How to Create a Vision Board for your Life, Career and More!

Person walking and creating their life the way they want it with a Vision Board

Use this How to Create a Vision Board article to help you find a new vision for your life in 4 easy steps. Also learn what supplies you’ll need, why vision boards work, get top tips and much, much more!

In this How to Vision Board Article

Why are Vision Boards Helpful?

To make change in our life, we must have direction: we must know what we want.

But all too often our dreams, desires—and even our true needs—are buried under a layer of “Must dos”, “Shoulds” and “Have to even thought I don’t want tos”. We have responsibilities, commitments and expectations (both our own and other people’s).

So a Vision Board is a great way to help us connect to what we truly want and need. And it’s especially helpful to connect to our deeper yearnings and dreams.

Why a Vision Board is helpful now…

The COVID crisis caused us all to step back from our day-to-day lives. This distance from ‘regular’ life (with all the associated commitments and responsibilities), gave us an opportunity to see what wasn’t working in our ‘ordinary’ life. We began to think about how we wanted life to be different.

But then the pandemic continued. And continued. And continued…

We are dealing with a world that has shifted. More technology, more uncertainty, more fear, different priorities. And many of us are dealing with the financial impacts of COVID too.

Yet things have stabilised somewhat. Most of us are finding ways to get through it: it’s time to look forward—however cautiously…

So, What is a Vision Board?

A Vision Board is a collective name for an inspirational map or collage that we create from pictures and words. It’s a visual representation of the inner workings of our mind—and a powerful way to connect deeply with our subconscious. Your Vision Board connects you to deep yearnings, needs, dreams, hopes—and opens up new possibilities, as well as being a powerful way to make your aspirations more attainable.

Lucia Capacchione says that, “In Visioning we are reshaping the images in our heads to catch up with the vision in our hearts.”

Important note:

Vision Boards don’t need to be for your whole life, they can cover 6 months, a year, 5 years, 10 years. And they can also be created for a specific area of your life: your family or partner relationship, career/business, spiritual growth/path, even simply how to get through the next year!

5 Reasons to Create a Vision Board

  1. Clarify who you are, what you want from life or where you’re going.
  2. For encouragement and inspiration.
  3. Tap into your inner wisdom, creativity or spirituality.
  4. Focus on specific areas of your life like work, home, relationships or goals.
  5. Create a life that supports how you want to feel (as opposed to things you want or things you might want to do).

The great thing is that every Vision Board is different—and you get to choose.

What you’ll need to create your Vision Board
  • A piece of bristol board or cardboard (you pick the size!)
  • Scissors and glue.
  • A supply of inspirational magazines to cut out pictures from eg. Oprah, home magazines, spiritual magazines, National Geographic—anything with great pictures.
  • Lastly, if you like, you can also use coloured marker pens to write on your Vision Board.

How to Create a Vision Board (that works) in 4 Easy Steps

IMPORTANT: Before you do anything, choose WHAT you want to make your Vision Board about, and then follow the four steps below.

Vision Board creation overview: cut out and collect pictures, words, quotes that inspire you or simply catch your eye (you can do this at one sitting or build a collection over time). Then simply paste and organize your images and words onto a big piece of paper. And write the date on it somewhere!

STEP 1) Cut out images and words that ‘speak to you’Person cutting out magazines for how to create a vision board

Start flicking through magazines and cut out anything that inspires or grabs your attention until you have a pile of pictures to work with. Then you get to see what unfolds!

Some great magazines to use are the Oprah magazine and similar (great for inspiring catchphrases), National Geographic and travel or wildlife magazines.

IMPORTANT: It doesn’t matter how or why an image draws you in, just that it ‘pulls’ you somehow.

Questions to consider as you look through magazines include:

  • How do you want your life to FEEL?
  • What sounds do you want to HEAR? What do you want to SEE around you?
  • What do you want to be doing? What do you want to be doing differently?
  • What does your HEART want going forwards?
  • Ask, What do I REALLY want from life? What is the life I REALLY want to live and WHO do I REALLY want to be?

