Vision Boards, or something similar, are fantastic ways to visualize your Intention. I first learned about Vision Boards in the prosperity class taught by Rev. Pam Schauer and Rev. Theresa Wesly at the Spirit of Truth Church in Gainesville, Florida. Pam and Theresa explained that to create a Vision Board you cut out photos, sayings, words, even articles from magazines that relate to what you wish to create. A Vision Board can be dedicated to one topic - like the house you want to own - or it can represent several, or even all, your desires. Your wants need not be material ones, but can also be areas of spiritual, mental and emotional growth.
For me, a Vision Board was the hardest of assignments because I had no idea what I wanted! Most of my life was spent pleasing others, doing what they wanted me to do, or what I thought they wanted me to do. Even thinking about what I wanted was difficult and stressful. When, with some embarrassment, I expressed this block to Pam and Theresa, they suggested creating an I Am Board first, allowing me the chance to figure out who I was before thinking about what I wanted.
Creating the I Am Board was not easy for me, but I was less anxious and frightened by it than I was by the Vision Board. I stared at the blank poster board for days before writing in very large letters at the top: I AM. And, then I stared at those words for a few more days while spending hours flipping through magazines, cutting out photos, words and sayings that represented who I thought I was or who I wanted to become. Once the time came to assemble all the bits and pieces beneath the words I AM on my board, everything seem to flow almost effortlessly. One picture after another found its perfect spot on my board, almost without my help. My final product was amazing, beautiful and inspiring. I proudly presented it to our class. I was the only class member who felt the need to create an I Am Board rather than a Vision Board, but I was proud of my board and new it was exactly what I needed to do. A few months later, with my I Am Board behind me, I was able to create a Vision Board without the apprehension and fear that first consumed me at the thought of making one. I hung my I Am and my Vision Boards in my home office where I could see them often.
In 2008, Lacey Nagy and I created a prosperity group called Prosperous Living that met weekly for two years. At the beginning of each of those years, we held a Vision Board class to allow our group members to create visions of their Intentions for the upcoming year. These were always some of our most popular meetings with a dozen or more people sitting at fold-out tables, cutting up magazines, pasting items on their boards and proudly presenting them to the group. When I created my board at our first Vision Board class, I had to decide what to do with it since I already had two boards hanging in my office. As I considered my I Am board, I realized I no longer needed it. That board had served its purpose and I retired it to a closet from which I sometimes pull it out to remember those days when I had to be reminded of who I was just to figure out what I wanted. I then compared my first and second Vision Boards and was amazed at how much my desires had changed in just two years. Several wants on my first board had materialized and others no longer interested me. My new Vision Board exhibited more desires concerning personal growth and less about things. I was evolving. I kept both Vision Boards on my wall for a year, just to make comparisons during the upcoming months. From that point forward, I replaced one year’s board with the new year’s board, always looking forward to my new Intentions.
After Prosperous Living folded, my friend and yoga teacher, Shenna (Raven) Benarte, began having a New Year’s Celebration at her home each January first. At these celebrations, a variety of people, some of them former Prosperous Living members, came together to socialize, share food, meditate and create Vision Boards and Vision Books. With a few Vision Boards in my closet and one on my wall, I decided to change it up and create a Vision Book. Shenna took those plain composition books with the mottled black and white covers that I remembered from grade school and covered the fronts with lovely, colorful photos from magazines and laid them out for whoever wanted one. I chose a notebook with a picture of a rocky coastal beach. I enjoy journaling when I take the time to write, so I planned to make the Vision Book my new journal. I perused magazines, clipped out photos, words and sayings but really not finding enough for my new Vision Book. I pasted what I had, partially filling pages to leave room for writing, sometimes completely filling one page while leaving the opposite page blank for journaling. But, I filled less than a quarter of the pages. I took my book home at the end of the day, set it aside for several months and then picked it up again. On and off for two years, I’ve pasted in treasures that I found in magazines or printed from web pages, I copied poems and the lyrics of songs and I journaled. Rather than a typical journal with daily, weekly or monthly entries about life’s experiences and challenges, I allow my Vision Book to inspire me. I flip through the pages until one speaks to me. There I land and start writing. My writings are here and there throughout the book, blank pages still wait for a picture or my pen.
