According to the Almighty Wikipedia, a dream board or vision board is a collage of images, pictures, and affirmations of one's dreams and desires, designed to serve as a source of inspiration and motivation.
The Vision board, as I see it, is the exact projection of my higher self, the ideal version, more like
“4k me”. It’s meant to motivate me, encourage me, push all of the existing self-limiting boundaries, and strive to be a better human.
We all have dreams, aspirations but all those tiny visions tend to get lost due to daily hustle and mundane lifestyle and at the end of each year we are left behind with thoughts like “I wish I did this during summer” or “I wish I had saved up to buy a new camera”.
Dreams and wishes are like plants, seeds of those are sowed way before time and require constant vigilance and nourishment. You can’t expect to have mangoes in a tree if you don’t water it regularly, don’t add any fertilizers, keep a check on the weeds, and so on. Watering is equal to daily positive thoughts, fertilizers are like taking steps towards that particular aspiration which can be investing in stocks or cutting down unwanted junk foods from the diet, and weeds are our negative thoughts, they will come but we need to take measures to stop them from overtaking our lives.
I made my first vision board in 2018 but didn’t know what it was called. I just pasted a cut out of a beautiful landscape of the Himalayas and wanted to do a solo trip there. Later that year I went for a solo trip to the Northern Himalayan region and it was definitely a beautiful journey. My 2020 planner came with a dedicated 2-page spread for the vision board and I made one for me. Not all aspirations were fulfilled/achieved and that’s completely okay but the majority of it got done and that is what counts!
Before we begin to try to make a vision board for you, let us start with some basic introspection. I like to call it “yearly review”.
Write down all of your achievements and accomplishments of 2020.
What made you happy?
What made you feel proud of yourself?
Is there something new you learned?
Did you give up any of your bad habits?
Did you develop a good habit?
My love, congratulate yourself on all of the beautiful things you did this year. These are your blessings. Being grateful towards life especially during tough times fills life with love and light.
When you write what made you happy, also write what made you sad.
Those are tiny volcanoes. Release them before they hurt you and your loved ones. Writing all the pent up energy and grievances clear your mind. I agree there are so many things that we can’t share with others but we can definitely share with ourselves. Once everything is out of the system you can prepare for the coming days.
So let’s start making a vision board,
Zeroth law of vision board says “while you maketh it, you should be positive and think that it’s possible, no matter how unachievable it looks”.
Focus on all the aspects of your life.
Work
Studies
Travel
Health
Finances
Relationships
Side hustle(if you have one)
New ventures
Anything else
Write down all of your dreams and aspirations associated with that particular aspect. This compartmentalization helps you to focus better and also gives a clearer view with fewer chances of missing out.
Be happy and be optimistic when you are making notes, bring back that playfulness within yourself. I try to do all of these tasks when no one is around me to interrupt. This is a very personal space and I definitely don’t want anything to hamper the process.
The next step is to find quotes, words, and pictures. Select a few words for your new year. Let me give you some examples: “embrace, empathy, gratitude, positivity, and so on”. The word(s) of the year is what will define you and a gentle reminder of how you want to see yourself.
Pictures can be taken from Pinterest, Unsplash, magazine cutouts. While choosing pictures keep three things in mind:
They should be bright and attract your attention.
Avoid photos where the person’s picture holds a prominent place, if that’s the case then a little editing of pasting your own photo there will work wonders. If you want to see yourself as Rank 1 of UPSC, then put that beautiful face of yours there. Do you see yourself being a Ted talk speaker? Then go ahead and paste your photo in the place of the speaker. Ultimately it is your vision board and no one is judging you here. It's your own, personal dream.
Size matters, check if all the images are in harmony with each other and clear and prominent.
Where to paste?
Vision boards are very fluid in nature. It’s just a collage of images. You can use your brand-new planner, paste the collage in front of it so that every time you open your planner you can see it. Or, stick it on a chart paper and put it in front of your desk or wall. If you feel uncomfortable showing others (like I am) then you can make a digital version of it and use it as your laptop wallpaper. You can get a metal grid off amazon and hang those photos too. This last method got the benefit of editing the board throughout the year. Did any one of your dreams get fulfilled? Very well, make a new one and start working on it.
Does making a vision board fulfill all the jobs?
Absolutely not! Some like to see it as the law of manifestation, while I like to see it as a daily gentle reminder. During bad days that board of mine helped me a lot to get out of the slump and work again.
At the end of making one,
Be grateful that you are in a privileged position to dream such a life for yourself. And take steps that will lead you towards your goals.