How To Make A Vision Board In 2023

5 Reasons To Create A Vision Board
Do Vision Boards Work?
How To Make A Vision Board
20 Vision Board Ideas To Get You Started
5 Tips To Get The Most From Your Vision Board

If you think vision boards are a sham, then the joke is on you, my friend.

Stop rolling your eyes and hear me out.

They really work, and the reason why is very simple.

A vision board is a sacred place that displays what you want in life. When you hang it in a space where you see it daily, your vision board brings your goals and aspirations to life.

A vision board is a physical representation of a goal or goals that you’re aiming to achieve.

It is a collage of items that are meant to kick start your imagination and help you visualize those goals.

Think of it like a Pinterest board, but in the real world…

…something you can pin photos, magazine cut-outs, keepsakes, and other bits of awesomeness to in order to keep you inspired and motivated toward something you want to do, to be, to have, or to otherwise manifest.

So make 2023 the year of goal follow-through by creating a vision board to give you a clear picture of where you want to get to.

Consult a life coach to help you set out precisely what you want your future to look like and to draw up a roadmap to make it happen. Use the quick and simple form on Bark.com to have qualified life coaches email you to discuss their coaching services and provide quotes.

5 Reasons To Create A Vision Board

What are the benefits of a vision board (sometimes called a goal board or dream board)?

How will one help you achieve the future and success you want?

1. Vision boards make you think about what it is you really want.

Creating a vision board forces you to make the time to sit and REALLY think about what it is you want from life.

I’m sure you think about the things you want a lot, but do you really focus on them?

Do you document them anywhere outside of your head?

A vision board forces you to go beyond casual thinking and focus on your goals and aspirations.

2. Vision boards help you get unstuck.

Our lives are so congested and overflowing. We wake up, we work, and we have our chores.

We have limited flexibility in our daily environments and can become almost robotic over time.

This is one of the major reasons that most people feel stuck in life.

They are exhausted and overworked. They have lost touch with their creative side.

Does this sound like you?

A vision board is an effective way to unstick yourself.

Get out of your overly programmed brain and let your creative juices flow.

Get out of your funk. Throw some randomness together. Get out of your bubble.

You get the picture.

3. Vision boards provide you with a daily visual reminder of your dreams and goals.

The reason that vision boards work so great is because you visually see them every day.

Visualization is one of the most popular and effective mind workouts that you can do.

When you see something that inspires you on a daily basis, you stay on track.

Even when you face setbacks, that vision board will still be there ready to motivate you all over again.

4. Vision boards will get you all fired up emotionally.

Seeing your vision board will help you passionately connect with your goals.

It can help you notice opportunities or simply make you imagine what something may feel like.

If you get fired up and passionate about something, it will spur you into action.

5. Vision boards are fun.

A vision board is a fun, risk-free, and stress-free way to unload your deepest, rawest morsels of inspiration without scrutinizing them.

You don’t have to organize, analyze, or beautify your board. Just have fun and put it together. Change it up. Do what feels right to you.

It doesn’t have to be organized or pretty. It just has to inspire you.

Do Vision Boards Work?

As mentioned above, vision boards do work because they take the thoughts and dreams in your head and turn them into something real and tangible.

BUT, and it is a big but, they only work for you if you are prepared to work with them.

What does this mean? You have to engage with your vision board and use it to guide your actions as you progress toward making your goals a reality.

Simply making a vision board and storing it away in a cupboard, only looking at it briefly every few weeks or months, won’t get you anywhere.

As with most things in life, you get out what you put in.

The power of a vision board comes in its ability to motivate you to do the work that is required to make the things you put on it a reality.

If you believe in the law of attraction, a vision board will help you to manifest.

It will guide your mind’s eye toward the things you want and help you to imagine your life matching the life you have created on your board.

How To Make A Vision Board

Now that you’re convinced about the power of a vision board, how do you go about making one?

Fortunately, it’s quite a simple process that anyone can follow, even if you don’t have much craft or design experience.

Materials You’ll Need For Your Vision Board

Vision boards are easy to create. You won’t need much as far as materials.

Here is a general list, although your vision board may incorporate things that are not listed here.

Some sort of board – you can use a cork board, a poster board, or a pin board.
Scissors, tape, pins, glue stick – whatever you need to craft your board.
Markers, stickers, or other embellishments – these are completely optional. If embellishments make you feel good, then by all means, incorporate them.
Magazines – this is where you can cut images and quotes from.
Pinterest/Google/Instagram – more places to get the perfect visual reminders for your board.
Color printer – if you plan on sourcing some or all of your images from the internet.
Stuff that inspires you – photos, quotes, sayings, images, reminders all have a place on your board.
Time – give yourself plenty of time to put your board together. Do not put a limit or your creative juices. Invest the time in your vision board so that it actually works for you. Turn off the TV. Put on some inspirational music. Light a candle.

