Please choose mindfully where you place your Vision Board. They are living things, full of your dreams, thoughts and associations. Keep it active by displaying it where you’ll see it everyday. You may consider framing it at the foot of your bed, so that it wakes you up and tucks you in every day. Perhaps it’s next to the front door, so that you and all your guests can enjoy it, share it, talk about it.

You may choose to locate it in the Bagua area that you most wish to activate. To determine your Bagua areas, draw a tick-tack-toe grid over a blueprint or bird’s eye view of your floor plan. The main, front door entrance will be in either Knowledge, Career or Helpful People. You can also locate the Bagua areas of any room by holding the Map in front of you while standing in the doorway.

Keep your Vision Board active on a daily basis by embellishing a nearby tabletop or shelf with flowers, fruit and plants, or add to it with the movie ticket stubs, fortune cookie fortunes, receipts and thank you cards accumulated during your year. At the very least, take a good look at it a couple times a year, allowing yourself to discover what’s already come true and which powerful Visions continue to unfold. What’s most important is that it remain active in your conscious and unconscious experiences, however that’s most appropriate for you and your lifestyle.

I was looking at Victoria’s Board from last year, she was disappointed that it “didn’t work.” It was a gorgeous Board, framed edges, much thought and attention to detail. What caught my eye were the images of several couples in their early 20’s, the woman had with long red hair tangled and their glistening bodies entwined. Victoria, however, is a very blond 57. “To find a picture of a man my age, I’d have to look in the AARP Magazine!” And to that, I responded with a Big Beautiful Yes.

If you’re including yourself in your Board, choose actual photos of yourself, images of people who look like you, or you can literally replace their face with yours.

If your Vision includes “health,” be sure to select images that signify exactly the type of "health" you’re looking for – either physical health, mental health, heart health, endurance, strength, nutrition, etc.

If you’re looking for an abundance of clients, then represent your ideal client, or add photos of those perfect clients you already have. If you’re envisioning travel, where are you going, when are you going and how are you getting there?

Be as specific as you can, focusing on that which you precisely want.

The dreams generated by a Vision Board can be BIG, so make sure that you can say a Big, Beautiful, Confident Yes to everything on your Board. If every dream and goal that we had came true this year, then next year would be pretty boring. In other words, if deep inside you’re unable to say Yes to everything on your board, you may only be able to say to the seeds you’ve planted for the future.

Let’s say you have a dream to be the CEO, but deep inside yourself you’re really thinking, “That will never happen, I’m just a secretary.” So, what can you say Yes to? Can you say Yes to Shift Supervisor? Yes to Personal Assistant to the CEO? Then next year’s Vision Board includes the next Big Yes and in a few years, you are the CEO!

The same process might apply to “My Vision is to get married/find my soul mate/live happily ever after this year.” Although I have met a few people who, within a year, really did meet and marry their soul mate, this is not the typical life experience. Instead, start with images that represent your ideal partners’ values and characteristics, images of how and where you meet, what happens on your first date, passions that you share, and more of those juicy, falling-in-love details. What is it about "marrying your soul mate" that you can say Yes to today?

Of course if you can say Yes to CEO or Life Path Partner, than Just Say Yes! Vision Boards are as much about the Journey as they are about the end of the year review.

We’re tapping into the Law of Attraction to align our conscious and unconscious, so be mindful of what you’re choosing and why. There’s no right or wrong, as long as you know the reason why and it feels good. With that in mind, please watch the words you choose to put on your Board. On her 2007 Vision Board, a dear friend Sally glued the phrases “A little bit of Romance” and “Am I on Track?” So guess what she got? That’s right – just a little bit of romance and she spent most of the year wondering if she was on track. Avoid questions by simply rearranging the words to form the answer, for example: “I Am on Track.” Gary posted the words “fighting arrogance” and he attracted several new arrogant people every day. He eventually removed the phrase altogether and these arrogant people, much to his relief, suddenly took their business elsewhere. This year, he’s choosing the phrase “Everyone is Peace.”

“I want to get out of debt” resonates from the hilltops these days. Although we know that we don’t want to be in debt any longer, with this phrase we’re actually still focusing on the debt. Instead, consider

1. How to get out of debt: Do you need an image that represents a gifted financial planner? Or, that a money management class schedule finds itself on your Board? Perhaps a budgeting book will help you restructure your finances.

2. You may also want to visualize what you’ll do once you’re out of debt: Take a trip? Reward yourself in someway? Throw a party with your best friends? Dance on the beach at sunset? Bring THAT feeling or that specific image into your Vision Board.

3. Once you’ve decided on a payment plan, include those numbers and your final payment date, even if it’s a few years, or Boards, away.

4. Choose words and phrases along the lines of “freedom,” “there’s more than enough $$,” or “always paid on time.”

Bagua Map in full color – click here

The Bagua is a great tool to use as the foundation of a Vision Board, as it includes the primary aspects of life. (The Bagua is born out of the 8 trigrams of the I Ching, the Book of Transformations.) Current research says that the Bagua may mimic a thought pattern, or even the way that information is processed through our brains. For this exercise, it’s basically a treasure map that reminds us about the treasures in our everyday life.

