How to make the most of your vision board kit?
You’ve ordered your Vision Board Reimagined kit. Maybe it is on the way, maybe it has already arrived. You can’t wait to dig in and start transforming your future. We’re super excited for you and wish you a great experience!
Here’s an expanded version (with some additional comments and tips) of the printed tutorial you get with your vision board kit. It will guide you through the steps of putting your board together, what to include, what to consider, and how to start (and keep) using it afterward.
Contents:
Reading time: 7 min
What should you include on your vision board?
The first rule of making a vision board is that there are really no rules.
It's your life and only you know what you want to do with it. You should do what feels right and works best for you. However, if you need some ideas and inspiration, we have a few suggestions.
Your vision board can represent all kinds of different themes extending from health, career, finances, relationships, home, hobbies, and personal growth to travel, to name some of the more common ones. Sometimes these are represented on a wheel of life – another visual tool that helps you get an overview of your current situation and keep different aspects of your life in a healthy balance. But you can add anything important for you.
Your board can be a balanced combination of all these or focus on just one theme or you can even create a separate board for each aspect of your life (e.g. a family board and a career board).
We have worked hard to create a varied mix of images from all areas of life. We have tested many sets of photos with several vision board fans and users, collected tons of their feedback, ideas, and proposals. And what you find in the package is the result of all this.
Of course, we couldn’t include everything – if you even think of just different hobbies, you could easily put together an image set of 100 000 not 100 images. So we tried to come up with symbols that leave room for interpretation, where possible. We’ve also included a bunch of blank cards if you wish to draw or write something by yourself or if there’s something really specific you want to include that’s missing from our decks.
Which time-frame should your vision board cover?
You can create long-term vision boards that look several years into the future. Some of the goals could be set for your whole lifetime. The most traditional boards are annual – new year, new you, right? But half-year boards are also common. And they all work – on different levels.
We suggest thinking about even shorter-term goals for your vision boards. First, this means you don’t forget about your board, you interact with it more often, and it reflects what’s most urgent and important for you at that moment. Consider updating it quarterly or even monthly.
You might feel the calendar shouldn’t dictate these changes. And you’re right – you should redo your vision board as often as you wish and need to. You can rearrange your cards whenever your dreams change. When something doesn’t feel relevant anymore, you should replace it. You can update the motivational cards even every morning for a new daily motto.
How many goals to add?
The short answer is – as many as you can focus on.
We’ve seen a lot of vision boards and the number of goals has varied from 3 to 60 (wow). It’s tricky to give a straightforward answer how many goals and dreams you should add to yours. We say it’s between 6-18, but it depends on your goals. They can be wildly different in their size, ambition, and the attention they require from you.
When it comes to the biggest goals of your life, then the golden rule seems to be: less is more. But that’s not what your vision board is limited to. Besides having big long-term goals, it’s really useful to set smaller sub-goals, which break the big ones into smaller chunks and show you the way how to get there. And smaller goals, in turn, are built from daily habits – that could also be included on your vision board. (We’ve written a whole article on how to design your goals so they’re easier to achieve, you can read more about it here.)
Besides images, you can include everything else that inspires you and creates a good feeling (even if it’s not technically a goal) – quotes, words, affirmations, etc. Perhaps these reflect your values? Or how you want to feel? Or just give you a strong boost of motivation? For that purpose, we created the Motivational cards, which you can use both individually or together with your vision board kit.
So to wrap up the question: how many goals should I add? We have included 18 slots on our vision board, but by no means do we imply this is the “correct” number. You should have space and flexibility to add goals and dreams of various sizes, habits, as well as Motivational Cards.
A step-by-step guide on how to create your vision board
1. Take time for yourself and set the mood.
Put your phone on airplane mode and clear your calendar for a couple of hours. Make sure you have plenty of time, put on your favorite album, light a candle, and pour yourself a glass of something nice.
Another idea is to throw a vision board party – invite over some close friends so you can offer each other support and inspiration. And make it even more fun.
Another reason why creating a vision board is such a great idea – it gives you a dedicated time and reason to think deeply about your future and goals. When you’re busy, it's the last thing you have time to think about. It's never the right moment and you keep putting it off. But a vision board gives you a kind of ritual for working on your dreams and goals.
2. Think about your future – what you want to see, have, and be.
Your dreams can’t be too practical, too materialistic, or too spiritual. You can do a little meditation – just sense what you wish to attract into your life. You can shuffle the cards for inspiration – maybe they remind you of something you’ve forgotten?
