How to Make a Dream Board

Last Updated: March 2, 2022 References Approved

Everyone has dreams for their future. A great way to bring a more concrete feeling to these dreams is by making a dream board, also called a vision board. A dream board is a visual tool that serves as a guide to your goals for the future.^{[1]
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Research source} It is a visual representation of your dreams and your ideal life.^{[2]
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Research source} Making your own unique vision board can be a chance to explore your own goals and dreams and exercise your creativity. Check out the tips below to learn how to make a vision board and get inspired for your future.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Choosing Photos for Your Dream Board

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Make a dream board to highlight your future goals, wants, and visions. Generally, a dream board is filled with images of who you want to be, or the type of life you want to live.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Erin Conlon, PCC, JD
Executive Life Coach
Expert Interview. 31 August 2021.} This can include where you want to live, what kind of house you want to have, how you want to improve your physique, or where you want to go on vacation.^{[4]
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Research source} It should be designed to serve as your image of the future.^{[5]
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- Your vision board focuses on how you WANT to feel in the future so that you can visualize this future and eventually make it come to life.^{[6]
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- A dream board is a great way to get in touch with your intuition and better understand yourself and your dreams.^{[7]
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  Research source} Enjoy the process of making a dream board!
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Purchase a poster board. You can find a poster board at nearly any arts and crafts store or office supplies store; many drug stores and grocery stores will carry them as well.
- Decide if you want a white poster board or one with a colored background.
- Determine what size you want you dream board to be. You can make it as large as you want, including all aspects of your future goals, or you can make a smaller board for each focus of your life.
- You can either choose a paper-like board (which will not be as sturdy, but is usually of lower cost) or you can choose a foam board (which will be sturdier, but usually costs more).
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3
Collect magazines. The easiest way to make a dream board is to use pictures from magazines.^{[8]
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Research source} Choose any pictures that appeal to you or speak to you and consider including them on you dream board. There are a wide range of magazines that you can choose from that will be tailored to your specific interests. Here are some basic magazine suggestions for different topics:
- Fashion and style: Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Glamour
- Science, nature, and technology: National Geographic, Scientific American, Popular Science
- Cars: Popular Mechanics, Car and Driver, Motor Trend
- House and home: Better Homes and Gardens, Real Simple, Architectural Digest
- Sports and athletics: ESPN, Sports Illustrated
- Travel and adventure: Travel and Leisure, Budget Travel, National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker
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Choose pictures that match your ideal image of the future. These can be photos of people, places, or things- anything that you envision as a goal for your future. There is no “right” or “wrong” picture to put on a dream board!
- Find bright, colorful images that make you feel positive, ambitious or motivated.
- In addition to magazines, consider using photographs or pictures from the internet. You should put anything that inspires you onto your dream board.^{[9]
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Find inspiring quotes. While it is not necessary to include quotes on your vision board, many people find it useful to include quotes that speak to you. Include a favorite quote, or do a Google search for “inspirational quotes.”
- Type your quotes in a word document using an interesting font or interesting color in order to add a personal touch to your dream board.
- Look for pictures that you associate with your chosen quote or quotes for an extra-special touch.
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Include trinkets. Something that has a unique or special meaning to you, or elicits a happy feeling or positive emotions can also be included on your vision board. It can be something like a piece of jewelry that is no longer worn, a feather, a coaster, a pin, etc.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making Your Dream Board

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Tailor your dream board to your unique goal or goals. Your dream board can depict all areas of your life (including relationships, possessions, career, family), or it can be specific to one area of your life that you want to improve, change, or develop in the future.^{[10]
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Expert Source

