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As I’ve been talking a lot about how magical vision boards are and how they are an awesome tool to help change our lives, I knew there’d be skepticism and aversion about their effectiveness.
It’s the same with everything though right. There will always be naysayers, downers, and people that will find something wrong with everything. I can’t change that and don’t desire to (and you won’t see this on any of my vision boards!). LOL
However, when you do take a leap of faith and still find you are not manifesting your goals, don’t get discouraged. You want something to happen, here and now, and when it doesn’t, you give up on the process.
I just don’t want you to become one of those people who blame all of their failed attempts and bad luck on the method instead of looking at what they were doing and blame themselves.
You know who I’m talking about. The type of people who say things like:
- “The [INSERT DIET HERE] doesn’t work. I didn’t lose weight.” 99% of the time it’s because they didn’t follow it properly.
- “This [INSERT BUSINESS IDEA] doesn’t work and is a scam.” Mostly because they didn’t work the system like they were supposed to.
- “This Vision Board/Law of Attraction/Manifestation crap doesn’t work.” Let’s get into some of the reasons so I can tell you why it doesn’t work for a LOT of people.
Note: These are usually the same people you’ll find blaming their parents, friends, neighbors, the grocery store clerk, gas attendant, their upbringing, their schools, and even THE MAN (<– gotta love this guy) when things don’t work out their way in life.
The Problem – Why Vision Boards Don’t Work
The number one problem is we give up to quickly and easily. The moment we see something isn’t happening, we go right on back to what we’re comfortable with and continue the same, often destructive, habit.
I will fill you in on my own story of how I almost gave up too quickly. I started following the 4 Hour Body program right. And the first week, all went well – 6 lbs down.
The next week, I went to a function and had ONE meal that I didn’t think was too bad, and continued back on the program AND even added in exercise. But what happened? 0 lbs lost the 2nd week. WTF??!!
So I sat and thought long and hard about why my body was playing tricks on me. 
I had 2 options:
- Say forget it only after 2 weeks and blame the method, in this case the 4 Hour Body program, and go on back to what I was doing before which obviously wasn’t accomplishing my goal;
- or keep chucking away and following the program to the T. Guess what, the next week, I saw a loss!
Now what would have happened if I chose option #1??? I think we all know the answer to that question!
Another problem is knowing the correct way to use a vision board. If manifesting your desires using a vision board (remember, the board is JUST a tool, albeit a powerful one) is not working the way you planned, then you’re probably not using the tool right. The next section describes how not using the proper technique will fail you every time!
3 Common Mistakes People Make with Vision Boards
1. You don’t really know what you want
The first step before even making a board is getting clear on what you want. Think about it: how can you expect the Universe to work on your behalf when YOU aren’t working on your behalf? If you’re being clear as mud on your goals, guess what? Clear mud is what you’ll get! Spend some more time really thinking about what you want. It’s the most critical stage of the process!
I used to go back and forth on whether or not I wanted to own a yacht. Why? So that I could ride in one every now and then and have parties, duh! But did I really need to own one to ride in it? The desire to have private parties on a big boat was there but the fact that I needed to own it was not resonating with me. So when I saw it on my board, I didn’t feel it (we’ll talk about feelings next). So I started to do some research. Can I rent a boat for parties? Sure. I don’t need to own it. Let someone else deal with the maintenance. I’ll just rent one out when I need it! I can find yacht and boat charters in almost any major city near some water. BAM! Problem solved – once I was clear on that goal.
2. You don’t have any emotion invested in your dreams
I alluded to lack of feelings above. Know this: If you aren’t emotionally invested in your dreams, don’t expect much movement in the direction of your goal. Every time you look at your board, you should have this warm, positive feeling wash over you that’s an indication of what you feel like when you achieve your goals. You have to feel it NOW even though it hasn’t been achieved yet!
Here’s a great way to help you with the emotional attachment. If you are manifesting a physical object, i.e. a car, go to the dealership and ask for a test drive and later, simply remember that feeling you had while driving it.
If it’s a vacation, go to the travel agent’s office and gather brochures. Being there talking with an agent about a trip is exciting and you can harness that feeling when you look at those locations on your board.
