If you watched the movie “The Secret” you probably recall a section of the film about the use of “Vision Boards.” I have been using this tool for over twenty years, with amazing results every single time. I am going to write a series of posts about this topic because I think it can be a fun and powerful way to interact with the Law of Attraction in your life. If you haven’t seen the movie, you will need to know just what we are talking about. A Vision Board, or as I have always called it, a Treasure Map, is simply a collection of positive images you collect, arrange together, and spend time with each day. Some people get a cork board and use tacks, and others use cardboard and glue. What you make it out of doesn’t matter. The energy you put into it DOES matter very much.

The Law of Attraction works easily and consistently, and it’s always a three-step process: 1. You ask for something through your vibrational contrast; 2. The Universe immediately answers your asking by vibrationally creating the thing you have asked for; 3. You allow Law of Attraction to manifest the thing into your life by becoming tuned into the new vibration you have asked for and created. Vision Boards help you with the Step 3 process by assisting you to become attuned to the new vibration. Another way to say this is, you have to believe you already have the thing you have asked for in order to match its vibration. But how do you feel like you have the new thing before is has manifested? Vision Boards can help because for many people, seeing IS believing.

When I was just out of college I decided that I wanted to go to graduate school for a masters degree and, someday, a Ph.D. I wasn’t ready to go right away, and I didn’t know where I would apply either. But I had created an asking for the experience, as well as for an expansion in my professional career. So I decided to create my first Vision Board. I found back issues of my professional journals and arranged them in a pile. I then took a manila file folder and opened it up and cut it in half so that I had an area about 8.5″ X 12″. Armed with a glue stick and a pair of scissors, I began pouring through the journals looking for images and words that supported my newly-created vibrational vision. I was looking for images of people doing what I wanted to do, and particularly for images that felt good when I looked at them. I also looked for phrases that used words that I liked. One of the images I liked was an advertisement for a University that had six head shots of the faculty, as well as superlatives about the school. I also was drawn to some critical reviews of some people’s work, and cut out a glowing headline praising a persons skills. “That’s the kind of thing I want someone to say about me someday,” I thought. After a while I had about ten images and several phrases of text. Next, I started arranging the images and text on the cardboard into a pleasing visual pattern. Once I was happy with it, I glued each image down. For the final touch, I found a picture of myself and pasted it right over one of the faculty head shots in the advertisement. Yes, there I was, on the faculty of this major University! The superlative phrases were now referring to me! I was very pleased with the final Vision Board.

Once I had created it, I put it by the bed and took it out every night before I went to sleep. I would spend two to five minutes looking at it, and allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of the visions and words. I didn’t contradict my feelings by switching to “reality.” I told myself that this vision WAS real, and that it was OK to feel really good about it. I played a game, but more importantly, I allowed the game to feel real. Once you get into the vibrational range of the thing you are asking for, Law of Attraction easily lines you up with what you want. Within a short time I had opportunities to meet people who helped me find the schools I attended. I had “Chance” meetings with people who opened doors, or who gave me the encouragement I needed.

After a while, I didn’t even look at the vision board anymore because I was already living the essence of the vibration of the images. Years later, after I had my Ph.D., I found this original Vision Board and got a chuckle looking at it. Someone had told me, to my face, one of the superlative phrases on my board…but I forgot I had put it on the board, so I failed to make the connection. Now I saw it there. Wow. And the advertisement for the University? I had cut out the name of the University on my board, and pasted my face on it; turns out, I attended the very same University (1,500 miles from where I had grown up and was living and working) and studied with the people in the advertisement. I had totally forgotten this connection as well. So it worked…and it worked really well. More on this in Part 2. Enjoy this most amazing day! Chris-GP