By Rachel Tallant
2026 just rolled in. January is the time for reflecting and setting new years resolutions. But have you ever struggled bringing your goals to life? One quick way to get closer to your ambitions is to vision board.
A vision board is a tool that can help you not only visualize your goals but bring them into reality through setting intentions and creating something for yourself.
Whether it’s planting a garden, decluttering your home, pivoting your career, spending time with family, eating healthier, or finally learning to knit a sweater, your goals are authentically yours and are ready to take place in this world. They just need a little nudge.
Following this ritual to reset is the perfect January activity to set your intentions for the year ahead. I’ll help guide you through the process on setting your intentions, gathering visuals, and putting your vision board together in a space that works for you.
1.) Prepare for Inspiration to Strike
The best way to get the ideas flowing is to dedicate time to this activity. Even if you’ve only got an hour, an afternoon, or a week, this process is simple. Make this time yours. Light some candles, put on your favorite mood-boosting playlist, go to your favorite coffee spot, break out your journal. I would start by asking myself some guiding questions. What do I want more of this year? What do I want less of? How do I want to feel at the end of 2026?
2.) List Your Goals
Then, I would make a list of goals. Big or small. Long-term or short-term. Whatever’s true to you. Don’t judge yourself on how long this list is, either. Throughout this whole process I would also try avoiding “should” statements, like I should have more goals for myself, or this should look prettier. It’s about the process of showing up for yourself and devoting yourself to a practice of self-reflection and intention, not perfection.
3.) Set Intentions for Your Goals
Think of goals as what you want to achieve in the future and intentions as your roadmap for the present. For this part of the process, I think its better to par down your goals to just a few with a common theme, or just one if you can. That way, you can focus on one thing and not get too overwhelmed. Once you’ve narrowed down your goals, I would write an affirmation or intention for each. Some examples of this
could be:
- “I nourish my body with food that makes me feel strong.”
- “I connect with the earth and slow down by gardening.”
- “I create space in my home for calm and clarity.”
- “I am open to change and excited to grow into the next chapter of my career.”
- “I center myself and uphold my values by spending time with loved ones.”
- “I explore creativity through painting and photography.”
Using present tense statements can be powerful because it can signal to your brain that the affirmation is already true. By shifting your mindset to a tone of possibility, you can embody the confidence and energy you’ll need to make the changes you want.
4.) Gather Visuals
If you’re more left brained than right brained and struggle with creativity, it can be helpful to start this process with a word web. Write your goal or intention in the center of a piece of paper and brainstorm words or ideas that connect to it.
From there, you can Google those words to start sourcing your imagery. Some other sources to find imagery are Pinterest, magazines, library books, or even your own photos and illustrations.
Don’t overthink this; it doesn’t have to be the perfect representation. In this part of the process, you should go with the flow and choose images that spark joy or energy in you.
5.) Decide Where It Lives
An important part of this practice is choosing the format and location of your vision board. Getting constant reminders of your goals can help you stay focused throughout the year. Ask yourself, “Where will I see this most often?”. There are two routes you can go:
- Physical – bedroom wall, office space, fridge.
- Digital – laptop background, phone wallpaper, or even a private Pinterest board.
Bringing It to Life
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You’re on your way to manifesting your goals into reality. The next step is the fun part: putting it all together. For physical boards, you can cut, collage and paste your images all to one paper or board. Physical vision boards are where you can get most creative. You can add stickers, photos, and anything important to you with just a little bit of tape or glue. Then when you’re finished, you can even frame it!
For those who decided they want to see their board often (phone or computer screen backgrounds), I would use an application like Canva. There, you can select your phone or desktop size and start dragging and dropping your images just how you like!
And for those who are in a pinch, a private Pinterest board can be the quickest solution to piecing together your vision board.
Conclusion
Again, this is less about making it perfect and more about making it “you”. Whether you follow my steps or go straight to opening Pinterest, there’s no wrong way to make a vision board. The power lies in showing up for yourself, clarifying what matters, and honoring the journey—not chasing perfection. When you take time to dream, set intentions, and picture your future, you’ve already taken the first step to making it real.
