For Some, Vision Boards
(Don't Always) Work...

Vision boards are a great tool to use in Law of Attraction and manifestation (FOR SOME PEOPLE!) ...But, NOT for everyone!

Some people have great success putting cut-out pictures, and words, and symbolic representations of their dream together into a collage of all of the details and inspirational symbols they can find... They put it up and look at it, and use it to remind them of what they hope to attract and create. And, if one truly feels hope, pure optimism, and joyous KNOWING EVERY time they look at the "dream board", it really can be a magical tool!

However, the most common dream board success stories we hear of are the ones in which the creator would view it for a while, and then, for whatever reason, put it away for a (fairly long) period of time. Then voila! Five years later, the house they are living in is the very one they had put on the vision board, but had forgotten all about it!

I believe that the REAL power of the manifestation board is in the "putting it away" phase - the letting GO! ...Releasing focus from the vision itself gives the Universe room, and space, and time to perform the machinations required to achieve the dream FOR you (especially if there is ANY bit of disbelief within your consciousness about attracting it!)

Pay Attention to How You Really Feel

I know, because I've been there - I'm one of the people for whom vision boards do not work so well (at least not the ones I can see on a daily basis!) For me, dream boards and printed affirmations DO NOT WORK... 

For me, every time I looked at them, a little pain would trigger in my heart to subtly remind me that I DID NOT have those visions yet, and that was SO SO SO SO SO NOT helpful for me!

Here is my personal vision board experience:

The first time I ever heard that vision boards do not work for some people was when I had a Feng Shui consultant come into my home and tell me about the energy in my rooms (at the time, I had been desperate to find answers for why I felt so "stuck").

I had a room that I used as my office (though it was the relationship corner of my home) and on one big focus wall in that room, I had taped up nearly EVERY picture, inspirational quote, cut-out words and phrases, image, and representation or symbol of my dreams that I could find. I called it my "vision wall" because it was both where I had my vision boards posted as well one big dream board in and of itself!

The Feng Shui consultant said that the room "felt" very busy, cluttered, overly stimulating, frantic, visually distracting, and uncomfortable - the EXACT opposite of the PEACE I wanted to be feeling in my house, and especially in THAT room!!! (It was my "relationship" room after all!) ...And she was RIGHT!!!

So I decided to take them ALL down - not to throw them away, because they were still powerful symbols of what I wanted, but, to try a quieter, gentler method of using them.

I turned the collection of photos into more of a "creation box" concept, in which you put the symbol of the dream away in a box and then trust that it will still find it's way to you in good time.

I went out and got two giant pieces of poster board and taped them together on 3 sides to make a huge envelope - kind of a "miracle folio" for my dreams. I put ALL my pictures, cut-outs, vision images, collages, and affirmations inside - I must have had dozens (maybe hundreds) of pieces of paper, drawings, words and cut-out pictures to take down! I then put the WHOLE THING away in the back of a closet where I could still get to it if I needed/wanted to, but specifically NOT where I could see it!

FEEL the Difference when a Vision Board is Out of Sight

I noticed a change in my inner PEACE almost immediately!

I then decided to paint what had been the "vision wall" with a beautiful shade of pink (a color that I happen to love (and was good for the Feng Shui of that corner of my home.)

I made the room into what was simply a pleasant place to be - not a "walk in" symbol of trying to be/do/have anything other than feeling Peace and calm when I was in there.

The depression I felt over not yet having the relationship I longed for at the time didn't lift instantly, but, the RELIEF from all the "trying" did ease the whole process and made ME *feel* so much better! In hindsight, and now with MUCH more experience and expertise in the nuances of the Law of Attraction and manifestation, I now KNOW it helped tremendously to PUT AWAY the vision boards!

Now mine is an extreme example, because I had a whole wall of vision boards, but, the fact is that they were NOT reminding me that my dreams were coming - they were reminding me that it was NOT true yet!

...The Law of Attraction is ALL about how you FEEL (while in a space, while viewing an image, or while doing/thinking about an activity.)

So, if looking at vision boards makes you feel ANYTHING less than ABSOLUTE confidence that your dream is POSITIVELY about to be "in your lap" or "on your doorstep" in the next few minutes/days, you owe it to yourself to HONESTLY assess the message you are sending to your OWN heart about it!

For me, the fact that it plain just "didn't feel good" to look at them was proof positive that the particular method wasn't a good tool for me to use!

It was VERY subtle - it took courage to admit to myself that when I looked at the pictures of the gloriously happy and laughing couple, the beautiful home, the happy babies, and the slim, svelte 30-year-old jumping for Joy on the beach I felt loneliness and longing. I wasn't that person yet, I didn't have those things in my life yet - and looking at my "vision wall", full of vision boards and affirmations, only reminded of that fact!

See also the Real Life Law of Attraction Q&A asking:
Why are my LoA Vision Boards manifesting for others and not me?

As well as the Real Life Law of Attraction page discussing whether
impatience slows the manifestation of Vision Boards and Dream Boards?