Vision boards – what’s the case for and against?

Today I’ve come across two very different clips about vision boards. One for, one against (sort of).

It made me think of a question. Do vision boards work or not? Are they worthwhile and life-changing or just silly and pointless?  What do you think?

The case ‘for’: Clip one shows John Assaraf telling his story of how he got his dream home by using a vision board. John is very successful, well known and wealthy, and he puts much of this down to vision boards. In the clip, he shows us his home and the vision board in question. The house is, it has to be said, stunning.

The case ‘against’: Clip two shows comedian Ellen DeGeneres satirising Oprah’s well-document love of vision boards. Ellen is very successful, well known and wealthy, but it doesn’t seem like she is into vision boards. Or maybe she isn’t actually ‘against’ them – it’s just satire. Who knows. Anyway, it’s quite funny. And it sort of reminds you not to get too serious about this stuff, I think.

It made me think that having a balanced discussion about vision boards is important. Because that’s how we learn.

I’ve edited the ‘Experiment’ page to invite people to try making a vision board to see if it works for them…or not. I’d like to have honest feedback, not just positive comments. A mixture would be good and, I think, helpful. You can probably guess which camp I’m in. But we all have times when we struggle to focus on what we want and I think sharing that would be a good thing.

What is the case for and against vision boards? What are the problems we can come up against? Are there ways to overcome them?

Would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Review of a test I took about finding your life purpose

I just posted something on a forum about ‘finding your purpose’. It inspired me to write a quick summary of a test I took in January.

It’s called ‘The Passion Test’, based on the bestselling book by Chris and Janet Atwood. I hadn’t heard of the test before but was invited to a workshop in Topanga, here in California. The workshop was led by Sylva Dvorak, an incredibly warm and inspiring speaker.

The test helps you to get clear about your top 5 passions. It’s a great method. Firstly you brainstorm and write down absolutely anything that comes to mind, including things which seem ‘wrong’. Often these have a seed of truth that can help you find your purpose. Then you use a great comparison method, which helps you to work out which are the Top 5.

It involves being very honest with yourself. Sometimes it can be a bit uncomfortable because you choose certain things above others. It’s the only way to cut through those things you think you ‘should be doing’ to find your true passions in life.

I thoroughly recommend doing this test. Afterwards, we made vision boards about our passions. I don’t think I have posted mine, so I will post it as my ‘Fourth Example’. Find out more about the Experiment and Vision Board Examples here.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has taken the Passion Test or similar tests.

World’s richest man, Carlos Slim Helu, on how to achieve success

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu was named the world’s richest man today, above Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Just found this great interview with him, where he is asked what advice he would give young people. He says it’s important to find out what your vocation is – and not to carry on doing something you don’t enjoy.

I find that very inspiring, since it’s a journey I’ve been on during the last six months.

A vision board is a great way to start finding out what you want. I was taking a career coaching course to find my dream career when I first came across this idea last summer. It’s triggered huge changes in my life. See the ‘About Me’ page.

Here’s the link to the interview with Carlos Slim Helu

The Governator Schwarzenegger’s secret to success, fame and wealth?

Great response to my post on the ‘Steve Pavlina’ forum about Oprah and movie stars who use visioning to achieve their ambitions. Based on my last post on here ‘Dreams can come true – what can we learn from the Oscars?’ I believe in sharing content from here on different sites.

Celebs who apparently use the law of attraction include Will Smith and Jim Carey. I commented that it makes sense as Carey’s film ‘Yes Man’ ties in with the idea of saying ‘yes’ to opportunities that come up and shaping your own life. (Love that film and currently reading the book by Danny Wallace). Also, both actors have dramatically and succcessfully changed the direction of their careers since they started out.

Thanks also to Ted the Mighty who said that California’s ‘Governator’, Arnold Schwarzenegger, used the law of attraction to become famous and wealthy. To read how he did it, read this article on the ‘Good Vibes’ blog.

Dreams come true – what we can learn from the Oscars…

Watched the Oscars last night. First time watching it in LA. If you’d told me I’d be doing that this time last year…

Seeing Oprah Winfrey talking about Best Actress nominee Gabourey Sidibe reminded me of an interview with Larry King where she talks about ‘The Secret’. Oprah had read ‘The Colour Purple’ and became obsessed with being in a film version of it. Nothing was working. Then she did this…

Oprah told last night how Gabourey skipped school to make the audition for ‘Precious’ on a Monday. On Tuesday, she got a callback. By Wednesday, she had the part. It reminded me how an important part of manifestation is…action. It isn’t just about visualisation, although that is important of course. You know it’s working because you start getting opportunities and ideas. Then you have to act on them.

The Oscars also reminded me of a story I heard years ago about Catherine Zeta Jones. Apparently, before she came to the States to try to make it in Hollywood, a fan gave her a gift. It was a collage of photographs of all the great female screen idols. In the middle, there was a picture of Catherine.

At the time she was well known in British TV but not in the States. She’d tried a singing career but it had stalled. At the time, it must have seemed a big leap to get to the same position as these great screen legends. The rest is history.

Sometimes, our dreams can seem like a big leap. The first step is to visualise it. The second is to believe it will happen. The third step is to act when you get an opportunity. The fourth step is to receive what you want.

The alternative? Do nothing and hope our dreams will materialise through chance.

Keep dreaming.