Vision Boards + Goal Setting: Here's How to Do It Right

Most of us have made a vision board at some point. We spent a whole Sunday finding the right images and quotes. Then three weeks later... we’ve forgotten all about it.

But I’m here to tell you that the board’s not the problem! The missing piece was what should have happened before you started putting it together.

So let's do this right. Goals first, board second.

Before anything else, ask yourself: What do I actually want more of right now?

No, not what you think looks good on a vision board. Not what your friend posted on social media.

If you browse Pinterest or Instagram, it's easy to assume your vision board needs to be filled with palm trees, yachts, and the penthouse fantasy. But is that what you really, really want?

I used to think I wanted a penthouse…and then realized I much prefer being able to go for walks without relying on an elevator!

To get at what's meaningful, start with an honest look at own life. Where are you most ready for a change?

TIP: grab a journal and write it out before you start working on your vision board. Get the thoughts out of your head and onto paper first. You'll be surprised at what bubbles up.

If you're not sure where to start, try organizing your thinking around these areas. (I covered all of these in my previous post, so check that out if you want to go deeper!)

• Your health and body
• Your faith life
• Your money and your future
• Your home and daily life
• Who you're becoming
• The people in your life
• Your work and calling

Here's the thing though…you don't have to cover all of them! Go with the areas that are tugging at you the most.

If it’s only two, then woohoo! I want you to be able to spend enough time coming up with quality goals. You can always add more later on.

Here's a fun approach worth trying. Some of your goals can be "wildcards" which are hard to put a timeline on. SMART goals will reinforce your motivation in the short-term as you achieve them.

Wildcards will keep you dreaming big, letting your imagination roam outside the bounds of what you think is possible right now.

I’d recommend aiming for a mix. Some goals with a clear plan and a deadline. Some that are just big, beautiful, terrifying dreams you're not quite ready to put a date on yet. Do both.

I want you to be specific here. How specific? Like, uber specific.

Years ago, a friend mentioned she wanted more money. I gave her a penny….and she laughed. She wanted more money, right? And I gave her more money. Problem solved!

That’s why your goals need to be clear and well-defined. Avoid vague aspirations and instead focus on precision so there’s no room for ambiguity.

So instead of “have more money,” try “earn an additional $1,000 a month by December 31st." Instead of “get healthy,” try “run a 5K by July 31. Train three days a week starting Monday.”

If your savings goal is a new car, don't just write “new car.” What's the make, model, and color? The more specific you are, the more real it becomes in your brain.

Specific images and words are more effective than vagueness when shaping future goals. Vague goals… get vague results. That's how it goes!

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I’ve never liked that because I’m not at all interested in eating an elephant. But you get my point! We need to chunk it down into small, bite-sized pieces.

The same goals for our goals. Big goals are sooo exciting on day one, and then by day ten we’re overwhelmed (and give up).

The path to your vision is made up of thousands and thousands of little steps. It’s almost impossible to do it all in a day, or even a week. So why set yourself up for failure?

The fix is to chunk it down. Break down your vision board into manageable monthly goals and focus on 1–2 from each area every three months. Then make those goals part of your daily routine, even if it's only 15 minutes a day.

I can’t stress enough how underrated this one is. It doesn't matter if your goal is to save money, travel to Bora Bora, buy a home, or start a business.

At some point, you're going to encounter some kind of an obstacle. Your car breaks down and your short on cash. You have to work the weekend you want to go on vacation. You don’t like any of the homes available on the market. And on and on...

Use your vision board as a check-in when making decisions and ask, “Does this support or distract from this vision?” Let it guide your choices, not your actual goal.

When you know why a goal is so important, it’s much easier to get back up again, when in the moment, you’re so ready to quit.

You've got two ways to do this, physical or digital. For a physical board, grab some magazines, printouts, scissors, and a poster board. Cut out images, phrases, quotes, etc., and put it all together.

For a digital board, there are some great apps out there that let you upload images, add text, and even set it as your phone or laptop screensaver so it's with you wherever you go.

Neither is better than the other, the best one is the one you'll use.

Again, we’re focusing on real ideas, not only dream vacations. To me, vision boards are more than travel goals and pretty aesthetics. Think across all the categories you care about.

Health goals: e.g., lose 10 pounds by the end of the spring, run a 5K this summer, learn to swim by the end of the year

Learning: e.g., complete an online Spanish course, get a life coaching certificate

Financial goals: e.g., a specific savings number, a debt payoff milestone, an income target

Add words and phrases that represent who you want to become, not only what you want to have.

Give up of course. Absolutely not!

Check back at the start of each month. What did you follow through on? What got away from you?

Life changes, and so can (should) your goals. So update your vision board as your priorities change.

When you hit a goal, woohoo, huge kudos to you! Now swap it out because that open spot on the board is an invitation for something new.

One great trick is pinning pictures to your vision board so you can easily remove them once they've been achieved, then keeping them behind the board to remind you of everything that's been ticked off during the year.

What a great reminder to show how far you've come.

When it comes to your goals, things won’t always go according to plan. Plan A will fail sometimes. And that’s ok!

You can use your vision board as an accountability tool to help you stay on track and meet your goals, or adjust them throughout the year.

Have a plan B. Consider an accountability partner. And when something doesn't go the way you hoped, don't scrap everything. Reassess.

Every setback is info, not a dead end. Dust off and keep going.

Thanks a bunch for reading all the way to the end, it means a lot to me. Now go create some amazing goals!