Make your own vision board

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

I found an interesting article on vision boards and goal setting a few years ago. It caught my imagination, and I produced my very first vision board. It wasn’t intricate, and it wasn’t overly detailed. However, it worked, and it got me focusing on the things I had put on there. It got me working towards things I’d always wanted to do but had never gotten around to. Half of this happened without me even realizing it; by continually looking at that board, I found I was subconsciously making decisions and choices that led me toward my goals.

After recognizing this, I found and hopped on to several online vision board parties. These gave me an even greater understanding of how to make my vision board work better. For example, I have quit bad habits, introduced good practices, eaten healthier, and enjoyed regular yoga since using vision boards. My relationships have improved; I have gone back into education and much more. Even the planning and development of this website continue to be on my vision boards.

What is a vision board?

So let’s begin by looking at what a vision board is. A vision board (also known as a dream board) is a board on which you display photographs, words, quotes, and pictures. And anything else that helps you visualize your future goals. It can be made from cardboard with paper clippings and images attached to it, an old pinboard, or built on a computer. Essentially, you are creating a board with your future goals clearly defined on it. This board is placed somewhere prominent, so you look at it several times a day. Looking at it will help keep you focused clearly on your goals and the direction you are heading in.

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular” – Tony Robbins

Goal setting

You first need to set your goals; this can be done in either one session or over a few days/weeks. It all depends on you and what is comfortable for you. I jot down my goals, wishes, and aspirations using a piece of paper and a pen, whereas my friend writes everything in the notes section on her phone. Choose a medium that works for you and go with it.

Sit quietly and think about what you want out of life and where you want to be. Write it all down on a sheet of paper or in a book as bullet points, sentences, or any other medium of your choice. Putting your thoughts out there is the beginning of making them a reality and one of the most critical parts of this whole process.

Negative thoughts

Once you have finished writing your goals down, look at your wants, and recognize any negative thoughts you have that may stop you from achieving your goals. These could be as simple as believing you don’t have enough time to do something or thinking it costs too much money.

Negativity will stop you from achieving your goals, as thoughts often determine your actions. If you think you can’t achieve something, then you won’t. Negative thoughts stop you from pushing harder and stepping out of your comfort zone. Once you recognize you have these thoughts release them, let them go and don’t allow them to hold you back.

Refine your goals

Next, take some time to look at and refine your goals. If, for example, you’ve written down lose weight, it’s hard to measure your progress. Whereas, if you refine it to lose 8 lbs or 3.6kg, it instantly becomes a more achievable goal. Concentrating on losing a specific amount of weight makes you more likely to achieve your goal. If you’ve written down, save towards buying a house, and refine your goal to save £20,000 towards a deposit. You have a set yourself a figure to work towards. Refining your goals will make you think more in-depth about what you want to get out of life.

Making your board

After you have refined your goals and know what you want out of this stage in your life, it is time to begin. Start collecting photographs, pictures, and magazine clippings. Plus, you can put quotes, words, and anything on a physical or digital board relevant to your goals. I have a photograph of my adult children on my vision board with the writing ‘date night’ and ‘family date’ – since I want to maintain healthy relationships with each of them.

One night a month spent doing something with each of my children takes up only a little of their time. One family date night a month, which we decided was to go out for a meal, helps maintain all the family relationships, including husband and wife, siblings, parent, and child relationships. Plus, their partners are invited, so it’s an excellent get-together. I know the meaning behind my children’s pictures and the tiny piece of writing next to them. I don’t need the in-depth version upon my vision board. So, use clippings of words, short quotes, and pictures; make them all relevant to your goals and easy to digest each time you look at your board.

Focusing on your vision board and manifesting your dreams

Your board must speak to you, so make it attractive to you. After all, you are the person who will be looking at it and visualizing your future. Put it on your desktop if it’s a digital board. If it is a physical board, hang it up where you will keep seeing it. The more you look at it, the more you will focus on your goals and visualize what it would be like to achieve them. In turn, this will motivate you to work towards achieving your goals.

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”– Ursula K Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness)

Look at our popular ‘vision boards and manifesting your dreams‘ workbook for a more in-depth guide. Also, remember to follow our Facebook page, where we periodically run vision board parties.

If you are seeking extra help, remember you can use crystals to help manifest your goals. Start with manifestation quartz; as the name suggests, these crystals can help to manifest/create a new reality. You could also create a crystal grid to help manifest your intentions; look at our blog post about them.

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