Ordinary Lass Blog

What did I find when I gave the Vision Board a try?

This week, my newsfeed has been full of inspirational messages and coaching courses promoting online and in-person visualisation sessions. I might be late to the trend of Vision Boards but I’m still curious about their charm. What draws people to them and what’s all the fuss all about? Are we being tricked into thinking the celebrities and influencers have ‘that life’ simply by cutting and pasting images from magazines and the internet? Or succumbing to the universe?

As I scrolled social media, I’d seen several life coaches and entrepreneurs offer vision board classes online and wondered if people really attended those things? To me, it feels like a personal, individual ritual but then again I guess there is power in connecting with others. I can imagine that speaking your dreams and goals out loud and to others might help us to overcome self-doubt or imposter syndrome. It might even increase your chances of making a change, stick if you’re accountable to someone else. Even more so if you’ve paid for the privilege…

Time to Reflect

Having read about manifestation in one or two articles and books, I figured spending a bit of time reflecting on my future plans would be valuable exercise. Rather than signing up to a class or group, I decided to dedicate some quiet time to experiment with my own Vision Board when Little Lass was asleep one night.

I lit a candle to set the calming mood (and because the Instagram images usually have one; I think it’s meant to get you in ‘the zone’). I took a deep breath and looked at a blank page.

The first place I started was with a simple question…

What is it that I really want?

Hmmmm. Silence. I felt blank.

Oh dear.

How was I supposed to answer that question? A simple question that seems so vast and yet seems to have invisible restrictions. If I allow myself to fully dream, my mind challenges me to consider what is realistic and achievable? I start to think where I might be limited financially and practically? Or how much of what I want do I actually deserve?

How do I want to feel?

Not knowing where to start, I figured I’d try to picture the end of the year and ask myself how do I want to feel by then? I’d also read that it’s helpful to channel the feelings associated with the things I think I want.

I began to search Google. I selected images that felt right for me. I found a couple of motivational quotes I liked from people that I follow on Instagram and whose Podcasts I listen to. I copied and pasted them onto a word document and slowly created a collage. I took screenshots of places I’d like to visit and added key words linked to my goals of saving money and staying consistent. Eventually, I was happy with the finished creation; it had elements of motivational words, aspirational goals and places. When I look at it, it makes me feel open and positive like I’ve somehow increased possibility.

Whether or not my final collage invites more success for me this year is yet to be seen (we’re only two weeks into a new year!) but the visualisation process did however give me an opportunity to reflect on my goals: if I want to write more then where am I making time? If I want to go to the Greek Islands for a holiday, where am I saving the money? If I want more quality time with my loved ones, where am putting down my phone and being more present with them?

I’ve found that I’ve enjoyed the energy of possibility.

And it feels good to wonder what opportunities might come my way this year.

Was it the peace, solitude and time to reflect that allowed me to slow down and think about what I really want from life or was it the impact of manifestation itself? I came to the conclusion that we are the ones in the driving seat.

Notably, I signed up to a new(er) car last week after my previous trusty 10 year old Vauxhall Astra was written off. Last year, I was unfortunate enough to have bought a dodgy car which broke down in heatwave after a coolant leak and after buying another aging motor, I’ve eventually signed on the dotted line and got reliable, newer car in an attempt to stop motorway anxiety. The most exciting thing for my 6 year old is that (unlike my previous car) it has USB that we can connect to our own playlist. For us two carpool karaoke wannabes, we feel like we’ve already won…

So, take the new(er) car for example…

Have I got a new one because I manifested it? Because I took the time to really imagine me and my daughter in a reliable car and created a collage channelling my energy and opening myself up to opportunity? Or was it because I worked out my affordability by going over my bank statements and then booking a test drive? I’ll let you decide that…

So, do Vision Boards really work? Ask me at again at the end of year…