How to Make a Vision Board That Actually Works

I had been trying to make a vision board since at least 2014. Every January I would get so excited. I would binge-watch youtube videos about them. I would gather all the magazines in my house that were collecting dust. Then I would hunt for a glue stick and scissors. I had every intention to get to work manifesting. Most years, I would get this far. Then my motivation would fade away. I would rise from the fog in June only to realize 6 months had gone by and I had accomplished exactly 0 of the things I wanted to. I had all but given up on vision boards when 2018 rolled around. 2018 felt different though. I was determined to stick to it and get results. So I tried again, and I’m so glad I did.

This time I had a different approach. I stuck to honoring who I was and focusing on the goals and not the methods of how I would achieve them. For some people, vision boards are about just creating a place where they can see and visualize their goal and be reminded of them every day. I am already awesome at visualization. Imagination is my jam as a writer and I know how to do it extremely well. 

What I didn’t know how to do well was stick to my goals. Making a vision board allowed me to put my goals in a nice and tidy space that I could return to, and remind myself to make little decisions every day to get to where I wanted to be. If you’ve never made a vision board or you’re a former vision board failure like I was looking to achieve some goals, read on to see how I made a vision board that ACTUALLY worked + my results in just 6 months!

1. Choose a Medium That Works For You

Look, I know there are tons of videos and blogs dedicated to why you should use your hands, glue, and a good ole poster board but I am not in that camp. I am a financial disaster waiting to happen in Micheals. I can’t cut a straight line to save my life (seriously, I almost had to redo preschool because I couldn’t cut out my shapes). As someone who struggles with being a messy person, the last thing I need is a pile of glitter, stickers, and tiny pieces of magazines all over the floor. If the idea of cutting out pictures, making an awesome collage, and glue of any kind sounds exciting to you, do that! If not, what I did was make a digital vision board.

That’s right. In true millennial fashion, I turned to the internet and some of my favorite images. Pinterest is AMAZING for this. I made a Pinterest board first with all of my favorite images, and then once I was done I put those images in a collage using Pic Monkey. Another great place for images is Flickr. You could also use an app on your phone to do this, Canva, or any other editing service you like.

After I was done with my collage, I saved it as an image on my desktop so I would see it every day and be reminded of the commitments I had made to myself. Going digital changed everything for me. By not having to focus on literally making the board I could focus on cultivating images that inspired me and arrange them in a way that made sense to me. It was a clean process which really helped because I can’t work in an environment that is messy. It allowed me to be more creative I feel. Bottom line, choose what works for you and allows you to be the most creative. 

2. Don’t Follow Trends

Just like my first tip, you have to pick what works for you. If you have a goal to be vegetarian and cutting out a salad doesn’t inspire you but all the other people you saw with similar goals did that, don’t do it! You have to pick images that make sense to you. If it doesn’t inspire you it won’t work.

This was hard for me because I really wanted to do things “right”. I fell into a lot of the same traps I found myself in all the other times. I had to be okay with the fact that if someone else was looking at my board, it might not make sense, and that’s okay! The board is for you, and no one else. Play around with structure. 

A lot of the advice out there about manifestation and vision boards urge you to be specific and I do too, but, “specific” is relative to each of us. As a general rule though, putting “I want to be rich” will not work. Rich is not a goal. Making a $100,000 a year is. If the goal is not specific, you yourself won’t even know you’ve achieved it! Making a vision board is an artistic process. Don’t let what everyone else is doing drown out your own voice. Their board worked for them, your board has to work for you.

3. Don’t Limit Yourself

The “how” of things is not up to you. Do not get caught up in thoughts that seem to say “How am I going to do this?” or “I don’t have the money for this” or “There’s no way I can accomplish all this in a year”. Your job is to put what you want out into the universe. After that, it is to make steps everyday to get closer to those goals.

Opportunities come from everywhere. The universe has a way of working things out if we use it as a tool to further our growth. If you want to buy a new house this year, put it on the board! Want to travel abroad but don’t have the money yet? Put it on the board! The whole point of a vision board is to dream big, make a plan, and execute.

If you don’t allow yourself to dream, or you only let yourself set goals that seem attainable for you, you will never get out of where you are right now. When I was making my vision board I got in my own way a lot. I found myself stuck on how I was going to make any of this happen, and once I let go of the how, the results came and didn’t stop. We can put in the work, but sometimes we just can’t imagine the great things ahead. Let go of your fear and dream as big you want for your board.

4. Edit Throughout The Year

While I like to leave things I already accomplished on my board, at the halfway mark in June, I go through my board and add things or even subtract things I realized I didn’t want. This is another one of the things I credit my success to. If you feel like you need to edit more throughout the year you can do a monthly check-in or a quarterly check-in. For me halfway works perfectly.

No matter what you choose to do, by going back and editing it makes your board feel like a living, breathing, and evolving thing. If you just make a board and look at it every day for a year and never change anything on it, you can lose inspiration and your board can feel stale. This is another reason I like to go digital with these.  A digital board allows for removing and adding to be a breeze. You don’t have to worry about running out of space either.

Goals change. You also change throughout the year and that’s totally normal. It doesn’t mean you’re not committed. Or that taking away from your board means you failed. You’re just giving yourself room to be human. The first part of the year you’re filled with excitement. While that energy can make your board come to life and be truly inspired, by June some of that has worn off.

Fresh eyes allow you take a good look at your goals and decide which ones matter and which ones just don’t. It also gives you a chance to celebrate your wins! By the quarterly or halfway mark, you are likely to have accomplished one of your goals. Seeing your own progress can re-inspire you to continue going strong and see your way to the finish line.

My Results With My 2018 Vision Board

So, I am happy to tell you guys I have completed about 80% of whats on my vision board. When I did the halfway check-in I was stunned. There was no way I had actually done all this stuff. I thought it would take longer, but making small steps equals big results. I’m not going to share my vision board. I don’t think it is helpful really. Like I said previously your vision board has to work for you. Just like mine is working for me. However, I will definitely share some of the exciting things I’ve accomplished.

• Go to New Orleans (I’ve been wanting to go to one of the most magical cities in the world since I was a teenager and this year I finally made it happen)
• Move to Los Angeles ( Once I realized SF was not for me, I decided to move back to my home of Southern California.)
• Grow my credit (Hello 720’s!)
• Go to Paris (Again, a goal I have since I was a little girl. Set for December 2018!)
• Travel more than the year before (check, check, check!)
• Find an apartment with beautiful lighting and lots of windows (Yes!)
• Start working for myself (I started Return to Daydreams!) If you wanna know how you can start your own money making blog and gain financial and schedule freedom, you can read my guide here!

All of these things happened because I had the courage to ask for them and I want you to have the courage to ask for yourself! Without the visual of my board I don’t think I would’ve accompished as much as I have. I am now singing the praises of vision boards all across the globe! I urge you all to give it a chance and see for yourself how your goals and life change with it. 

Interested in being coached personally around your goals? Check out my coaching page! I have several options to choose from. In coaching we:

• Determine the goal or area of your life you want to completely transform. Whether it’s money, starting a business, or finding love, I will teach you how to use the Law Of Attraction to transform your life for good.
• We will heal your past. Everything in your present is just the result of how you have been thinking. By getting intentional, and healing any negative blocks you might have currently, you can change anything in your life and start living the way you’ve always dreamed.
• I have helped dozens of clients with manifesting their desires. From manifest $40,000, a new soulmate connection, and a full ride scholarship, I have been teaching women how to fulfil their desires and create their dream lives for four years now. Let me help you too!