How To Pick The Right Images And Quotes

To be effective, your vision board needs to accurately reflect the future life you want to lead.

Therefore, choosing the most appropriate images that clearly show this future is vital.

The things you put on your board should be the end result that you are aiming for, but you can also include imagery that reflects the steps required to get there.

So while you may have a main image showing the pyramids of Egypt, you could also have one that shows the amount of money you’d need to take that trip.

Or if you have a picture of some scales showing your ideal weight, you might include photos of someone jogging, or some healthy, nutritious meals.

This is where the internet can come in handy. As great as it can be to flick through magazines to find the ideal images, you might not be able to find the perfect one all of the time.

The internet has an almost limitless supply of potentially perfect pictures.

If you wish to include words or quotes on your board – and we recommend you do – then choose positive words that convey the kind of person you wish to be.

You can use single words to tie together various elements of your board. For instance, the word ‘adventure’ might sit among photos of travel, new business ventures, and perhaps even a new partner.

If you’re working on a self-acceptance/self-love board, words like “sacred” or “whole” are great.

If you’re trying to excel in school, or are working to find your dream job, words and phrases like “integrity,” “self-confidence,” and “dedication” may keep the fire in your belly lit to spur you onward.

Or you can select some famous words that mean something to you – we recommend sticking to short quotes or mottos – and print those out too.

How To Position All Your Images And Words

There really isn’t a right or wrong way to organize your vision board. No template to follow.

Some people prefer to put things wherever their gut tells them to, creating a beautiful collage that’s a little messy in places.

Others like to organize their vision board into themed sections or create smaller separate boards for each particular dream, goal, or area of their life.

As an example: a wedding vision board may have one section for wedding gowns, one for clothing and accessory ideas for the bridal party, one section for décor and food, and one section for venue options.

This can be updated as you find your venue, your gown, your bridesmaid outfits, the cake you’re going to order.

It helps to keep building excitement, but also reassures you because it’s like ticking off all the boxes you need to address as that date looms closer.

Putting these sections together is also really helpful because seeing all of these images on a regular basis can reassure you that you’re making the right decisions, rather than leaping in hastily.

You might think initially that the sequined mermaid gown you saw was just brilliant, but after staring at a photo of it for a couple of weeks, suddenly realize that an A-line gown would be a lot more flattering.

The way you decided to organize your board will most likely reflect the type of person you are.

If you are more of a free spirit, you might find a more spontaneous and muddled affair suits your needs.

If you are a detail-oriented person who likes order, you’ll probably want neatly cut items for very organized, even color-coordinated sections or boards.

Add Personalization Where Appropriate

What better way to stay excited about your goal than to put yourself onto the board?

Take photos of yourself and pin them on there, along with little mementos of your journey towards your dream.

Have you started university in pursuit of a degree you’ve always wanted? Have someone take a photo of you on the school steps, smiling your face off. Pin it on there.

Print out your class timetable and pin that there too, along with a picture of your textbooks piled up on your desk.

This can be done so easily with whatever path it is that you’re pursuing: document the journey and refresh older bits so you are always inspired to move forward.

Are you reaching milestones with your health and fitness goals? Are you transitioning gender? Travelling around the world? Do you have a baby on the way?

Take pictures of your progress, and of wonderful moments that have inspired you. Post travel tickets, receipts, notes. Whatever makes you smile and brightens your soul.

Where Should You Put Your Vision Board?

Short answer: wherever you’ll see it on a daily basis.

A vision board is most effective when you spend at least a few minutes each day looking at it.

So you need to hang or stick it somewhere you will see it for that amount of time or longer.

Do you enjoy cooking? Why not stick yours to your fridge door or on a cupboard?

Does your home have a snug where you sit quietly most days?

Do you work from a home office? On the wall above your computer monitor can be a good place for it to go.

If you’re really stuck for ideas, how about creating a vision board on the back of your bathroom door? That way, when you’re answering the call of nature, you can be inspired at the same time!

And remember, it doesn’t need to stay in one place. Sometimes we become blind to the things we see every day.

By moving your vision board around to different positions in your home or office, you will be more likely to study it rather than just glossing over it.

20 Vision Board Ideas To Get You Started

Your vision board should be a reflection of the types of goals, dreams, and aspirations you have.

It should be a snapshot of the type of future you want to achieve for yourself and your loved ones.

This article has already given a number of examples of ways you can use a vision board, but here are some more ideas to get those creative juices flowing.

1. If you are learning to play the guitar, take a photo of you holding yours.

2. Want to become more physically flexible? Find a picture of some advanced yoga poses.

3. Would you like to be a more romantic partner? An image of a dozen red roses will remind you of your goal.

4. Want to get a promotion at work? Copy and paste your email signature, change the job title to the one you want, and print it off.

