Motivation can be the missing component for success in many aspects of life.
Finance is an area of life that requires more patience and control than most. It makes sense then that people would try all sorts of tricks to motivate themselves to build a better financial future.
A financial vision board is one of those sources of motivation.
Budget apps have played with the idea of visual representations of personal finances and providing rewarding feelings for users. But improving your finances is a long-term endeavor, and that’s what a financial vision board is all about.
What is a Financial Vision Board?
A financial vision board (or “money vision board”) is a collage of imagery meant to motivate the viewer towards financial success.
The images on a financial vision board each represent a personal life goal. When looking at everything together as a group, all the art on the board adds up to what the creator sees as their ideal financial future. It’s a physical and visual manifestation of your ideals and dreams – and should provide ample motivation when you need it.
Financial vision boards can be made in many different ways (more on that in a minute!). But the purpose of each board is the same: motivation for the creator.
How Do I Make a Financial Vision Board?
The first step is to find inspiring images and words. Scroll down to “Financial Vision Board Examples” for advice on source materials.
A financial vision board project should begin with a large collection of images.
Those images should include some mix of the items you value in life. They can be any mix of :
- Great food
- Luxury cars
- A huge garden
- Scenes from a life well lived
- A dream home
- A happy and well looked after family
- Whatever makes you happy!
Of course, this list will be different for every individual. So, there’s no shame in being brutally honest and choosing the themes that make you happy. The entire point is motivation for a better financial future, after all.
Once you have all the imagery, you just need to place them on your board.
Financial Vision Board Examples
The best example of a vision board is… whatever works for you!
My vision board is full of pictures of projects I want to tackle, like a gorgeous backyard with a brand new fence with solar lights on it, and a big gazebo. I use this more targeted type of vision board for projects that I expect to work on in the short-term.
Then I have another one that I add to for more long-term aspirations, like pictures of cottages near lakes, or people canoeing with their dogs. It reminds me of goals I aspire to in 10 years or so.
So, let’s go over the ways people find their vision board’s imagery and the board itself.
Images
The images for a vision board can come from many different places. There’s also nothing stopping you from getting images of several types from several different sources.
The easiest place to start is, of course online. Because you’re making a personal vision board, there is no need to worry about copyright restrictions. Just search online for whatever images provide the spark you’re looking for.
Then you can just print them and place them on the board. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. But you can try other methods if you really want your vision board to have a nice appearance.
I use both physical vision boards (Cut outs from magazines, mostly) and digital vision boards (I love Pinterest for this – you can make an infinite amount of boards for different goals.)
Another popular source of images is magazines. A financial magazine is a great place to find images you need. In particular, imagery of investment success, a rich lifestyle, and more can appropriately fit into a financial vision board.
The best quality, however, would come from genuine photographs. If you’re into photography, you can take this as an invitation for a fun job.
Board
Cardboard is one of the best options for the board itself. However, any material that is robust and durable enough can be used. A bulletin board can also make a great financial vision board. I use corkboards, but there’s no right or wrong here.
The key to remember is that you want the vision board to last. You want the board to last the same way you want your dreams to last!
Last but certainly not least, you need the right size for the vision board. This is why it makes a lot more sense to draw your images before choosing a board. You can always do the measuring after you have all your images.
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Making Your Financial Vision Board Work
To finish things off, there are several steps you should take to make the vision board work as intended.
- Make sure you match the board with all the images’ dimensions before you get started
- Don’t shy away from using a simple pen for part of the vision board
- Arrange your images by cost and corresponding timeframe
- Be honest with yourself; you can share your board with others, but it’s your goals on display, not anyone’s goals for you
- Place the vision board somewhere where you will see it every day, ideally early in the morning
It really depends on how you want to use your vision board.
For example, my short-term boards are smaller and more targeted to projects. I collect pictures of what I want, then as I do research and find more info, I’ll add things like paint swatches, comparison prices from different stores and notes I’ve made on the details.
For my long term boards, it’s also a living board. I add to it all the time as my dreams adjust, or I see new things. I know I want to eventually own a cottage on a lake, but different designs will inspire me at different times. Also, adding updates keeps me inspired to keep going.
Some people have a more specific way of building their boards, where they have a goal date in mind and they track their savings and spending on their boards. They like them to be more precise and with firmer deadlines or goals. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve – and what motivates you!
What is a Financial Vision?
What is a financial vision? It’s whatever you dream about!
If you know what you are trying to achieve, and where you would like to be in the future, whether it’s to have a new car, or to aspire to a certain job, house, or lifestyle, seeing it every day can keep you on track, reminding you of what you are working so hard to do!
Did you make a financial vision board? Share your pictures on our Instagram page!!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published May 4th, 2022 and has been updated to provide more relevant information to our readers.
I can do a vision board of the things that are of me at this time in my life with all the changes that have happened to my situation, but for some reason, others have planned it for me and know what I should be doing because of what they think they know. I don’t downplay anything about me, I just understand it better now. I want to line myself up so I can do for others, but people got understand you can’t take charge of something that is of God. He gives and can take it away and I still learning what in these days of life now and do know what I feel and see in things.
I really appreciated this article. When I read from the article the amazing and wonderful things that we value in life, the fifth one really resonated with me and therefore inspired me the most. I can appreciate your comment, Ms. Smith. Thinking about your comment, there is a very old saying that God gives and God Taketh. The truth is, God wants the best for us in every way. The holy Writings are filled with scriptures throughout its pages stating just that in black and white.
He would love to see us, financially secure, physically healthy and mentally and emotionally sound.
that old saying, depicting him as an heartless God who gives and promptly takes it back is not true because in the book of Job, God gave Job and Satan took them all away. Not knowing the cause behind his losses (like so many people), Job mistakenly told his wife that we should not only accept good from God, but also bad.
Bad things can happen randomly, not because God did it.
While or after experiences We can always regroup, re-plan, do our best and plan well!
*During or after losses/bad experiences, we can always regroup, re-plan, do our best and plan well!