When you're in what I call the Manifesting stage of moving abroad, you're in full dream mode. Maybe you watched Eat, Pray, Love and now fantasize about what life would be like in another country.
A tool I highly recommend for this stage is the vision board.
Bringing Your Vision to Light
Vision boards have been proven effective in giving you a tangible representation of your goals and providing motivation (and maybe a little magic fairy dust) to help you move forward in making your dreams come true.
Never created a vision board? Don't even know what the hell I'm talking about? A vision board is a collage of images that represent what you're working to manifest. I prefer to tear/cut images out of magazines and use travel ephemera like tickets and maps, but if you prefer, there are also digital programs like Canva you can use to use digital images.
Before I moved to Italy, I made two vision boards. The first was more of the ethos of the life I wanted in Italy: one filled with magic, art, good food, good friends, and travel:
Then when I started looking for a house, I got really specific in a different vision board about what I wanted. I also wrote a little prayer to the Goddess Hestia (Goddess of home and hearth) with a list of what I was looking for.
I'm happy to say that I got EVERYTHING on my vision board...except the bathtub!
I recently updated the vision board with a few details because I'm moving again in a few months.
Where to Start with Your Vision Board
If you're ready to start your own vision board, sit quietly for a few minutes. Close your eyes. Imagine a day in your life a year or two from now.
Where are you?
What work are you doing, or are you retired?
What does your home look like?
What's important to you?
Who are you with?
When you have a vision, you're ready to put it on your board. Gather magazines, catalogs, really anything with vivid images. I'm an artist, so I have literally DRAWERS full of birthday cards, ribbons, and images I snag whenever I find one I love.
You can make your vision board on a thick piece of cardboard or card stock, though I recommend using foam core or something a bit more durable. Grab a glue stick and some scissors and get cracking!
Even if you don't believe that you're creative (I already know you are, darlin'), remember: this is just for you. It doesn't have to be a work of art. It's to create a vision of what you saw your life to be like when you did the little meditation exercise.
If you like the idea of creating a prayer, you can write one to Hestia (or God/Goddess/Spirit/whoever) being specific about what you want. Keep it positive. By that, I mean don't say things in the negative like "I don't want noisy neighbors."
Law of Attraction tells us that sometimes all the Universe hears in a sentence like that is "noisy neighbors" and misses the whole "I don't want" part. So instead, you could say, "I would like a home that is quiet and tranquil."
Let the Vision Do Its Work
Once you've created your vision board, spend some time soaking it all up. It might surprise you how accurately you visually interpreted exactly what you want!
I recommend putting your vision board where you can see it every day. I have mine on my desk, and every time I see it, I put a little energy toward that vision coming true.
I'd love to see your vision board! If you're a woman on your expat journey, I invite you to join my free Facebook group, The Enlightened Expat. Share your pic with the group!