Manifest Your Ideal Life

Illustration by Branden Barker

Vision board your way to the life you want. We’ll show you how.

Written by LaShonda Sims Duncan, MA.Ed., MFT, LCMHC, LPCC-S, NCC | Photographed by Kylene White

For many people, the end/start of a year is a reflection point. People often reflect on how their year went. Naturally, it’s a time when we think about what we’d like to do better or see happen in our lives.

Vision boards are a visual representation of the things you would like to manifest in life. I liken it to a visual manifestation of the desires of your heart. As we spend time reflecting on what it is that we’d like to accomplish, what’s amazing about vision boarding and manifesting is that it enables you to get really clear about what you want and what you want to do. Like Oprah says, “What will you do with the energy that is you.”

We all desire change and want to be better. But oftentimes we don’t sit with those desires long enough to get clear about what change actually looks like. With our busy schedules and the noise that is society’s standards and social media, it can be easy to think that our next steps or our next chapter needs to look like someone else’s.

Before the process of creating a vision board can begin, there are a few action steps you’ll need to do in order to determine what greatness you will call into your life in the upcoming year. But first, find a quiet space so you can sit in stillness. Maybe light a candle and turn off your phone.

Let’s begin …

GRATITUDE

Our brains naturally hold on tight to all of the things that didn’t go the way that we wanted them to go in the previous year. We get hyper-focused on all the things that didn’t happen or didn’t go right. But it’s important as you reflect on the previous year to first create a space for gratitude and all the things for which you are grateful. This is actually the starting point for visualizing what you want more of in your future. You might not be where you want to be, but with gratitude you allow yourself to acknowledge that you’re not where you used to be.

Action Step – Get a pen and paper (a notebook or journal will suffice) and jot down at least 10 things you are grateful for from the past year.

MANIFESTING – SET YOUR INTENTION

Manifesting is most simply defined as the act of bringing something tangible into your life through your belief system. It’s the idea that thoughts become things and we can attract the things we want in our lives through our mindset.

The life that you’re living is a product of all the things you’ve manifested. I like to say that your intention sets the direction. Without direction you won’t know who, where, or what you need to be.

Action Step – Now it’s time to get intentional about the vision you have for your life. In your notebook or journal, write the answer to the following questions:

Who do I want to be?
What do I want to manifest in my life in the upcoming year?
What would I like my life to look like?
What will I need to be doing to bring me closer to my goal?

VISION PLANNING

Before there’s a vision board, there’s a vision plan. Your plan comes to fruition after you visualize and set your intentions. Consider the 6 core life zones when creating your plan. The 6 life zones are: work/career, creative (i.e., passions and hobbies), physical/emotional/spiritual, relationships, financial freedom and service.

Putting your vision down in writing is just as important as cutting out photos from magazines for a visual representation. Key steps to keep in mind as your are vision planning:

Write in the present tense.
Write every sentence of your vision with appreciation. Use words of gratitude like “Thank you,” “I am grateful” or “I am thankful.”
Tune into all aspects of your vision. Use your senses. Write what you see, hear, smell, taste, sense in your vision plan.

Let’s go through each life zone.

WORK/CAREER