for you?
If you find that there is resistance to what you envision and thoughts like “No way” or That’ll never happen” or “I can’t believe that will work” or any negative thoughts or emotions relating to your vision, TAP ON THEM ASAP! Write down your thoughts in your notebook and expand on where they came from and tap on those experiences. We will be tapping on these things in our Module 2 call but you will need to tap on your own to clear all of the resistance.
I have provided a recording of the visualization exercise below if you prefer to listen to the questions.
Your Vision Board contents.
Based on the answers to these questions, begin collecting photos, quotes and anything that speaks to your heart and represents your vision of how you want your life to be.
Most importantly, collect what you want to look atevery day. These can be:
Photos,
Quotes,
Mantras,
Images of places you want to go,
Reminders of events, places or people,
Postcards from friends,
Images that reflect how you want to look and feel,
Pictures of people that you want to be with.
Pictures of you when you felt the most inspired and happy.
This is your life and the sky is the limit. Collect things that reflect the life you want and inspires you to go for it.
If you don’t receive magazines or other publications that have images in them, seek them on the internet. Google Images is a good place to start. Just type in a key word of a place, feeling or image that reflects what you want and choose the ones that you like. Right click on the image, click Save image as and save it to your computer. Then print it out in the size you want it, cut it out and apply to your board.
Collecting all of these things may take some time and that is okay. As you flip through personal photos and browse the web, you may find more images that inspire you. The more inspiration and joy that you are exposed to over time will only enhance those feelings.
Your vision board is a work in progress. Maybe begin with the blank board and your favorite word or quote. Then as you find pictures and other things, put them on as you acquire them. This isn’t an exercise to put pressure or stress on you. Take it one step/day at a time.
What you will need to create a vision board.
Vision boards can be created on a cork board,magnetic board or even on your computer desktop. The medium isn’t as important as what it contains and that it is consistently visible to you throughout your day. Whatever medium you choose, make sure that it is pleasing to look at. That it draws you to it and awakens positive feelings of joy, desire, inspiration and motivation.
The size doesn’t matter. Use whatever size you may have space for or clear an area off of a wall to make the size you want, fit. You could even paint it to match the décor of your room if you so choose. Again, the idea is to make it something pleasing to look at.
For your vison, gather thoughts of exactly what you want(refer to the questions above to help you identify what you want the most). Imagine how it looks, who is in it, how does it feel, then find pictures that evoke that feeling for you and any family and friends that your vision will include or impact. Even use printed words of the feelings or quotes that you either create yourself or you have clipped out of a magazine, newspaper or other source. Places like Facebook or other social media where quotes are posted are good sources.
For simplicity sake, we will focus these instructions on a cork, bulletin board.
Some basic tools you may want to collect would include:
Scissors,
tape,
pins and
glue stick.
To decorate your board, you might want to use:
different colored markers,
colored and sizes of stickers – round, square, etc.
Next plan some time to assemble your board. It may take an hour or two, or you may want to break the project down into smaller segments of time over a few days or weeks.
