Creating A Vision Board For College Students

Imagining what you want for your life is much different from actually being able to see it. Being able to look at something you want every day has the power to motivate you to work towards it even harder. If you are feeling creative and passionate about your future, this is the perfect activity for you. A vision board is something you keep in your room or office to continue to motivate you every day to work towards the things you want for your life. I practiced this activity in high school and I think my answers have changed in the past three years (since I have started college). I once said–and I remember it clearly–I would have a degree in art history and be working in a museum as a curator. Oh, how wrong I was. But this isn’t to see how much your goals change but rather to keep them in front of your face. Now that we’re older, and a little more experienced, we most likely have a clearer view of the things we want for ourselves, so let’s get started on our vision board:

1. Pick a dream career

Out of any career in the world, what are you striving for? Don’t hold yourself back by reality and what you think you can do, aim higher. If you could be anything, what would you be? When people ask us this, we probably give them a realistic answer. Maybe an accountant, a journalist, or a small business store manager. Something simple, something we know is achievable. But what if we just went for it? No one said you couldn’t be an author or start your own business or be the owner of your own law practice. They are just a little bit harder to achieve, but that doesn’t mean we can’t strive to be them. Make this one of the biggest pictures on your vision board.

2. Pick your lifestyle

We all know how we would like to live one day. So ask yourself these questions: What kind of house do you want? What kind of car? What state or country would you like to live in? Maybe even the style of kitchen you would like? “Rich” is not an answer here, I am quite sure that there are few people in this world who wouldn’t want that. The goal here is to imagine what you want for yourself because it becomes your why. When you can see the things you want right in front of you, you will know why you work so hard and why the job you want is so important because it will give you that lifestyle you have been dreaming of.

3. A luxury you want

There are at least a couple different reasons as to why I cannot get my nails done. One is that my job does not allow nails or nail polish of any kind. Second, I likely have other priorities to pay for first before I can take care of my nails anyway. However, there has always been this wish in the back of my mind that I would be able to afford to get my nails done whenever I want someday. A silly luxury maybe, but one that I would like. Think about something you can’t do now that you would like the ability to have one day. Maybe it’s an amazing mattress that adjusts to your temperature and body, or a huge t.v. with surround sound, or maybe just the ability to go to a grocery store and not look at the price tag on something you need.

4. Pick places to travel

If you don’t have a mental list of places to travel, you really should make one because life is way too short to not live it to the fullest. The only problem here should be narrowing down the list. Whatever country, monument, state, or city it is that you want to see–pick three of them. Find pictures of them in a magazine or clip them out and put them on your board as a goal to one day be able to travel and experience these things. Your vision board, after all, is really like a dream board.

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5. Supplies

To put together your dream board, you can use either a poster board, a cardboard poster, or a pinboard with tacks. It does not matter how you display, just the fact that it is there. Grab old magazines and newspapers, or print the pictures out yourself. Cut them into fun, organic shapes–if possible make some of them bigger than others so you know which ones are the most important to you. You need at least one image to demonstrate each thing that you want. Maybe utilize other craft supplies like glitter glue, stickers, and washi tape. Make this something you will enjoy seeing every day. Arrange it in such a way that you know your priorities and you are motivated to work towards them.

6. Quotes

I am a sucker for quotes. Don’t worry, I’m not the person who spams their Instagram story with them day in and day out, but I probably would if I could. Instead, I hang them on post-it notes on the wall. I think there is a power in hearing a certain phrase or an epiphany in words when put a certain way. You know those quotes that just hit you in your gut and make your mind think completely different? That’s the kind I’m talking about. As a final touch for your vision board, add some motivational quotes around the edges of wherever you will notice them. These will motivate you daily to work towards the dreams on your vision board. They’ll remind you of your why.