Motivation comes and goes. Whether you're a wife, a mom, a student, or just somebody juggling a whole lot of life, you need systems that keep you focused even when you're tired. A vision board is one of those systems, and you don't have to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a CEO to use one. I don't care if you're 25 or 75. If you still dream, you should have a board. So I decided to make mine right here with you, and I'll report back on what I achieve. If something doesn't happen, I'll refresh it and keep going.
A vision board, sometimes called a dream board or an action board, is a collage of images, words, symbols, and affirmations that represent what you want to accomplish. The idea of visual manifestation goes back thousands of years, with different cultures using images and symbols to represent the outcomes they wanted. Modern self-help made it mainstream through books like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Psycho-Cybernetics, and The Secret, which turned vision boarding into a pop culture thing.
Oprah has talked about making a vision board with Barack Obama's picture and the dress she planned to wear to his inauguration. Katy Perry has shared that she made one in fourth grade with Selena right in the center. Jim Carrey famously wrote himself a $10 million check for acting services rendered and kept it in his wallet for years before landing a $10 million payday. And Steve Harvey has talked for years about writing down everything he wants to achieve. But this isn't celebrity magic. There's real science behind it.
A TD Bank survey of more than 1,600 people found that those who keep images of their goals were almost twice as confident they'd achieve them, 59% versus 31%. Here's why that might be. Your brain has a reticular activating system, or RAS, which works like a filter for the constant stream of information coming at you all day. When you keep goal images in front of you, you're training that filter to say: this is important, this is a priority.
Neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart describes three brain processes vision boards tap into. Value tagging means your brain gives images more priority the more you look at them, especially when they spark emotion. Selective attention means you start noticing opportunities that were there all along, sometimes called the frequency illusion. Pattern recognition is your brain connecting the dots between where you are and where you want to be. Visualizing a goal can also give you a little dopamine lift, that warm feeling that makes you want to get up and take action. Psychologist Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory adds that believing you can do something makes you more likely to act.
Here's the part people get wrong. Critics point out that a vision board can create a false sense of accomplishment, and some research suggests that visualizing only the outcome, not the process, can actually hurt performance. Waiting on the universe instead of moving is not the plan. So we're not doing delulu boards. We're doing action boards: the outcome plus the action steps.
My supplies were simple: poster board, scissors, glue, glitter paper because my board has to be pretty and sparkly, a few candles to set the mood, and my favorite snack, popcorn. I printed images for my fitness goals, my income goals, travel, rest and self-care, my website, speaking engagements, the Cookie Jar Podcast, my dream car in hot pink, a peaceful backyard, and my family. Then I printed task sheets with the actual steps that move me toward each goal. When the board has you on it, it hits different. It's not just inspiration anymore. It's identity.
I made two boards, one at my desk where I work and one in our bedroom, because that's where I spend most of my time. I literally wake up to my goals every day. I'll be doing follow-up videos on my progress, and when I hit these goals, I'll make a new board. Make yours, keep your goals in front of you, and never stop dreaming.