If it’s an abstract goal you want to manifest, i.e. peace, think about a time you have felt peace in your life before. Or if that doesn’t work, live vicariously through someone else as they describe how peaceful their life is. Ask them to describe every detail of their peaceful existence! Trust me, it works.
3. You don’t look at your boards enough
Consistency is the key to success in any dimension and it applies here as well. Don’t just go through all this work of creatively putting together your board(s) just to let it sit in the closet somewhere. I’ve heard people say they’ve had success with it not being in their presence but I would venture to say that it’s far and few in between. They surely were great at visualizing their goals which allowed their conscious and subconscious minds to react accordingly. But for most beginners, I suggest you look at your board daily. Twice a day even.
The purpose of the vision board is to keep you focused and inspired. Put them where you know you’ll see them, even if it’s just at a glance. It will trigger the brain to think about your goals. All it takes is a spark to jog the brain into doing its thing. Go even further and take 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening to breathe, feel, and focus on your boards.
The Solution – Manifest Your Desires!
The solution to the problems talked about above is clear. 1) Recognize the problem(s), 2) avoid the same mistakes people regularly make, and 3) refrain from blaming the tool itself when your goals aren’t showing up in your life.
Have you ever thought about the fact that your goals WILL manifest, just in their own time?
As a matter of fact, I add this phrase in mostly all of my affirmations: “…in its own perfect time…”
Even if I have a set desired completion date, it could manifest well before then or after. I still choose to be open to the when.
Over to you…
So now you know what to do when vision boards fail YOU aren’t manifesting your desires. How have you handled this when it seemed your vision boards didn’t work for you? Or do you tips to help others in their vision board experiences? Weigh in family!
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This is such an important post for people. It’s far too easy to give up. Most successful people will tell you that their key to success is not giving up…ever, even when others would give up. They kept on going, seeing their “failure” as an investment in their learning and growth. One thing too, is that there are more universal laws than just the law of attraction. One of the laws I feel challenged by is the law of gestation. Our desires can take time to “cook” or incubate. A baby needs 9 months and it would be really weird if we went up to pregnant babies and said, “Hey, why aren’t you here yet!” Same thing with our dreams. Things are incubating and a lot is going on underneath the surface. Then, later, a growth spurt happens, much like bamboo taking off as a plant. At first, there seems to be very little growth with the plant and then, years later, “all of a sudden,” the bamboo grows feet. It’s all good. I so appreciated your reminders in your post
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Lisa Marie recently posted..Your Answers Questioned (A Different Type of FAQ)
YES, thank you for bringing up the other laws! Maybe I’ll make that one of my next posts
Maybe here’s where you can help me: why is there such a thing as being “afraid of success?” We all say we want to be successful and know that giving up is not an option but inevitably one of the reasons people attribute to doing so is their fear is of success? Maybe that’s just one way to say we’re afraid of what we’ll become when we’re successful? What are your thoughts Lisa?
I think the fear of success is just the other side of the coin of fear of failure. It all comes down to fear of being more of your true self. The only reason why I can think of is ego. The ego tells us negative things and the only way to silence it is by taking action. I myself find that I fear success at times due to all of my relationships changing. Each time I become more successful, I seem to have a mad skill of losing friends. Change can be scary for some, including myself
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Lisa Marie recently posted..Got Ego?
Hey Kesha,
I had to stop by and comment on this post. It really resonates with me.
Here is a little tip that was given to me a long time ago. I don’t have a vision board but I have what I want written in a notebook. I have photos of some of the things I do want as well. I look at my book three times a day. As I look at my book and read what I want, I have that fabulous feeling of happiness.
We all know that whatever we want is ours right! So you have to feel that excitement like it’s already yours. A lot of people have a hard time with that so imagine it’s Christmas Eve. You know without a doubt that what you asked for is yours. Your relatives told you they had seen it under the tree but you can’t officially have it until the next day. So put that kind of excitement behind what you want and we all know when you do that often enough, the Universe starts believing you already have it and will make it come into existence. It works wonders my friend.
Best of luck to you all with this. Hey, continue to believe and watch it show up. It’s the coolest thing.
~Adrienne
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Adrienne recently posted..How to Build a Rock Star Brand
Heeeyyyy Adrienne!
It’s a delight to see you and thanks for dropping by!
