Not magic but motivation—here’s why and how you should make a vision board this year

A vision board means many different things to different people—be it a simple reminder of your goals or a visual representation of your belief in manifestations. For some, a vision board may be nothing but hogwash and meant for people who follow trends like mindless drones. And that’s okay. Not everyone needs to start building vision boards, but if you believe this activity can make you happy and focused, don’t stop yourself from doing it. 

We’ve grown up hearing about New Year’s resolutions and then grown up a little more to realise that most of our internal adhesive refuses to stick to these! A vision board will help take the pressure off and unlike your resolutions, won’t be forgotten a week into 2024. 

What is a vision board? 

A vision board is a curation of images and words that together represent your goals and desires. There are no rules here—you can take cutouts from magazines or straight-up download images from Pinterest that match your goals. You can also take images from popular shows and movies. Many people also design their entire vision board digitally and then just take a printout of the whole thing. It’s very personal and you can do it however you want and keep it somewhere you can see it daily. 

Why you should build one

Like the ‘Law of Attraction’, a vision board is also a controversial scientific subject. It’s important to understand that making a vision board cannot simply make your dreams come true; you need to act towards your goals for that. This is probably why, many people also call it an action board. 
What a vision board can do for you is help you set an intention for 2024 and make your days count. It will help you remind yourself of your goals every day and also show you what the fulfilment of those will look like. 

How amidst so much distraction, can we focus on our goals? With the help of our Reticular Activating System (RAS). The thing is, we receive so much information and signals every day, that it’s important to filter out the unnecessary bits or things that restrict our growth. It’s a scientific fact that RAS aligns our conscious and subconscious minds by making us seek and focus on things that are part of our priorities. This means that as your vision board keeps reminding you of your goals, RAS understands these are important to you and goes on to help you further by alerting your conscious mind of opportunities, information and more, related to your desires. 

Why images and not just words? Our brains assign a higher value to visuals than text and seeing these daily will move the goals depicted in them higher up. 

Another theory that makes a vision board conducive to our growth is the Self Efficacy Theory (SET) which says that people who believe in their ability to achieve their goals have better outcomes, given that other environmental and behavioral factors are also aligned. Vision boards serve as a daily reminder of our capabilities, thus improving our self-efficacy and helping us leap towards our goals with confidence and determination. 

Why else should you make a vision board apart from what it does for you and your goals? The activity is so relaxing and helps you channel your creative energy to build something that sums up who you are and want to be. 

How to build a vision board 

 

Make a list of your goals 

The time before you actually sit down to make your vision board is crucial. This is when you set your intentions for the year and reflect on what you truly want. Instead of looking outward, you seek the answers inward and make a list of things you want—these can include both big and small things. If you’re working towards getting a promotion or a new job or simply wanting to start waking up early or learning to draw boundaries, it’s all okay. Just make sure what you want is realistic and you are ready to work on it. 

Collate a set of images 

Let your vision board show your aesthetic! Decide what kind of look you want, be it colour pop, pastel or black and white. Flip through magazines for inspo and images or simply find some on Pinterest. All you need to do is pick images and quotes that make you feel inspired and are relevant to your goals.  

Gather materials 

This is your time to get all artsy and craftsy! Sketch pens, stickers, embellishments—you do you! Once you have your materials, decide on the placement of images and get going. If you’re designing it digitally, you can simply take a printout of the whole thing. Some people also prefer to put up their vision board as their wallpaper on their desktops or mobiles. 

Keep it where you can see it 

The idea is to see it daily. So you must not keep it tucked away. Keep it on your desk at work or at home. Or place it as your lock screen wallpaper on your phone.