The Secret to Making a Successful Vision Board in 2024
You may have made vision boards in the past, or at least heard of them. They are useful tools to help you set and achieve goals and create a vision of the future you want to bring to life. You might also have heard them be called dream boards or manifestation boards.
How do you make a vision board that is guaranteed to work? There are some essential things you need to know to create a successful vision board that will help you manifest your goals, so it’s not just sitting there mocking you as time goes by and nothing happens.
I’m not just going to tell you how to cut paper and glue it onto a poster board or find the perfect pictures on Pinterest, because it’s not as simple as that.
In this article you’re going to learn why they work, the secret to making a vision board that will help you achieve your dreams and goals, and the different ways you can make a vision board including online for free.
At the end of this guide you’re going to know exactly how to make a 2024 vision board that works.
The Science Behind Vision Boards
A vision board is a visual tool that helps you create, or manifest, the things you see. They help you to focus your intention, and your actions, on what you really want.
Not only can a vision board motivate you, but it sends signals to your subconscious mind. When you see the vision board and think “I want this” your brain starts to work on finding ways to get it.
Studies comparing visualization and physical action have found that visualization can create physical results in the body, they are not as significant as physical action but they certainly can’t be dismissed.
Here’s the potential pitfall of vision boards (and the Law of Attraction as some teach it), they don’t work without taking action to create what you want. The same goes with any method of manifestation.
→ Learn the 3 Key Steps of Manifestation
Other studies show that if you are only visualizing what you want and expect it to manifest without taking any action to create it, it’s not going to happen. To which I say, DUH!
Cynics will tell you to throw your vision board away because it doesn’t work, but that’s because people aren’t using them the right way (which you’re going to learn about here). They look at their vision board and dream about having the things on it, but they don’t take action to create it.
Visualization must be combined with action. You have to take action to achieve any goal. There aren’t short cuts, but you can use a vision board to get your subconscious mind to be your ally that’s quietly working on solutions and giving you nudges in the right direction.
The Key Elements of a Vision Board
Your typical dream board only has images of things you aspire to. Photos of a fit body, a million dollar house, the perfect family, a CEO’s office, your dream vacation, etc. And these things are great to have on a vision board, but they are missing two vital elements.
One of the key parts of manifestation is feeling as if you already have what you want. The energy you put out you get back, so having this mindset of what you want being in the future will keep that thing perpetually in the future.
Instead we want normalize the feeling of already having your dream career or owning your dream home. We want to feel like it’s already done and on it’s way to us right now, like we placed an order online and it’s already shipped.
So in addition to your dreams and goals, you need to have images that represent things you’ve already accomplished and things you love.
This creates an connection between what you love, what you’ve already accomplished, and what you want to manifest. Let me explain why.
1. Your Accomplishments
All too often when we want something big or outside of our comfort zone our brain will come up with all sorts of reasons why we can’t do it. They might sound like, “I’ll fail, I’m not smart enough, I don’t know how, it’s impossible, I’m not worthy, it’s too hard,” and a hundred other irrational doubts and fears.
The reason it’s important to acknowledge your previous accomplishments on your vision board is that it reminds you “I’ve already done this, so I can do that too!”
Most of us have a lot of debilitating beliefs about our capabilities and self-worth, we might not be consciously aware of them but they are always working against our goals.
If at a subconscious level you believe something is impossible or that you’ll fail, you’ll find a way to make it true. But, if you believe that you can in fact do or have what you want then you’ll be so much more likely to succeed because you believe in yourself.
Instead of only having things on your vision board that are in the future, you are creating an association between what is possible and what is already done.
That feeling of accomplishment isn’t just waiting for you in the future, it’s in the past and present too! Drawing on those memories and feelings makes your ability to create what you want so much more powerful.
This can look like a diploma, an award, your biggest paycheck, or anything that symbolizes something you’ve done. It doesn’t have to be some momentous thing, just anything that makes you feel proud.
If you have a weight loss vision board keep a tally of pounds lost. If you’re starting a new habit put a habit tracker on it so you can see the days you’ve succeeded. If you’re saving money to put a down payment on a house put your milestones on there as you go. Celebrate your wins.
2. Things You Love
Trusting that you’ll be able to bring a vision board to life requires some optimism. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but optimistic people tend to be a bit happier than pessimistic people. Are they happier because they’re optimistic or optimistic because they’re happy? I don’t know, but I do know that positive feelings are important to a successful dream board.
Putting things you love on your vision board makes you happy, it makes you appreciate what you already have. Gratitude is a positive force no matter what you’re doing, and it can only make your ability to manifest everything on your dream board all the more powerful.
Add a few images of things you love to your vision board. It can be photos of your pet, a past vacation, your favorite color, people you love, anything that makes you feel joy!
3. Your Goals and Dreams
Now we come to the whole point of creating a vision board, your dreams and goals.
This is the part where you use your imagination. What possibilities for your future excite you? When you close your eyes and think about your life a year from now, or ten years from now, what does that look like?
What do YOU really want? Not society, your friends, or your parents, but what do you want deep down? What brings you happiness?
Where do you live? What do you do in your free time? What causes do you support? Who are you with? How do you dress?
In addition to the external reality of your vision, what does future you look like on the inside? How do you feel? What’s your work ethic? What are your values? This part doesn’t have to be on your vision board, though you can put a word, phrase, or mantra on it.
We’re really just trying to paint the whole picture. You could put a $20 million dollar home and private jet on your vision board, but how you feel might be more important than what you have.
How to Create Your Vision Board
There are a few ways to create a vision board. First you can cut up magazines or print photos and make a collage, or you can create a digital vision board and use it as your computer and phone background.
Types of vision boards you can make:
- Career and business vision board
- Dream home vision board
- Weight loss vision board
- Five year goals
- Academic success vision board
- etc
If you have a goal to increase your income use a manifestation check. Write down the amount you want and the present date, like it’s already done. You can also write multiple checks. Let’s say your big money goal is $1,000,000 but it feels so out of reach. Write that check, but also write another for an amount you believe in, like $5,000. When you achieve that write another check for $10,000. So you have both your big goal and a smaller goal that feels achievable.
If you have a health or weight loss vision board keep a tally of pounds lost on your vision board as your accomplishment, instead of the pounds you still want to lose. It puts a more positive spin on what can be a challenging goal.
How to Make a Digital Vision Board
I highly recommend Canva for your digital vision board should you choose to make one. It’s a free program that has tons of creative tools to play with.
They have a large selection of free photos, but obviously you can save pictures from Pinterest and upload them there.
I created this vision board for my laptop background below.
To create your online vision board on Canva, select Create a Design and then choose Desktop Wallpaper, or type in Phone Wallpaper if you want to make one for your phone. You can also create a custom size if you need different dimensions.
If you want the template for the vision board I created above you can get it emailed to you by clicking on the banner below.
To sum up, a successful vision board isn’t just any nice pictures stuck on a board. You have to create visual signals that tell your subconscious mind to work on creating what you want.
The key elements for a vision board are images of things you love, your past accomplishments, and your goals and dreams. Add a willingness to take action to make it happen and you’ve got it in the bag!
I hope you found these tips helpful! Thank you for stopping by.
