As we usher in another new year, my thoughts turn to the coming year and how I can continue to build a life I love. The turn of the year also means it’s time to get to work on my next vision board, something which has become a cherished ritual for me.
Regular readers probably won’t be surprised to hear that the inspiration to create my first vision board came from a podcast. I was vaguely aware of them but had always thought they were more for wedding planning or home decor ideas. Less than a week later, a friend asked if a couple of us would be interested in a girls’ night in to create vision boards for the coming year. I am one of life’s planners and vision boarding seemed to be another form of planning. And so began my love of vision boards as a tool in creating a life I love.
Vision boarding is not a new concept. The earliest vision boards, or dream boards, can be traced back to Ancient Egypt where dreams and desires were depicted by hieroglyphics. Images of abundant harvests or successful battles were often depicted, symbolising aspirations for prosperity and triumph.
Manifestation and the Law of Attraction
Fast forward to the 20th century and this ancient practice has evolved to become a popular self-help tool, promoted on social media and in books such as The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. Byrne writes about the law of attraction, a philosophy that positive thoughts and intentions lead to positive outcomes in life.
Some people believe that we can manifest what we want in life through visualisation and positive thinking, also known as manifestation. A 2022 poll by YouGov UK found that 39% of Brits believe in some form of manifestation or the law of attraction, with younger generations (18-34) being the most engaged.
By visualising our goals through images and affirmations, we create a mental blueprint for the life we want. Famous faces such as Jim Carey, Oprah Winfrey and Lady Gaga all credit visualisation tools for their success and have spoken of achieving roles and successes that they had previously envisioned.
Closer to home, manifestation can be seen in my house regularly; as soon as tour dates for favourite artists are announced my daughter and her friends declare that they are manifesting the successful procurement of tickets.
The Science
In her book, Open Your Mind, Change Your Life, Dr. Tara Swart explains the science around creating imagery to represent how you want your life to be:
"Quite simply, when you do allow your brain to be conscious of and focus on what you want in life, the raised awareness that results will work in your favour to automatically bring opportunities into your life."
Really?
To be entirely honest, I’m not absolutely convinced that manifestation or the law of attraction alone will make good things happen (or indeed prevent bad things from happening). However, I do think that focusing on what we want will surely motivate us, in turn helping us to move towards our goals. Over the past couple of years I've been putting this theory to the test.
First Attempt
My first attempt at creating a vision board was not a huge success. In fact, that poor board was never completed. I spent a lovely evening at my dining table with my friends cutting out pictures and relevant words or letters from assorted magazines. We chatted in detail about our goals and wishes for the year ahead. Maybe there was just too much chatting - it got late, time for my friends to go home and not one of us managed to finish our boards that year. The activity did, however, spark the desire to really focus on the sort of life I wanted.
Preparing to try again
Although I had no physical vision board for 2023, the essence of it was very much in my head and as I went through the year, I found myself taking notes of the different areas and details I would want to include in a vision board for the following year.
This was supported by (another!) podcast which had motivated me to spend time writing for 5 minutes every day for a month about the life I wanted. So when it came time to have another go at vision boarding I had my screeds of detailed notes to help get me started.
Another Attempt
As we welcomed 2024 I was raring to go with my kit which consisted of the cardboard back of a large unused photo frame, a collection of magazines, photos, scissors and glue. I took over the dining table with all the images I had gathered and special photos I’d printed. I’m not really a creative person but on went the favourite songs playlist and I spent a lovely day immersed in creating a vision of the life I wanted. I was in my element cutting, arranging, rearranging and sticking, all the while envisaging all that I hoped to achieve in the coming year.
At the end of that day I found myself gazing quite proudly at my vision board. It had a distinctly “homemade” vibe, far from professional or polished, but it made me smile and feel hopeful, positive and determined.
What’s on my Vision Board
The great thing about my vision board is that it is MINE! It's about MY life and I can include whatever matters to me - the things that will contribute to my rich life.