Erin Conlon, PCC, JD
Executive Life Coach
Expert Interview. 31 August 2021.}^{[11]
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- The more you organize and personalize your dream board, the more likely you are to want to use it on a daily basis.
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Tear or cut out chosen photos and quotes. For a more “rugged” or “undone” look, tear your photos or quotes around the edges; for a neater look, cut out the quotes and photos with a pair of scissors, or consider mixing the two styles for a truly unique look.
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Paste the photos and quotes on the poster board. Be as creative as you want with the actual construction of your dream board. You can place the pictures in an overlapping, intentionally messy way on the board, or you can keep it clean and neat and arrange your photos and quotes in an organized way.
- Lay everything out before you start gluing or taping. This will ensure your dream board turns out exactly as you envision it.
- For a particularly creative touch, purchase interesting thumb tacks and tack some pictures and quotes to your dream board.
- Consider pasting images on colorful backgrounds before attaching them to your dream board to add some color and pattern to your dream board. Feel free to include embellishments, such as glitter or stickers- use whatever makes you feel great.^{[12]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Using Your Dream Board

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Keep your dream board in a highly visual area. It has been recommended to keep your vision board on or around your nightstand so that you can spend a dedicated time each evening visualizing, internalizing, and affirming your goals for the future.^{[13]
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- If possible, put your dream board in a location where it is one of the first and one of the last things you look at each day.^{[14]
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- Keep a picture of your dream board on your phone.^{[15]
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  Research source} If you ever feel like you’re lacking focus, take a quick glance at it to refocus and recenter yourself.
- If you make several different dream boards for different areas of your life, you may want to keep them in locations that are relevant to the aspect of your life on which they focus.
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Leave some blank space on your vision board. This blank space represents the growth and evolution of your dreams. Plus, it would be nice to have some blank space if you want to add more pictures, quotes, or trinkets to your vision board without redoing it completely.
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Believe in the power of your dream board. Your dream board is a way to visualize your future and your future goals, and visualization has been shown to be one of the most powerful mental exercises that you can do.^{[16]
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Erin Conlon, PCC, JD
Executive Life Coach
Expert Interview. 31 August 2021.}^{[17]
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Consider sharing your dream board. Making dream boards with a group of friends can be a fun way to exercise your creativity and spend some time bonding. When you finish constructing your dream board, give everyone a chance to talk a bit about why they made their dream board the way they did. Speaking your visions, dreams, and goals aloud is another step toward making them come true.
- In particular, share your dream board with people around you who support your goals and dreams. You will appreciate their positive energy supporting your dreams!^{[18]
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Create a new dream board each year. Dreams evolve and sometimes change completely, so it is good to keep growing your dream board along with your changing dreams.^{[19]
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- Look back on old dream boards to see your personal and/or professional growth and achievements over the years.^{[20]
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Expert Q&A

Question

What should be on a dream board?

Erin Conlon, PCC, JD
Life Coach
Erin Conlon is an Executive Life Coach, the Founder of Erin Conlon Coaching, and the host of the podcast "This is Not Advice." She specializes in aiding leaders and executives to thrive in their career and personal lives. In addition to her private coaching practice, she teaches and trains coaches and develops and revises training materials to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. She holds a BA in Communications and History and a JD from The University of Michigan. Erin is a Professional Certified Coach with The International Coaching Federation.

Erin Conlon, PCC, JD

Life Coach

Expert Answer

Generally speaking, consider these four areas for your vision: Well-Being, Relationships, Career, and Creativity/Leadership.
Question

How do you make a powerful vision board?

Erin Conlon, PCC, JD
Life Coach
Erin Conlon is an Executive Life Coach, the Founder of Erin Conlon Coaching, and the host of the podcast "This is Not Advice." She specializes in aiding leaders and executives to thrive in their career and personal lives. In addition to her private coaching practice, she teaches and trains coaches and develops and revises training materials to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. She holds a BA in Communications and History and a JD from The University of Michigan. Erin is a Professional Certified Coach with The International Coaching Federation.

Erin Conlon, PCC, JD

Life Coach

Expert Answer

A vision board is a visual representation of what you want your life to look like. Include pictures of that. There is no perfect vision board, because there is no perfect life.
Question

What percentage of dream boards really come true? Is like a goal you spend 50 years trying to reach and it never happens?

Community Answer

The dream board is a form of organizer to help you prioritize your dreams. When you have the most important dreams on the board, you visualize them so you can think through how to make those dreams come true.