It’s Time To Create a Money Vision Board With All of Your Financial Goals
Ever heard the old saying, “out of sight, out of mind?” Well, there’s some truth to it.
When your goals are out of sight, they’re easy to forget. And let’s face it, you’re not working on them if you can’t remember them. Keeping your goals front and center helps you track progress and stay inspired.
This is especially important when it comes to your money goals. Let your money vision board clarify your goals and inspire you to new levels.
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What is a vision board?
A vision board, aka a dream board, is a picture collage that represents your goals. It’s all of your hopes and dreams visualized.
The primary goal of a vision or dream board is to picture your goals. So now you have something to look forward to and hold you accountable.
Vision board ideas:
- Money or Financial
- Health
- Weight loss
- Fitness
- Career
- Lifestyle
- Affirmation or Intention
- New Year or annual goals
- I am
- Travel
- Spiritual
- Side hustle
- Family goals
- Starting over
- Belief board
- Personal development
- Inspiration
What is a money vision board?
Now because this is a personal finance and investing blog, we will focus on creating a money vision board, aka a financial vision board.
This vision board lays out your money goals and plans. Perhaps you want to visualize what happens after you achieve your goals or what it will take to complete them.
Maybe you want to include pictures of people or things that motivate you. Do you have any sources of motivation? Are you going to change careers or move to a new city? Maybe, start a side hustle?!? How are you going to accomplish your goals?
A money vision board can display creative ways to save money, make money, or spend money (if that’s your goal). Your picture collage can be whatever you want it to be.
Why should you create a money vision board?
Life is busy. We are multitasking at record levels. And we are constantly bombarded with extras. It’s honestly amazing that we get anything done, given the length of our to-do lists.
It’s not often that we put ourselves first. After all, the family, friends, and bosses need us.
Creating a vision board is your chance to put your goals first. We are more likely to remember things that are written down. And we’re more likely to do something when we see it.
In an article by Forbes, Mark Murphy writes that “vividly describing your goals in written form is strongly associated with goal success, and people who very vividly describe or picture their goals are anywhere from 1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish their goals.” In other words, we are statistically more likely to achieve goals that we can vividly describe or picture
The mind (and its mindset) is a powerful tool that has a significant influence on your body and muscle. Athletes are well known for their mindsets. They use mental rehearsals and visualization techniques in their training and performances. Who doesn’t remember Muhammad Ali’s infamous “I am the greatest.”
AJ Adams from Psychology Today says that mental imagery can “enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy, improve motor performance, prime your brain for success, and increase states of flow.”
What do I need to create a money vision board?
It’s up to you…do you want something digital or on paper?
If you’re looking for a digital vision board, check out Canva. You can use their free account to fill in grid templates for free. Just add text, quotes, pictures, and people that describe your mood. You want to add images that speak to you and your goals. Since you’re using Canva, you can quickly and easily move things around to fit your vibe. Example template below.
But there’s nothing wrong with getting a sheet of white paper and putting pictures on it. You can also get a poster from the store and use glue or tape to add images.
The best thing is you can do whatever you want to do. I hope you take the time to do it. It’s so much fun, and it’s for your eyes only. Don’t be afraid to change your vision board as you change or when you come up with a new idea. We’re constantly evolving. Be creative and daring.
How do I create a money vision board?
Creating a money vision board isn’t hard.
First, get your mind right. You want to be optimistic. You don’t want to create a vision board when you aren’t in the mood or think it won’t help. That’s just setting you up for wasted time and frustration. If you’re creating a vision board just because everyone else is…DON’T. It won’t work without the right mindset.
Next, find a time where you are available without distraction. Sit quietly and picture all of your goals. Write them down. Refer back to my article on creating SMART money goals to help you get started. Think about your:
- Family
- Money goals
- Career aspirations
Now, start by simply Googling pictures (remember that some images may be copyright protected, so you can’t publish them) or look for photos in a magazine. Look for ideas that display:
- Creative ways to manage your money
- Creative ways to save and make money
- Numbers that represent your money goals
- Years that represent when you want to achieve Financial Independence
- Organizations that you want to donate to
- People you want to help
- How you want to put your money to work for you
- How you will feel when you are on track financially
- Things you may want to buy
- Places you want to visit
Now take those pictures and make a collage. Pictures can overlap, they can be different sizes, and they can be lots of different colors. You can use text, backgrounds, pictures of people, or cartoons. It’s whatever fits for you. Just get them pasted, glued, or taped to your vision board. You can always revise it a little later.
What now, my vision board is done?
Great work! You’ve put your vision out into the world.
But now it’s time for the hard part. You have to think through your goals and get to work. Try to look at your money vision board every day (at least once a week) to help you stay focused on your goals. I like to keep mine on my iPad in GoodNotes. I look at GoodNotes at least once a day because it’s where I keep all of my notes and ebooks.
Lastly, use positive affirmations and thoughts to drive your actions. Your mind is powerful. Having the right mindset will take you to places you could only dream of.
Ready, Set, Go
Your goals are important. Show your brain how important it is by writing them down and using a vision board. When you move things from your brain to paper, you can focus on the important stuff to get you through your day while automating everything else. Of course, if you’re not interested in a vision board, you could try a money vision journal. Whatever you do, it’s time to get started.
Visualizing your goals is a start to achieving them. But you still have to do the work and understand the why behind the goals. So take the time to get to know yourself and your money goals. You’re closer than you think to achieve them.
What do you think? Are you interested in making a money vision board? How do you like to visualize your future?
Theresa is a personal finance blogger. She writes content for busy professional women to take control of their money and investments. She enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and writing. Her work has been featured on GoBanking Rates, Your Money Geek, Savoteur, the Corporate Quitter, Thirty Eight Investing, and more.