TOP TIP: If you find you’re drawn to something ODD or UNEXPECTED—grab it (you can ponder why later—that’s part of the fun!)

STEP 2) How to Create Your Vision Board

How to Create a Vision Board Example

An Example Vision Board

  • Arrange and stick on the images on a blank piece of paper or card in an arrangement that pleases you.
  • There is no ‘right’ way to do this—all ways work.

TOP TIP: Remember this is not about creating an artistic masterpiece but creating something that visually inspires and excites you!

STEP 3) Review your completed Vision Board

  • Take a few minutes to just look at your board. No thinking. Breathe deeply. Relax.
  • What do you feel as you look at your Vision Board?
  • Take a few more moments and allow yourself to fully feel whatever you feel (you may find you go through a few different feelings!).
    • For example, you may find your initial feelings are not as positive as you expected. You may feel sad as you realise this is not how your life is right now. If you have a strong critic you may judge yourself and feel guilt or shame. You may feel longing, or frustrated or angry—with life, others, yourself. It’s all OK.
    • Then/and/or you may feel thrilled, excited, raring to go. You may feel curious, a sense of peace and ‘rightness’ or inspired!
  • Whatever you feel just is. Sit with it, feel it—but don’t wallow (here’s a simple process for dealing with difficult feelings if you need it).
  • Finally put your Vision Board somewhere you will see it often. 1

TOP TIP: You can also journal about this Vision Board reviewing experience to go even deeper!

STEP 4) How to Learn from your Vision Board!Woman learning from her vision board writing in journal next to window

I recommend you look at your Vision Board regularly, especially just before bed and see what ideas your mind can come up with while you’re asleep. You can also prop it up next to you for inspiration whenever you’re goal-setting or planning.

Here are a number of ways to explore, journal around—and learn from—your Vision Board:

This final step is best done a few days, or even a week or two, later—after you have “sat with it” for a while.

  • As you did in Step 3, take a few minutes to look at—and feel into—your Vision Board. Take your time. Relax into your body.
  • Now use the inspirations, images and words to do one of the following:
    • Write a poem about how you would like your life to be (no self-judgement please—just write what’s in your heart!).
    • Have a conversation with your inner self. You could start by asking, “What do you want to tell me?”
    • Write out what an ideal day would look like for you.
    • Simply describe how you feel—and what that feels like…
  • You could also choose one image that stands out to you—maybe you’re particularly drawn to it OR perhaps you have no idea why you chose it and are curious.
    • Write about that image. Start with, “Image of ________, what do you have to say to me?”

Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside awakens. Carl Jung

Feeling Stuck?

No idea where to start? It’s EASY! Simply start flicking through magazines, newspapers, even the internet and simply cut out anything that inspires or grabs your attention until you have a pile of pictures to work with.

Now you get to see what unfolds!

You could also try answering these questions; 1) What do I REALLY want from life overall/over the next year/10 years?, 2) What is the life I REALLY want to live? or 3) WHO do I really want to be?

How to make it even more fun!Friends having fun create a vision board online

There are few things in life that are not more fun (or at least improved) when done with friends…

So why not get a few good friends together—even virtually over Zoom if you need to—and spend a fun and inspiring evening creating your own Vision Boards? Then share them with each other at the end (or even during for additional ideas and inspiration)!

So, how does a Vision Board really work?

It’s been scientifically proven that our mind can only hold about 7 pieces of information at any one time. And yet there are millions of pieces of information around us all the time (think about everything you think and can see/hear/feel around you right now for starters!).

So, to ensure we don’t get overwhelmed, our mind learns to filter information and only show us information it thinks is relevant. That’s why when we get a new car or find out we’re going to be parents we suddenly notice blue Mazda 5s (just like ours), pregnant women or new dads everywhere.