For last year’s board, I included the following categories:
Family
Health & Happiness
Home
Travel
Learning
Finances
A Daily Reminder
The advice is to look at your vision board as often as possible with the idea that regular exposure to these representations will prime the brain to be open to opportunities which lead towards our desired outcomes. My board is attached to the inside of a kitchen cupboard which I open several times every day. It serves as a reminder of the life I’m striving for and as a guide when I need to make decisions about how to spend my time or money. If something is staring back at me from my vision board, that will always be prioritised over something that I haven’t recognised as one of the things that really matters to me.
Does it really work?
Do I believe that making my vision board actually makes things happen? I've heard some people, including Dr Tara Swart, refer to a vision board as an "action board" which resonated with me. I think more than a vision is required although it's a great starting point.
I don’t think creating a collage of images as an isolated activity would have got me very far. It's not a magic solution, rather the start of a process. Having it prominently displayed definitely motivates me, helps me to focus and inspires me to work towards the goals represented on it. I can say that I have made progress towards almost all of my goals, some of them in ways I hadn’t envisaged. For example, although I had planned to explore writing, I certainly hadn't envisaged setting up my blog and sharing it with thousands of people!
But achieving goals doesn’t come without a fair bit of ongoing and consistent effort. I think the key is to recognise the importance of not just creating the board, but actually using it as a guide and putting in the work throughout the year.
Life Happens
Of course having a carefully curated vision board does not protect us from the curve balls life can throw at us - or in my case, seagulls. Back in January last year I had no idea that some vicious seagulls would lead to broken bones and several months of recovery, during which progress towards the visions on my board stalled. But that’s life! Unplanned occurrences like this remind me that while vision boards set the direction, life's unpredictability means we must adapt and persevere. I'm back on track now, just as motivated to keep working towards my goals and looking forward to working on my next vision board.
I'm also conscious that people, plans and priorities can change over the course of a year and I think we should allow ourselves the freedom to go with those changes - even if that means deviating from the vision on the board.
Evaluating
This is where I realise there’s still a hint of teacher in me. When planning and delivering learning, one of the most important stages is the evaluation. I’ve found myself throughout the year, standing at the open cupboard door, staring at my vision board and considering the progress and achievements I’ve made in each area.
Many of my goals for 2025 will be a continuation of what I'm already working towards. I achieved all my travel goals (and what fun that was!) and, for the first time, grew daffodils (so grown up!). I got my blog up and running and have spent precious time with my family and friends. However, I didn’t do quite so well on the health front. So that’s going to be a major focus on my new vision board. Financially, I‘ve started to make progress but there’s still work to do there so that will also continue into 2025.
Evidence
These days I don’t have any headteachers or inspectors to report to but I still like to have evidence to show what’s been achieved. I created a folder in my photo app on my phone where I stored photos showing all that I had done to work towards my vision of a life I love. That was then turned into a little slideshow as a reminder to myself of my progress.
How To Make a Vision Board
Are you tempted to have a go at creating your own vision board? There are various ways to go about it. You could opt for the old fashioned cut and stick collage as I have done. The more technically minded might be inclined to produce a digital vision board. There are various software tools to help with this and you could then either print your vision board or set it as your computer home screen. I have to confess that I tried this method for 2025 but it wasn't for me.
I also know of people who have a vision journal which they add to continually rather than a board which is most often created in one go.
As for timescales, while I like to use the turn of the year as an opportunity to set new goals, a vision board could be equally helpful as a longer term project, spanning whatever time frame you want to focus on. While my vision board represents several areas of my life, you might choose to narrow it down to career goals, health, a wedding or to work towards creating your dream home. It’s your vision, there to help you achieve what matters to you, so it’s completely up to you.
For more detailed instructions on how you can create a vision board, check out these links:
Whether or not you use vision boarding, I wish you happiness and success in the year ahead.
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