Every year, right around late December, I make the same promises to myself: eat healthier, journal more, and spend less time on my phone (I swear, this is always my number-one resolution). But by the time December rolls around again, nothing has changed. The intentions are there; the follow-through, not so much. So this year, I’m taking a different approach. Instead of letting my resolutions collect dust in a forgotten notebook or be buried in my Notes app list, I’m making a vision board.
Whether you’re manifesting your dream job, a thriving love life, or better health, a vision board is a way to turn vague goals into something you can see in front of you. It helps you stay focused, intentional, and aligned—and it’s not just woo-woo. The act of visualizing what you want has science to back it up; it can be almost as powerful as actually experiencing it. According to social scientist Frank Niles, Ph.D., when you imagine an act, the brain sends signals to the same neurons that “perform” the movement, creating a new neural pathway (clusters of cells in your brain that work together to create memories or learned behaviors) that primes your body to act in a way consistent with what you’ve pictured. In other words, “seeing” your desired future trains your brain to move toward it. Read on for everything you need to know to create a vision board that actually works. Consider your 2026 New Year’s resolutions already in motion.
Experts Consulted
At The Everygirl, we believe that wellness advice should be grounded in accurate, science-backed information to ensure our readers can make informed decisions about their health and well-being. That’s why we prioritize consulting trusted, credible experts—so every piece of content is both reliable and empowering.
ELSPETH ROBERTSON
Elspeth Robertson is a clinical counselor and professional art therapist, working with adults and children who experience stress, anxiety, burnout, and perfectionism. She works to foster growth in all realms of human experience through expressive and somatic therapies and strengths-based compassionate counseling.
ELIZABETH MATEER, LMHC
Elizabeth Mateer is a licensed clinical mental health counselor. Her areas of special training and expertise include gender and sexuality, identity formation, and relationship issues. More specifically, working with survivors of trauma, abuse, victimization, and people in recovery from alcohol and drugs.
THERESA CHEUNG
Theresa Cheung is an astrologist and dream expert who has been researching and writing about spirituality, dreams, and the paranormal for the past twenty-five years. She has several international bestselling books, including two Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers to her credit.
JILL LOFTIS
Jill Loftis is an astrologist and yoga, meditation, and breathwork instructor. In addition to practicing astrology and teaching yoga, she leads workshops and trainings on meditation, breathwork, and online workshops on breathwork and life transformation.
What Is a Vision Board?
A vision board is a collage of images and words that reflect what you want in life, something you can refer back to again and again to clarify your intentions and keep them top of mind. Rather than focusing on the habits you should be quitting, vision boards shift your attention to the possibilities: what your future self is doing, what you’re working toward, and what you want the next year to hold. “From a scientific perspective, vision boards do what we call ‘priming,’ which essentially is when exposure to a certain stimulus affects how you act towards whatever comes next,” explained Elizabeth Mateer, a licensed mental health counselor associate. “A vision board is an opportunity to focus on the reality you want to create, a prediction of your possible future, and a connection to hope and a life that feels aligned,” Robertson said.
Why Ditch Your Typical Resolutions for a Vision Board?
Let’s officially retire the tired “New Year, New Me” mindset in 2025. Ever felt like resolutions hold a certain amount of shame? Like you need to achieve these resolutions, and if you don’t, you’ve failed? Miss a workout, scroll too long, have drink or two, eat sugar, and all of a sudden, everything you’ve done up to that point didn’t count. “We are primed to view our lives and events through a negativity bias, focusing on what went wrong versus what went well,” said Elspeth Robertson, a registered clinical counselor and professional art therapist. Resolutions tend to be about breaking a pattern to become “better” (less phone scrolling, no alcohol, no sugar, etc.), but quitting a bad habit is not the same as manifesting a better life. “If a resolution says, ‘Here is what I need to take away,’ a vision board says, ‘Here is what I would like to add,'” Robertson added. A vision board is intended to make you feel confident and inspired in your life, not shameful for all you should change about yourself.
How to Make a Vision Board
Get down to the nitty-gritty
First, zoom out and think about the different areas of your life that you want to put energy into this year. Maybe it’s your career, your love life, or your relationship with yourself. Or maybe it’s your home, travel palns, or overall health. There’s no right or wrong—just what feels meaningful. From there, get more specific and break down the categories into subcategories. What does your ideal job look like? Working from home? A raise that comes with more benefits? Exactly where do you want to travel to? Where do you see yourself living in the next six months? What type of self-care do you want to make a daily ritual? Cozy cardio? Managing your finances based on what brings you joy (yes, money is a key part of self-care)? Use your answers to start searching keywords (think: “CEO aesthetic,” “Greece aesthetic photos,” “apartments in New York,” “financial wellness,” etc.).
