I’m writing this from Nashville, Tennessee, in the middle of a snow and ice storm. The city feels unusually quiet. Flights are delayed. Roads are empty. Everything feels paused.
And honestly, it felt like the perfect time to finish my vision board.
When life forces you to slow down, you stop rushing past your own thoughts. You notice what keeps circling in your mind. You hear what actually matters instead of what is just loud. That pause gave me space to think, reflect, and decide what I want to be intentional about this year.
I’ve always liked vision boards, not as a trend, but as a practical way to stay focused on what I’m building and how I want to live. For me, they’re not about pretending hard things will not happen or wishing my way into a different life. They’re about focus and direction. A reminder of what I’m working toward and who I’m becoming while I work toward it.
And yes, I do believe in manifesting. Not in a sit back and wait kind of way, but in a focused, intentional way. When you get clear on what you want and keep it in front of you, you start moving differently. You make different choices. You show up with more confidence and less hesitation. That’s the part of manifesting that works for me.
What’s on my vision board this year
Some of the things on my vision board this year are big and exciting.
Making the USA Today list with my book.
Forty speaking engagements.
Creating a membership.
Expanding my reach.
Taking some really fun trips.
Those goals represent growth, visibility, and impact. They reflect work I care deeply about and am willing to keep showing up for, even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain.
And then there’s this one.
I’m becoming a grandmother in June.
That part of my vision board isn’t about the title. It’s about being the kind of grandmother who’s there when they call. The one who shows up when they need help. The one who will get on a plane without overthinking it. I don’t want to be too busy or too distracted to say yes.
That matters to me enough to live on my vision board right alongside everything else I’m building.
Because success, at least for me, isn’t only measured by what I accomplish. It’s also measured by who I’m available to be in the moments that matter most.
Why I prefer a physical vision board over a digital one
I’m very much a physical vision board person.
I like being able to walk up to it. Touch it. Stand there and really look at it. I want it visible, not tucked away on a screen I forget to open.
Some of my kids create their vision boards digitally, and that works great for them. There’s no right or wrong way to do this. For me, though, the act of making it with my hands slows me down. It forces me to be intentional about every image and every word I choose.
I’m not scrolling past it. I’m choosing to engage with it.
There’s something powerful about that pause. Standing in front of a board and asking yourself, does this still matter to me. Does this still feel true. Am I willing to work toward this.
That’s where the real value lives.
What vision boards actually do and why they work
A vision board doesn’t make things happen. It doesn’t replace effort, consistency, or hard conversations. It doesn’t eliminate doubt or guarantee results.
What it does is train your attention.
When you see your goals every day, they stay top of mind. You start noticing opportunities you might have ignored before. You become more aware of where you’re saying yes out of habit instead of alignment. You make decisions that support the life you say you want to live.
Not because the board is magic. Because you’re paying attention.
A good vision board acts like a visual anchor. When things feel busy or overwhelming, it quietly reminds you what you’re working toward and why those choices matter.
Where vision boards often go wrong
Vision boards tend to fall apart when they turn into wish lists.
If everything on your board feels distant or unrealistic, it can quietly create pressure. You look at it and think, I’m not there yet. Instead of motivation, it triggers comparison or frustration.
That’s not helpful.
This is why vision boards work best when they’re not just about what you want, but about how you want to live while you’re going after it.
Yes, my board includes outcomes. But it also reflects values. Presence. Willingness. Showing up when it matters. Trusting myself enough to take the next step without needing everything mapped out.
When your vision board reflects who you’re becoming, not just what you’re trying to achieve, it becomes something you can actually live into.
A vision board is not a timeline
I don’t use my vision board to measure how fast things are happening. I don’t use it as proof that I’m behind or ahead.
I use it as a check in.
Am I still moving toward what matters to me.
Am I building a life that supports the moments I don’t want to miss.
Especially during quiet or unexpected pauses like this one, my vision board reminds me that slowing down doesn’t mean I’ve stopped. Sometimes it means I’m getting clearer. Sometimes it means I’m recalibrating instead of forcing.
Life doesn’t move in straight lines. Goals shift. Seasons change. Your vision board should be allowed to evolve with you.
Why finishing my vision board in a storm mattered
Finalizing my vision board in the middle of a storm felt fitting, even though I didn’t plan it that way.
Everything outside was frozen, but inside, things felt clear and intentional. There was no rush. No pressure to perform. Just honesty about what I want this year to look like and feel like.
That’s what a vision board should do. Not distract you from real life, but help you stay connected to it. Not promise ease, but offer direction when things feel noisy or uncertain.
If you’re thinking about making or revisiting your own vision board, don’t start with what looks impressive or what you think you should want.
Start with what actually matters to you.
Because vision boards still work when they reflect how you want to live, not just what you want to achieve. And when you use them that way, they stop being about the future magically arriving and start becoming a way to choose, over and over again, the life you’re building right now.
If this resonated with you, my new book REAL Confidence: A Simple Guide to Go from Unsure to Unshakeable goes deeper into how we build confidence through everyday choices, not perfection.
You can preorder your copy here:
https://realconfidencebook.com