If you feel closed up and can't figure out your dreams (which is completely normal, it can be difficult), you can do a little self-coaching session with yourself and ask some powerful questions, that we shared with you in a previous blog post. These will help you get your imagination going.
3. Choose the Visualization Cards.
Get a feel for which cards speak to you the most. Take your time. Maybe some cards “feel right” even when you’re not sure which dream or goal they represent? Don’t dismiss them, search inside yourself, what they symbolize for you.
As you might notice, we’ve included cards that are fairly straightforward but also some that are a bit more abstract and leave room for interpretation.
There is something psychologists strongly advise to consider – focus on visualizing the process of getting to your goal, the work that you need to put into it (e.g. getting a dream job – sending applications, being fit and healthy – working out). It will give much much more motivation and put you in an active role.
4. Write comments on the backsides.
Once you’ve chosen the cards you want to use, we recommend that you write comments on the backsides, so you remember your initial thoughts in a few months or a year as well.
You can also write a deadline for your goal, steps of progress on how you plan to get there, or even a little affirmation (e.g. I believe I deserve this to become true). Do what motivates you the most.
Putting a little note on the backside of the cards can help make your goals much more specific. Which in turn makes it more likely you achieve them.
5. Decide the layout and place the cards.
Arrange the cards into a pattern that makes sense and inspires. Maybe you wish to use rows or columns for the themes, maybe you order your board as a timeline or maybe you want to organize the cards by some visual cue such as color. Get creative.
Then slide the cards in the slots on your Vision Board Covers. It’s as easy as that. Replace or reorganize them as often as you like or need.
It’s not just a matter of aesthetics and making the board look good. The layout can create new meaning and help you make sense of things. E.g. placing long-term goals at the top of your board and sub-goals and habits that help you get there, beneath. Or surrounding goals with symbols of your inner resources.
How to use your vision board after you’ve created it?
We suggest you use it daily.
A great idea is to look at it first thing in the morning to get you in a great mood and super motivated for the day ahead. Another idea is to keep it close to your bed and have a look at it last thing before you fall asleep. Look back on your day with gratitude and prime your subconscious to keep processing your dreams while you sleep.
Here's what our users have mentioned about this in their reviews:
"I simply love the vision board... every morning when I wake it is a beautiful reminder of how I wish to align myself... wouldn‘t want to miss it anymore" - Maren
"I freaking love my vision board. What an amazing concept. Every evening I have been reviewing it & visualizing my dream life. Which so many amazing things have manifested already." - Chelsie
Do a little visualization exercise. Take time, sit where you can see your board. Go over your goals one by one, or just take one of them – depending on how much time you have at hand. And go inside the pictures – use all your senses to teleport yourself into the situation. Can you smell it, hear it, taste it? Imagine your life in that situation as vividly as you can. Explore the feeling of success. Then imagine how you got there. What obstacles did you have to overcome?
If working with it daily isn’t for you, try doing it weekly. But stay consistent and don’t forget about your board. Set yourself small reminders on your phone or calendar. Journal to reflect on your progress and celebrate the small wins. It’s the small wins that get you through times of low motivation.
What about the goals you’ve completed? Should you keep or replace them? Both are valid options. The point of keeping them on your board until you make a completely new one is that you should feel gratitude for what you have received and you get a greater sense of accomplishment that way. However, if you feel those cards are somehow holding you back, replace them. We recommend you take a photo before each change. You’ll be really happy to look back on the progress.
Can you get it wrong?
Short answer – no. If you are honest with yourself, listen to your gut feeling and choose what feels right, then you’re on the right track.
Sometimes it might be tricky – you get a lot of pressure from the media and society. You might feel you should have certain dreams that others around you also have. Please don’t! You’re much more likely to give up on dreams and goals that don’t come from within. And feel less fulfilled, happy, and at peace by the ones that you do achieve. So you do you!
Working on your future is a never-ending process. You will certainly get a better sense of where you want your life to go and a kick of motivation to get moving by creating your vision board.
But can we guarantee that everything you put on your board will become reality? Obviously not. We wish we had that kind of power. It depends on you, the universe, and a million other details. We don’t share the belief that if your dreams don’t manifest, it’s somehow your fault because you didn’t believe hard enough. Life is more complicated than that. What we do believe is that clarity, focus, and consistent work will increase the likelihood of your dreams turning into reality.
So happy vision-boarding! Stay true to yourself, get creative, and start making your dreams come true!
Kairi Kuuskor is the co-founder and designer of Bold Tuesday - a company that aims to help you live a better life. To do that they create vision boards, motivational cards, notebooks and other self-development tools with an emphasis on high quality and great design.
