Most people are aware that visualization is a powerful tool in achieving goals but visualization is not always easy to do. Even if you are good at visualizing what you want you may be distracted by the pressures of day to day life and forget to do your daily visualizing. The picture board strategy solves both of these problems.



There are several key elements in creating and using a picture board so that it produces the desired outcome; the achievement of your goal. Let's look at those key elements in some detail.

Key Element One is to Combine Key Phrases, Dates and Pictures.

A picture board consists of a large board of some kind onto which you have written key phrases and dates and then stuck pictures that illustrate those phrases. Let's look at an example of how to construct a picture board for a specific goal.

Let's imagine that you set a goal to have a 4 week holiday in Brazil twelve months from today. Let's also imagine that you want to fly business class, stay in 5 star resorts, have plenty of spending money and pay for the whole holiday in cash.

The first step would be to work out the places you want to visit while you are there and the resorts you want to stay at. Then collect brochures with pictures of those locations and resorts. You could also search the internet and magazines for pictures.

The next step is to get a large board of some kind and write the following phrases, in large letters, on different parts of the board; "our holiday in Brazil from (start date) to (end date) including the year", then write the names of each place you will go (spread around the board, and the name of the resorts you will stay in. Also write "we are flying business class with (whatever airline)" and "we have plenty of spending money to enjoy our holiday" and "we pay for the whole holiday in cash".

The next step is to cut out pictures that represent each of the above phrases. The more inspiring the pictures the better the results will be. The pictures should be big enough to easily see and recognize from the other side of a typical room in your house. Now attach the pictures under the appropriate phrases, the more pictures the better.

Key Element Two is to Place the Picture Board Where You Will See it Every Day.

The picture board is a form of subconscious programming. In order to work you have to see it often. Every time you see that picture board you are reinforcing that goal into your mind and programming yourself to achieve it. Sometimes you should consciously spend time in front of the board and other times you will be seeing the board subconsciously as you move about the house.

Key Element Three is to Move the Board Every Few Days.

We are constantly bombarded with visual input all day. One of the ways the brain screens out the unnecessary input is through a process called habituation. If you see the same thing, in the same place, over and over the brain will ignore it because it is not providing new information.

By regularly changing the location of your picture board you avoid the problem of habituation. Try putting it in the bedroom where you will see it when you first wake up. Then move it to the lounge room, then near where you eat your meals, and so on. Always place it in key positions where you will see it often.

Key Element Four is that you can have more than one board if you like but always for the same goal.

You can increase the effectiveness by having several different boards for your goal. They should have different pictures and the phrases should be in different locations on each board. Of course you still have to move each board around every few days.

Key Element Five. Picture boards work best on goals you are aiming to achieve in 12 months or less.

If you have a large long term goal that you want to picture board then you will need to break it into stages that can be achieved in less than 12 months each. Then create your picture board for the next stage only.

Try this picture board strategy. It is a lot of fun to put together and, if you stick to the key elements, it is incredibly powerful in bringing your goal into reality.