How to Make a Vision Board for FREE

It’s difficult to get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re going. Picturing the life you want can help make it happen. Making a vision board can help make your dreams a reality.

This fun project can help you get unstuck, be the person you want to be, live the life you want to live, and get where you want to go.

I recently made a vision board to fulfill a marketing class assignment. I was surprised by the motivating power of this simple project.

Through trial and error, I found some free digital tools that made it easy. I’m passing them on to you so you don’t have to have the frustrating error part. You get to have the easy way.

Creating a Vision Board: Motivation, Tools, and Tips

What Is a Vision Board (AKA Dream Board, Manifestation Board)?

A vision board is basically a collage of graphics that represent what you want your life to look like. It often includes photos, text, and other creative elements.

It may be focused on one area of life or many. (I’m going to talk about the many areas of life version, but you decide what you want to include in your vision.)

Vision boards are also called dream boards, so this article is also a good source for how to make a dream board.

Why Vision Boards Work: Benefits & Motivation

Creating a vision board for the life you want helps set your intention. 

It's a process of self-reflection and goal-setting. It creates a concrete visual of who you want to be, where you want to go, and what you want to achieve. 

Vision boards can help you stay focused on your goals, motivate you to take action, and inspire you to overcome obstacles along the way.

Research backs up what many already know from experience: setting goals improves focus, perseverance, and motivation — making work, school, and life better. 

The creation process lets you explore your goals in a hands-on way, engaging both the logical and creative sides of your brain. That experience helps your goals sink in more deeply. The finished board becomes a daily visual reminder of your values and priorities — keeping them front of mind.

What Happened When I Made My First Vision Board

The very next morning after I finished my vision board, I realized a positive effect on my life. I had that moment of wavering about doing my morning workout. I immediately flashed on a strong-woman picture I had included in my collage, and I wavered no more. I was motivated and energized to jump on my mini-trampoline and lift those barbells.

A Real-Life Vision Board Story: My Sister’s Success

My sister was going through a very difficult time in her life. Her house and business burned down, taking all of her possessions with the exception of about 5 items she managed to escape with. Fleeing the building, she fell on the ice, breaking her arm in a way that required surgery.

She was a single woman starting over from scratch─with a broken arm. She had to rebuild her business and her home. Basically, she was rebuilding her life.

She made a vision board. Her vision board included financial goals, career goals, places she wanted to travel to, and relationship goals.

When she showed me her vision board, it was clear that having a loving partner was way up on her priority list. There were about five pictures that depicted love. She really wanted a partner in life.

Another thing that stood out on her vision board was mountains. She had never seen mountains, and clearly she wanted to.

She worked away at rebuilding her business and reestablishing a home, but the really astonishing thing about her vision board story lies in the romance and travel arenas.

About a year after my sister made her vision board, during her regular phone call with a long-time guy friend who had offered her tremendous emotional support as she struggled with the fire aftermath, the friend asked her, “Do you think there would ever be a future for an us?”

Unlike other phases of their lives, they were both now single at the same time. They diligently asked each other questions to check their compatibility to move from friendship to partners. Both concluded “yes.” And─he lives on the other side of the country near the mountains.

She recently spent a wonderful week together with her boyfriend in a cabin in the mountains. Now they are planning how to bring their worlds together. It looks like a several-year process, but that’s OK with them.

Moral of the story: There is a power in seeing where you want to be (figuratively and literally).

How to Make a Vision Board: 3 Steps to Turn Goals into Reality

Using a vision board is a 3-step process:

1. Figure out what you want in your life

2. Create the vision board

3. Use it

Step 1: Figure Out What You Want. Goal-Setting Tips.

Get clear about your vision.

Note: Your vision for your future may change over time. This is just the vision you have moving forward from where you are now. It’s not set in stone. Don’t get stalled out by thinking about too many what-ifs.

Make a list of goals you might include on your vision board.

Consider all aspects of yourself for inclusion: body, mind, and spirit.

Setting Goals for Your Vision Board: 9 Life Categories to Consider 

Consider various areas of your life:

1. Physical well-being: movement, fitness, eating, weight, health

2. Tangible: things you want to own, be around, or see

3. Mental: learning activities and/or goals (skills, education, certificates), creative endeavors

4. Emotional: risks to take, attitude you want to have

5. Relationships: family, friends, romance, what kind of partner you’d like to have or be

6. Work: career/business choice and milestones, service and volunteering

7. Financial: debt, saving, and earning goals

8. Fun: entertainment, vacations, places to visit, hobbies

9. Spiritual: inspiration, personal growth, and spiritual practices

Some goals you may want to make specific. For example: be a size 10, walk 3 times a week, make $100K a year, write a book about Tangier.

