I have written about Vision Boards a couple of times on my site. Some people might refer to them as a life collage, wisdom collage, wish boards or dream boards. Essentially it is a board (poster board, cork board, foam board…) where you attach pictures of the things you wish for and then set the board some place where you can see it each and every day. The idea behind it is that by “seeing” what you want out of life, along with positive affirmations, will help you to reach your goals and dreams.
If you are on Pinterest you have already created a “virtual” Vision Board with the things you like or want. 🙂
Here is an example of one possible type of Vision Board. I am in the process of trying to lose weight. As you well know sometimes that is easier said than done. Some people use a bikini or a “little black dress” as their visual inspiration. The hope is that by seeing the skimpy bathing suit or sexy black dress you will be more aware of your eating and exercise habits. When you can see your goal and what you want out of life it inspires you to do whatever it takes to reach that goal.
A Vision Board is essentially used for the same reason except it offers you more visual inspirations. A Vision Board created with weight loss in mind might feature photos of beautiful womens clothing I’d love to be able to fit into. As a plus size woman trendy and beautiful fashions are often out of reach (most plus size women’s apparel is $$$ or just plain ugly). On a weight loss Vision Board I could search through clothing catalogs (printed or online) and pick out outfits I would love to wear if I weighed less. I could also include other things I want for myself if I lost the weight like pictures of the ocean or beach (I would love to be able to go to beach and not get snickers and “whale” comments tossed at me), a bike (I would love to be able to ride a bike again), roller blades or ice skates (I’ve always wanted to do that) and other things I would love to do if I weighed less.
Vision Board can be created for just about anything you can think of – business success, a dream vacation, an organized life, health, a dream job and everything in between.
Vision Boards are personal things. No two visions boards are alike, even if they are for the same subject. Each board is created specifically with an individual’s goal or dream in mind. Of course you can collaborate and have a group vision board too. That would be ideal for a business, organization or even a family.
There are plenty of books and websites on the subject. Reading about Vision Boards and how to create them is easy for many people. Others, like myself, tend to be more “tactile learners” where we learn and understand better by doing (hands on) rather than reading about it.
I learned about a course that not only teaches you about Vision Boards but also certifies you so that you can teach others how to create Vision Boards. But why would someone want to become certified to do this? Good question. By being certified to teach others about creating Vision Boards you could offer your services to others and potentially make a profit. For example, you could teach a class for a local Adult Continuing Ed program. Depending on the organization you work with you could charge “X” number of dollars for each person who attends. For example, let’s say I want to run a 2-3 hour workshop on creating Vision Boards. I could charge $50 per person and have a 10 person class limit. If the organization (for example) took $20 per person for offering the space to hold the workshop, that would make a $300 profit for you, providing that you have 10 people signed up.
Perhaps you have a space available to you where you can host monthly workshops. That would be extra income for you monthly. Sounds like a great idea to me! Of course you’d have to be comfortable with talking in front of a group. I am. Oddly enough I’m shy when it comes to person-to-person stuff or small groups, but I’m OK in large groups. Weird.
Some certified Vision Board coaches offer their services individually. You could charge $60 for an hour of one-on-one coaching (or whatever you wanted to charge).
Some people create an entire business around this and offer their services to individuals, businesses, groups and organizations.
You could even use your Vision Board certification to raise money for charity or a local school or organization.
The cool thing about Vision Boards is that they are FUN to do. This isn’t a “deep” class that is going to cause you to look deep inside yourself, potentially pulling up bad feelings. No way! This is meant to be a fun project to do. And you don’t even need many supplies. Just some old magazines, drawing paper, a board and some glue. You can also print things off the Internet or add embellishments. It’s totally up to you.
This evening I’ll be participating in the first session to become a Certified Vision Board Coach. It’s a certificate program meaning I’ll be certified at the end of the class. Sounds great to me!
The class is hosted by bestselling author Joyce Schwarz, founder of www.VisionBoardInstitute.com. There are are four classes in total (one each week) that are done via the telephone. She also offers an 8-week home study course.
The Certified Vision Board Coach class has been featured on both national and international media including the TV Guide, PBS, Fox News and more. This is the only program accredited to offer the Certification of CVBC (Certified Vision Board Coach).
The phone course that I’ll be taking (starting tonight) features a 90-minute telecourse (phone) where you can listen to what Joyce has to say and ask questions. You will also be “doing” (creating a board) while engaging in the discussions. If you happen to miss a class they are available to you to download and listen to at your convenience. I plan on being on both the phone call and then downloading and saving the audio files so I can reference them when needed.
The course is not cheap, but I look at it this way, if you are seriously considering being a coach and offering your services to your community and others for a fee, this is a small price to pay. Just one workshop could pay for the cost of the certification course.
Each week I’ll give you an update on what I’ve learned in class. Not the specific details (I’m NOT giving away coursework), but just a brief run down on what I learned and my thoughts on the program. That way if you are considering becoming a coach you’ll know whether or not this is something you wish to pursue or not.
When I become a certified coach I’m going to contact our local high school that offers Adult Continuing Ed classes and offer to run a workshop and see how it goes. If all goes well I’ll certainly utilize this to earn extra money for my family.
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I am receiving the free workshop in exchange for my thoughts and opinions on it. Any opinion expressed is entirely my own and not influenced in any way.
Tanya White says
I really like the idea of a vision board, it’s something I have never thought of before reading your post. I recently lost 101 pounds since January of 2011 and still have 80 pounds left to lose I think that I will use this idea and create a vision board to keep me motivated to lose this extra 80 pounds because It is becoming harder for me to lose the weight and I think that I have a visual of what i want to look like or wear it will keep me going, Thank you for the great idea!!
Kimberly says
Tanya – that is WONDERFUL! Congratulations on your AMAZING weight loss! I am so proud of you. That is a big accomplishment. I wish I could say the same. I need to lose at leat 130 pounds.
How did you do it? Are you on a weight loss plan or simply watching what you eat and working out?
Give the Vision Board a try and make sure to include some inspirational words like “You can do it”, “You are beautiful”, “I am healthy”… and similar positive affirmations. That way you have some positive reinforcement, especially when you hit a plateau or have a bad day.
Good luck to you! Keep up the awesome work!
Chavonne H says
I’ve heard of creating a board in which you put all the things you want to have and then look back on it to see if you received it. I’m gonna see what this site is all about, it sounds intriguing and I need all the help I can get.
Dr. Cris says
Kimberly, this is a great post. Thanks so much for sharing. I don’t think that many people are aware of the benefits of a vision board. My first board was so successful that I have since created my second and because I am a certified career coach I teach group sessions on developing and activating a vision board.
Thanks again for sharing such valuable information that we all can use to assist us in reaching our personal and professional goals.
Dr. Cris, The Dream Life Doctor
http://askdrcris.com/