Each year we talk about resolutions and new beginnings but, often, our resolutions only last a few weeks. Last year, I researched the concept of resolutions and found several contradictions in various studies. Some showed that the effort of making a resolution made one more apt to succeed, while others threw the idea of resolutions under the bus. One revealed that up to 23% quit their resolutions after the first week.1 There were no good studies about the concept of resolutions.
This past year, I’ve been creating several hours of new content for talks regarding leadership, culture, happiness, and positive psychology for achieving goals and being happier in the workplace. This content creation has included the impact of vision boards.
Vision board defined
The idea behind a vision board is to display images, words, and symbols on a board that represent what the creator of the board desires. These items act as a constant visual reminder of the creator’s goals, as they induce strong emotions. Those emotions, in turn, drive actions.
My experience
For several years, I got together with friends to spend time cutting pretty things out of magazines, motivational quotes out of books, and pasting ribbons and the like on a foam core board to point out my goals for the year. But I hadn’t created a vision board in the last two years.
My previous ones were tucked away collecting dust in a closet.
Revisiting the board
Because I decided the impact of vision boards would be part of my content, I dug one of my old ones out — from a few years ago — and took some pictures to include on a PowerPoint slide. I started reminiscing about my goals and what I had pasted on to my board when a motivational quote caught my eye. “Read 100 books in a year.” When I created that board, I was a new “empty nester” and thought it would be good to get back into reading.
An affirming email
A couple of months ago, I received an email from Amazon. “Congratulations! In the four years and 10 months you’ve been a member of Kindle Unlimited, you’ve read 551 books.” Now, isn’t that interesting? I had never bothered to keep track.
It turns out the brain is impressive. Neuroscience research suggests that visualization exercises, like those involved in creating and looking at vision boards, can rewire the brain.2 This mental rehearsal helps establish new neural connections, aligning the brain’s activity with the outcomes. Subliminally, we activate the Reticular Activating System (RAS), which filters out irrelevant information and focuses on the goals, even when we’re not paying attention. This can change behaviors over time, making it easier to adopt the habits and actions necessary to achieve our goals.
A suggestion
For 2025, why not get together with some friends and create a vision board? Not only will it be a fun time spent with friends, but it will also be a subliminal, easy way of achieving your goals. Remember to keep it — and look back at it later. You might be surprised. Through the subliminal power of intention and visualization, your goals become not just possible but inevitable. OM
References:
1. Norcross JC, Vangarelli DJ. The resolution solution: longitudinal examination of New Year’s change attempts. J Subst Abuse. 1988;1(2):127-34. doi: 10.1016/s0899-3289(88)80016-6.
2. Dixon LJ, Hornsey MJ, Hartley N, “The Secret” to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2023 Jul 8:1461672231181162. doi: 10.1177/01461672231181162.
