How to Create a Vision Board

Creating a vision board is a powerful way to visualize your goals, stay motivated, and reinforce your reasons for change. Below are the key elements to include in your recovery vision board:

What is a Vision Board

Are there aspects of your life you want to change? Perhaps you want to change your career and land your dream job? Or maybe you have goals on where you see your life in five or ten years, whether that is married with children or traveling the world on a solo adventure! We all want different things in our lives, and sometimes, it can be difficult to remember to prioritize these things. One way to ensure you are constantly reminded of your goals and inspired to achieve them is with a vision board. This beautiful visualization tool is created from a collage of words and images and designed to help you focus. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about creating your own.

1. Categories to Include

Your vision board should reflect different aspects of your recovery journey. Consider including:

Personal Growth: Quotes, affirmations, or images that inspire resilience and strength.
Health & Wellness: Pictures of healthy foods, fitness activities, or relaxation techniques.
Relationships: Images or words representing positive relationships with loved ones.
Career & Purpose: Goals related to work, passion projects, or education.
Joy & Fulfillment: Hobbies, travel destinations, or experiences you want to enjoy.

2. Materials Needed

A board (physical corkboard or digital vision board using apps like Canva, Pinterest, or Vision Board Maker)
Magazines, printed images, or digital graphics
Scissors, glue, tape (for physical boards)
Markers or stickers for personal touches

3. Steps to Create Your Vision Board

Define Your Goals – Write down your top 3-5 goals for recovery and personal growth.
Gather Visuals – Find images, words, or symbols that represent your goals.
Arrange & Personalize – Lay out your board in a way that feels inspiring and motivating.
Display It Somewhere Visible – Place it in a prominent location or save it as your phone’s wallpaper if digital.
Review & Update Regularly – Revisit your board to refresh your goals and stay motivated.

Updated: Mar 19, 2023 | BY Cailyn Cox

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board is a visualization tool consisting of a collage of images, words, and quotes. They are created to inspire you and motivate you to manifest (and hopefully achieve) your goals. They can be used for multiple purposes, including a wedding dream board, weight loss, or personal development, so each piece is created to be unique to the creator. Not only are they a useful tool, but they are also fun to make.

How Does a Vision Board Work?

The point of a vision board is to help inspire you and motivate you to achieve your goals. Looking at it every day will serve as a reminder of what you want, which can range from personal goals to inspiration for an important event. The combination of images and words is more than pretty pictures, and they can make it feel like you are one step closer to making your dreams a reality.

Goals of a Vision Board

Motivation: There are several reasons vision boards are used, including motivation. Motivation to act or behave in a certain way can change your actions and make you work harder to achieve them.

Intent: A vision board intends to get you acting upon dreams and goals to turn them into realities. You should feel determined.

Inspiration: Inspiration is for the goals or dreams that you want to achieve. You can include images of happy or working individuals if you want to strive to accomplish something with your career, or it could be filled with people who are working hard at the gym to remind yourself that you, too, are capable of this.

Clarity: A vision board can help you achieve better clarity, and you may find that putting together the images and words that motivate and inspire you to make your goals clearer and more attainable.

How to Make a Vision Board

A vision board can be digital or can be created on a physical board. What you choose will depend on your preference, but many people find that having the board up on their ceiling or wall motivates and inspires them more because they can look at it daily.

The board: You will decide on the size of your board, which can be created from a thin piece of wood, thick cardboard, or a poster board. This will be the base for your college.
Embellishments: The board aims to motivate and inspire you, clarifying your intent. To do this, you want the board to be as beautiful as possible, which can be achieved by adding embellishments. Not only will it be aesthetically pleasing, but the creation of your vision board will be fun.
Magazines, Photographs, Quote Cards, or Printouts: You can use a mix of media to achieve your vision board, depending on your preference and what is available to you. This could be a combination of magazines, printouts, quote cards, and even photographs you have taken. Photos can be especially useful if you want to see images of yourself or your loved ones on the board as added motivation and to make the board feel even more personal.
Your Board’s Focus Items: You want to have a clear vision before creating your board. What is the purpose of the board, and what are your focuses? For example, if it is a board to get you in better physical shape, you are unlikely to have images of work themes or relationships. You want to look at these images every day, so choose wisely.
Other supplies: You will need a good pair of scissors and glue to create your collages. You can also include other handwritten messages and words of inspiration, so colored pens or a large marker are also useful.
Time: How long you spend on your vision board depends on you. It can be as detailed and full of embellishments as you wish. You might make it within an hour or take days or weeks to collect the images you want, including cutouts, postcards, and photographs.

Online Vision Board

Vision boards can be physical or digital, depending on your preference. You could also create them online and then print them out. If you are looking for a valuable resource to help you turn your dreams and goals into realities, then Canva could be a good place to start. It is a website to help you design and create, including visual documents and marketing-related items. There are three choices, the Canva Free, which, although limited, will allow you to get your creative juices flowing with no previous design experience necessary. The second option is Canva Pro which is for individuals who want access to premium content and will give you access to unique tools to really up your projects. You can also use Canva for Teams to collaborate on projects with others and benefit from workplace tools.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What should a vision board include?

A vision board should include images, quotes, and words that represent your goals and aspirations. It should be visually appealing and inspire you daily.

2. How often should I update my vision board?

You should update your vision board as your goals evolve. Many people choose to update it yearly, but you can refresh it whenever you feel necessary.

3. Can a vision board really help me achieve my goals?

Yes! A vision board serves as a constant reminder of your goals, helping to reinforce motivation, clarity, and action toward achieving them.

4. Is it better to create a physical or digital vision board?

It depends on personal preference. A physical vision board can serve as a daily visual reminder, while a digital one is more accessible on mobile devices and computers.

5. Where should I place my vision board?

Place it somewhere visible, such as your bedroom, workspace, or a frequently visited area in your home, to keep your goals top of mind.

6. Do I need to be artistic to create a vision board?

Not at all! A vision board is personal, and there are no rules. The most important thing is that it resonates with you and inspires you to take action.

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