How to Make a Vision Board that actually works

Desire Without Pressure: A New Way to Vision Board

For years, I thought vision boards were supposed to be big, shiny, and aspirational.

So that’s what I made.

Magazine cutouts of waterfront mansions.

Awards I hadn’t earned yet.

Money I’d never touched.

Dreams that weren’t impossible… but felt impossibly far away.

I made those boards with the best intentions. I really did. I believed that if I could see it clearly enough, it would come true.

But what often followed wasn’t motivation.

It was quiet disappointment.

Every year that passed without those visions materializing felt like proof that I was behind, failing, or somehow not doing “manifesting” correctly.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was creating desire without safety.

When Vision Turns Into Pressure

In later years, I tried to “fix” my vision boards.

I pasted my face onto other bodies.

Photoshopped myself onto stages.

Imagined versions of me that felt impressive but distant.

The result was the same.

Big aspiration.

Big gap.

Big letdown.

What I understand now is this:

When desire feels far away and abstract, it can quickly turn into pressure. And pressure doesn’t inspire action. It shuts us down.

This year, I decided to do something different.

A Shift From Fantasy to Embodiment

Instead of asking, What do I want to achieve someday?

I asked a much simpler, more honest question:

What do I want to be doing more of?

Not someday.

Not once I’m “ready.

”Now.

I stopped fantasizing about the end result and started falling in love with the process of becoming.

Here’s what I got clear on for myself this year:

• I want my products carried by Barnes & Noble

• I want to be in better physical shape, strong enough to swim ten laps without stopping

• I want my business supported by systems that actually make my life easier

• I want to strengthen my relationship with my parents while staying grounded in my own truth

• I want a wardrobe where every piece makes me feel beautiful

• I want to create a new oracle deck

These aren’t fantasies. They’re desires rooted in reality.

Once I named them, I asked another important question:

What are the daily, human actions that support these desires?

How to make a vision board that actually works and that feels POSSIBLE

Instead of using magazine images of strangers’ lives, I used photos of my own.

Me meditating.

Me painting.

Me swimming.

I created small collages in Canva using:

• the exact brand of paints I already use

• the meditation cushion I sit on daily

• the software systems I’m implementing

• symbols of money that felt supportive rather than overwhelming

Then I printed and cut those collages and built a larger board around them.

At the center, I painted myself — large and grounded — surrounded by words I’m choosing to embody this year. I layered affirmations, prayers, stickers, images of nourishing food, and even stacks of fake (but very realistic) money.

It’s not the most glamorous vision board I’ve ever made.

But it’s the most honest.

And because it’s honest, it feels motivating instead of defeating.

I hope this inspires you and makes you feel like you do know to make a vision board that actually works!

Desire Works Best When It Feels Safe

This approach changed everything for me.

Because when desire feels embodied, it stops feeling like pressure.

When vision feels reachable, action becomes natural.

When the nervous system feels safe, consistency follows.

This is the philosophy I’m leaning into this year:

Desire doesn’t need to be chased.

It needs to be listened to.

You don’t need to overwhelm yourself with grand promises or impossible timelines. You need a vision that meets you where you are and gently invites you forward.

An Invitation

If you’re feeling called to reimagine how you vision, I invite you to slow down with this question:

What do I want to be doing more of by this time next year?

Not what you want to have.

Not what you want to prove.

What you want to live.

And if you’d like a little support tuning into the energy you’re working with right now, I created a short oracle quiz that can help bring clarity to what’s asking for your attention.

Take the Oracle Quiz