It’s often said to speak your desires into existence, and by placing that energy into the universe, you allow that energy to manifest itself in your life. However, sometimes speaking isn’t enough. Life can get out of control, and we quickly find our goals on the backburner. If you’ve ever had this problem, then I highly suggest you create a vision board.
A vision board, also known as a dream board, is a collection of images and affirmations that empower you to make decisions that will guide your ideal life. Vision boards can also serve to remind you to practice gratitude and self-love daily. However, your vision is as powerful as you make it.
Goal setting can be challenging. Sometimes we have a goal, and we don’t know how to get there. As a result, sometimes we quickly conclude the goal is too hard to accomplish and discard it, or perhaps we attempt to reach the goal but are unable to make informed decisions. Creating a vision board helps you slow down, do research, and break down your goals into small, achievable bites.
For instance, you want to go back to school and graduate with a particular degree. That’s not a simple task to accomplish if your a full-time employee or a parent. So, instead of putting an image of a school or a diploma on your vision board. Put pictures of an acceptance letter, a textbook, or of a classroom. Then add meaning to those images that reflect each step you’re taking towards your goal. For example, an acceptance letter can represent the goal to apply for a school, and a classroom can represent the goal of going to your first class.
By breaking down your goals into bite-sized pieces on your vision board, your goals feel more achievable, and you feel more accomplished because you see yourself manifesting what’s on the board. That, in turn, motivates you to keep hitting each milestone. A vision board can only be powerful if you're thoughtful about each item you place on the board.
Getting Started
There are many ways to create vision boards, both physically and virtually. You don’t have to be a graphic designer to make a beautiful vision board, but you need a space to start collecting images and affirmations. Below I listed a few virtual ways of creating vision boards.
Social media is impossible to escape from, and sometimes it can feel like a prison. However, social media is what you make of it! The algorithms work to provide you with results that match your interaction history. So if you interact with negative spaces, you’ll consume negative energy. But, if you interact with positive spaces, you’ll consume positive energy.
Instagram is a fantastic place to create a vision board. Create a new account and start following pages that motivate you to accomplish your goals. Don’t just follow celebrities and people who have fancy cars and clothes. Follow business pages, travel pages, affirmation pages, and education pages. Consume and produce content that helps you get where you want to go!
A word of caution, it’s easy to be absorbed in the accomplishments of others through social media. So it’s essential to be mindful of how much you invest in other people's lives.
Pinterest is a perfect space for a vision board. When you find an image that piques your interest, you can “pin it” to your board. It’s great if you want to avoid cluttering your phone with lots of images.
Pinterest is a lovely space to consume, upload, and engage with content that motivates and inspires you while providing resources to guide you through your goals. You can follow multiple pages, create different boards for each of your goals, and get inspiration and guidance for your goals. I love the image activities like the 30-day challenge calendars and journalling templates.
So if you’re not a fan of Instagram, definitely give Pinterest a try!
Notion
Notion is a workspace for notes, tasks, calendars, reminders, and much more. You can create a page for anything, including a vision board. It’s the ideal space for people who love to organize!
In Notion, you can create a network of pages. You can create a vision board in gallery view or board view and link each page on your vision board to a task on your notion task board. By connecting your goals to tasks, you can manage your time and energy more efficiently throughout the week and month.
In software development projects, a task board like the one shown below is often used to manage weekly tasks (below is my task board). These types of task boards are known as Kanban boards. Tasks “in progress” are tasks you’re currently working towards completing. If a task requires a third-party’s approval before completion, it’s moved to “pending acceptance.” And once a task is complete, it’s moved to the “done.”
Each of these tasks links to a page in my Notion vision board. As you can see, I completed my tasks for 2020. Currently, I’m working on my 2021 vision board, and all the items in “to-do” are pending for 2021.
Walk into the new year with new energy and let your vision board be your daily reminder to be your best.