3 times a day eh? I have no doubt that you will achieve everything you desire with that type of dedication. I need to step it up!
Believing is everything and I’m steadily watching for all that I desire!
Lakesha, I don’t have lofty goals. I set one goal because it is what I keep failing to do–Get up and go to work. I have so much resistance, excuses and whatnot that I have gone to the ground floor. I have been confused by people’s goals to have yachts, become CEOs or make millions. I couldn’t envision anything like that. But I need to get up and go to work. So that is my goal and you have seen my Pinterest vision board. Now I just need to keep this before me. One step at a time. Thanks for the direction.
That is perfect Ann – one step at a time! And everybody’s goals are different so you are correct in focusing on what you desire and that’s it. I love the Pinterest vision board idea and will look at adopting that option as well!
Good luck to you in all your endeavors. Here’s to getting up and going to work!
~Kesha
I totally agree! Vision boards are only as strong as the Intention behind them! They are a fantastic tool for focusing on the dreams you want to manifest but you only get out of them what you put in. So many times things don’t “work” because there is a lack of commitment on people’s part.
Great reminder for people to start taking responsibility for their life.
Hey Petrea, thanks for stopping in and adding valuable feedback!
Intention is the force behind everything we do (which is why Dyer’s ‘Power of Intention’ book is always on my bedside table!).
For some people a vision board won’t work and they need to find something that is fun for them. If the person is really into social networking, I would recommend taking their vision board online and creating several board on Pinterest. If the person likes to write, I suggest creating a Pray Rain Journal. I write in mine every day, writing “as if” the things that I want have already come to pass and to really rev up my vibe, I do a focus wheel. These work like magic for me, sometimes as I’m writing inspiration flows through the pen. It’s amazing!
I like incorporating several tools, because it’s fun. So I have my vision board too. I don’t look at it much, but sometimes I’ll come across an image, flipping thorugh a magazine and add it to my board. I get a sense of satisfaction and glee at looking at it each time I add to it!
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Kimberly recently posted..Learn How to Speak With Your Dogs with Animal Communication 101
Exactly Kim, people should do what is comfortable and easy for them. That’s what this process is all about – easily and effortless creating the life we want. The tools we use, well, as there are many, it’s best we choose one and start there. No need to complicate things.
Pray Rain? I like that name!
Living life “as if” is another one of those powerful ways to manifest what we want in life and that’s why you are so successful
I haven’t made a vision board but I’ve always thought it might be a good idea. Building my website and posting on it twice a week has certainly helped me see my development and become more clear on my goals. Great post, Kesha
I’m glad you’re becoming more clear on your goals Pam. That’s the first step! You are well on your way so keep me posted on your journey and I’ll support in any way I can!
~Kesha
This post is great, Kesha! For me, it’s all about the feelings and the emotions we can generate behind what it is we want. Because once I learn that I can generate that emotion (with the help of the images on a vision board), then I realize that I can have that emotion all the time.
And generally when we’re generating that emotion over and over, we’re vibrating at a frequency that’s going to allow us to attract that which we desire. Good stuff!
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Steve Rice recently posted..How to Be Confident (When You’re Shakin’ In Your Boots)!
Great feedback from Mr. True Spiritual Awakening himself!
Yes, without feelings/emotions, we are just looking at pictures and calling out words which doesn’t do anybody any good.
It’s imperative that we put a little “umph” in it
This is such an important point to remind ourselves – vision boards are not quick fixes or instant manifestation machines. My most successful vision boards have been ones that I’ve hung onto for at least a year, letting them percolate and revisiting them on a regular basis. More often than not, I realize that maybe I did not get the exact thing I thought I was invoking, but something damn close-by.
My tip to share is that if you feel that your vision board was a little off center, cut out the words or images that you do want to manifest and incorporate them in your new vision board. This tells the universe (and your psyche) that you are refining and continuing your vision.
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Jo recently posted..Fly your freak flag (with pride)
Excellent tip Jo and I’m so grateful for your valued feedback to this discussion. I hope others take heed to your words!
By the way, I’m an advocate of having multiple boards with single concepts to narrow the focus on one goal at a time and/or to highlight one idea or area in life. So cutting out words/images and putting them on a new vision board is definitely a viable way to make them “work” better.