Have you ever made a vision board? It is a collage of things you want to make happen or come true in your life. Creating a vision board can be a great way to visualize your dreams and the goals that you want to achieve. But do they work?
Yes, they do. Vision boards are shown to work because they activate the process of visualization in your mind. The exercise of visualizing what you want to achieve or are going to do has been studied for years. Here’s how it works.
- Think of what you want to achieve
- Imagine yourself doing it
- Mentally picture each step it will take to achieve your goal
- Repeat this process until you have reached your goal
Just like a child can imagine a pretend friend, you can use the power of your brain. Athletes do it all the time before they have to perform. They think about how they have to move, where they have to step, and visualize themselves doing everything perfectly. Studies have shown that this can help increase their performance. This technique can help decrease stress, increase motivation and confidence. It creates a neural pathway in your brain that acts like muscle memory for your brain. Your brain thinks about doing something so often, that when you perform the task, you will already know what to do.
How do you visualize your goals? One step at a time! The best way to make the process of visualization work for you is to make it as realistic in your mind as possible. Create a full picture, use all your senses, look at it from all angles, and practice. The more you practice visualizing your success, the more the technique will help you.
You can create a vision board to help you see your goals. Visualize your process before you have to do something. Or spend time visualizing your future success. No matter what you do to visualize, it’s worth it to take the time. Success doesn’t happen on its own. Reaching goals requires effort, even from your brain. Put in the imaginary work, just as you would the real work and you’ll see results.
