It was 2020, and the company I was working for went through a huge round of layoffs: almost 25% of the employees were let go. They cited the pandemic as the cause, but we all knew it was just a pretext. In reality, the company was simply cutting corners and drastically reducing quality to save money and please investors.
Anyway, I was surprised and disappointed. In all honesty, I thought my job was considered important within the company, and I never worried that it might be on the chopping block. I had also received a stellar performance review just a month before the layoffs, so it never crossed my mind that my role would be seen as disposable by the business.
A simple vision board changed everything
After a few weeks of getting over the shock and gathering my thoughts, I started working on a strategy for my next job. I was so angry … that layoff was simply unfair. It was anger that made me finally see that my expertise was worth way more than what I was getting in my previous role, both in terms of the job title and compensation.
So, I started to apply to jobs in a slightly different area: the same industry, but a more prestigious field, with better salaries. I knew I had the skills and experience to make the transition. I also knew I was worth it.
But the initial responses I got from recruiters were disappointing. They knew I could make the switch to this more prestigious industry field, but they all expressed doubts about the salary I was aiming for. All I was hearing was: “I don’t think you can get this salary just yet”, “You need more experience”, etc.
But I was determined to succeed. Around that time, I started reading about visualization techniques, especially vision boards. I liked the idea behind it, and I also did a bit of research. What I found out intrigued me: vision boards are backed by science. They activate a network in the brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS), which filters information and helps the mind stay focused on specific goals. They can literally rewire your brain.
That was exactly what I needed: a method to keep me motivated and focused on my career and income goals. I started with a very basic vison board: just a piece of paper where I wrote my desired salary and an image of a woman celebrating. I taped these two on my wardrobe door.
I looked at my vision board a few times per day. In the beginning, I didn’t see any changes. But after a few weeks, I noticed I was more determined when talking to recruiters. I became more confident negotiating salary. Around that time, I started to get interviews and felt really confident in myself.
Finally, after almost 3 months of searching, I got a job offer in my new desired field. With a total compensation around 25% higher than in my previous job! That was a great achievement, and I honestly knew the vision board played a huge role in my success. Why? Well, because after starting to look at my board, my confidence level went up, I was more articulate, and I started to apply to jobs that paid the salary I was going after. Before using the board, most of my applications went to jobs a level down and I wasn’t very confident either.
From a simple vision board to a more complex one
However, despite being incredibly happy with my achievement, something was lingering in my head: the salary I wanted and put on the board was slightly more than what I got. Just a small difference, but I was still wondering: why I got a salary very close to what I put on the vision board, but not exactly that?
Mt friends were a bit confused: I got a much better job, with a significantly higher compensation. Why wonder about not getting the exact number I put on the vision board? I eventually stopped thinking about it and just focused on my new, shiny job.
After 3 years, I was ready to change roles again. A new opportunity presented itself for a job in a new department. It was a great fit and I was ready for it.
Again, I created a vision board. This time, I added more elements: the desired compensation, more images depicting success, an image of abundance and a few affirmations/written prompts. Everything was quite spontaneous. I didn’t really think about those affirmations, they just came to me when I was working on building the vision boards. They were quite simple as well: “I am able to get this role”, “I deserve x salary and benefits”, “I know I can get x total compensation in my new job”.
After two months and four round of interviews, I got the job. Not only that, but I actually got the exact salary and total compensation I put on my vision board! I couldn’t help asking myself why I got the exact number this time and not in 2020. Has something changed? Was it because my vision board was more complex this time or was it something else?
I thought about it quite a lot, and one day, I finally had a breakthrough: the reason was that this time, I was 100% sure I could get that compensation. Not 70% or 95% sure. Literally 100%. And this was reflected on my vision board. The key element was those affirmations. They reflected this change. To be honest, when I was hunting for the previous job in 2020, I wasn’t 100% sure I could get the salary I had in mind. I was sure I could get something very close to it, but not that exact number. And I got exactly what I was sure of, which was still great, but not the exact number I had on my board.
This revelation made me research how our mind works, why we have internal doubts and blockages and how to overcome them. This is how I found out that our mind has a hidden side called the subconscious mind. We can’t fully control it, but it shapes our actions and decisions. It’s the place where the limiting beliefs and inner blockages are stored. There are many ways to remove or reshape the limiting beliefs we hold in the subconscious mind, one of them being vision boards.
The technique is quite simple: write down affirmations or written prompts that are the exact opposite of your doubts or limiting beliefs. Then, put them on a vision board, along mage depicting success, celebrations or abundance. For example, if you doubt you can start a successful business, write these prompts: “I am able to start a successful business”, “I know my business will be successful”, “I can achieve success in business”, “I can achieve anything”, etc. These are very important elements to add to your vision board.
I also realized how vision boards work and why some are more effective than others.
Build vision boards that truly work
I’ve built many more vision boards since getting that job a few years ago. Most of them were built for relationships and travel goals, not just for my career and income. For all of them, I used elements to reprogram my subconscious mind and remove doubts and limiting beliefs.
My experience resulted in building a 3-step framework for making vision boards that truly work. Vision boards that dissolve any inner blockages. They are backed by science and real-life experience.
You can find this 3-step framework and a wide collection of images and affirmations in my vision board kits.
