I consider myself a maximalist of the mind, a trait that is both a blessing and a curse. I have a tendency to overthink the most minuscule interactions with the world around me and am left with a mishmashed and warped montage of all the different paths in my life, pointing in blurry directions. Sometimes I want my mind to press the default button and turn into a blank canvas that I can then add paint to, slowly, carefully, wistfully, while listening to “Golden Hour” by Kacey Musgraves. Of course, this is easier said than done with all the stressors in our busy lives, but if you can just find half an hour out of your day, I have a proposal for the best way to do this: create a vision board collage. According to my knowledge, this magical device can be made on Pinterest (my personal favorite), the app Shuffles, or by hand: cutting out pretty images from a magazine that relate to your life goals and organizing them on a colorful piece of paper or in a journal.
Goals can be incredibly overwhelming, looming mountains to climb, but you’ll climb them much faster and better if you do it as a planner, optimist, and believer. I think creating vision boards helps you visualize yourself in these situations that might seem so far out of reach from the place you are currently standing in life. People are always saying not to romanticize your life, which is true to some extent since you don’t want to be blinded by rose colored glasses, but the belief in sparkle being a core part of your essence and aura never hurt anyone, in fact, the very opposite.Â
2023 was not my year for so many reasons and on so many levels, although I’ll save you the details that my mom and best friends have heard earfuls of (bless their hearts). I was simultaneously so excited and terrified for 2024. I wished so badly I could unlock the brain of Doc from Back to the Future and time travel to see all that would unfold for me. The problem is, there is no future if one does not first live in the present, philosophically and poetically, and plan their utmost desired future. Planning is the key to success and vision boards serve this purpose.
At the beginning of 2024, I created a vision board full of images I found on Pinterest that I wanted to see myself embodying for the coming year. I already had a strong belief that this year was going to be my year because 24 is my lucky number. This wonderful number is my birth date, and I was going to graduate high school and go to college in 2024. This prior belief in my own capacity of luck helped me believe in my vision board, which is a vital step one must take in the creation and implementation process. However, I should have believed that my luck came more from simply just me instead of my lucky number, and since then I’ve been working on acquiring this mindset.
In my collage, I included images of studying hard because I wanted to maintain good grades for college and begin college with strong motivation that resulted in success. These Pinterest images made studying actually look like a great deal of fun, with girls wearing their hair in slicked back buns, and rocking pretty headphones, probably listening to some really cool indie artist, whilst using multicolored pens to take notes. I included concert photos with bright multicolored lights and people’s hands in the air, while also adding peaceful images of hiking trails and meditation cartoons with swirls. In addition to these kinds of images, I also just included sunsets, stars, and sparkles. These kinds of pictures just made the collage so much more fun, beautiful, positive, and me: which are the ultimate goals. I also added an image of the song “Daylight” by Taylor Swift because of the message about finding people and situations that feel like the warmth of sunbeams.
I can happily and gratefully say 2024 is going according to my vision board’s plan. There are times where my goals seem out of reach, but my vision board reminds me of what path I’m on, even if I feel like the path is treacherous and the goal at the end is unreachable at moments. I made the future so much more inviting and organized by making one pretty picture that encapsulates everything I want to accomplish in 2024. Thank you, vision board, for guiding me through this year!