In an over-stimulated world that seems to be advocating that you be doing the most, it can feel difficult to drown out the noise to focus on yourself and the things you want for your personal future.
I’ve never been a big resolutions gal, but when it comes to setting goals and dreaming of my ideal life and the things I aspire to have, that’s something I fully embrace.
Just like a good morning or nighttime routine, setting goals and giving yourself permission to imagine the best version of yourself helps you stay grounded, focused, and aligned with what matters to you. One of the most powerful tools to bring this vision to life is a vision board.
Even better, a vision board can help serve as inspiration during tough times, motivating you and offering guidance when you need it most. A personal internal compass, if you will.
While creating a vision board can feel intimidating if you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry—below I’m sharing the simple steps to craft a vision board that aligns with your unique personality and goals.
Dream big, get creative, and embrace an abundance mindset—these are the first strides toward manifesting and achieving the life you desire.
How to Make a Vision Board
Understanding what a vision board is and how it works can be a game-changer in your journey to creating a life you want. By the end of this post, you’ll have a clear plan to create your inspiration board and keep your goals top of mind every day.
What Is a Vision Board?
A vision board is a collage of images, words, and symbols that represent your dreams and aspirations of different areas in your life, both personal and professional.
But don’t get a vision board confused with a mood board. While a mood board and a vision board can both serve as beautiful aesthetic inspiration, the latter is connected toward goal setting and a daily reminder of what you’d like to see come to fruition in your life.
How Do Vision Boards Work?
Without getting too woo-woo about manifestation, vision boards work by leveraging the simple power of visualization.
Have you ever noticed that when you were in school and took notes with a pen or pencil, you were more likely to remember them than if you typed them on your computer? Or that when you write down a task in your daily planner, it’s more likely to get done since it’s quite literally staring at you in the face? That’s the similar case with a vision board.
Tactile, visual reminders that you consistently see become more ingrained in your subconscious mind. This makes it easier to stay focused and motivated, and to recognize opportunities to achieve your dreams and goals.
A vision board will not only help you stay motivated, but it also clarifies your goals, allowing you to take intentional actions that turn your dreams into reality.
How to Create a Vision Board
Let’s break down the steps on how to create your vision board. Making one isn’t complicated, and although all vision boards share the same fundamentals, they are completely custom to your goals and vision for any area of your life.
Step 1: Reflect on Your Goals
Regardless of whether you choose to make a physical or digital vision board, starting your vision board requires one thing: intention.
Visualize your goals for a few areas of your life. This could be personal relationships, physical or mental health, or perhaps you’re focusing on how you’ll achieve your dream job in the future.
Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. But goals can also be an imaginative stretch – so long as you can put forward some kind of action step that takes you closer to them.
I recommend asking yourself a few questions about your life:
- What are my biggest dreams?
- What does my ideal day look like? Think about your location, the people around you, where you’re working, what you’re eating, etc.
- What goals do I want to achieve in the next year?
Creating a vision board can feel overwhelming at first. However, it’s most impactful when it focuses on either a single or limited number of specific goals, or it’s clear vision of what you want your life to look like within a certain timeframe. Jot down your thoughts and use them as a guide when starting your vision board.
This is a fundamental step in in the process, so don’t rush it. In fact, I advocate that you take quiet time, or even a few days to really sit with your thoughts, determine the area of growth that matters most to you right now, and dedicate your vision board to supporting progress in that direction.
Step 2: Gather Your Materials
Decide whether you want to create a physical board or a digital one. Although a digital board can be easier to save as a phone or computer background, there’s something about the tactile component a physical vision board provides that you just can’t get digitally.
For a physical vision board, you’ll need a few basic items:
- A piece of poster board or corkboard
- Magazines, printouts, or access to online images (and a printer) that represent your goals
- Scissors, glue, tape, or pins
- Markers or pens to add words that represent your intentions
When purchasing magazines, buy a variety in different genres; you never know where you may find the perfect addition for your goals board.
If you’re creating a digital vision board, gather images online that resonate with your aspirations. Pinterest is always a great place to start, but you can also search Google, blogs, and even Instagram for inspo.
Step 3: Select Words and Images That Represent Your Goals
Start flipping through magazines or search online and make a pile of things that represent your aspirations, objectives, and goals. These can be pictures, quotes, and words that inspire you.
For example, I really love cooking and trying new recipes, but over the last couple of years this has fallen to the back burner for me. Visuals that align with “find joy again in cooking” could include photos of fresh vegetables or someone cooking dinner, as well as an article quote from Julia Child, the Food Network logo, or the recipe of my favorite comfort meal.
Step 4: Arrange Your Board
Once you have your images and words that align with your overall goals, it’s time to arrange them to your board. You can break your board up into sections to group similar themes together or intertwine everything so that it’s a visually appealing collage of images. Play around with the layout until it feels just right.
When your board looks like how you want it, glue, tape, or pin your items to your surface. For digital vision boards, don’t forget to hit save on all that hard work!
Step 5: Display Your Vision Board Where You Can See It
Don’t just shove your vision board away in a drawer. An important component to creating a vision board is viewing it every day. The key (!!!) is to keep it top of mind, so you stay focused and motivated to achieve your goals.
Place your vision board wherever you’ll see it daily: at your office, behind your computer, or by your bed, or even in your closet. If you made a digital board, save it as your desktop and phone backgrounds. You can even take a photo of your physical board and do the same as an added bonus.
