Photo by cottonbro studio
In short: A vision board is a collage of pictures and words that show what you want more of in your life. It helps because it makes your goals clear and keeps them in front of your eyes, so your everyday choices start to lean in that direction. Begin with ten quiet minutes of visualisation, then follow the ten steps below. And remember that the board shows you the way: the walking is still yours.
It’s the end of December, or a quiet Sunday, or the week after a big birthday. You have a feeling that you’d like the coming months to be different. Healthier, calmer, more yours. You may even have written a list of resolutions. And then Monday arrives with its emails and its shopping and its washing, and by the end of the month you can hardly remember what was on the list.
A vision board is one answer to that. A list lives in a drawer. A board hangs on your wall and looks at you every morning.
What is a vision board?
A vision board is a picture of your goals, dreams and wishes. It can be a real board with photos, words and quotes cut out and glued on, or a digital collage on your screen. Its purpose is simple: to remind you of what you’re working towards, and to keep you motivated on the days when you feel discouraged.
You can put any part of your life on it: your health, your work, your relationships, your home, travel, the person you’d like to grow into. What matters is that the pictures and words mean something to you. Some ideas:
A picture of the home you dream of, or a place you’d love to visit
Quotes or sentences that lift you
Photos of people you admire
Symbols or objects that stand for a goal: walking shoes, a full vegetable basket, a table laid for friends
The best boards are the most personal ones. A beach and a white fence only belong on yours if they truly make your heart beat a little faster.
Why is seeing your goals so powerful?
When you imagine yourself doing something, your brain rehearses it, a little as if you were really doing it. That’s why athletes and performers picture their race or their concert in detail beforehand. The mind has already been there, so the body follows more easily.
The same rehearsal helps with fear. If something makes you anxious, a difficult conversation or a first swimming lesson as an adult, picturing yourself coming through it well gives you a quiet confidence when the real moment comes.
A vision board does this for you every day, in a few seconds. It helps in several ways:
It makes you choose. To make a board you have to ask yourself what you really want. That question alone is worth the afternoon.
It directs your attention. Your brain filters what it lets in, and it lets in what it has been told is important. Once your goal is on the wall, you start noticing the walking group, the recipe, the course, the person who could help.
It builds your belief in yourself. Seeing yourself succeed, again and again, makes success feel possible. And people who believe they can do something are the ones who keep going after a setback.
It keeps you motivated. On a grey morning, a glance at the board reminds you why you’re getting up for that walk.
I wrote more about this in the power of visualisation, if you’d like to go further.
Is a vision board good for your health?
I think so, and in more than one way. Knowing where you’re going gives you a sense of purpose, and that calms the mind: there is less of the vague worry that comes from drifting. If your board includes pictures of how you’d like to eat, move and rest, it nudges you gently towards those choices at the very moment you’re deciding between the sofa and your trainers. I explain why this matters so much in the benefits of a clear vision for your health.
A board can also remind you of the people you love and the time you’d like to spend with them. And each time you reach something that was on it, you feel a real sense of accomplishment, which gives you energy for the next step.
Start with ten minutes of visualisation
Before you pick up the scissors, give yourself ten quiet minutes. It will make your board truer.
Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can sit or lie down.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to let your mind settle.
Think about what you’d like in your life, in the long term and in the coming year.
See yourself there. Imagine how it feels and how your days are different.
Use all your senses: what do you see, hear, smell, touch?
Stay a few minutes with each wish and let yourself sink into it.
When you’re ready, take a few more deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.
Keep those images in mind as you make your board. They’ll guide your hand better than any rule. If breathing quietly feels unfamiliar, you’ll find simple ways in my step-by-step breathing guide.
I made a short video about this, you can watch it below.
How do you make a vision board? Ten simple steps
1. Decide what you want to focus on
What are your long-term goals? Which parts of your life are asking for attention: health, relationships, work, money, personal growth, creativity? Write a short list of what matters most to you now.
2. Gather your materials
You need a large sheet of poster board or foam board, a pile of magazines or printed pictures, scissors and glue. Pens, stickers or coloured tape are a nice extra. No magazines at home? Look for pictures and words online and print them.
3. Cut out what speaks to you
Leaf through slowly. Don’t think too much. If a picture or a word makes you stop, cut it out and put it on the pile. You’ll sort later.
4. Choose a layout and arrange
Lay everything on the board before you glue anything. You may like tidy sections, one for each part of your life, or a free and overlapping collage. Move things around until it feels right, then glue or tape them down.
5. Add your own touches
Write a few words by hand, add a quote or an affirmation that keeps you going, a bit of colour, a photo of yourself smiling. It’s your board.
6. Step back and review
Look at the whole. Does it show what you really want, or what you think you should want? Take away anything that leaves you cold and add what’s missing.
7. Hang it where you’ll see it
The bedroom wall, your desk, the inside of the wardrobe door: somewhere your eyes land every day without effort.
8. Look at it, really
Take a minute or two each day to look at your board and remember what you’re working towards. The start of the day is a good moment, and it fits nicely into a gentle morning routine.
9. Update it when you change
Your priorities will shift, and that’s fine. Replace pictures, add new ones, or start again.
10. Celebrate your progress
Each step counts, however small it looks. Notice it, name it, enjoy it. That’s what gives you the energy to carry on.
Try this today
A board is one tool. It needs your action, a positive attitude and some belief in yourself to work. So once it’s on the wall, choose one picture and ask: what is the smallest thing I could do this week that goes in that direction? Put it in your diary. If you’d like help turning a wish into steps, read how to achieve your health goals and why change is hard, and how to make healthy habits stick.
Whether you’d like to change your work, start something of your own or simply live a happier and healthier life, a vision board is a lovely way to begin.
Frequently asked questions
Do vision boards really work?
A vision board helps because it keeps what matters to you in front of your eyes, so you notice opportunities and make small choices in that direction. It does not do the work for you. The board gives you the direction, and your daily actions do the rest.
How often should I look at my vision board?
A short look every day is ideal, which is why it is worth hanging it where you pass anyway. If that is too much, sit down with it once a week for a few minutes and ask yourself what one small step you could take in the coming days.
Can I make a digital vision board?
Yes. You can build a collage of pictures and words on your computer or phone, with a design tool such as Canva or a board on Pinterest, and use it as your screen background. Choose the form you will really look at.
Can I change my vision board?
Of course. You change, and your wishes change with you. Take off what no longer feels true, add what has become important, or start a fresh board whenever you feel like it.
What is a vision board journal?
It is a notebook you keep alongside your board. You write down what you have done towards your goals, how you feel about them and what you have noticed. It is a simple way to see how far you have come.
Would you like some help?
Getting clear on what you want for your health, and then turning it into everyday habits, is one of the things we work on in my group programmes in nutrition and health, such as Six Tuesdays in Montignac. If you’d like to hear when the next group opens, write to me at hello@catherinepolet.coach.
Would you rather work one to one? I also coach online. Book a free 20-minute call, and tell me what’s on your board. We’ll look together at the first step.
About Catherine
I’m Catherine Polet, a holistic nutrition health coach, yoga and autogenic training teacher for more than 30 years, author and speaker. I help people find a way of eating and living that suits their own body, online in English, French, Spanish and German, and in person in Southwest France.
