The beginning of the year offers a new opportunity to reflect on “what was and what will be”. A “vision board” or a “dream board “is a powerful tool that helps you clarify your goals, visualize your dreams, and manifest a brighter future. In this blog post, we'll guide you through the process of creating your own vision board, unlocking the potential for positive change in your life and making the new year more intentional and fulfilling.
Making a vision board is very easy. There are two ways to start the process:
1. Find a quiet place, take out your journal or pen and paper, and answer the following questions:
Where was I at last year?
What were my goals, hopes and dreams?
Did I achieve them or not? If YES, what contributed to accomplish my goals? If NOT, what were the barriers?
Keep reflecting…. What makes me feel joy? Or how do I want to feel?
What are some of the things that my heart desires? (i.e. Financially, material, spiritual?)
Where do I see yourself this year or in two years? (i.e. doing, having, being?)
What are the things that are important to me (my values)? (i.e. family, financial stability, friendships, etc.)
In terms of my career: what are the opportunities that I can take? What are some trainings, conferences I want to attend?
Once you answer these questions you can copy and paste pictures from the internet that are connected to your answers into a word document or start cutting out pictures from the magazines that represent your answers. Then paste them on your board.
2. No idea how you want to feel or what you want to have, be, do? No problem! Get the materials listed below ready and start searching magazines and cutting out the pictures that speak to you. They don’t need to make sense. If you like the picture, quote, word, just cut it out! When you feel like you have an abundant number of pictures, words, quotes, stickers, start to paste them on your poster. They will make sense at the end!
What you need:
· Newspaper and/or magazine
· Images/Quotes printed from the internet
· Photographs you have
· Pages from a book
· Brochures/pamphlets/flyers/maps
· Scissors
· Glue
· Poster
The visual aspect of the vision board becomes an anchor to your dreams and directs your energy and efforts into manifesting them. This is not just a cliché or magical thinking. There is a bit of science behind this: by visualizing your dream you are activating a series of “happiness Hormones” that increase your stamina and willingness to stay committed to the actions that eventually lead to achieving your goals.
These “happy hormones” include:
Dopamine. Also known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is an important part of your brain’s reward system. It is associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, and motor system function, which leads to ACTION!
Serotonin. Helps regulate your mood as well as your sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory, which contributes to marinating the wellbeing and balance, needed to work towards your goals.
Oxytocin. Helps promote trust, empathy, and bonding in relationships, which can contribute to you “being more loving and effective interpersonally.” These behaviors often lead to an increased sense of belonging and personal effectiveness that is useful for your long-term commitment to your goals.
Endorphins. These are your body’s natural pain relievers, which your body produces in response to stress, discomfort, or overwhelming feelings. Endorphin levels also tend to increase when you engage in reward-producing activities making you want to continue doing those things. This sense of self-efficacy helps the consistency needed to maintain the goals that you have achieved.
Having a vision for your life will help you remain hopeful about the future and be intentional with your actions. If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's plan or lose motivation pretty soon into the year!
At Home For Balance, we are committed to providing much needed support and guidance on navigating the journey of personal growth and goal setting. Our dedicated team of therapists are available and ready to work with you. Some of our clinicians can provide services in different states and languages besides English including Spanish, Ukrainian, and Russian. Online sessions are also available. Please contact us today at info@homeforbalance.com or at 561.600.1424 for a FREE 30-minute consultation!
"If you can dream it, you can do it."
Walt Disney