Written by blog contributor, Audrea Laffely. 

I created my first vision board about two years ago. I was at a yoga retreat in Western Massachusetts and decided to take a vision boarding class. Walking in, I was not sure what to expect. The teacher has us write a word in the center of our paper that represented what we wanted for the year to come. We then covered that word with our dreams and visions for the coming year. I have to say that almost everything came true for me. I think it has to do with me putting my goals, values and intentions on paper; and constantly seeing it to remind myself what I really want. It helps me truly visualize my goals. In the next week, I’ll be creating my 2016 board and thought it would be helpful to share the steps of the process.

Step 1:

• Make a date with some of your most treasured friends. The ones that share your dreams, your lifestyle and only want the best for you.
• Get your supplies ready – poster board (or some canvas boards if you are feeling fancy), a stack of magazines, images you have found online, some rubber cement/glue, and other found objects you want to include. Grab some stickers and glitter if you want to make it extra fancy.
• Before you begin, take some time to sit quietly and set your intention. The day I have planned with my girlfriends includes a yoga class in the am to set the mood, an energy work class, and then a big home cooked meal (with probably some wine) to give us fuel for our visions.
• Set the mood by turning on some soft music and lighting some candles, so you can really focus on your vision for the next year.

Step 2:

• Take some time before you begin to write down your goals and vision for the year. I set some clear intentions on January 1^st that I am going to revisit prior to starting my board.
• Go through your magazines and tear images from them. Have fun looking through the images and pulling headlines/phrases that speak to you.

Step 3:

• Now that you have your materials, it’s time to weed through them. This is where intuition comes in. You’ll also start to lay out the areas of the board and perhaps create themes like this treasure map one. There is a great article in the Huffington Post that says “Your vision board should focus on how you want to feel, not just the things you want”, so think of this when laying out your board.

Step 4:

• Reflect on the outcome of the board and if you feel comfortable, talk about it with your friends. They can help keep you accountable to your goals.
• Hang it somewhere you can see every day like your bedroom or desk. Last year took a picture of mine for my phone screensaver and hung it on my refrigerator.

I hope you all can create a vision of what you want and who you want to be in 2016. Let’s make this the best year yet!

#radiatedaily