By: Jovonni R. Spinner, MPH, CHES

It’s that time of year again where you want to start fresh, reclaim your life, and set new goals. Many of us start off by reciting New Year’s resolutions. Saying it out loud is great, but using a visualization technique, like a vision board, can be a great tool to help manifest your destiny and keep you on track during the year.

The Law of Attraction states that “our attitudes and beliefs create a magnet to attract events, circumstances, and opportunities to live out those attitudes and beliefs,” whether positive or negative. One way to manifest your heart’s desires is to create a vision board. This is a powerful tool that helps our brain to train our bodies to get into action. Vision boards provide a dedicated space where we can be purposeful about choosing what we want to focus on-- whether that may be getting active, practicing self-care, or going back to school. You choose images, words, or phrases that represent your goal and assemble them in a collage to represent your collective vision.

I was first introduced to vision boards by a friend who hosted a vision board party. We sat around one afternoon, sharing our aspirations and we each created a unique vision board to live out our best lives. I still have my first vision board which was a massive poster sized rendition of what I wanted my life to look like. Since then, I have taken other creative approaches to visualize my dreams and it truly works. Having something visual to focus on helps you internalize your dreams and constantly think through how to achieve them, stay on course, and focus on what really matters to you. My current vision board is framed and rests on my nightstand, so I can see it every day and night.

Here are some tips on how to create your own vision board.

1. Develop a list of goals for the year.

   Be intentional and think through what you want to accomplish. Be honest with yourself and choose goals that are important to you. Make sure your goals are realistic, but stretch you out of your comfort zone a bit.

2. Find images, words, and phrases that represent these goals.

   Search the internet or find magazines that have images that depict each goal. For example, if you want to buy a home, find an image of a home that you like. You can add words of affirmation or mantras to help bring your vision to life.

3. Assemble pictures into a collage.

   Once you find all the images, arrange them on your board in a manner that you find visually appealing. You can use a cork board, poster board, a pretty piece of stationary, or it could be completely electronic. Be creative and do what works for you!

4. Look at your board every day.

   This is the most important step because consistency is key to achieving anything in life. By looking at your board regularly, you are training your mind, body, and spirit to manifest your desires. Place it where you can easily see it and take a few minutes to review it and contemplate daily. Your vision board is only helpful if you use it and believe in the process.

Now that you have all the tools, gather your girlfriends and host a vision board party or go at it solo. Either way, start your year off with positivity and reflect on who you are and what you want to become.  

Jovonni R. Spinner, MPH, CHES is a seasoned public health professional with over 15 years of experience. She is a visionary public health professional committed to improving health equity through research, communications, multi-sector partnerships, and leadership coaching. She has a breadth of knowledge ranging from public health program design, implementation, and evaluation; health policy; health communications; and health promotion and education, along with subject matter expertise in disease areas (e.g. cardiovascular, respiratory, and vaccine preventable diseases). She is currently pursuing her DrPH from Morgan State University. Her research interests include women’s health, mental health, obesity, and nutrition.  You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter @jovonnispinner.