Each aspect or treasure does not have specific boundaries; instead, they overlap like a pile of puppies, allowing for plenty of amorphous layering of energies. Each area has meaning and emotional associations that can help us create a holistic Vision of our New Year.

Career is not the “9-5 job” but instead reminds us of our professional path. For example, why do we choose the jobs that we do? What is it about what we do that is fulfilling? What do we find when reach into our own depths? What do we offer from within ourselves that is unique? There is mystery here, under the still waters that run deep.

Knowledge & Self-Cultivation says that we are always learning while at the same time, we have the ability to sit still in our wisdom. Images of meditation, quietude, scholarly endeavors, and educational milestones are all associated with this area, but it’s not limited to such tradition at all. “I’m learning about self-love this year,” says Heather, and on her Board is a beautiful woman dancing, laughing, spinning, all by herself.

Health & Family is associated with new ideas, fresh starts and action. If you wish to include images of family and friends, make sure that they’re captured with an emotion you’d like to share with them throughout the year, instead of using just any-old image. Who is your family of choice? What does health mean to you? How can you live healthier this year?

Wealth & Prosperity includes all types of abundance, not just the cash in hand. We can also have a bounty of opportunities and too many resources to count. It’s the slow, steady accumulation of wealth, like an easy breeze blowing in the branches all day long instead of an occasional, and unpredictable, gust. “I don’t need more money,” says Tim. He wins trips, receives unexpected gifts and generous bonuses, grows most of his food, and buys things that “just happen to be on sale.” What is abundance to you? What are you most grateful for? What makes you feel powerfully prosperous?

Fame & Reputation is associated with the light we shine outward. How do we want to be known and what do we want to be known for? We’re going to be known for something, now we get to emphasize the what and how. What are the unique gifts that you share? Which aspects of you have not yet been noticed? What makes you radiate and glow?

Love & Marriage, in addition to romantic love and intimacy, includes all types of relationships and unions like the ones we have with our clients, business partners and friends. Here, we are reminded that relationships are a two-way street so that giving and receiving come hand in hand. What types of relationships are you open to this year? How would you like love – in all its forms – to be a part of your life?

Creativity & Children is all about joy, unconditional happiness, unbridled laughter and child-like curiosity and wonder. In this culture at this time, we are not encouraged to be happy – we are encouraged to stay busy and be productive! When you have free time, what do you do? What do you want to do? What makes you happy? What fills you with joy? Is it time to reconnect with past joyful activities, or create new ones?

Helpful People & Travel connects us with all the helpful people in our lives: our support system, mentors, guides, teachers, clients, guests, and of course, that most profound Helpful Person, our Divine Source. Therefore, travel includes both our earthly and spiritual journeys. Here, we align with synchronicity, being in the right place at the right time. What is your Spiritual Source? How do you connect to It?

The Center is the “Hub of the Wheel,” the Heart, wherefrom all aspects originate and broadcast outward into our lives. What is at your center? What is the essence of you? Do you have a theme for your year? An emotion that is the foundation for all your thoughts and actions? One vision that is the impetus for all the others?

There are many ways to gather images, objects and things for your Board.

* My friend Dave created specific folders, each with its own theme, and he loves filling them up throughout the year. When he finds a great image he puts it into its respective folder – Abundance/Prosperity, Love, Joy, Career, etc. Then, at the start of the year, he chooses the ones he still feels drawn to.

* My sister, on the other hand, knows exactly what she wants each year, and has gone to great lengths for a specific image or object that conveys just the right feeling and goal.

* I choose images that pull me, inspire me, elicit a feeling so powerful that I hear myself say, “I want that!” And although I don’t always know HOW it’s going to manifest during the year, I always enjoy the divine unfolding.

Most often, a Vision Board is created on a 20” x 30”-ish foam core or cardboard. There have been some precious Vision Boards created on the inside cover of the year’s journal or day planner. A Vision Board can be anything from this standard piece of artwork to a metaphorical 3-dimensional image created from your imagination. I’ve also seen a collection of images kept sacred in a unique box, reviewed occasionally, removing or notating which images have already “come true.”

Wherever they live, the images can be glued down (glue sticks are my favorite) with either lots of space around each image, the images overlap each other, or every distance in between. I call this negative space Breathing Room. If the images are too close together for you, your day-to-day experience might start feeling chaotic or you might literally find yourself “out of breath.” If the images are too far away from each other, then your goals may not manifest quickly enough, finding yourself “waiting with baited breath” for action to occur. Pay attention to your own design, and honor the balance that feels right for you. If necessary, changes can always be made throughout the year.

A Vision Board can include other things like letters, ticket stubs, articles and photographs. Additional personal touches include felt tip markers, glitter, stickers, string, objects from nature and everything else that can help you fulfill your mission!

When choosing images for your Vision Board, give yourself plenty of time – this really is the most time-consuming part. Notice how you feel when you look at each image (empowered or passionate OR obligated or dutiful), and feel free to discuss your choices with a friend who wants you to be at your best… always! 

Using both sides of her board, Carol created a vision for her inner, personal self and her outer, public self. This is her Inner Self side.