January seems to be synonymous with new goals and resolutions, and one popular way to do 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 dreams and what you want in your life. They can help you stay on track and remind you of what you’re working towards. They can be related to any aspect of your life- relationships, career, school, travel, experiences- just about anything! There is no specific timeline so you can include literally anything you want to manifest into your life- from next week to 5 years from now!
There are a million ways to go about creating one, and since I’ve made a few myself over the last several years, I thought I could help break it down and give you my tips for creating a vision board, specifically for teens. One might resonate more with you, but don’t spend too much time planning it out. The most important thing is that you start.
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. The more you see it, the more you believe it and are reminded of what you are working towards!
JOURNAL
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.
BOARD
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!
BOX
Another fun way is to buy a memory or shadow box with a clear lid to hold all of your clippings. It’s great because you can also add items that are meaningful to your vision that won’t fit in a journal or on a board. Keep it somewhere like a bedside table or vanity where you’ll see it most.
DIGITAL
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. Create a new design- search “phone wallpaper” and create a blank canvas. You can now 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
– Books you want to read either for pleasure or self-improvement
– Images that give you an overall feeling of happiness (colors, environments, places, flowers, a cozy reading nook)
Where To Find Images For Your Board
As I mentioned earlier, my favorite place to find photos for your vision board is Pinterest. If you already use Pinterest, you may already have some pinned that would work. If you want to print them, simply download them to your computer and add them to a Word or Google doc, then print once you fill up a page and cut them out.
– You can also do a Google search for images. You can also use keywords like “affirmations” or “inspiring words”
– Amazon sells books specifically for vision boarding. They have multiple categories and can be useful, especially if you are doing this as a group activity.
– If you are looking for a specific photo or “environment” images, try a free stock photo site like Pexels and Unsplash
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.
And remember, this isn’t final- don’t be afraid to add or subtract things as your goals and vision change.
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– using other senses to enhance results:
Use scent and sound as a tools. 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.
Find an empowering “theme song” that gives you energy and makes you feel ready to crush the day.
It really helps me get into my “zone”- it’s powerful!