I knew my Manifesting Mount Dora project needed a jump start from a Vision Board. Having images of my new home town is important to the manifestation of that place in my life. My home office is now a bedroom for someone else and the walls of my bedroom are already full. Where could my Vision Board reside? I chose my closet door, easily seen from any angle in the room. I also chose not to use a board which can be heavy and difficult to hang on a hollow closet door. Instead, I taped my photos and other items directly on the door. I printed photos I’d taken in Mount Dora on plain paper and used those as the anchor for my Vision Closet Door. The photos I chose were ones I particularly loved, including a favorite one of my man and me with the sun setting over Lake Dora behind us and one of my favorite bird, a blue heron, fishing along the edge of the same lake. From several tourist booklets I cut out descriptions and artistic renderings of Mount Dora, including a list of recommendations and information for new residents. I added some affirmations and favorite sayings and the Chinese characters for the word “energy”. While surfing web pages about Mount Dora, I came across an historic house for sale that looked like a place where I would love to live. I printed some photos of that house and added them to my Vision Closet Door.
As much as I love the looks of the house that I added to my door and as much as I think I would be thrilled to have that as my home, I am not wedded to the idea of living in that particular house. From my experience of moving to town from my country home seven and one half years ago, I want to leave details unspecified. Remember, I was set on buying a house and when that did not happen and I stopped trying to force it to happen, the Universe led me to a rental home that has provided my family and me with shelter and comfort and which has been the perfect place for us. I dare not try to force the details of my Mount Dora manifestation. The focus of my manifestation is to live in Mount Dora and I leave the rest fluid. I use that one home as a representation of a residence that would be nice to manifest in Mount Dora. I am not focused on that house in particular. Although, next time I am in Mount Dora, should that house still be on the market, I will ask the realtor for a showing. Why not? It would be fun and actually being in one of those lovely historic Mount Dora homes can help my visualization process. I want to walk through that house and imagine what it feels like to live in Mount Dora, whether in that house or some other.
Every time I open my closet door, I see Mount Dora before me. From my bed, I see Mount Dora before me. Every night and every morning, I see Mount Dora before me. That is exactly why Vision Boards, Vision Books or even a Vision Closet Door is important - to keep your vision, your Intention right before you, where you can see it easily and often. How often have you made a resolution and then forgotten it? The forgetting probably took place because you had nothing to remind you of it often. Using pretty pictures, favorite sayings and inspiring words help to magnify the vision and to keep it speaking to you, beckoning you every day.
For me, a Vision Board was the hardest of assignments because I had no idea what I wanted! Most of my life was spent pleasing others, doing what they wanted me to do, or what I thought they wanted me to do. Even thinking about what I wanted was difficult and stressful. When, with some embarrassment, I expressed this block to Pam and Theresa, they suggested creating an I Am Board first, allowing me the chance to figure out who I was before thinking about what I wanted.
Creating the I Am Board was not easy for me, but I was less anxious and frightened by it than I was by the Vision Board. I stared at the blank poster board for days before writing in very large letters at the top: I AM. And, then I stared at those words for a few more days while spending hours flipping through magazines, cutting out photos, words and sayings that represented who I thought I was or who I wanted to become. Once the time came to assemble all the bits and pieces beneath the words I AM on my board, everything seem to flow almost effortlessly. One picture after another found its perfect spot on my board, almost without my help. My final product was amazing, beautiful and inspiring. I proudly presented it to our class. I was the only class member who felt the need to create an I Am Board rather than a Vision Board, but I was proud of my board and new it was exactly what I needed to do. A few months later, with my I Am Board behind me, I was able to create a Vision Board without the apprehension and fear that first consumed me at the thought of making one. I hung my I Am and my Vision Boards in my home office where I could see them often.
In 2008, Lacey Nagy and I created a prosperity group called Prosperous Living that met weekly for two years. At the beginning of each of those years, we held a Vision Board class to allow our group members to create visions of their Intentions for the upcoming year. These were always some of our most popular meetings with a dozen or more people sitting at fold-out tables, cutting up magazines, pasting items on their boards and proudly presenting them to the group. When I created my board at our first Vision Board class, I had to decide what to do with it since I already had two boards hanging in my office. As I considered my I Am board, I realized I no longer needed it. That board had served its purpose and I retired it to a closet from which I sometimes pull it out to remember those days when I had to be reminded of who I was just to figure out what I wanted. I then compared my first and second Vision Boards and was amazed at how much my desires had changed in just two years. Several wants on my first board had materialized and others no longer interested me. My new Vision Board exhibited more desires concerning personal growth and less about things. I was evolving. I kept both Vision Boards on my wall for a year, just to make comparisons during the upcoming months. From that point forward, I replaced one year’s board with the new year’s board, always looking forward to my new Intentions.
