How a Vision Board Changed my Life

Hello creative friends, are you ready to get all fired up and dream again? I know I am!

I love to facilitate vision board workshops and before you stop reading, hear me out!

A few years ago, I had to make a vision board for a course I was taking. I didn’t want to. I thought it was lame. I didn’t see the point. I didn’t think that putting an image on a poster and looking at it every day would change anything.

I WAS WRONG!

I remember putting a triathlete on my vision board. I felt crazy. I’m not an athlete, especially not an athlete that does triathlons!! I continued to wrestle with my thoughts and I didn’t believe for a second that I could do this.

But every day, that image of the triathlete was in my face. It reminded me of how much I wanted this accomplishment. (I had no desire for that kind of exercise, I’m not much of a runner BUT I wanted the satisfaction of being able to say that I did it!)

Every day, there it was, making me feel like a fool for wanting it.

Did I mention that someone told me I couldn’t do it? Of course, I just had to prove them wrong. (sure, not the best motive but it was great motivation nonetheless!)

You’ve probably figured out by now that there is a good ending to this story.

After a good two years of looking at this vision board, I finally did a triathlon. I even skipped the easiest one and challenged myself to the next level.

Now I want to train for the next level after that. There is something to be said about accomplishing hard goals. Exercise is not a dream of mine but doing the triathlon then motivated me to do other hard things in my life. I keep telling myself that if I can do this…I can do that…

You can do this too. You can do hard things. You can dream of the things that feel impossible, and you can make it happen.

I can almost hear you thinking right now “It’s easy for you to say, you don’t have"….insert every excuse in the book…..

Well, I had plenty of legitimate excuses not to do a triathlon. Health issues and chronic physical pain just to name a few. After two years of not training, I finally decided that I was a least going to train in the things that I could do. I could swim and I could bike, and if I had to walk or crawl for the running part, then that’s what I was going to do. (I ended up running but that is a story for another day! Did I also mention my fear of having my head underwater which makes swimming properly a huge challenge? I’d rather jump out of a plane than go scuba diving but that is also a story for another day!)

Your vision board can include many different things. Perhaps emotional wellness is at the top of your list. What about peace or just plain feeling good about yourself?

I put some pretty crazy things on my board and I’ve taken small steps in the right direction for many of them.
I’m not a concert pianist but I’ve learned a few songs on the piano and now I’m learning guitar.
I’m not a certified art therapist but I signed up for my first class in becoming one.
I’m not a ballerina but I ended up taking a ballet class and since then I dance almost every day for a least 30 minutes and up to an hour. (classes got canceled due to covid but I should probably see about taking them again!)

My big crazy dreams from that first vision board don’t feel so crazy anymore. In fact, they feel doable. 

Vision boards are a wonderful visual reminder of your dreams and goals. They serve as a daily reminder of what is important to you. Allow yourself the pleasure and privilege of letting your dreams be more than thoughts and wishful thinking. Set your dreams free by letting them out of your head!

Let them out and let this vision board motivate and inspire you to take action. Let it fire you up!

Once your dreams are out in the open, they become real. Once something is real, you’re more likely to take action. Fantasy doesn’t require action, reality does.

Your vision board doesn’t need to be fancy or pretty unless you are like me. Beauty inspires me but perhaps you are inspired by organized thoughts or functionality. It’s up to you what you put on it and how it looks.

Will making a vision board make all your dreams come true? Absolutely not.
Will making a vision board motivate and inspire you into action so those dreams can come true? I certainly hope so!

Will you join me in making a vision board together?

PS My big dream of having a cleaning lady still hasn’t happened but I think it’s time to make that dream come true!!

With much love,

Marjolaine

PS. Since publishing this post in 2021, I have also painted in public which I was terrified of doing and it ended up being amazing. I can't wait to do it again. Also, I have decided not to become an art therapist. I have chosen instead to further train in inner healing as well as art. I have created a program that combines the two and I absolutely love it!