Vision Boards Work in Every Area of Your Life

Before we get into how vision boards can affect all the aspects of your life, let’s take a minute to look at the most common mistake people make when creating them:

They focus on the actual goal rather than the result.

Imagine you have a goal of visiting England. You could express that by merely writing “England” on a whiteboard. But so what? The word itself is unlikely to evoke feelings of joy or anticipation. In fact, the more you see that word, the less meaning it will have.

Like a vision board item, it’s pretty weak!

Imagine instead, a photo of Stonehenge. The sun is just peaking over the horizon, bathing the scene in a golden light. Thick mist clings to the ground, the ancient structure rising out of it like a circle of ghosts. You can almost hear the voices from 5,000 years ago, as they worshipped their gods, healed their sick, and buried their dead.

When you look at the picture, it doesn’t just say “England.” It instantly transports you there and immerses you in the moment. It’s a feeling. Not a goal.

When you create your vision board, regardless of which of life’s aspects you’re focusing on, be sure to look for images and words that make you feel the way you imagine you’ll feel when you achieve your goal. It’s not about what you want to have. It’s about how you want to feel.

Career

Career—and the related lifestyle—goals are probably the most common topic of vision boards, and with good reason. Chances are you started your career with the goal of creating a better life. It’s likely one of your driving motivations, so it’s natural to seek out tools that will help you achieve the outcomes you desire.

Vision boards are a perfect choice.

When you’re building your career vision board, consider the following questions:

• How do you want your day to go?
• With what people do you want to work?
• What projects do you love?
• How do you want your typical workday to look?
• Where will your “office” be?

Look for images and other items that represent your ideal workday, your perfect environment, and your ultimate dream job.

Wealth

Here’s another favorite topic for vision boards, and if big financial goals are part of your life plans, it’s one area to which you should pay close attention.

The reason many people don’t reach their financial goals is we let those negative internal voices hold us back. You know that voice. It says things like:

• “You’ll never earn that much.”
• “No one will pay you to do that.”
• “You’ve always been financially irresponsible, and you always will be.”
• “You’re just not ‘good’ with money.”
• “They’ll never accept that price increase.”

We let this voice create our income cap, and unless we take steps to silence it, we will never earn what we’re truly worth.

A creative vision board can help. Start by asking yourself.

• What does financial freedom mean to me?
• How can I change the world when I earn more money?
• What charities will I support when I start earning $xxx?

Then find the images that represent the feeling of fulfillment and joy you’ll have as you’re able to achieve these goals and more. Maybe that’s a photo of needy children your church group helps support or an animal rescue organization you love. Or maybe it’s just a big pile of money so you can retire young and live on a yacht. It’s your dream, and it can be anything you want it to be.

The point is, your vision board is the perfect vehicle for finally silencing that negative voice in your head that’s keeping you from your financial goals.

Self-Care

How’s your health? For many, it could be better.

We spend far too much time inside, sitting down, staring at a computer screen or video games. We don’t exercise enough. We don’t eat right. We don’t drink enough water.

How can a vision board help? By making it clear how much better you will feel (there’s that word again) when you do eat healthy, work out, and are hydrated.

A vision board filled with images of fun activities in relaxing locations is just the thing to remind you—the next time you reach for another slice of pizza—that you’re working toward an achievable goal.

Family & Friends

We don’t often think of vision boards as being helpful with building relationships, but maybe that’s just because we don’t put enough emphasis on setting goals to improve them.

Creating a family and friends vision board might change all that.

Consider:

• What kind of relationships do you want to have?
• What’s most important to you as a wife? Mother? Daughter? Friend?
• How do you want your husband to feel when he sees you?
• How do you want your kids to feel when they’re teenagers?

Fill your vision board with items that represent the best relationships you can imagine, and soon enough, you’ll begin creating those bonds in your own life.

Fun

Here’s where you can really go crazy. You might not be able to afford an around-the-world cruise (yet), but there’s no reason you can’t put it on your vision board. No matter what silly, unrealistic adventure you’re dreaming, create it on your fun board.

Big Scary Goals

Here’s where many of us falter. Maybe you have a few goals. Say you want to increase your income by 15%. Or run in a 5k. Or vacation in Greece.

These are all excellent, respectable goals, worthy of your vision boards. But what if you turn them up a notch or three?

Instead of increasing your income by 15%, increase it by 150%.

Rather than running a 5k, run an ultra-marathon or participate in an Iron Man Competition.

Instead of a vacation in Greece, move there.

With your vision board populated with meaningful images, thoughtful and motivating quotes, inspirational messages, and plenty of creativity, even these big scary goals suddenly feel much more attainable.

And you know what? As we said earlier, that which you can visualize, you can achieve.

So don’t be afraid to start a vision board for your most significant, most intimidating goals. You might not get there tomorrow or even next month, but if you keep your focus, you will get there.