January seems to be synonymous with new goals and resolutions, and one popular way to this is with the use of a Vision Board. If you aren’t familiar with a vision board, it’s basically a visual representation of your goals and what you want in your life. There are a million ways to go about creating one, so I thought I could help break it down and give you my tips for creating a vision board, specifically for teens.
Keep in mind, these are simply ideas to guide you and there are no hard and fast rules- you have control over how creative you want to be and what format to use. The most important thing is that it speaks to you and gets you excited when you look at it. Some people refer to them as “dream boards” because that’s exactly what you should do when you look at them- dream about all of the amazing things you want in your life, or what you want your life to look like!
Choose Your Format
The most popular way to create a vision board is by cutting out and pasting your favorite photos/pictures/quotes to a poster board. Nowadays, there are resources like Pinterest that can make the process super simple. I personally have a private Pinterest board that I pin my dreams and desires to. The only downside is, you don’t really look at it everyday unless you make a conscious effort. If you make a board that is tangible and are able to hang it up someplace where you will see it everyday, it makes it more purposeful.
If you are into journaling, you can create a dream board right on your journal pages. You can even buy a new one and make the entire thing into one big dream journal! Break out all of your favorite colored pens, print your favorite images off the internet and have fun! If you journal everyday, this is a great way to ensure you’ll look at your board everyday.
If you want to start out with a few things and have a board you add to as you go, you can purchase a bulletin board or magnetic white board and create as you go. It almost becomes an ever-changing art piece!
Another great way to utilize your board is to make it your phone wallpaper. We ALL look at our phones MULTIPLE times a day, so if you like the idea of a digital board, but want the benefit of seeing it everyday, create one using online tools and save it on your phone (more on that below). I actually do this- I have my five or six main goals so I see them every time I look at my phone (which is, you know, every other minute!)
How To Create a Digital Dream Board
As I mentioned above, Pinterest is literally a giant dream board that has everything and anything you could imagine! Start a board and fill it with photos of your dream house, beautiful destinations, your ideal career path, dream colleges, inspiring quotes and people- whatever lights you up inside.
If you are looking to use yours as your phone wallpaper, there are tools you can use to easily create a digital board. Canva is free and works great for this. Download the app, then you’ll choose your format at the top. Scroll over to “Your Story” since this will fit best on most phone screens. Create a blank design, then begin uploading your photos by clicking the “Uploads” icon or the “+” at the bottom of the screen. You can use photos from your camera roll or download from Pinterest. You can also click “Elements > Photos” to browse stock photos
You can add text, shapes, and other decorations. When you’re finished, simply click the “Download” icon and you board will be saved to your phone. Easy!
What to Add
Ok, so you love the idea of this, but you might be thinking, “Ok, I’m young and don’t have career goals just yet…what do I put on this thing?”
There are many things that you may want to bring into your life, here’s a few ideas to get you started. Once you begin, you may find you open up a rabbit hole!
– Photos of tangible items you want, places you want to see, a car you love, a sport you’re trying out for, or just images that evoke happiness
– Quotes that inspire and motivate you
– Affirmations that build your confidence and get you in a happy mood each day
– People that are important to you and you want in your life or big names who inspire you or you’d like to meet
– Words that describe who you are or things within yourself to work on
What Do I Do With This?
So you have this board, either digital or tangible- now what? The main purpose of a vision board is to elicit emotions to help bring these things into your life. Each image or word should make you feel happy, strong, powerful, inspired…whatever it is that will make you feel as if these things are already in your life. One of my goals is to have a cool studio space where I can meet people and host events. I look at the photo of my dream space and envision people mingling, sipping from fancy glasses and admiring my work and what I do. Another photo is the car I want- I dream about how it smells, what the leather feels like, how it feels to drive it. All of these are the power in this board- to imagine your life as if all of these things are here for you NOW.
This blog post has a TON of ideas of creating a unique vision board
So, to recap-
1. Decide how you want to create your vision board
2. Find inspiring photos via Google search, Pinterest, or from magazines
3. Put them together in a way that fits your artistic style
4. Put it somewhere you will see it everyday (morning is best!)
5. DREAM about all of the good things coming to you!
* pro tip– use scent as a tool. Research shows that when we utilize smell, we are more likely to feel emotion on deeper level. Burn your favorite candle or diffuse an uplifting oil while you create your board and every time you look at it. It really helps me get into my “zone”- it’s powerful!
