How to Get Inspiring Ideas for an Effective Vision Board

Scrolling through Facebook recently, I read a friend’s joke about self-improvement and personal growth. One of his friends commented in response, “Let me tell you about my vision board.”

Admittedly, I laughed, because it was funny. But also, admittedly, I nerd out when it comes to goals, personal growth, and taking action in my life. And so I started thinking about why I strongly believe in the idea of vision boards.

I guess I’m just one of those woo woo people. Can’t help it. But I believe in the power of using a vision board for focus and inspiration.

In fact, I believe in anything that helps you envision the life you want and move in that direction. If vision boards aren’t your jam. That’s cool. There’s a lot of different ways to focus on goals and creating an awesome life.

But if you’re curious about vision board ideas and getting started with one – then read on!

Goal setting, intentions, vision boards, affirmations, even journaling and scripting can all work. What it really comes down to is mindset, and what resonates for you.

But for now, let’s focus on vision boards because, at the moment, I’m all about them. I have some big goals for the upcoming year. This is the process I used to come up with inspiring vision board ideas.

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First, What Are the Rules?

There are no rules.

A typical vision board is simply a collection of images, words and other representations of what you want to become on a poster or bulletin board.

But really, there aren’t any hard and fast rules. You simply collect words and images that inspire you or remind you of your goals.

Most commonly, people curate images, words and ideas to a poster board or bulletin board. But you can use a vision board printable online. You can write out a list. You can color pictures. You can even write your goals and ideas on post-its and stick them somewhere you will see them often.

No matter how you do it, making a vision board with your goals is a fun and creative way to stay focused on what you want and transform those things into reality.

Have you ever heard the phrase “You become what you think about?” It’s true.

Our lives are created from our thoughts. And then thoughts lead to words, which leads to action.

So instead of thinking about what we don’t want, a vision board helps us place our attention on the ideas we want to bring into our life.

You control your future, your destiny. What you think about comes about. By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands – your own.
Mark Victor Hansen

Think About Goals

Regardless of what you want to achieve, working towards goals is fundamental in creating a life that you truly love.

Without goals, your desires are just dreams and wishes. Nothing wrong with having dreams and wishes. But the goal-setting piece is where you take action toward those dreams and wishes. It’s what pushes you further along.

And a vision board is simply a visual representation of the things you to become, have, or do in life. Which is why you want to include your goals when you create one.

What a Vision Board Can Do

A vision board keeps your goals and desires front and center so you think about them often.
When you get distracted by the craziness of life – which is easy to do, vision boards get you back on track by visually reminding you of your goals.
Vision boards motivate you to take action and keep moving towards your goals
A vision board reminds you to live with purpose.
Vision boards help you keep focused on your “why.”

“Vision boards absolutely work; you have to have a vision and a plan to execute so that every step moves you in that vision.”
Oprah Winfrey

The Most Important Thing About Your Vision Board

The most important thing to remember when creating a vision board is to have a clear idea of the things you want to achieve.

What do you want to be or change in your life?

If you’re ready to find out, to spark your creative flow and make a vision board that resonates with your goals and life, then keep reading.

Set Your Intention

Setting your goals and intentions is the first step in creating your vision board.

Start with an intention. Really dream and think about what you want for your life. Shut out the voices of your negative troll and imagine how you want life to be one year from now.

Where do you live? What kind of work do you do ? Who is with you? Are all of your goals achieved? How are you celebrating success?

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Consider These Life Areas to Come Up With Vision Board Ideas

Health Goals – Do you want to lose a certain amount of weight, run a 5K race, learn to cook healthy meals, or quit smoking?
Education Goals – Are there courses you want to take for personal development or to increase your knowledge or skills? Is there a certificate or degree you want?
Career Goals – Is there a position or a promotion you want to get? Do you need additional education or mentoring to advance in your career? Is a career change something you desire?
Family Goals – Do you want to start a family, get married, heal damaged relationships, or become closer to your family?
Productivity Goals – What do you need to organize or declutter? Do you need to be more efficient with your time?
Travel Goals – Do you want to see new places and expand your horizons? Like going to a different country, or exploring more local attractions?
Home Goals – Do you want to move to a new home? Is remodeling something you want? Do you want to redecorate?
Priority Goals – What top priorities do you want to focus on? What values, mindsets, people, habits, behaviors, items, events, and activities should be a priority?
Spiritual Goals – Do you need to slow down, become more spiritual, or connect with your inner-self better? What practices do you want to implement for a more spiritual life?
Finance Goals – Do you want to increase your income? How much money do you want to save? Do you want to eliminate debt?
Best-Life Goals – What does your best life look like? Is it a more simple life? A more entertaining life? Are you building your dream home, writing a novel, caring for others, or traveling and seeing the world?
Big, Exciting, Scary Goals – What are you afraid to do? What dream is so big that makes you nervous? What have you always wanted to do? Do you want to start your own business, change professions, learn an instrument, join a running club, audition for American Idol? Seriously. What excites you yet scares you?
Character Goals – What behaviors do you want to develop or change? Do you want to look on the positive side of life, or become more compassionate? Do you want to be a leader to others? How can you make the world better and touch others in a genuine and positive way?

When setting these goals and intentions, consider how achieving your goal will make you feel or how you want to feel. Getting into the feeling when goal planning is huge. When you can feel the excitement around it, you get into a flow that spurs action.

Other things to consider for your vision board might include:

Books & Publications – What books and articles can you read, related to your purpose, goals, and intentions?
Affirmations, quotes, and mantras – What short sentences and phrases inspire or motivate you?
Songs and music – What inspirations songs lift you up and get you going? What lyrics can you relate to?