What is a Vision Board?

You may or may not be familiar with what a Vision Board is.  A Vision Board is a visual representation of what you want your life to look like and the goals that you wish to achieve.  A Vision Board is usually filled with images and both images and words as well.  Since I found power in words as well as images, I personally like to have both in my Vision Board.  As it is a very flexible exercise there are new concrete rules that you have to follow to create a vision board. 

In the following article there are some suggestions that I have to guide you with your Vision Board, however, you are free to adjust your Vision Board any way you wish and to your specific needs and liking.

So, you have decided to envision a plan for the next year for your life with the help of a vision board.  In the following book, we will be going over what a vision board is, identifying your personal goals, identifying areas of priorities in your life, and setting a focus word for the year.  Then step-by-step you will create your own Vision Board.

The accompanying Vision Board template is set up as a vision board for the upcoming year.  You can choose to keep it like that, or, customize it and make it a vision board for your entire life.  This is a very flexible exercise that you can easily customize to best suit your own specific needs and goals.

So, let’s get started!

What is a Vision Board

There are two types of Vision Boards: Physical and Digital Vision Boards

Physical Vision Boards

One way to create a Vision Board is to do a physical version with paper and print out images and/or cutouts from magazines.  Supplies that you could use to create a physical version are poster boards, scissors, glue, magazines, printed out images, photographs, markers, crayons, and paint.  You could even get really fancy and use glitter, washi tape, and twinkle lights.  The sky is the limit!

Digital Vision Board

You can also create a Digital Version of a Vision Board.  It’s the same principle as the physical Vision Board but just a digital version.  You could create one with any online creative program including Canva, PowerPoint, PicMonkey, Affinity, Illustrator, Microsoft Word, and more!  In this project, we will focus on Canva and use the provided Canva templates to work with. 

Although, I absolutely love doing a physical Vision Board the convenience of making a Digital Vision Board is a huge benefit.  The most important thing is to actually go through the steps and finish the Vision Board.  I feel that with the Digital Version it’s easier and quicker to create.  You can also alter and/or add to your Vision Board if you wish as time goes along.

Digital Wallpaper

In addition, there is also a Digital Wallpaper version for your computer screen.  If you use it as a screensaver and have the Vision Board constantly visible it’s a great reminder to keep your dreams and goals at the forefront of your mind.

Another option is once you’re finished to print out a copy of your Vision Board.  You can print it out using your home printer print out a physical copy.  There is even the option to send it to a professional printer.

What is the Difference between a Vision Board and a Mood Board?

A Mood board is also a collection of images or a visual representation as well.  However, it is more to reflect the feeling, look, colors and style that you want something to have.  For example, if you want to decorate a room, you may want to create a mood board to help inspire the color palette, style, décor, and look and feel of the room. 

You could also use a mood board to help create branding for a company like color palette, logo, and look and feel of a brand.  When I worked in Marketing our Ad Agency often created Mood Boards as one of the first steps in the advertisement creation process.

Just as a side note you can use these templates as a Mood Board as well if you wish to do so.

A Vision Board is also a visual representation and can also reflect the feeling, color, mood, and style and you wish to reflect, however, it also has the additional element of including envisioning what you want your life to hold, goal setting, and achieving or manifesting certain desired things into your life.

How Can a Vision Board Help You?

A Vision Board can help you in multiple ways.  First of all, setting goals and putting them down on paper and/or sharing them makes it much more likely for you to achieve them.  There was a study done by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University of California that showed that writing down your goals makes it 42% more likely that you will achieve them.  In here samples were men and women from ages 23 to 72 from all walks of life like Entrepreneurs, educators, health care professionals, lawyers, bankers, and artists.  She divided this eclectic group into two groups – the participants that wrote down their goals the participants that did not write down their goals.  The study clearly showed that those who wrote down their goals on a daily basis were 42% more likely to achieve them.

So, the moral of the story is to write down those goals! 

As you go through the process of creating your Vision Board you will be identifying your goals for the year (or you can adjust it for your life in general or another specified period of time).