After Prosperous Living folded, my friend and yoga teacher, Shenna (Raven) Benarte, began having a New Year’s Celebration at her home each January first. At these celebrations, a variety of people, some of them former Prosperous Living members, came together to socialize, share food, meditate and create Vision Boards and Vision Books. With a few Vision Boards in my closet and one on my wall, I decided to change it up and create a Vision Book. Shenna took those plain composition books with the mottled black and white covers that I remembered from grade school and covered the fronts with lovely, colorful photos from magazines and laid them out for whoever wanted one. I chose a notebook with a picture of a rocky coastal beach. I enjoy journaling when I take the time to write, so I planned to make the Vision Book my new journal. I perused magazines, clipped out photos, words and sayings but really not finding enough for my new Vision Book. I pasted what I had, partially filling pages to leave room for writing, sometimes completely filling one page while leaving the opposite page blank for journaling. But, I filled less than a quarter of the pages. I took my book home at the end of the day, set it aside for several months and then picked it up again. On and off for two years, I’ve pasted in treasures that I found in magazines or printed from web pages, I copied poems and the lyrics of songs and I journaled. Rather than a typical journal with daily, weekly or monthly entries about life’s experiences and challenges, I allow my Vision Book to inspire me. I flip through the pages until one speaks to me. There I land and start writing. My writings are here and there throughout the book, blank pages still wait for a picture or my pen.
I knew my Manifesting Mount Dora project needed a jump start from a Vision Board. Having images of my new home town is important to the manifestation of that place in my life. My home office is now a bedroom for someone else and the walls of my bedroom are already full. Where could my Vision Board reside? I chose my closet door, easily seen from any angle in the room. I also chose not to use a board which can be heavy and difficult to hang on a hollow closet door. Instead, I taped my photos and other items directly on the door. I printed photos I’d taken in Mount Dora on plain paper and used those as the anchor for my Vision Closet Door. The photos I chose were ones I particularly loved, including a favorite one of my man and me with the sun setting over Lake Dora behind us and one of my favorite bird, a blue heron, fishing along the edge of the same lake. From several tourist booklets I cut out descriptions and artistic renderings of Mount Dora, including a list of recommendations and information for new residents. I added some affirmations and favorite sayings and the Chinese characters for the word “energy”. While surfing web pages about Mount Dora, I came across an historic house for sale that looked like a place where I would love to live. I printed some photos of that house and added them to my Vision Closet Door.
As much as I love the looks of the house that I added to my door and as much as I think I would be thrilled to have that as my home, I am not wedded to the idea of living in that particular house. From my experience of moving to town from my country home seven and one half years ago, I want to leave details unspecified. Remember, I was set on buying a house and when that did not happen and I stopped trying to force it to happen, the Universe led me to a rental home that has provided my family and me with shelter and comfort and which has been the perfect place for us. I dare not try to force the details of my Mount Dora manifestation. The focus of my manifestation is to live in Mount Dora and I leave the rest fluid. I use that one home as a representation of a residence that would be nice to manifest in Mount Dora. I am not focused on that house in particular. Although, next time I am in Mount Dora, should that house still be on the market, I will ask the realtor for a showing. Why not? It would be fun and actually being in one of those lovely historic Mount Dora homes can help my visualization process. I want to walk through that house and imagine what it feels like to live in Mount Dora, whether in that house or some other.
Every time I open my closet door, I see Mount Dora before me. From my bed, I see Mount Dora before me. Every night and every morning, I see Mount Dora before me. That is exactly why Vision Boards, Vision Books or even a Vision Closet Door is important - to keep your vision, your Intention right before you, where you can see it easily and often. How often have you made a resolution and then forgotten it? The forgetting probably took place because you had nothing to remind you of it often. Using pretty pictures, favorite sayings and inspiring words help to magnify the vision and to keep it speaking to you, beckoning you every day.
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