January is officially in full swing, which means that if you’re like the rest of us, the novelty of the New Year is starting to wear off. Maybe you feel like you’ve already blown your big 2020 resolutions. And if that’s the case, fear not! Instead, turn to creating your own vision board in order to excite you for the future.
If you’re not a big fan of the “woo woo” stuff, don’t let that deter you. Contrary to what the brujas in your life would tell you, a vision board is simply a physical tool to help gently remind you of your life goals. Not to mention, the process of creating a vision board can work to motivate you into taking some much-needed action.
Still feeling overwhelmed? We’ve got you. In order to accurately explain the ins and outs of creating the perfect vision board, we recruited the help of Cuban-American spiritual mentor and all-around badass Nikki Novo.
If there’s anyone who can tell us a thing or two about creating our best life, Novo is the gal. Not only did she use the power of a vision board to draw in her dream partner, she has also used it to become a best-selling author and an intuitive dating coach.
Novo is a big fan of vision boards because of how they keep us intentional about our goals. She told Remezcla that the reason most people aren’t accomplishing their objectives is because they forget about them when they get caught up in the daily grind.
“Vision boards remind us of our goals instantly with just one glance,” she says.
Novo also says that it’s not just the vision board itself that’s so helpful in manifestation but also the labor that goes into creating it.
“The process gives us time and space to get clear about what we really want,” she says. “We take what is in our head and put it on paper.”
Here, Novo shares all the insight you need to make a vision board that’ll help you realize your financial, professional, romantic, travel as well as spiritual goals and more.
1
Identify Your Goals
Before you dive into cutting and pasting, Novo recommends taking some time to ask yourself questions about the scope of your board, like the topics you’ll be focusing on and the timeline you want to cover.
“Is it for one year? For example, if you’re manifesting love, maybe there is no deadline,” she says. “You may not have a deadline for this, but you want to be reminded of what you’re headed toward.”
Novo also recommends organizing your board into four categories in order to streamline the process: personal, career, health and spiritual, for example. She then says to write down what each category would look like in visual form. This helps you be clear on what you want to manifest and can make the process move a bit faster.
“Since you took time to think about how your goals would look in an image format, you’ll have an idea of what you’re looking for,” she says.
2
Get Crafty
Now comes the fun part. Novo tells us that you don’t have to get too fancy when you’re creating your vision board. According to the DIY guru, all you’ll need is some images, glue, scissors and a sturdy board to put it all on. Novo recommends an 8 by 10 board because it is easier to fill and it “won’t take up too much space, which means you’re more likely to put it on display.”
Also, don’t get too hung up on sourcing images from magazines. While a lot of people use them as a vision board tool because they’re, in Novo’s words, “a big ‘ole book of images,” she also tells us that they’re not always necessary. “Some people who are a little more visually-oriented tend to look for images ahead of time through websites or anything that pops up to them.” In other words: let your intuition guide you.
3
Get Your Mind Right
Although creating a vision board is a helpful tool in manifesting your future, it isn’t a magic wand. As a coach and a spiritual mentor, Novo has seen firsthand the pitfalls of her clients creating goals and failing to take action on them.
“Most of the time we think just because we’re manifesting we don’t need to take action. We think the universe will just deliver,” she says. “It is up to us to follow our intuition by taking inspired action.”
If you’re feeling stuck during the process of creating your vision board, Novo recommends relying on that same intuition to lead you to images that are “pulling” you. She urges us not to overthink our gut instincts and not to get too superstitious about the entire process. Like anything in life, don’t take it too seriously.
“Just because it’s not on the board, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen,” she says. “If you can’t find the perfect image, no worries.”
If you’re still getting hung up on pesky negative thoughts while you’re creating your vision board, Novo recommends you coach yourself with some positive affirmations, like, “It is safe to see my future” and “I am worthy and deserving of all of my desires.”
4
Make it Visible (Even if Just to Yourself)
After you’ve put together your 2020 vision board, Novo recommends you put it somewhere you can see on a daily basis. It’s natural for us to have anxiety about our goals, especially if they feel out of reach at the moment, so if you need to keep it hidden from the public, that’s always an option.
Even Novo herself isn’t immune to the desire to maintain a little privacy. She used to keep her vision board in her medicine cabinet so she could see it every day without her roommates or friends passing judgement.
“It doesn’t have to be visual to everyone,” she told us. “You can place it in your closet as long as it is visible to you.”
5
The Future is Yours
So now that you’ve gotten the low-down on vision boards, don’t hesitate to create one for yourself. Whether you do it during a boozy party surrounded by your friends or a solemn ritual surrounded by incense and candles, there’s no right or wrong way to manifest your future.
Be sure to check in with yourself and your goals as the year progresses to keep yourself accountable. And if you’re not where you want to be just yet, try not to get discouraged. Instead, use every step of your journey as an opportunity to practice patience and compassion with yourself. You’ve got this!
Here’s to 2020: may it be filled with everything you’ve ever dreamed of.