Review of Last Year

Before I start to write down and really hone in on my goals, I first like to look at and reflect on the last year.  For many of us, the last year was extremely challenging. 

Think about what happened to you over this past year.  Sometimes during the most difficult times is when we learn the most.  Take time to reflect on the past year.  Think about things like What things did you like?  What things did you not like?  What did you learn?  Where do you want to go from here?

Write your thoughts in the space on the next page:

Area of Life’s Priorities

The Vision Board template was divided into pages that represent different areas/priorities of our lives.  Common ones are listed below:

• health and fitness
• family
• love
• home
• career and wealth
• travel
• hobbies
• knowledge

I want you to identify which areas of life are a priority for you. The ones mentioned above are typical ones but only suggestions.  Please fee free to use the areas that I have provided, adjust them, or add new ones that are more specific to you and your life.I want you to go through one by one each of the different areas of life and reflect on what you want. 

What do you want your life to look like, feel like, and be like in this specific area?  Think of the things, people, places you want in your life and goals you have. 

This list is by no means exhaustive. 

While going through this exercise I want you to dream big.  Don’t edit yourself, really dig down deep and think of the things that you would like to accomplish in your life and in the next year.  Don’t hold back just write them down and get your thoughts out.  You can draw or write in this space.  You can choose specific words that come to mind, write down important goals, or even just doodle.  Just be free to create whatever you wish.

Use the space below and on the next page to write, draw, and jot down anything that comes to mind in regards to your priorities.

The Power of Words

I believe that both images, as well as words, are an important part of your Vision Board.  You need both inspiring and aspirational images to fill your Vision Board as well as corresponding powerful words to fill this space as well.  Together they can be quite a powerful combination.

Start to visualize the types of images and words that you want to fill each of your priority areas on your life for your Vision Board.

Here is a place to brainstorm about the different thoughts you have, dreams, you hold, and things you want to see in your life, and goals you want to achieve. 

Write down all the thoughts, images, and words that come to mind when brainstorming about your dream life.

Now do the same for each of the different priority areas that have been created.  Remember that this template is just a guide so if there is another area of life that you wish to include, include it! 

Or, if there is an area here that you don’t wish to make a priority then delete it or make it something else.  This is completely up to you to adjust this template as needed.

Focus Word

After having reflected both on the past year, your life in general, and the different areas of life you should have a little more clarity on how you want the next year to look. 

That being said I want you now to choose a FOCUS word for the year. 

A Focus word is a word that represents something that your year to reflect or something you wish to achieve.

An example of this for me is the word “Shine.”  This past year I picked the word “shine” because I feel like I was always playing small, undervaluing myself, and minimizing any of my achievements.  I chose the word shine to help me break out of the habit of not playing big and always hiding away and downplaying my accomplishments.  It’s not to say that I was doing what I was doing to get attention, but just not being so afraid to put myself out there.

Is there something that you wish to work on in general?  Or is there a particular direction or feeling that you wish your life to take on?  Choose a word that reflects these feelings.

Everyone’s word will be very unique and different and that’s good.  You want it to be representative of you and your life and where you want it to go in the next year or so.

If you’re really having difficulty choosing a word there are word generators that can help such as the one here (provided by Jennifer Fulwiler):

https://www.wordoftheyear.me/

Also, look out in the universe and pay attention to words that stand out to you.  Maybe that’s your focus word.

Your 10 Big Goals

Now that you’ve reflected a bit about the past year and what you’ve learned from it as well as the different areas of your life – I want you to dig down deep again. 

Think of the top 10 big Goals that you have for your life.  Don’t limit yourself.  These goals could be for this year or could be for your life in general and perhaps you will set mini-goals within your different areas of life to help you reach these big goals.

Here is a place for brainstorming on these BIG Goals (there is also a place for your goals in the Planner)

Once you have reflected on these Big Goals and decided what they will be write them below (there is also a place in your planner template).  Also, don’t be afraid to put them down – remember when you write goals down you have a much higher chance of achieving them.

