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“So, we’ll be setting up my vision board today.” If you’ve spent any time on social media, particularly TikTok, you may have already watched a couple of content creators talking about their vision board; and what they’re manifesting for the new year. Other versions of this video are creators sharing breathlessly about how their vision boards for 2024 had come through: showing comparisons between collaged images with the reality of their year.
While such talks of vision board and manifestation may sound like something that’s baseless, manifestation as a practice actually does have transformative power; and it does have some roots in scientific and psychological principles. Rather than dismiss these practices immediately, this article delves into how manifestation works, the psychological basis behind it,, and how this can help us to achieve our goals in 2025.
What is a Vision Board?
Simply put, a vision board is a visual representation of what you hope your future looks like. Pre-social media, you’d have to put this together by clipping magazine papers and tearing out graphics from the newspaper to form a collage of what your ideal life would look like. Now, in this digital age, you have photo editing apps such as Canva that can help you pull together a digital vision board rather easily.
Your vision board can be a mix of photos and quotes. The important criteria is that each image or quote that you place on the board needs to resonate with you; and has to be something that you want to accomplish in the year.
How do Vision Boards work?
A vision board is more than a fun arts and crafts project (although it certainly can be quite an enjoyable activity to do, even together with a few of your close friends). The power of a vision board lies in how it forces you to visualise what your ideal life looks like, tapping into the strength of visualisation.
Vision boarding and the practice of manifestation draw on similar principles of positive psychology. At first glance, it may seem like you’re just trying to ‘wish things into existence’; but it’s much more than that.
At its core, vision boards and manifestation help to put you in a positive frame of mind, focusing on good outcomes as well as a growth mindset. There are studies that demonstrate the link between optimism and achieving one’s goals. With a positive mindset, individuals tend to be more proactive in solving issues that come their way; and these are all essential skills when it comes to being consistent and working towards a harder-to-achieve target.
Similarly, research shows that should one adopt a growth mindset (in which they are constantly working on self-improvement, and take challenges in their stride), you’re more likely to succeed at your goals.
More importantly, manifestation and vision boards focus your mind on your target. The more focused you are, the more likely you are to discover or act on opportunities that come your way; as your brain is attuned towards your goals. This can be attributed towards ‘task-positive networks’ in your brain, which are the neural pathways that help you accomplish higher-level tasks. The more you focus on your goals, the more you strengthen these pathways, and this allows you to capitalise on any opportunities that come your way.
Hopefully through this you’ll see that vision boards are more than just ‘magical thinking’ and wishes. We may put our ideal lives on paper like that; however, it still requires hard work and a good mindset, for us to translate these visualisations into reality.
How to Create your Vision Board
Ready to get started on creating your vision board? How your vision board is ultimately up to you! However, if you’re not quite sure how to start, these are some useful tips to help you put together a vision board that works for your 2025.
Set your intention for the year
Before you start putting anything down on the page, take some time to reflect on what your overarching goals are for the year: be it your career, your relationships, hobbies, or anything that you feel is important in 2025. This is the most important step of the process as it helps to focus your mind and energies on what is of priority for you. What you come up with here will form the foundation of your vision board.
Gather inspiration and decide on your format
As shared above, your vision board can be either physical or digital, depending on what’s easier for you. Either way, once you’ve decided on your goals and the format, you can start looking for inspiration and places to get your clippings. Pinterest is a good source, especially if you’re looking at a digital vision board.
Be specific about what you want
When you’re putting together your board, be specific about what you want to achieve; and find imagery and visualisation that mirrors this as closely as possible. Some individuals have shared that pictures from a first-person perspective tend to work better for them. For example, if you want to get better at playing tennis, opt for a view of ‘yourself’ holding a tennis racket compared to a photo of another person whose face you can clearly see playing tennis.
Put it somewhere you’re always looking at
After you’ve finished your board, make sure you place it somewhere you always look at. This could be your phone’s lock screen or next to the mirror where you get ready every day. It’s important that you internalise your vision board. Looking at it consistently embeds it in your mind; so that your brain is constantly primed towards success.
Review your board periodically
Lastly, your vision board doesn’t have to be a fixed object. If you find that an image no longer resonates with you, swap it out for something different. Your vision board is a personal living document – and so feel comfortable with refreshing the visuals on it, so that you continue to stay inspired at working for your dreams.
In addition to creating a vision board, working with a mental health professional can support you to achieve your goals for 2025. Reach out to any of our therapists and counsellors at A Space Between, and let’s make this year a great one for you.
References
- https://www.mentalhealth.com/tools/science-of-manifestation
- https://www.self.com/story/neuroscientist-science-behind-manifestation
- https://positivepsychology.com/manifesting/
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/basics/manifesting
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/sg/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202009/what-is-manifestation-science-based-ways-to-manifest
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37421301/
- https://athenaleadershipacademy.com.au/crafting-your-future-the-science-and-art-of-vision-board-creation/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/03/29/a-psychologist-explains-the-power-of-vision-boarding-for-success/
- https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a29959841/how-to-make-a-vision-board/
- https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-create-vision-board