Go digital
Pinterest and Canva are you BFFs here. Start by perusing Pinterest, choosing only the images you feel emotionally drawn to—the ones that spark excitement, curiousity, and hope. If it gives you a yes, that feeling, save it. Once you’ve gathered all of your photos, your Pinterest board can be the vision board itself, or you can upload them to Canva to turn them into a desktop wallpaper, phone background, or printout. Fight the urge to make it perfect; your vision board doesn’t have to be flawlessly organized on a neat grid, have a color scheme, or make sense to anyone but you.
Or, go old school
If, like me, a digital detox is an underlying theme of your resolutions, use a more hands-on approach to bring your vision board to life. Grab a stack of magazines, scissors, and glue, and have at it without an agenda. Cut out any images or words that speak to you, even if you can’t put your finger on why right away. Laying everything out in front of you and piecing your vision board together by hand makes the process slower and more intuitive. Bonus points that it counts as unplugging and gives you an excuse for a girls’ night in.
Add affirmations
To counteract the negativity that can be associated with resolutions, try including affirmations to your vision board along with your curated photos. “Affirmations go hand-in-hand with successful vision boarding because, just like vision boards, affirmations are also about rewiring your beliefs about yourself and what is possible for you,” said Theresa Cheung, an astrologist and dream expert. Cheung suggested using simple affirmations to ground your intentions throughout the year:
- Every day I take small steps in the direction of my dreams.
- 2026 is the year to focus on what is important to me.
- I am doing what is right for me, not what others expect.
- I will overcome any challenge and learn and grow from it.
- I notice my thoughts and feelings and what they are teaching me.
- I am grateful for all that I am.
- The past does not define me.
- I choose to think positive thoughts about myself.
- Success and happiness are my birthright.
- I am moving forward in the direction of my dreams.
So I Made My Vision Board… Now What?
Be intentional about where you put it
To help turn the contents of your vision board from inspiration to IRL, astrologer Jill Loftis suggested to “charge” your vision board by placing it somewhere you’ll see often. Whether that’s making it your laptop or phone wallpaper or printing and framing it, simply being thoughtful about your vision board’s location is a form of manifesting in itself. To begin manifesting your goals, Loftis advised engaging with your vision board daily. “Place it near a candle you can light or create a small altar with the board as its centerpiece, adding symbolic statues, crystals, or other items,” Loftis recommended. Whatever your setup, look at your vision board every day and repeat some of your favorite affirmations, reconnecting with the intentions you set when you made it.
Tie it into a meditation practice
Another powerful manifestation tool is weaving your vision board into a meditation practice. Here’s the best part: meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting in silence. Try walking meditation, where you focus on your breath and surroundings while visualizing your goals. Or dive into guided visualization, listening to a guided meditation or creating your own mental “movie,” imagining every detail as if it’s already happening. You can also transform everyday moments into meditation with an affirmation practice by repeating the affirmations from your vision board aloud while cleaning, showering, or driving. Think of it as habit-stacking ordinary tasks with mindful intention-setting. “Meditation reminds you that you are not your thoughts, your feelings, or your skills,” Cheung said. “You are your choices. You can consciously choose more positive thoughts, feelings, and actions, and when you do that, you naturally start to feel better about yourself, and you start to manifest or attract a better life while using your vision board.”
Pivot whenever you need to
Remember that your vision board is ever-evolving. It’s a reflection of your future life, so add, swap, or remove images and words as the year progresses. Your goals will shift, you dreams will grow, just as you will. Whether you need clarity, guidance, or a little nudge to stay aligned with your in 2026, a vision board can be your personal North Star. Just for the record, say it with me and loud: “I am ready to receive everything I’ve been dreaming of.”
Meguire Hennes, Contributing Writer
Meguire Hennes is a journalist, singer, and performer, bringing a spark of Gen Z humor and relatability to everything she does. She is currently a fashion news writer at The Zoe Report while freelancing for platforms like The Everygirl, Bustle, Elite Daily, Byrdie, and more.
