Vision Boards

I just finished writing a booklet, tutorial or what ever you wish to call it about vision boards. I am putting it here so you can read it. If you want your own copy, go to www.BustersBooks.com. Go to the personal Growth page and you can download a free copy as a pdf file. This is the first tutorial I have written in years and it was fun.I hope you enjoy it and do it. The results may surprise you. Let me know when you build it and tell me all about it. I would like to hear your story.


Vision Boards and Their Use
By Bob Lindstrom


An Example
When I was 11 years old, my father hosted a man visiting from Siam, who came to the U.S. to learn the meat packing business. He came to our house several times to visit and have dinner with our family. On his last visit he took me aside and said he would share a truth with me that would make me wealthy and happy all my life. Then he told me to always remember that, “We become what we think about”. I didn’t know it then, but he had shared a great piece of wisdom with me. And, it is one that would prove itself over and over again. I guess it became buried somewhere in my subconscious because even though I never really thought about it, I practiced it all my life. It worked, most of the time for the best but sometimes for the worst. But, it always worked.

In 1954, when I was 14, I was at the magazine rack in our local drug store, and spotted a magazine with the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, right on the cover. I fell instantly in love. The cover of that magazine had the picture of the new, white, Jaguar XK120, fixed head coupe. The magazine was “Road and Track”. I immediately went home, got my money, went back and bought that magazine. I read and reread the magazine until it was showing a lot of wear but I protected the cover like it was an expensive painting. I put it where I would see it every day. I dreamed about that car. When I had time, I would sit in my Dad’s Chevy and imagine I was driving ‘my’ white, XK120 Jaguar, fixed head coupe. I dreamed about driving through the mountains of Virginia, where we lived.

Nine years later, on a dark and rainy night, I was driving through a nearby town and passed a car dealership. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a familiar silhouette. I slammed on the brakes and made an immediate U turn. On the very back of that lot hidden behind other used cars was a white, Jaguar XK120, fixed head coupe. The dealership was closed, so the first thing the next morning I called them. We made the deal on the phone and that night I picked up my Jaguar. I had my dream car. I loved that car and drove it many years.

What is a ‘Vision Board’?
So, what is the point of my story? The point is that the magazine cover was my first “Vision Board”. It was several years after I got the car before I even heard the term. But when I did, I immediately knew what it was and how it worked.

A vision board is a visual reminder and motivator, that you create. It represents what you want and is like a compass that points the way to getting what you desire. You build your board, then you put in a prominent place where you will see it several times every day. It should attract your attention each time you pass by. It can be something as simple as a picture cut from a magazine and taped to the bathroom mirror, or it can be an elaborate poster or visual display on your computer screen. It can be a beautifully constructed notebook or album with elegantly decorated pages for each area of your desires. It can be for a specific item or cover all the various areas of your life. It can be as small as a ‘gratitude rock’ in your pocket that reminds you to give thanks, each time you reach for change or as big as a painting that fills a complete wall.

There are many different types of vision boards and some types worked better for me than others. So I will share several kinds of vision boards with you. You can make several and see which ones work best for you. And remember, just because you build a vision board doesn’t mean it will work. So I will also share the keys to making your vision board really work.

Other Examples
My second experience with a vision boards was when I became a salesman for a large 3 letter corporation. The sales manager would often take us to high end car dealerships, clothing stores, and other expensive stores and have us collect brochures. He advised us to post them up at our desks and home offices as motivators to work for them as goals. He also sent catalogs to our wives and suggested that they put them up where they saw them regularly. That would get them to help us stay motivated. Posting the brochures of items you want up where you can see them regularly is a good way to remind yourself of your goal. You can get posters of places you want to go or the house you want to own. Any visual reminder is always more effective than just a written list. Did they work? Yes, we traveled the Caribbean and drove the cars we wanted and lived in great neighborhoods. I was consistently 130% of my quota each year.