It’s the very act of CREATING the Vision Board that tells our mind what’s important—and as a result our mind will draw our attention to things we might otherwise not have noticed. So, a Vision Board is a great way to focus our mind on what we truly want!

7 Top Vision Boarding Tips
  1. Have FUN! You can start with a blank piece of paper and go totally free-form, or you can outline a tree/book/star shape to play with. You can also make it 3D!
  2. If you have a totem or spirit animal, look out for pictures of them. You can also build your Vision Board in the shape of your totem or spirit animal.
  3. To be most effective and connect your left brain (logic, analysis, words) and right brain (creativity, emotions, heart, images) your Vision Board MUST HAVE PICTURES. Yes, you can do a words-only Vision Board, but it won’t have the same impact.
  4. While looking for pictures, run free and dream. INCLUDE ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING that appeals or speaks to you! Don’t analyze. Stop thinking and tune into your HEART and CREATIVE right brain!
  5. Include PERSONAL AFFIRMATIONS or inspiring quotes that get you inspired about life.
  6. For maximum impact and the best results, be sure to include UNFAMILIAR and UNEXPECTED things you’re drawn to.
  7. Use COLOUR! Whether it’s coloured pens, post-it notes or coloured shapes—make it VIBRANT and exciting.

As you create your Vision Board, remember the 3 important C – Connections we need to be happy in life:

  1. Connection to ourselves: To create the life we want, we must learn to deeply understand our selves.
  2. Connection to others: To be happy, we need to have meaningful relationships with people who matter.
  3. Connection to something bigger than ourselves: To create meaning in our lives, we need to find a way to contribute—or connect to—the wider world.

Wrap-upFierce Kindness Logo

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams; live the life you imagined. Henry David Thoreau

Without direction—a vision of what we’re moving towards—it’s hard to take concrete action and create the life, career or relationship we want.

So, first we must envision the life we want…

A Vision Board not only helps us create that vision, but when done well it connects us deeply to our self. And this makes our goals and aspirations more powerful and inspiring. Which also makes us more motivated, excited and likely to do the work that brings them into being!

Change the world. Start with you!

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What to do with your Vision Board afterwards…

1 There are two main schools of thought about how to have success with Vision Boards

I’ll start by saying that I’m a little biased. Because while you may achieve your vision WITHOUT taking deliberate action, if you consciously take action and get things moving it’s MUCH more likely.

However, I’ve had clients who have had great success with both methods below, so check in with yourself and see which you think will work for you. It’s your Vision Board, so how you decide to use it is entirely up to you. Here are the two main schools of thought:

1) FORGET about your Vision Board:

Put it away. You’ll find it in 5 years and things will magically have happened. This can help us remove any attachment to our vision—so we don’t FORCE things or try too hard. Also, when we put something somewhere obvious, we tend to stop seeing it after a while.

2) Put your Vision Board somewhere you will SEE IT REGULARLY:

This will remind, inspire and focus you. And this option is my personal preference—but to avoid the blahs, sit down every once in a while and really look at it. Review it and allow yourself to feel and get excited by it. As mentioned, just before sleep is a great time to do this as it allows our mind to think on it and absorb it overnight.

Image of Scissors with road lifting tarmac to show life vision board by Comfreak via Pixabay

Image of Person walking into the sunset inside zipper by soft_light via Shutterstock

Image of Selection of Magazines by StockSnap via Pixabay

Image of Friends over Zoom creating a Vision Board having fun by insta_photos via Shutterstock

Image of Woman learning from her vision board writing in journal next to window by Farknot Architect via Shutterstock

2 Comments

  1. Virginia Reeves

    Good tips Emma. I like the extra tip selections and the reasons you suggest. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Emma-Louise Elsey

      Hi Virginia, so glad you like this How to Vision Board Article (with extras!). Thank-you for taking the time to comment 🙂 Emma-Louise x

      Reply

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