5 Steps to Manifesting Your Dreams Using a Vision Board in 2024

I created my first vision board in 2015, which helped me move from rock freakin’ bottom to simply not poor. It wasn’t a giant improvement, but it was enough to help me believe that this whole vision board thing might actually work.

The following year, I decided to dream bigger and put the number $75,000 in big green numbers on my vision board. My goal was to 3x my income in 9 months with a grad school program.

By the end of the program, I received an offer of exactly $75,000.

So when people ask me “Do vision boards really work?”  Or say things like “it’s too woo-woo for me” I can’t help but smile. They work like magic…. if you take them seriously.

Vision boards have been the only way that I’ve been able to manifest the things I want to create in my life. And every year, I watch my dream transform right in front of me.

Vision Boards and Manifesting

MANIFESTING MEANS TO CREATE SOMETHING IN THE REAL WORLD.

You may not realize this, but you’re doing it all the time - even if you’ve never heard the word manifesting before.

Have you ever had a dream that you made come true? For example, during my lowest rock bottom, I realized that journaling could help me get out of my head and have a bit of gratitude for the meager life I did have.

There was one problem: I couldn’t afford a journal.

I started to act as if I knew I was getting a journal anyway. I started looking at journals in the store and on Amazon. I knew that I wanted one that would inspire me with beautiful quotes. I wanted something that would fit into my purse so I’d always have it. I wanted it thick enough that I’d be able to keep it for a while.

Soon there after, at my receptionist job, I greeted a woman who arrived for a meeting with on the executives. She happened to be carrying a journal that had exactly everything I wanted. The black leather cover was filled with inspirational affirmations from top to bottom. The entire 6x9 book would fit right into any of my purses. I immediately asked her where she got it from, admiring it from across the desk.

On her way out of the office, she stopped by my desk and said, I haven’t written anything in this book yet - and I’d like you to have it.

That is manifesting. You can manifest things big or small, expensive or cheap, realistic or grand AH.

A VISION BOARD IS A TOOL IN THE MANIFESTING TOOLBOX.

Your vision board is a visualization of everything you want to be, do, and have in the future. It’s your blank canvas to post images, quotes, affirmations and drawings of anything you want to create in your life.

Manifesting is, therefore, the ultimate goal of the vision board. The measurement of success for your vision board is whether the things you want became a reality.

Is A Vision Board For Me?

If you want to improve the overall quality of your life and manifest your goals, a vision board can help you to do that. To be honest, you don’t even have to believe in vision boards.

Seriously, I only created my first vision board because a woman I know and trust swears by them. Before then, I thought vision boards were some woo-woo fad that would soon pass. Plus I was in such a bad place in my life at the time, I figured it couldn’t hurt. Only after watching my goals manifest did I truly believe.

This is my favorite tool for people who are just starting out in manifesting their dreams because it’s easy to start, fun, and can even be made into a group activity. (I host vision board parties every year for friends and family to create their vision boards together.)

How To Manifest Using Vision Boards

STEP ONE: UNDERSTAND THE STEPS TO MANIFESTING

There are three key steps in manifesting:

1.     Ask: Set your intention for what you want. The more clear that you can be on what you want, the better you can “ask” for what you want out of life.

2.     Believe: Trust that the process will work for you. Fears about whether you can create your reality will only hinder your ability to be “all in” on your future.

3.     Receive: Allow the change to happen in your life. Start to act as if your goal is inevitable and It. Will. Be.

STEP TWO: VISUALIZE THE ASK

Here’s where your vision board comes in. Once you know what you want to manifest, it’s time to solidify the idea in your mind with a vision board. Use your vision board to visualize the end result of achieving your goals. Imagine what your life looks like. Imagine what your new daily schedule would be. Imagine the people around you. Imagine how you’ll feel. Imagine what types of things you’ll be doing.

STEP THREE: PREPARE TO RECEIVE WITH GOAL SETTING

Start preparing yourself to achieve your goal by breaking your dreams down into smaller, more achievable goals. Manifesting isn’t supposed to be about waiting for things to happen to you. Instead, it’s about moving through your life with intention and purpose.

Setting goals and working down the path means that you expect your goal to become a reality, you believe. (See what I did there?)

In my story, I started looking for journals and doing the research as if I would be able to purchase it one day, even though I didn’t have money for food.

STEP FOUR: BE PRESENT IN YOUR LIFE

The biggest thing keeping people from attracting their dreams is worrying about their past or their future. If you’re worried about the training you don’t have, your age or your skin color, you might miss some of the opportunities right in front of you.

Focus on the moment you’re in. Pay attention to the things around you and try to notice when the stepping stone to your desire is near. (Remember when I met the woman who gave me my first journal?)

STEP FIVE: APPRECIATE THIS MOMENT

Working towards your goals might be difficult at times - that’s a good thing. Commend yourself for taking time for you, for working towards what you want or for trying something new. As you start to make accomplishments towards your goals, don’t forget to take a minute to celebrate.

Take Action Right Now

Vision boards are one tool that helps you on your manifesting journey. Once you realize that you can manifest anything you want, it becomes easier (and addictive) to manifest more things.

I want to encourage you to take one tiny step to manifest your dreams:

1.     Write down one thing you want to manifest this year.

2.     Find one image that represents this idea for you.

3.     Place that image on your bathroom mirror where you’re guaranteed to see it every day.

Manifesting anything you want out of life starts with one simple step: knowing what you want. Once you have that idea you can visualize your goals, map out the steps to get there, find mentors to help and focus your energy in the right direction.

Take that first step and share what you want to accomplish this year in the comments below.

xoxo

Want a Guide To Start Planning Your Vision Board Workshop? 

• Check out the Thrive Lounge vision board workshop STARTER KIT right here.

• Great for beginners or

• Those that want to up their game and refresh their vision board workshop presentation.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cyrene is a fun and accomplished workshop facilitator, learning and development guru and Human Resources professional. Being at the helm of Thrive Lounge has been a long-time dream. Through vision board workshops she plans to accomplish two-way learning. Sharing her vast years of knowledge to motivate and encourage others; while simultaneously getting the reward of great energy, ideas and questions to ponder back from each group. A super win-win.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING THRIVE LOUNGE!

Keep exploring our Thrive Lounge site for more great vision board and self-development info.