Whether you want to begin a project, focus your mind on your dreams, believe in the power of manifestation, the law of attraction or just plain want to put all the things you love the most into one place, then a dream board is the way forward for you.
Dream boards (Americans often call them vision boards) are in essence a collection of images and words that you put in one place to reflect the dream life you desire. The visual representation of your ideas, goals, hopes and dreams. Life goals are often left as dreams or fantasies that we think we would love to do ‘one day’ but never really give full and proper energy and focus to making them happen. Seeing things in a visual framework makes them more solid, more real, more ‘doable’…
First, think about all aspects of your life – career, relationships, body and mind, fun and travel and so on…it will help to start by writing out a list of the things you want to achieve, the places you want to go, where you’d like to live, the work you’d like to do, the people you want to meet etc…relax your mind, tap into your unconscious and really get into it! Accept and don’t judge anything. Just write down everything you can think of, gleaned from every corner of your life and no matter how big or small. Just get it all down and start seeing where your subconscious mind is aiming to be! I sat quietly for a bit with a pen and pad and just let my mind wonder. Literally anything and everything that came into my head…I jotted it down. It’s so liberating to just let yourself dream without barriers…a real treat.
Your next stage is to find the images. They must be exactly what you want – this is important! Scour magazines, online images, family photo albums, headlines, art books, literally anywhere there might be a visual representation in pictures and words of the exact thing, feeling or place you wish to bring into your life. Think bold and be descriptive. Take your time over this and be sure to carry on the search beyond the first dream board creation, as you never know when you might find a preferable image or even find that your desires have changed and require a new image and focal point.
Then, when you’ve collected a good few, go for it! Really have fun with this too. Play!! Collate and collage bright inspiring images that create the precise world you want to be involved and wrapped in. Some people like to place a happy photograph of themselves in the centre to really make it personal. Use anything you fancy too, maybe paints, ribbon, glitter etc!?! Unleash the imagination abundant artist within…and don’t give me that ‘I can’t’ business, there’s no wrongs or rights here, it’s personal expression!! I played loud and rousing music when I made mine and then I sang along and cut, pasted and daubed! Awesome fun…!
Remember it doesn’t have to be perfect as it can be so easily adjusted later – just get it started and build it and then change it as the time goes on. If you can’t find words you like printed anywhere , write them on the photos or board. Write them bold and brash so they leap out at you. You only need to be sure that everything on the dream board is there to inspire and motivate you. After all the dream also wants to become reality…and why the hell not?!?
Make multiple boards for different aspects of your life if that suits you better, or maybe you have a lot of dreams and want to include them all. Do it! Create your dream board however you like, it can have themes in various areas, or be random, or even tell some kind of chronological story. It really has no limits to it’s manifestations, it’s your board so dream it the way you want it…
There is, of course, software that will create a board for you and many websites offer the service too. Go with whatever suits you – I have a bit of hardboard that was left over from some random DIY so I used that, and before this I had a box that I just had all the stuff placed in! I kept it by the kettle so every time I waited for the water to boil I had a rifle through which then put all the images back into the front of my mind (a friend keeps hers, lets just say, in the bathroom – captive audience I guess!)
Place the board somewhere prominent. Different places for different needs if you have chosen the multiple board idea. Digital versions will need to be printed out, maybe specific images can be your screen savers etc?
If there seems to be too many things on your dream board, it can help to distill down the essence of it, if you like, and then create a board using the more urgent and prominent ideas as you see, interpret and feel them. Creating notebook traveling versions can be a good idea if you are going away from home or travel a lot (it’s also a place to keep images you find while you are away).
Much is made of manifesting these things into your life and ‘attracting’ them to yourself, but no matter what your belief, the use of visuals to keep something current and important, vibrant and possible is intrinsically part of achieving it – so whether you’re after a new car, a new career or a meditative space in your life…get dreaming…and don’t leave anything to chance I’d say….!