Absolutely. If you’ve asked the question “can a vision board be just words”, let me tell you from experience that it certainly can. Some people simply don’t respond to the traditional pictures associated with vision boards – and I’m one of them.
In This Article
Beyond Pictures on Vision Boards
A traditional vision board uses pictures. Back in the day, people would cut them out of magazines. Nowadays, I’d assume they’re far more likely to Google their images and download anything that takes their fancy.
Before I get into my views on the topic, I’d like to point you in the direction of another writer here at Widibi. He created Instant Vision Boards and saw plenty of success with them. There will be times when you need a vision board to work its magic right away if possible, but I’m here to talk about the more conventional use of the technique. What he does do is demonstrate how words can inspire your vision, and very few of them at that.
My esteemed colleague that wrote that article mentions that he’s a writer. I am too. I’ve never designed a logo or painted a picture. Sure, I’ve caught a few images off Google to complete something I’m working on, but it’s mainly for decoration. When I’m trying to achieve something, I simply respond better to words than images.
Literal Vision Boards vs Metaphorical Vision Boards
Some people respond better to literal imagery than metaphorical imagery. I count myself among their number. For some reason, I have a mental block on metaphors. When I see something, I interpret it precisely as it’s presented to me. While I’ll get it eventually, using Scrooge McDuck’s money swimming pool doesn’t scream ‘wealth’ to me. Well, maybe a little.
A quote or phrase on a vision board that says something like “thank you for the riches and wealth that keeps coming into my life,” works much better. It’s a mix and match solution. It’s effectively an affirmation on a vision board. In the space of one sentence, you’ve affirmed, shown gratitude and made the subject matter clear.
What Should a Word-Based Vision Board Include?
Even if you only plan to use words, you should follow all the general vision board guidelines. Be positive, show gratitude and have a good idea of what you seek to achieve. Don’t skimp on putting down what you aim to achieve and then create sentences or paragraphs that match your goals and ambitions. It could well be the perfect opportunity to combine your vision board with law of attraction scripting. If you write a script you’re proud of and that works in the context of your overarching goals, print it out or write it down, and then stick it on your vision board!
In effect, a vision board with just words should do everything you’d imagine that a vision board with images would do. I’d still encourage you to be as specific as you can, even if individual cars and houses might be better served with images. There’s nothing wrong with saying you want a Toyota Aygo and putting it down in text, and there’s no problem in saying clearly that you want a promotion.
Words Work as Well as Pictures
Do you know a certain kind of people I have a lot of respect for? Those that single-handedly launch their own comic books. Writing a plot is a skill. Writing dialogue is an entirely different skill. Sketching out and colouring in the panels is yet another skill that’s completely beyond me.
Vision boards are a personal exercise that, by their nature, should never be difficult. If there’s something about the visual side you don’t like, you should ignore it. Back in the days of traditional vision boards, I was not too fond of the process of finding magazines and cutting out the pictures that caught my eye. I’d much rather have written a sentence or, better still, a vision board quote.
I started to either sketch out a colourful sentence or abandon the idea of pictures altogether and just write or type what I wanted on my vision board. After all, it was my vision board!
A document you create in Microsoft Word can be a vision board. A list of things you’d like to achieve you write down in the notes app on your phone can be a vision board. Of course, a carefully curated selection of prints and paintings can be a vision board too. As long as the content of your vision board represents you and your goals, it qualifies.
Can a Vision Board Be Just Words – In Summary
Vision boards, or at least the concept, didn’t come with an instruction manual. What you can make from the idea is all about you and your desires. Words massively outweigh pictures on my vision boards. That’s how I relate, and in the time someone spends looking at a picture, I can read and think about a sentence. I’m just more inclined towards words rather than pictures!
Vision board traditionalists will push the idea of pictures over words, and I can’t say they’re entirely wrong. However, if you’ve always found yourself gravitating more towards words than pictures, there’s no reason not to get rid of them completely. There are enough vision board quotes out there to fill an entire board. My colleagues have written on instant vision boards, which are designed to eliminate pictures altogether. When it all comes down to it, vision boards are about you and your goals, and there’s absolutely no wrong way to go about it.