Edited by : Nidhi Munot
Magazine cutouts, pictures of role models who’ve made it, photographed bucket lists, aesthetics and a calligraphed quotation telling me that “I’ve got this”.
I always found the idea of a vision board silly until I made one myself. A lot of contemplation, research and pocket money spent on printouts and glue preceded making a collage of my goals to put up in my room. A year later, I can safely announce that I truly believe that it is possible to manifest dreams if you truly want them. Here’s everything you need to know about vision boards: the science behind it, the controversies and how they can help in a pandemic.
A vision board is essentially a poster with pictures, drawings, inspirational quotes and possibly photoshopped images of your top goals and desires. More effectively, these images depict action and not just the end goal. You typically put them up in a location where they’ll be viewed several times a day, giving you the opportunity to visualize your dreams as a force of the present. The concept of vision boards gained popularity in the 2000s and have become more relevant over the past couple of years. Motivational speakers right from Jack Canfield to Oprah swear by it. The science behind it is pretty simple. As explained by a neuroscientist (Tara Swart), the brain has a process called value-tagging where it retains more important information in your subconscious and filters out the unnecessary. It is said that the more you look at these pictures in your vision board, the importance your brain places on these goals and dreams increases and you add a higher value to it. This makes it easier for the brain to grab related opportunities which otherwise might have passed by unnoticed. These opportunities carry the possibility of bringing you closer to your goal faster. Now, who would want to turn that down?
The problem with vision boards, however, is that they can sometimes backfire. Although completely avoidable, they may encourage the notion to sit still and wait for the universe to grant you your wishes. In response, I think that it is important to acknowledge that these boards are not genies and are definitely not a substitute for hard work and effort. I believe that they simply better guide you to your goals given that you are actively chasing them. Especially in a year like 2021, when we are still amidst a pandemic, that guidance can make a significant difference to our trajectories. It can invite us to look past the situation to more hopeful times and also force some clarity upon us. All of us could use a little more of that this year.
Vision boards are worth a shot. If they don’t work, you’ve got very little to lose and if they do, you’re a step closer to achieving your dreams. It’s fair to say that that’s a good gamble. As for me, I write this while through the corner of my eye, I see my own vision board with a picture of campus reopening soon. Happy Manifesting!