Also, goals can be adjusted and added if need be.

Yeah!  It’s time to celebrate.  You’ve just taken a huge step – identified your 10 big goals.  Give yourself a big hug!

In addition to your 10 Big Goals, I also want you to create at least 3 SMART goals for each area of your life (health and fitness, wellbeing, relationships/marriage, home, family, career, money, hobbies). 

So What are Smart Goals anyway?

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound

In other words, for each priority area of your life I want you to set at least three SMART goals.

Examples

An example of this for health and fitness could be I make a goal to lose 20 lbs, (specific & measurable) within 6 months’ time.  I have created a realistic goal that can be measured and achieved within a specific period of time.

Let’s look at another example.  For example, say in your business you wish to make $2000 extra within a 3-month period of time by taking on an extra client project.  You have specified the amount you wish to make, a relevant goal, and a time frame within 3 months. 

Another example is that you wish to redecorate your family room within a 2-month time on a $5000 budget.

These are just hypothetical examples but goals like these can apply to any area of your life.

Another powerful way to also set goals is to set them in the present tense in order to indicate to your mind that you have already achieved them.

To illustrate this, let’s take the same three examples from above and make them in the present tense.

You can say as your first smart goal, I lose 20 lbs within 6 months. 

I make $2000 extra by taking on a new client project within 3 months.

I redecorate my family room within 2 months and on my $5000 budget.

Changing the View of your Identity

Well, now that you’ve reflected on the past year, dreamed about the year to come, set 10 Big Goals, and lots of SMART goals for each area of your life you may still need to change the view you have of yourself and your identity.

This may or may not apply to you but hear me out.

Perhaps one of your big goals is to become an artist.  It’s a secret dream you’ve held in your heart since childhood.  You’ve always had artistic talent but for some reason never pursued this dream.  In fact, you went to school for accounting.  Although in some ways you do feel that that inner artist is there, you may not entirely subconsciously believe that you are an artist.

So how do you fix this?  Well, you fix this by practicing being an artist every day.  Habits shape your identity and how you view yourself.  So, if you really want to become an artist, you need to practice being an artist every day until it becomes part of your identity.  It’s only once something is part of your identity can you accept it to be true and in reach for you.

So, depending on what your goals are, identify the ones where you need to start a daily practice to have them be an everyday part of your life and so you start to see your own self in that light.

In the space below write down some things that you wish to be part of your identity.  Brainstorm and think about this desire.  Think about making this new goal or identity part of your daily practice and making it a daily habit.

If it’s not possible to do this new habit or habit, try to do it as often as possible as to incorporate as a regular part of your life and a part of your identity.

So now is the fun part…..Making your Vision Board.

Using the provided Canva templates go through each part of the Vision Board and customize it to you. 

There are four canva templates (each one is available in US Letter, A4, and Screen Saver sizes)

The first step is gathering images.

Now that you have reflected on your life and the dreams, goals, and habits you want to establish in the next year think about images that you think are reflective of all of these.  You can use the images provided through Canva itself, use royalty-free sites, or even better yet – use your own images.

Two of my favorite royalty-free photo sites are:

www.unsplash.com

www.pixabay.com

Vision Board Templates

Included in this bundle are 4 different templates for Vision Boards.  You can pick and choose one design to use as your vision board.  You could also pick and choose one design (or multiple) and create a Vision Board page for each area of your life (like health and fitness, family, love, home, career and wealth, travel, hobbies, knowledge) if you wish, too.  Customize the templates to suit your goals and needs best.

You can also upload the images you found that you wish to use and also whatever graphic elements from this bundle that you wish to use.

To do this click on the icon that says “uploads” (see the image on the next page).  This will bring up the option to upload the photos and graphics that you wish to use for your Vision board.  Also, once an image or file is uploaded it will appear in the area below.  Then just click on the image that you wish to use for your design and it will be added to your design.  You can then adjust the size and placement of the image from there.