Even though the second month of the new year is right around the corner, it’s never too late to reflect on your goals, or better yet, manifest your dreams to be your reality. Whether you’re starving for academic success or personal growth for the semester, creating a vision board can be a powerful tool to help you stay focused and motivated. Vision boarding is not only a fun activity you can do with your friends or enjoy by yourself on a self-care night, but it serves as a physical reminder of what you want to achieve. Especially in college, when life gets too busy, it’s easy to lose sight of your goals. A vision board can help you stay on track and remind you of the bigger picture.
Why Vision Boarding Works
By selecting images, words, and quotes that align with your ambitions, you create a personal collage of motivation. When you place it somewhere visible, such as above your desk or on your bedroom wall, it becomes a daily reminder of the goals you’re striving toward. Studies have shown that visualization techniques can enhance motivation and increase the likelihood of achieving goals and improving your confidence.
How to Create a Vision Board
- Define Your Goals
When setting up your vision board, start by reflecting on what you want to accomplish. It can be short term goals for the next few months or long term goals for the whole year. Especially for college students, think about how you want to set yourself up for success for the rest of the semester by thinking about all aspects of your life including academics, relationships, and health.
- Gather Materials and Assemble
Look for images and phrases that resonate with you. Use colors, drawings, stickers, or anything else you find important to include. Utilize the internet or even old magazines you can find lying around. Place the images and words in a way that feels meaningful and inspiring, either by theme or mix them creatively in any way you see fit. Vision boards are personal to everyone and no vision board will ever look the same.
- Display Your Board
Make sure your vision board is visible everyday. It’s important to return to your board and visualize your success. Allow yourself to update your board as your goals evolve in order to stay motivated.
Keeping Your Vision Alive
It’s important to stay accountable. College can be stressful and vision boards aren’t the solution to all problems, but they can act as a reminder that pain is often temporary. Making time to reflect on your progress and celebrate small wins can keep you motivated, even during difficult times. Ultimately, consistency and perseverance will help you turn your vision into reality.