Some goals you may want to be more general. For example: laugh a lot, enjoy family, travel somewhere fun.

You may want to represent goals from all these areas of life on your board, but you don't have to. You can also prioritize what goals you represent. You can even just focus on one area at a time, if that's what you want to do. 

Begin to visualize how you can represent your goals on the board.

Step 2: Create Your Vision Board (Digital or Physical). Free Resources. 

A vision board is a collage of graphics representing components of your vision for your life. It typically includes pictorial representations and words or phrases that inspire you or label an element of a goal (ie, $60K).

Make a file to collect graphics. Either a physical file to place your pieces until you are ready to put them together, or a computer file to collect graphics in.

There are two ways you can put your vision board collage together:

1. You can create a vision board with physical materials using printed photos, magazine pictures, phrases cut from printed sources, written words, and artistic representations on a cork board, piece of paper, or poster board.

2. You can create a digital vision board.

Use Canva to create your vision board for free

Canva is a great platform for making a digital vision board. (Use the Canva website or find the mobile app in your phone's app store.)

You can sign up for a free version of Canva that has plenty of assets, including quick tutorials, free graphics, a variety of fonts for adding text, and vision board templates.

Where to get pictures for a vision board

You can use:

• Photos you already have

• Photos you take in order to capture the images you want to include on your vision board

• Online sources of free graphics: If you use Canva to create your vision board, there are many free graphics right on the design platform. Another great source for free photos is Pixabay.

Step 3: Use it. Turn Your Vision Board into Daily Motivation

Take the time to acknowledge what you have accomplished in creating a vision of the life you want. Yeah! You did it!

Put your vision board where you can see it often. Let it inspire and motivate you.

Now you can use your vision board as a launching pad for creating a plan of how to get what you want, how to make your vision a reality.

For now — congratulations! You’re on your way to where you want to go! Savor the moment.

Resources to Increase Your Vision Board Success

Through decades of helping counseling clients, I've learned lots about what gets in the way of happiness and what helps make lives better. I've used that learning to create books and recordings, so you can benefit from it too. 

My "Silver Lining" series of journals, workbooks, and planners can help make your vision a reality. (Click on any of the titles to learn more.)

• From To-Do to Ta-Done! Silver Lining 6-Month Daily To-Do List Planner

• Roses, Thorns and Buds Silver Lining Journal for Daily Joys, Challenges and Inspirations

• Increasing My Happiness Quotient: Silver Lining Joy Journal & Workbook

• Learn, Let Go, Lighten Up: Silver Lining Emotional Detox Journal & Workbook

• Becoming Calm: Silver Lining Anxiety and Stress Resilience Workbook and Journal

Questions and Answers for Beginners

What is the purpose of a vision board?

A vision board helps you clarify your goals, stay focused, and stay motivated. It’s a visual reminder of what you want to achieve and who you want to become.

Do vision boards help with manifesting?

Yes — many people use vision boards as a tool for manifesting their goals and dreams. Manifesting is often described as the process of bringing something into your life through focus, intention, and action. A vision board helps by keeping your goals front and center, which can increase motivation and help you notice opportunities that align with what you want. While results aren’t guaranteed just by making a board, it can be a powerful way to support mindset, clarity, and follow-through.

Can I make a vision board for free?

Yes! You can create a digital vision board for free using tools like Canva or gather photos and magazines to make a physical one with materials you already have.

What should I put on my vision board?

Include pictures, words, or symbols that represent your goals and dreams. You can focus on one area of life (like health or relationships) or create a full life vision.

Does a vision board really work?

While it’s not magic, a vision board helps by keeping your goals top-of-mind, which can boost motivation and help you recognize opportunities. Many people find them surprisingly effective.

How often should I look at my vision board?

It’s best to place your vision board somewhere you’ll see it daily. You can also take a photo of it to keep on your phone or set it as your desktop background.

Can I make changes to my vision board later?

Absolutely. Your goals and priorities can change, and your vision board can evolve with you. Some people update theirs yearly, quarterly, or whenever life shifts.

What's the difference between a dream board and a vision board?

They’re essentially the same thing. “Vision board” is the more commonly used term, especially in goal-setting and personal growth circles.

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