5. Are you about to publish a book? Print the front cover and put a 5-star Amazon rating below it.

6. Are you looking to retire in 10 years or less? Include images of what you’d spend your retirement doing, whether that’s tending to your garden or playing golf.

7. Looking to form a habit of daily meditation? Get someone to take a photo of you in your meditation position.

8. Want to improve your critical thinking skills? Words such as “evidence” and “truth” can be useful reminders.

9. Do you wish you could work for a non-profit in the children’s care sector? Find images of people who do that now or grab the logos of charities you’d like to work for.

10. Is a safari in the Serengeti on your bucket list? Put photos of elephants, rhinos, or a map of the national park on your board.

11. Do you want to create a profitable portfolio of investments? Mock up a chart with a realistic upward curve illustrating the growth in your assets.

12. Are you an artist? Perhaps photograph your most recent piece with a sold sign next to it.

13. Do you want to get speaking gigs at the biggest events in your industry? A picture of someone standing at a podium might be appropriate, with the logo of the conference next to it.

14. If you have some home renovation goals, a board full of color palettes or items of furniture will inspire you.

15. If you can’t yet drive, but you’d like to, find a photo of someone ripping up their learner plates.

16. Restoring a classic car? A picture of the same model in mint condition is perfect.

17. Baking fanatics might want photos of the types of cakes or puddings they want to master along with recipes snippets.

18. If you’d like to make it into a sports team, images to do with that sport would be a good addition. Bonus points for photos of you playing the sport.

19. Do you have a list of books you’d like to read? Print out their front covers and then replace them with new ones as and when you read each of them.

20. If your dream is to declutter and embrace minimalist living, you might even wish to remove all but the basics from each room of your house, take a photo before putting things back, and then pin that to your board to show where you’d like to get to.

5 Tips To Get The Most From Your Vision Board

Vision boards do work, but some work better than others.

In order to squeeze the most inspiration from yours and turn it into real action, here are some pro tips.

1. Pair It With A Journal To Track Your Progress

Having visual inspiration that makes you dance your way through each day is wonderful and helps to keep your enthusiasm up, but pairing it with a journal can take things to the next level.

Hopes and dreams are great, but they require action to make them a reality.

In your journal, determine which steps you need to take in order to attain your goal, and list them in the order that they need to be achieved. Then create sub-lists of all the things required for each step.

This will allow you to prioritize your actions, and give you small, attainable goals to strive for so you don’t end up getting overwhelmed by the bigger picture.

Let’s go back to that trip to Egypt from the section above. Write down the steps you need to take in order to make that a reality:

Establish how much money you need for the trip, and set that aside. Perhaps you could put aside a certain portion of each paycheck for X number of months to make that happen.
Find out the set of dates that would work best for you, along with any companion(s) you’ll travel with.
Book that time off work.
Book tickets, hotel, activities.
Buy supplies, and get any vaccinations if required.

Link both elements together by adding something to your board for as many of the steps as possible.

As you attain each one, celebrate it! Write a little note in your journal and consider picking up a pack of gold stickers to place on the relevant part of your board every time you achieve a milestone.

2. Consider Materials Other Than Paper

Most vision boards consist of a collage of photos, print-outs, and magazine cut-outs.

But there is nothing stopping you from attaching a sprig of fresh lavender to yours, or some material you like for your new bedroom, or even some tiny baby socks if you’re planning a family in the near future.

Things that you can touch and feel can help maintain your interest in your board and bring things to life even more.

3. Use Scents

Another of the senses that you can trigger with your board is smell.

You might do this with flowers, but you may also splash an essential oil or perfume on your board.

Why not attach a cinnamon stick if your dream is to open a bakery?

The smells you add don’t necessarily have to relate to your dreams or goals, though; they can just be ones that you really like.

They can be used to draw your attention to your board every time you walk past it.

4. Draw Your Dreams

Sometimes you won’t be able to find the perfect image for one of your goals or dreams.

You might have a very particular vision of what you want from life.

If you are handy with a pencil, pen, or brush, draw or paint something that represents the future you wish for.

Either use a separate piece of paper and stick/pin it to your board, or draw/paint directly onto your board if appropriate and possible.

5. Allow Your Feelings To Guide You

Your thoughts can be very useful when making a vision board, but so can your feelings.

Listen to what they are telling you and only add images that fill you with positive emotions.

That perfect beach body may be what you aspire to, but does looking at it make you feel unattractive? Does it make your goal seem unattainable?

Get rid of it and opt for images of the things you can do to reach that goal. Things related to diet and exercise, for example.

A vision board is a simple but effective way to keep you focused and motivated in pursuit of the future you dream of.

Making one doesn’t take long, yet the benefits can be immeasurably large.

So what are you waiting for? Starting creating one today!

Want to really figure out what you want in life and how to get it? Speak to a life coach today who can walk you through the process. Simply fill out this short form to get quotes from several coaches along with details of how they can help.