At another time, I assembled a 3 ring notebook as my vision board. I divided it into sections for the different parts of my life. They included business/work goals, travel, home, adventure experiences,personal growth, life style, and relationships. I kept the original on the coffee table in the living room and made a copy to keep on my desk at work. So whenever I had a free moment, or needed motivation I would open up the book and remind myself where I was heading. Not only did it help me focus, it motivated me to do what ever was necessary to reach my desires and goals. And I built and operated a very successful business.

Types and Forms of Vision Boards
There are many different forms of vision boards and I’m sure you will find the ones that suit you best. It took me a few tries, but now I have the right mix working for me.

There are simple pictures, folders, posters and white boards, notebooks, albums, computer screen backgrounds and screen savers, photos, charm bracelets, gratitude rocks, videos, artifacts, and many more. Be open to other ideas as you plan yours.


How to build a vision board?
There are several steps in the process and the first sounds easy but may be the most difficult for some people at first. Just relax and keep practicing. You must have a vision. What is it that you really want? What is your dream life and lifestyle? Where do you want to live? What kind of house do you want to live in? What do you want to spend your time doing? Whoa, that’s too many questions. Yes it is, so start with one. Any one.

First, pick one goal, and sit down, relax and think about it. Lets say it is the kind of house you want to live in. Then, ask yourself these questions: How big is it? What is the style? Draw a floor plan. How many rooms does it have? What is it made of? What is the color of the outside? What colors are the rooms? Picture your furniture. Plan your home from top to bottom. Next, close your eyes and walk around in your home. Move the furniture. Have a party. See yourself laughing and having fun with your friends at the party.

Now you are ready to start collecting the materials for the vision board of your house. Look through magazines, brochures, or where ever you can think of to find pictures of what you want. If you can’t find them, draw them, even if you can’t draw. Make some sort of an image that will fill that space. The right pictures will come. Gather as many as you can find in a reasonable amount of time.

Begin assembling your board. Gather your materials and lay them out on your board or in your notebook in a way that is pleasing to You. This is Your board and represents Your desires and goals. As you arrange them remember what it felt like when you saw yourself driving that car. You may also choose to make small individual boards for specific goals and place them where they will be best suited.

Here’s another example. If you want to start with the car you want. Think about the type you want. What style? What color? How many seats? How many doors? What accessories will you have? What kind of sound system? What kind of fuel economy? Keep going until you can’t think of anything more. Then go to the dealerships that sell that kind. Shop. Look at all the possibilities. At each dealership sit in the models you think you might want. Shut your eyes for a second and visualize yourself driving down the street in that car. Collect brochures of that model. Cut out pictures of the car from magazines. Make sure you have the specifics and make your choices. Then, follow the same instructions as described above in the previous paragraph to assemble your board.

When you are building one large board for all your desires and goals, Do each section as described above and add each part as they are ready.


The KEY!
Each time you look at your vision board remember to take just a moment, or longer, to remember the feeling you had as you laughed at your party in your new house or as you drove down the street in your new car.

The key to making the vision board work really for you is the FEELING part. You must believe completely. So much that you can drive your car across the country in your imagination. That takes time and practice. When you feel it, you manifest it, and bring it to you. I can’t remember how many times I drove my Jaguar in my mind, but it was a lot. And it worked!

My current vision boards
In my life I have used many of these forms of vision boards, and still do, because they work. Presently, I have several working for me. I have an 8 x11 sheet of paper taped to the wardrobe that I look at every morning when I wake up. I have to pass right by it as I get out of bed. It reminds me of the goals for my business. There is a gratitude list posted where I get dressed and where I pick up the ‘gratitude rock’ that goes in my pocket with my change. I have a picture in my wallet that I see every time I open it during the day. On the living room walls are art work that are related to the goals my wife and I share. In my office there is a large poster, that is divided into the various areas of my life, that contain artifacts, symbols and pictures . There are also graphs of the past, present and future growth of my company.

And, each day I take the time to imagine myself being, having, and doing the things I desire, just as I did when I was 14. It works.


Copywrite: Bob Lindstrom, Buster’s Books, 2008

This is a free downloadable booklet, in pdf format,
from: www.BustersBooks.com.