Make a Love Board

Photo byTim MossholderonUnsplash

Most people have heard about vision boards where you place pictures of things you want in your life, and you write goals for your future. It’s a way to put your dreams for your future into the universe. It puts our goals in front of us and keeps us focused on our priorities.

A love board can be just as important. When you make a love board, you fill it with notes of affirmation, encouragement and love. Words are powerful, and kind words filled with love can be exactly what we need on a hard day.

When I was teaching, our administrators would randomly leave words of affirmation for teachers. I remember arriving at my classroom door one morning when I was struggling, and on my door was a note that said, “You’re all that and a bag of chips.” It made me laugh, started my morning off on a good note, and turned my day around. There were also notes to encourage us to lift each other up. The notes said things like, “Be someone’s rainbow.” Or “Be the reason someone smiles today.” As teachers, we were expected to write two letters of affirmation to students in our classes. Everyone needs encouragement.

There is another positive element to making a love board. Each time you write a note of love or encouragement, it lifts your spirits. What can be better than an action that benefits both people involved.

You can make the love board in a variety of ways. Here are some examples.

· Put up a bunch of colorful post it notes. Fill a few in so others get the idea, and leave the rest blank for others to fill in. Address each one to a person or group. Here are a few examples. Jeremy, I admire your kindness. Trish, thank you for always being a good friend.

· Post notes that you have received that are filled with encouragement and love. You can also post pictures of memories that make you feel good. When you have a tough day, you can look at this board to feel better.

This is a great exercise to do in a class, or at the workplace. Have everyone fill out at least four post it notes with something positive about someone. If you want to make sure no one is left without a note, put everyone in a circle and write 4 notes about the person to your right.

I hope you have fun with the love board. If you want to start out small, just leave notes for the people who need them.