One of the most profound things the head of my department at my University told me was “fake it till you make it.”
If you can confidently declare that you are capable, worthy, and valuable— other people will believe you too.
Flash forward to my final assignment for this same professor’s class my senior year.
I was exhausted, overworked and beyond ready to grab my diploma and leave. I was an acting major, and this was a dialects class. The assignment was to perform monologues in different dialects.
I didn’t have the time nor the mental capacity to memorize all of these monologues, so I stood up in front of the class and made it up.
I believed in myself fully.
I received a 100% on a final I put virtually no effort into, grabbed my diploma, and ran.
So why am I telling you this?
You are Capable of Amazing Things
I strongly believe that we are all capable of making our wildest dreams come true. We just need the confidence and willpower to keep our chins up and persevere, and to ignore the negative thoughts that are holding us back.
Have you dreamed of traveling the world? Getting a pilot’s license? Opening a cat cafe? Having extra money at the end of the month?
Whatever your dream is, it’s time to believe in yourself and make these dreams a reality.
One of my absolute favorite ways of keeping my eyes on my dreams is by creating a vision board or a vision journal.
What is Vision Boarding?
Vision boarding is a process of manifestation our greatest desires and goals, and no, it isn’t magic.
Manifestation is a process to focus on and picture what you want and believing you deserve it. Then, it’s about picturing what you have to do to make it reality.
What will your life look like when you achieve this dream? What will it feel like? What will you wear? Will you look different, talk different, smell different?
A vision board is a visual representation of these future goals and intentions.
When you take an abstract dream and visualize what it will actually feel like and look like- those ideas become a lot more clear.
And a vision board or vision journal is a creative way to do just that.
Once you start to believe these dreams are actually at the forefront, they actually do become closer to your reality. It’s an amazing tool!
Essentially you’re “faking it,” but in a way that is incredibly useful in making these dreams come true.
How To Create a Vision Board Journal
First off, figure out exactly what you would like to accomplish, and be sure to dig deep and dream big! You might want to jot your goals down on sticky notes or scrap paper, just to get you started.
Next, start to put together photos, magazine pictures, stamps, stickers, colors and quotes that support this.
I like to search different keywords in Pinterest and print photos and quotes out if i can. Just find images that speak to you and makes you feel something positive about your vision and future.
For my vision board I wanted to manifest getting to travel the world as a photographer. So I found a cute magazine with tons of beautiful travel photos and quotes.
Once you find all the things you would like to include in your vision board journal, start assembling them on the pages of your vision journal. As you assemble and arrange them in your journal, really focus and picture yourself having already achieved these things.
Vision board work can result in a vision board you can hang on a wall, but for the sake of this article I’m focused on how to make a vision board journal.
Look through your vision journal spreads often. Rather than picture what life will be like when you achieve these goals, try to “remember” what it felt like to have achieved these things in your mind.
Anytime you start to get discouraged, or feel farther from your dreams than you’d like— reference back to the vision boards in your journal, and the pictures and quotes that represent your future goals and desires.
What Kind of Goals Can You Manifest with a Vision Board?
You can truly manifest any life goals you’d like.
It really does not matter how big or how small….the key is taking time to gain clarity into your goals, and what your life is like when you’ve achieved them.
I’ve made vision boards for upcoming vacations, different jobs I wanted, health goals, etc.
Some other ideas to create a vision board around include:
- Places you want to go
- Things you want to see
- A career you’d like to have
- A vacation you’d like to go on
- A skydiving adventure
- Better grades
- Eating healthier foods
- Fitness goals
- A tidier home
- Make more money
- Your ideal life or lifestyle
- A new skill or hobby you’re trying to master
The list is endless and really just depends on what is important to you! No dream is too big or too small for a vision board.
A Vision Board is so Much More Than a Pretty Picture
There is no right or wrong way to make a vision board, but there are some things to keep in mind if you’d really like to use it to bring you closer to your goals.
People will often say “you are what you eat.” I also believe that we are what we believe we are.
Part of the magic of when you create a vision board and manifest your goals is that you get to believe wholeheartedly that you are capable of making progress and making your dreams come true.
If you can’t fully believe you can do these things, it will be much harder to actually achieve them.
That’s the power of your mind in action!
While you are putting your vision board together— don’t just glue stuff down. Keep telling yourself that your dreams are your future. Have no glimmer of doubt in your mind that you can achieve it.
Every time you reference your vision board, flood yourself with all of the good feelings you felt while making it.
This is why vision boarding is so powerful. It’s an honest representation of our biggest goals, and is such an easy way to keep our eyes on those goals and turn them into realities.
When is the Best Time to Create a Vision Board
One of the best times to make a vision board are when you are really excited about a newfound goal or aspiration.
It can also be super beneficial to make a vision board if you’re feeling uninspired, or like you’re not moving toward your dreams within the time period you would like to.
Either way, the process of making a vision board should bring clarity and motivation to keep at what you’re doing and push through the hard stuff— and there will always be hard stuff.
No path to greatness ever comes easily. There will always be roadblocks and obstacles. There will be times you don’t believe in yourself and you can’t find the motivation to push through.
Creating a vision board means you’ll have a tool to help you see the end goal.
Remember that every single successful and creative person has had to struggle at some point or another.
The difference between successful people and those who settle, is that successful people were able to actually push through the hard stuff and keep going until their ideas about their best life became their reality.
Other Thoughts About Vision Boards
Remember the story I told you about how I “faked it” through my undergraduate final?
I think the fact that I believed in myself enough to convince the head of my department, means I was really was good enough to succeed.
I absolutely could have stayed up all night memorizing my monologues and perfecting every single word of them. But I truly believe that I probably wouldn’t have done as well in my professor’s eyes if i did.
So was it even cheating at all? I’ll leave that verdict up to you.
The point is— I believe none of us can truly ever be perfect at everything. And that’s not a bad thing. The important thing is we can stand up for ourselves and advocate for our own greatness, and then others will naturally jump on board too.
We are always our own worst critics, and it can feel so difficult to believe we are capable of making these wild dreams come true.
Mindset Matters
I hope you can see just how powerful thought is.
When you think positive thoughts, positivity will surround you. Our mindset and beliefs are so powerful in creating our realities.
Try to only make space for positive thoughts and watch good things flood into your life. Start a gratitude practice, and notice that you’ll start feeling more grateful and positive naturally.
Final Thoughts on Your Bullet Journal Vision Board
What do you have to lose giving it a shot? Worst case— it brings you joy. Best case— you get to see all of your wildest dreams come true.
So just start faking it. Wear the shoes you dream of filling. Somewhere along the road you won’t be faking it anymore. You will have just succeeded.
Whatever you do, just get started!
Lindsay loves documenting her travels and adventures through photography, videography and bullet journaling.
She is an avid traveler and has been to 13 different countries- with many more to come! You can follow her adventures on her tiktok (@lindsayamanphotography), youtube (coming soon), instagram (@lindsayamanphotography ), and her website.
